And we are back with Ultimate Spider-Man! Except we’re not back, because it’s a whole new thing! Except it’s not a whole new thing! Look, I don’t know. Ultimatum was the big, dumb death of the Ultimate line, and in its place stands… the Ultimate Comics line. Why did they put Comics in the name? Why is it not written that way on the cover? I do not know. Wildly confusing. And it leads to a comic book named Ultimate Comics Ultimates. We may never know. But despite the awkward name and new trade dress, it’s still our friends from the last 135 issues, and Bendis is still at the helm, and Justin Ponsor is still coloring. But they are joined by David LaFuente! And he is going to rip it up. The style he brings to this book… and I think I’m the only person who’s ever said this, but I have said it many time and I don’t care… is a completely unexpected blend of manga and John Romita, Jr. The manga part is obvious, but the really solid feeling of mass, detailed but “unrealistic” backgrounds and certain more subtle details bring ol’ JRJR to mind, at least for me. And while that’s an unusual mash-up, for me, it works perfectly. It gives the book and open, youthful, high energy look. I really don’t understand how LaFuente didn’t become a Marvel superstar given the ever-rising tide fortunes of manga and ever-falling fortunes of American comics in the American market. This guy had the instantly recognizable manga look the kids love without just doing a bad impression of various manga-ka, he should’ve been huge. But don’t take my word for it, look at the back of this wrap around cover:
Appealing, exciting, solid. And a quick rundown of what is to be our new regular cast, too. Bendis has a lot of fun ideas going into this new phase of the book, so let’s get into it!
Bagley’s “cut my own hair in the dark” look for Peter is back!
The real Peter Parker has never suffered like this! Man, it’s always a pleasure to get back to USM. Or, you know, UCSM. “The food doesn’t know that.” Fabulous. It’s 6 months after the asinine events of Ultimatum, because who wants to deal with that, and we’re back on our grind. Student reporter Mary Jane Watson takes over to tell us that the mayor has declared today Life Day because NYC is officially reopened for business after the mess 6 months ago. But this is a superhero comic, so watch this:
Look at that Jeep. That is one Akira Toriyama looking vehicle, and I mean that as high praise, indeed. In an era where everyone just traces pictures or models of cars because (Let’s be honest) cars are hard and the audience doesn’t much care, LaFuente has stylized a Jeep. Look at the building, the cash register, the guns. Like John Romita, Jr., all the objects have heft, look 3D and look stylized.
And the action is crisp and clean and high energy, too! Stuart Immonen’s left the place in good hands. I mean, I know not everyone would be into this, especially the marks who love stuff like Greg Land or whatever, but I was so taken with LaFuente in this book. Well, anyway, our mystery vigilante gives a Bendis “all the problems in the world and you do this?” “Change your life” speech to his opponents, and is preparing to leave when…
My one complaint about LaFuente’s art on this book, it must be said, is Spider-Man’s almost perfectly round head. It’s just weird.
Who’s that? Ultimate The Hood? I mean, could be! Really like him being in the center of the first 2 panels and zooming all the way in. And the cops love Spider-Man now! It’s a whole new world. And speaking of:
Whoa! Peter & Gwen? So much for their brother & sister vibes! A lot can change in 6 months. That’s Aunt May calling up the stairs. She’s doing laundry, and Peter throws his on the pile. Whole new world! May says Kitty called, but not what about. Gwen says she’s still in love with Peter, and he denies it and doesn’t want to hear it. Then someone’s at the door. It’s not Secretariat (Hello, anyone who used to watch Craig Ferguson).
Where’s Johnny been? After the FF broke up, who knows? And I know I’m running way too many pages here, but between the new look, new status quo, and stuff happening, it’s hard not to. We close on this:
Ultimate Mysterio is back! Is Ultimate Kingpin dead? Whole new world! A really fun first issue. It hit a lot of stuff without feeling rushed. LaFuente’s time on the book is sadly not very long, but it is a total delight for me. Tune in next time for more examples of why!