Ultimate Spider-Man by Jonathan Hickman and Marco Checchetto recently released its eighth issue. A new story arc has begun, and with that, new characters and plotlines are being peppered throughout this brand-new universe. What’s truly exciting is how Hickman and Checchetto blend the personal life and drama of Peter Parker so well with the super-powered aspects of that same life. Hickman and Checchetto are flexing their chemistry in this issue.
Ultimate Spider-Man’s Peter Parker
This issue starts with Peter and his family getting ready to go to his kids’ birthday party. This issue takes place in August, which was the month back in 1962 when Spider-Man was first introduced. It’s poetic that his kids were born this month. Peter looks at the glossy sphere that his suit came in, and it talks to him. Fans of the series are caught off guard by this. While his suit does have an AI that’s based on his personality, it only activates while he wears the suit.
Peter is caught off guard by this too. He asks the suit what’s going on, and the suit replies that it’s always been able to talk. The suit then ominously states how there are tons of things it can do that Peter is unaware of. Hickman is referencing Venom, or the alien symbiote that Peter Parker had in the original comics. The text bubbles of the suit are also black, which just screams the alien symbiote. It’s a very interesting visual design, and the way the suit acts and looks is super suspicious.
The Underdog Duo of the Story
In this world, Uncle Ben and J Jonah Jameson are best friends, which just makes so much sense. In this issue, the audience gets to spend a lot of time with Ben, Jonah, and Peter. Ben and Jonah are officially opening their new news company, “The Paper.” They come to Peter and ask him to join them in their new business as a mainstay. Peter wants to, but he’s stuck between a rock and a hard place.
In Ultimate Spider-Man, Peter has a family. He argues that while he wants to, he can’t just get up and quit his job. He has benefits, insurance, and even a 401k. Pete can’t just pursue something like this out of nowhere. Ben and Jonah can, on the other hand, and their banter is enjoyable as it always is in this issue. The three of them then head to an arcade, with a nice reference to Arcade, the villain that plagued the 616 Spider-Man and X-Men.
A New Sinister Six
In this writer’s favorite moment of the comic, Jonah talks to Richard, Peter’s son. He gives him some advice amidst their heart-to-heart. Jonah talks about how he was when he was younger and then gives Richard a copy of his book, titled “I Never Lie.” This seems like a joke, and it is, but Jonah means it completely seriously. This is hilarious and almost overshadows the ending, where Wilson Fisk, the kingpin of crime, organizes a team of super-powered villains.
Characters like Kraven, Mister Negative, Mysterio, and the original Black Cat burglar. All that to say, there are a ton of villainous plans being laid by the kingpin of crime, and this writer can’t wait to see where they all go. This issue, like all of the Ultimate Spider-Man issues, was phenomenal. The strongest part of this series is easily the character writing and dialogue. Hickman just has such a knack for making believable dialogue that also tells the story satisfyingly and compellingly. The future of this series is even more interesting after Ultimate Spider-Man issue 8!
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