Turning Point: A Review of Ultimate Spider-Man #s 21 and 22

(w) Brian Bendis

(a) Sara Pichelli (line art) Justin Ponsor (color art)

With these two issues, series creators Brian Bendis and Sara Pichelli complete what is arguably the single most important story arc of this series so far, and the repercussions will no doubt be felt by young Miles Morales, a.k.a. Spider-Man, for the rest of his life. Miles' confrontation with Venom, who seems bigger, more grotesque, and more brutal than he has ever been, comes to a head. Venom puts Miles' dad, Jefferson, whom he mistakenly believes to be Spider-Man, in the hospital. Miles is able to ward Venom off with one of his "venom blasts" but Venom then follows the stricken Jefferson to the hospital, forces Miles to follow. Throughout this, Miles has to fend off questions from ex-S.H.I.E.L.D. agent turned police officer Maria Hill, who has essentially figured out Miles' little secret. Miles finds the rampaging Venom at the hospital, engages him and...tragedy ensues.

One could say it was only a matter of time before Miles's decision to assume the Spider-Man mantle left by the late Peter Parker would yield disastrous consequences for him, but I was a little surprised at the turn of events in this particular issue so soon after the story arc in which Miles' Uncle Aaron basically tricked him into being his enforcer, fought Miles, and then died in a fiery explosion. Apparently, though Bendis was just getting warmed up back then; the events in issue #22 will have life-changing consequences for Miles down the road. It is quite impossible to say more without spoiling things.

As life-changing issues go, Bendis and Pichelli handle this one with the appropriate gravitas, and in the case of the action sequences, with flair. Although the whole four-issue arc is, with the exception of the first issue, basically one gigantic fight sequence, it's the fallout from this that will really define Miles as a character, and both Bendis and Pichelli really made sure the stakes were sky high.

For me Pichelli was the star of this particular show. Bendis, practically Marvel's go-to-guy for talking heads issues, smartly stood aside and let his visual storyteller flex some serious muscle. Issue #22 is deeply tragic both for its consequences for Miles and for the fact that it will be Pichelli's last on this series as she is moving over to another Bendis book, Guardians of the Galaxy. Well that's one very special woman out of Miles' life. I am keen to see what David Marquez, who will take over as the book's regular artist next issue, can bring, considering his work over on All New X-Men has been nothing short of extraordinary.

Interesting times lie ahead for Miles Morales, that's for sure.

4.5/5