CREDIT: Marvel
Rating: 4/5 – There’s Room for Both Spider-Men!
By ComicSpectrum senior reviewer Shawn Hoklas.
Now that Spider-Man is on its fifth issue, I feel as though it’s starting to hit its stride. After reading and reviewing the first issue, I didn’t feel that Miles was much different from a younger and inexperienced Peter Parker. Now, writer Brian Michael Bendis is building up a supporting cast and introducing plenty of plot points to keep this book interesting, fresh, and exciting. This issue is the best of the series so far and is wonderfully paced, weaving in and out of multiple plot points and ending on a high note.
When Goldballs was introduced as a supporting character in issue three, I rolled my eyes. It seemed as though Bendis was trying to force another one of his “creations” into the title. Now, he’s actually a solid supporting character that plays well against Miles’ best friend and college roommate Ganke. That’s where this issue opens up, with Ganke and Goldballs discussing another supporting cast member’s video blog before heading into the main storyline dealing with Spider-Man’s fight against the Black Cat and Hammerhead. Artist Sara Pichelli does a wonderful job of balancing the cast and although I’m not crazy about her rendition of Hammerhead, everyone who’s out of costume looks different and unique.
In addition to the main story, the plot point involving Miles’ grandmother takes another turn for the worse (for Miles), his father takes on a job that was surprising and will most definitely add to the drama, and there’s a cliffhanger that will see another “Bendis” character playing a bigger role next issue. Bendis’ writing does miss the mark in a couple places, especially when he makes fun of DC’s recent reboot in a joke that seemed forced and unnecessary, but overall I enjoyed this issue quite a bit.
Much like when Ultimate Spider-Man first started many years ago, I may be enjoying the “Ultimate” version of Spider-Man more than the main Spider-Man book by Slott, but either way, it’s proving to me that there’s room for both Spider-Men in the same Marvel Universe!
Reviewed by: Shawn Hoklas
(shawn@comicspectrum.com)
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