REVIEW: Ultimate Spider-Man #10

Family ties are bringing more problems than Miles first thought when his Uncle Aaron, aka The Prowler, wants to meet up. What will come from this meeting with the man whose thievery ended up giving Miles his powers?

ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN #10
Writer: Brian Michael Bendis
Art: David Marquez
Colors: Justin Ponsor
Letterer: VC’s Corey Petit
Editor: Mark Paniccia
Publisher: Marvel
Cover Price: $3.99

Previously in Ultimate Spider-Man: Miles had his first encounter with the law after taking out The Ringer. He was able to avoid being arrested or de-masked, but everyone is able to tell how young he really is. His Uncle Aaron is having his own problems when Scorpion finds him in New York and wants payback for the Prowlers’ actions in Mexico. Barely making his escape Aaron now wants to meet up with Miles and discuss his newfound abilities.

FAMILY ISSUES

The standoff between Uncle and Nephew is just beginning as we start the issue and it is kicked off with them trying to get the other to take off their mask. Aaron does take off his mask letting Miles know that his uncle is in fact the Prowler. After that it turns into quick blasts of dialogue and action as Uncle Aaron tries to get Miles to join him in his endeavors so that he may fully recognize his powers. In that attempt he is able to get Miles’s mask off his face, which sends Miles lunging after him ready to start battle.

Once the punches stop being thrown the two get down to the real reasons they are there, Miles becoming Spider-Man. Aaron promises that he can make Miles the hero that he wants to by training him and pointing him in the directions of the bad guys he can stop. Miles is obviously considering this, but Aaron then drops his secret weapon; he is going to tell Miles’s dad about his powers if he refuses to help. With the Avengers flying overhead Miles is left alone on the hotel roof to figure out what his next move will be.

There were a few problems with the flow of sequences, not with words but with what was being seen in panel. The biggest instance was when Aaron was able to grab Miles’s mask off his head. In one panel we see Miles falling towards his uncle with mask still in place, and then in the very next panel Prowler has sent him flying backwards with a kick, now having the Spider mask in hand. How he was able to do that is still mind boggling, but more emphasis should have been put on him removing it for how much Miles has tried to keep his identity under wraps.

DOESN’T MISS A BEAT

David Marquez has taken over the art duties on this title for the last two issues and it has been nearly impossible to tell. I didn’t even realize that the artist had changed from Sara Pichelli until reading about it online. Unlike the jump form Pichelli to Samnee, this artist change up has been seamless and kept the feel of the story intact. The smooth lines and realistic nature of the art has worked to capture the youthfulness of Miles and Ganke specifically. For the last two issues now they have ended with same panel alignment of “To Be Continued” which helped build the anticipation last issue, but has lost part of that effect this time and will continue to the more they use it.

BOTTOM LINE: $3.99 FOR HOW MANY PAGES?!

I almost didn’t buy this issue, not because there is anything wrong with the story, but because once again there are only 17 pages of content in this issue. I have accepted the fact that I will generally have to pay a little extra for most Marvel titles, but I would still like there to be just as many pages. Thankfully the current story line and art still keep bringing me back each month. We are starting to see Miles grow in his powers and understanding what his responsibilities for having them are, and it has been a treat to watch which is why I’m giving this 3.5 out of 5 stars. Hopefully future books will have a little more content, but I am looking forward to where it is headed with the Spider-Men crossover in the near future.