On the one hand, that’s a weird cover. On the other hand, kind of makes sense for a Mysterio adventure. To open, Johnny Storm is asleep on Aunt May’s couch, and Peter is explaining to her how and why and reassuring her Johnny won’t light her couch on fire. May, hearing he came to Peter for help and is family might be dead, locks into parent mode and says to let him sleep. Elsewhere:
Lemme tell ya, revisiting this knowing Ultimate Mysterio’s deal, I am reading this stuff like a hawk. If it all makes sense in the end, I will be impressed.
Certainly not your Daddy’s Mysterio. Or is it?
What a thing to have lived through, ya know? Jumping ahead 6 months is smart, we don’t want to wallow in it, but it sure ain’t gonna leave Peter’s mind anytime soon. Aaand not to keep running too many consecutive pages, but…
Flash. Flash never changes. But Kong does. He’s punk now, with a purple mohawk and a cut out letter shirt and everything, like it’s 1979. I kinda have a whole rant about old white guys thinking punk = youth, but strictly the kind of punk they grew up with (See also: The MCU Spider-Man films, coincidentally, as just one example), even tho punk is dead, mainstream punk at this time looked like emo scene kids, and youth has =’d hip hop since the early 2000s, but we don’t need to get into that. Kong turns a whole table over on Flash, and then everybody gets detention, including Kitty, for “using her powers at school,” about which is she is rightly upset. And MJ is there to film it all.
Tensions running high in the cast! Look at MJ’s camera. That is so John Romita, Jr. I’m sure on the only person on this wave, but I will ride it out.
And, like, the type of manga LaFuente is inspired by isn’t visibly Akira Toriyama. Kind of more of a Bishoujo thing. But look how solid people are, which is very Toriyama, but also very Romita. Anyway, we learn the Daily Bugle went under after the crisis, which is crazy, and then a BOOM in the distance summons Peter to his real job.
Look at the Spider-Mans in panels 3-5. Look at the background, solid and detailed and stylized. Replace Spidey’s big ol’ round head with a Romita one and it’d make total sense. Am I gonna make this whole blog about this now? I hope not, but… look at it!
Do have to say it? That’s a Romita Spider-Man if ever there was one, right down to the way the calves kind of stop abruptly right at the top of the boot and the rest of the leg is straight. When I complain about bad art, it’s only from looking at the art this closely, man, I can’t help it. Bendis, it should be noted, was a very vocal fan of Gilmore girls, and, like, here… they are. As supervillains. That’s kinda weird, right? They are called the Bombshells because the shoot beams of extremely concussive force from their fists, and our hero learns that right before nearly being punched in the head by one of said fists, which can’t be good for you.
I’m gonna stop saying it, but… you know what it is.
Spidey manages to snag the younger one and ground her painfully, which does not please her mother, but Spidey disappears when she retaliates. She tries to collect her daughter and leave, but Spider-Man is back, with a flying kick moving so fast, Lafuente has his sleeve blowing up just a lil’ bit, which is a nice touch. With Mom down, our guy tries to corral the daughter, but she uses her boom zap to fling them both into the air.
This book has been so unbelievably lucky with artists who can stage action, ya know? Only 3 guys so far, but each one really good at it.
“You were in the same dumpster as me” is pretty great. One more page!
Perhaps Johnny will tell us in the next thrilling issue of Ultimate Comics Spider-Man! Man, it’s exciting to actually be enjoying this again!