Comic Book Review: Ultimate Spider-Man #1

The all-new, all-different Ultimate Spider-Man #1 leapt into comic shops in early January of 2024 following Jonathan Hickman's Ultimate Invasion and Ultimate Universe, which showcased a wildly new interpretation of what it means to tell a story in the "Ultimate Universe". I've already discussed the odd marketing strategy behind naming an entirely new universe after an older, and insanely popular, universe, but the hook for this new line has done wonders to boost intrigue. Long gone are the days of Stan Lee's famous "world outside our window" approach in favor of an Orwellian world made up of seven territories, each run by a leader subservient to the Maker. The world's superheroes have all been either killed or neutered in such a way as to render them completely harmless to the grand schemes of their mastermind, who wants nothing more than to establish a world in his image to prove he could create a perfect society. Shenanigans ensue and the City from which the Maker rules is sealed off from the outside world with Howard Stark, Kang, and the Maker trapped until it next opens. In the aftermath, a young Tony Stark is left with roadmap to restoring the superheroes, but not before being found out by the Council that leads the seven territories and framed for a terrorist attack on New York City that cost the lives of thousands of innocent civilians, including Aunt May.

That brief rundown of Earth-6160 is the backdrop to the Ultimate Spider-Man. The marketing for the book highlighted Peter Parker's new status quo: a bearded, married man and father of two children. Outside of the small confirmation of May Parker's death during the New York City attack, that is essentially all the general public had to go on for what this series would be about, and, let me tell you, that is pretty much all it needed to tease. Fans have spent nearly two decades decrying the One More Day storyline that erased Peter and Mary Jane's marriage. The last few years of online discourse around Spider-Man comics have been varying degrees of "The writing is terrible" to "Editorial believes Peter can never be happy". Personally, I haven't consistently read more than a single new 616 Spider-Man book in years because just from my attempts at trying to read a handful of them I have found I just don't think they're that fun or interesting. So we now have a new comic book featuring a, let's face it, sexy Peter Parker who is not only married to Mary, but has children? That's a solid enough sell for me to check out an issue and see where things go.

Editor's Note: There is a contingency of fans that firmly believe that nothing can fix Spider-Man comics until they undo the events of One More Day and restore Peter and Mary Jane's relationship. I am not one of them. I have never liked the One More Day story or its aftermath, but I can see good stories coming from Peter outside of his married life and even involving him dating other people. The 616 Spider-Man comics have, for me, fallen into a rut that I just haven't enjoyed and it has been a long time since I've been excited for something new. For me, and for what I can assume are a good amount of those that bought the first issue of Ultimate Spider-Man, that promise of something fresh and new was what caught our eye.

Without spoiling every aspect of this book for the sake of a recap, this first issue sells the story it is trying to tell perfectly. Part of the struggle for a brand new series is to get the audience invested in the characters. The flashy, over-the-top action can be fun and interesting, but the characters are what the story rests on and the reason for the book even existing. What we have with this first issue is Peter going through a normal day. He's not a superhero at this point. He is a family man with a stressful job and several colorful characters in his life. He's a person who grieves for his Aunt May, who at this point died 20 years ago, and he's a man dealing with a desire to do and be something more than he is. Along Peter's journey, we are introduced to several people and events that will surely become bigger deals in the future. The side characters each feel like they are playing an important role in not only the world of the comic, but Peter's personal life. Oddly, the characters that get the least amount of actual emphasis are Mary Jane and Peter's two young kids. They play an important role, but we spend so little time with them that it's interesting to compare the book given to the general expectations before its launch. I have no doubt they'll play a much bigger role in the future, but, for now, they are serviceable characters surrounded by some that are far more fleshed out.

Chechetto's artwork throughout is beautiful, with a solid emphasis on layout driving the emotion of the character and creating a believable, lived-in world that we are witnessing. There is a dynamic quality to every line that is placed. Just look at Mary Jane's hair to see how much fun can be had with this style, but still feel like we are engaging with a real world. The focus of each scene is never in question and each story beat hits with the right impact. Chechetto and Hickman definitely work as a wonderful team in that regard, but that's also with the inclusion of Matthew Wilson's muted color palette, which adds enough to each panel that I truly can't imagine another style being used. We've also returned to the standard mixed-case lettering that the Ultimate Universe famously utilized to great effect, something that can be distracting if handled poorly. This feels like a team at the top of their game and they've just started together. Truly, an amazing feat.

Structurally, the book does something I rarely see handled with such care. Throughout the main story, we are shown events happening in the world around Peter as he has conversations with the people he loves. He asks what makes them so sure about the path they've chosen for themselves. We, as readers, know that Peter should be Spider-Man and that's the part of his life that is missing, but the characters all give their own take on what our protagonist needs to here. It's clear he is being contemplative and the audience is waiting for the spider to appear and change everything. We've seen this family-man, mid-life crisis drama and, clearly, the conclusion will be the adoption of the Spider-Man persona.

SPOILER WARNING FOR THE REST OF THE ISSUE

Editor's Note: I'm not going to spoil some of the big reveals (like some of the characters who make up our supporting cast) that happen early in the comic, as those are so interesting I think it's worth reading the book to be surprised all on your own.

That's why the ending is a stroke of genius. We learn that Peter has been given the choice to become Spider-man before the book even begins. What we see as a man trying to come to terms with living a life unfulfilled is actually Peter trying to reconcile the conflicting emotions he has about the opportunity to take on a bigger role. Saving that reveal for the end is masterful storytelling as the readers already know that he will ultimately accept the offer to become Spider-Man or there would be no book. We are positioned to not know Peter is questioning how he will answer because to us it is a foregone conclusion. For him, it isn't. This is new and scary. Tony Stark's hologram appeared before Peter Parker and gave him the means to become the superhero he was destined to be. This is him taking back the future that was stolen from him. Once this reveal is given, you can read through the entire issue again and every conversation Peter has is now recontextualized into a more appropriate view of what Peter is actually thinking.

This brings me Peter himself. His voice is recognizable as the Spider-Man we know and love, but with a self-assured nature that comes from a level of maturity the 616 Spidey has never been allowed to achieve. We don't get to see his inner monologue in the same way we've been trained to see before and he isn't cracking jokes every other page. This is a Peter that truly feels like an older and more subdued take on who we've known since the 60s.

What we are left with isn't even a clean slate for the character. We are in a brand new world with all-new possibilities. The supporting cast feels fresh, the artwork is breathtaking, and the writing feels deliberate and planned. This is truly a breath of fresh air for the Spider-Man fans that have been clamoring for something to be excited about. As for the ones who have enjoyed the 616 version for the last few years? Well, now they have two amazing takes on the character to read every month.