ultimate comics spider man by brian michael bendis volume 4

An early scene has a wonderfully scripted confessional scene in which Miles’ father hints about his past, finishing by saying he wants Miles to be able to talk to him about anything, before a brilliant couple of lines displaying to Miles exactly why he can’t. Because there are connections between Miles and the original Spider-Man, Bendis is able to weave a superb tension for readers who recognise them while providing an equally engaging drama for anyone picking this up as their first Spider-Man graphic novel.

It’s just a set-up, but Bendis conceals the true purpose behind some inventively threatening dialogue between Osborn and a lackey, although even better is that when we’re well into the series this scene has a further significance. That exemplifies why so much of this story is so well written. Beyond that Pichelli fills in the details around the cast, providing them with proper breathing environments, be that Miles’ best friend’s bedroom, New York as viewed from the rooftops, or the inside of Norman Osborn’s laboratory as featured in a great few opening pages. Even more convincingly you can still believe Miles is a small thirteen when he puts on a Spider-Man costume toward the end of the book. You can believe he’s thirteen when first bitten by the spider, and the same applies to his friends. Youth is accentuated by Sara Pichelli’s art. Most importantly, Miles is a young teenager, just entering high school in a very effective opening sequence featuring a lottery, and while his life lacks personal tragedy, his father’s upbringing and younger years were apparently troubled. While he’s agile and athletic, he can in effect turn invisible, and has a form of sting. It still features a teenager, a radioactive spider, and an uncle, but the powers Miles acquires differ from the known.

What’s more impressive is the way he twists Spider-Man’s origin for a new era. He’s always had a fine ear for dialogue, and uses that well to personalise Miles and his family, but that’s a known quantity. Under Brian Michael Bendis, Parker’s Ultimate incarnation had been a joy from beginning to end, and Bendis ensures much the same is the case for the Miles Morales version. Instead Miles Morales became Spider-Man, and this is a leisurely origin story introducing us to Miles, his family and friends, and his first, faltering steps as Spider-Man. In 2011 Marvel rebooted their alternate Earth Ultimate Comics line, and Peter Parker became surplus to requirement.

Ultimate comics spider man by brian michael bendis volume 4