Review: Ultimate Spider-Man 16.1

Writer: Brian Bendis

Artist: David Marquez

There have been times when Marvel's "ultimate" line of comics felt like nothing more than an excuse to pander to newer, younger readers who could not be bothered to acquaint themselves with over 50 years of continuity. Worse still, there have been times when the ultimate line has felt like a remake of a great song or movie that has failed to capture the essence of the original.

There are times, however, when the writers prove that the ultimate line is more than just a gimmick by delivering thoroughly engaging stories that are not at all possible in the "regular" Marvel universe by turning certain character conventions on their heads. After all,this is the version of the Marvel Universe in which Spider-Man and Wolverine can die, and in which Reed Richards of the Fantastic Four can become a bad guy.

Here, Spider-Man regular Betty Brant is placed firmly in the spotlight. This was my first time to encounter her in the twelve years of the title's existence, but it's established pretty clearly in the first few pages that she is a reporter for the Daily Bugle whose ambitions far outweigh her scruples, quite unlike the sweetheart she was in her first few appearances in the regular line of comics. In this story, which takes place shortly after the events of Ultimate Spider-Man #12, Betty watches a video that was taken at the time the new Spider-Man, Miles Morales, went toe-to-toe with his uncle, Aaron Davis, the ultimate universe version of the Prowler, and as Aaron utters dying words to Miles, deduces a connection between the two of them. Believing she can expose the identity of the new Spider-Man, she consults the paper's editor-in-chief, J. Jonah Jameson on whether or not to chase down the story. Jameson says no, but that does not stop Betty, who proves quite resourceful in gathering the evidence she needs for her story. Whether or not she gets to use it, however, is another matter altogether.

Marvel's "Point One" issues are often marketed as "jumping on" points for new readers, but here writer Brian Bendis takes the opportunity to tell an interesting story between the lines, and to take another Spider-Man character into uncharted territory. What's interesting here is how Ultimate Betty Brant and Ultimate J. Jonah Jameson aren't quite so far removed from their mainstream universe counterparts as they might seem; Betty in the regular Marvel U is, in fact, a driven reporter, and Jonah, for all of his bluster and unpleasantness towards Spider-Man, is actually a man of considerable integrity, but these versions of their characters inhabit a world in which Peter Parker has died a hero, and arguably that makes all the difference. The scene in which Jonah says "no" to Betty may seem out of character at first glance (and it doesn't help that David Marquez, whose artwork is otherwise brilliant, has drawn Jonah like an older Tony Stark instead of his usual flat-top sporting, Chaplin-mustache wearing curmudgeon) but it's actually consistent with possibly one of my favorite depictions of Jonah ever, his few pages of glory in the Frank Miller/David Mazzucchelli epic Daredevil: Born Again, in which he tells Ben Urich, who has been cowed by the Kingpin, that he must never allow himself to get scared off a story. There are very incremental degrees of difference, and the dialogue between Betty and Jonah is some of the best I've ever seen from Bendis.

Long-time Spider-Man readers may have problems with the characterization of Betty Brant, but like I said, there is some consistency in terms of her character's ambition, which is simply an amped-up version of her character in the mainstream Marvel universe. She's certainly not evil, but she is selfish and short-sighted, which is arguably an accurate description of many, if not most people in the world. Also, considering that even Reed Richards can be a bad guy given the right push, it stands to reason that even supporting characters can go bad. To my mind, Bendis handled it quite well.

Another intriguing aspect of the story for me, though, which I'm sure will be picked up on in later issues, is the fact that it is now established that Miles' dad's last name is actually Davis, as his name, Jefferson Davis, is stated in the course of the story. It makes me wonder, then, why Miles goes by what is presumably his mother's last name, Morales, apart from what I can only surmise is Bendis' refusal to have Miles share the same name as a famous black musician. Whether his explanation for his is simple or not, I'm pretty keen to read it.

David Marquez, whom I sorely missed last issue, was back with his usual crisp line work, but like I said I was not a fan of how he drew Jonah Jameson, which was a major component of this story.

Forget being a jumping-on point, this issue is a seriously good read for anyone into Spider-Man comics, ultimate or otherwise.

4.5/5