The new adventures of Miles Morales have been a must read so far, but this time around there has been a noticeable change. Take the jump to find out what it is.
ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN #6
Writer: Brian Michael Bendis
Art: Chris Samnee
Colors: Justin Ponsor
Lettering: Cory Petit
Editor: Mark Paniccia
Publisher: Marvel
Cover Price: $3.99
Previously in Ultimate Spider-Man: Miles learned from multiple sources that his Peter Parker Spidey costume was in bad taste, most notably from Nick Fury. When the Ultimates struggle taking out Electro, Miles uses his newly developed abilities to help deal the final blow. In a gesture of acceptance, and to get him in a new suit, Fury gives Miles the black costume we have only seen on the covers.
FAMILY ISSUES
Uncle Aaron, aka the Prowler, stole a box from Oscorp, which contained the radioactive spider whose bite gave Miles his powers, in issue one and today he flies to Mexico to finish his transaction. After being held at knifepoint, Aaron takes Scorpion’s money without delivering the package and is about to get away until Mexico City’s Police arrest him.
Back in Brooklyn, Miles starts leading his double life as the new Spider-Man by stopping a mugging then returning home to his overjoyed mom. After the general catching up talk they address Miles learning of his father’s past and Uncle Aaron’s present. Bendis uses this talk as another character building point as Miles thinks that he too could be capable of being just as bad.
After Miles saving a woman from a mugging makes the news, Ganke rushes into the Morales home with training advice for Miles. Continuing with the boys admiration and praise of the late Peter Parker, Ganke gives Miles a tape of Peter’s battle with Doctor Octopus so he can learn everything Peter knew and more. I never read the first Ultimate Spider-Man, but it is evident how much the character was loved by audiences by the treatment he is given throughout this new series.
SO THAT’S WHY IT WAS POLYBAGGED
As I flipped over the first page of the issue I was taken back and started scrambling to read the credits page. Unbeknownst to me before my reading, the team for Ultimate Spider-Man has made a change with Sara Pichelli and David Messina leaving the art department and Chris Samnee filling their roles.
The differences of Pichelli and Messina’s art between Samnee’s are so notable it teetered on giving the whole book a new feel. In the first five issues we were given clean and bright art that flowed with the lettering and fit with the depiction of a young Miles Morales. Samnee’s work features considerably more inking in sequences and not as much detail that led to a more lose feeling image. The only real problem that I found with the art were the over done facial expressions, most notably from Miles’s mom.
BOTTOM LINE: STICK WITH IT
Bendis continues to develop Miles as a relatable character while starting to build in more story lines. This issue still has the same pacing from pervious issues, but you can just feel the story about to shoot off the line with Miles’s first big encounter. Again, Samnee’s art isn’t bad it’s just different. Hopefully on the next issue I will be use to it so I don’t pull myself out of the issue. Ultimate Spider-Man continues to be a title that you should be reading and I’m giving this issue 3.5 out of 5 stars.
6 Comments
“Miles learned from multiple sources that his Peter Parker Spidey costume was in bad taste, most notably from Nick Furry. When the Ultimates struggle taking out Electro, Miles uses his newly developed abilities to help deal the final blow. In a gesture of acceptance, and to get him in a new suit, Furry gives Miles the black costume we have only seen on the covers.”
Nick Furry? Is this Ultimate Spider-Ham?
Wow. I’m embarrassed. Thanks for pointing that out.
I hate to say it (because I certainly can’t draw any better), but I was not impressed with the art on Spider-Man #6. Compared to Sara Pichelli’s work, this felt almost amateurish in comparison. The characters felt flat and lifeless to me… The scene where Spider-Man lands in the middle of the thugs just had no energy at all to me.
While I’m sure Chris Samnee works well in certain titles, this just didn’t do it for me. I’ll certainly give it a little time to see if it grows on me, but if not, I may just have to pass for a while on Miles’ adventures… :(
I was blown away with the first 5 issues of this comic. For me as with alot of people I Imagine, comics is a visual art form so, when I opened the cover and found a completely different interpretation of the comic I was truely disappointed. I honestly didn’t even finish reading the comic and will tell my comic book guy to take this one off my list.
I preferred him to stay in the red/blue costume
I keep reading this stuff only in the hopes that peter parker will get resurected… The art was a bit dull…