Jonathan Hickman and Marco Checchetto’s Ultimate Spider-Man has been going strong since the start of this year. The latest issue of this series, Issue 7, marks an interesting point for this fledgling Spider-Man comic as it’s the start of a brand-new arc. The plot points and character motivations this arc sets will undoubtedly ripple throughout the rest of the series for hopefully months to come. Let’s look at this issue’s performance in setting up the story.
Ultimate Spider-Man’s Second Story Arc
This issue primarily focuses on Peter and Harry. The Ultimate Spider-Man and Green Goblin, along with the newly introduced Ultimate Otto Octavius, do plenty of behind-the-scenes work in this issue. Hmm, wonder if Octavius will be a key player in this new story; after all, he is a major character in this issue. He helps both characters in their combat training and even sets them up with their suit AI. Peter bases his AI on himself, which is very in-character, while Harry equally characteristically bases his AI on his father.
Their choices of AI models create some great foreshadowing for the characters. Though it seems like Harry is a good person with good intentions, he has some darkness inside him due to the strained and awful relationship he had with his late father, Norman Osborn. Peter seems great in this version of Ultimate Spider-Man, but his AI suit’s speech bubbles are black. Is Hickman harkening back to the symbiote suit here? Is it a callback to the black costume, or is it a hint at something more sinister? Readers aren’t quite sure yet.
Behind the Scenes
Some other not-so-action-heavy events in this comic involve J. Jonah Jameson and Ben Parker’s activities. They’re running their own news business, The Paper, and they’re getting insider info on their competitor and former company, The Daily Bugle. Who is this mystery informant? It is none other than Joe “Robbie” Robertson, their close friend who is still on the inside. This is a wonderful touch. Robbie was always an important character in the original comics because unlike JJ, who hated Spidey and gave Peter a hard time, Robbie was always understanding.
In the Sam Raimi films, he was a minor, but incredibly charming and lovable, character. In this new Ultimate Spider-Man run, he seems to be the Robbie the fans all know and love — a loyal friend who does the right thing — and that’s great to see. The reader also gets to see Mary Jane and Gwen briefly run by The Paper’s office. Again, Gwen and MJ are doing some behind-the-scenes work together on property and finances. Lastly, the reader gets a look at Kingpin doing some usual villainous plotting, hatching a scheme to create a brand new Sinister Six. It’ll be interesting to see the Ultimate Spider-Man’s version of that team.
The Future of the Ultimate Universe
The final part of this issue has the Tony Stark of this universe, Iron Lad, coming to Pete and Harry and seeing if Peter has lived up to being a hero. So what’s next for Ultimate Spider-Man? It’s great that the story hasn’t been predictable and readers don’t know what’ll be coming next. The chess pieces of this world are moving in ways that are both new and alien, and Hickman is setting up a story that will no doubt be unique and interesting to read.
Some of the best parts of this most recent issue are the dialogue exchanges between Peter and Harry. The dialogue and writing in this book are just so snappy and easy to get through. The art is still incredible, and the future of the series has never been brighter. This writer is incredibly excited to see where Hickman takes this version of Ultimate Spider-Man since the first story arc so far has been sensational.
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