Quick Looks Part IV: Miles Morales: Ultimate Spider-Man #s 4 and 5

(writer) Brian Michael Bendis

(artist)  David Marquez

(colorist) Justin Ponsor

In issue #4, Miles Morales gets into a fistfight with Norman Osborn, a.k.a. the Green Goblin. Peter Parker (yes, Peter Parker) helps out. In issue #5, they escape the police. Save for a few other pages of dialogue between other characters, little else actually happens. 

This book is turning into one big anti-climax, which Bendis is unduly dragging out for reasons I cannot quite understand. Bendis didn't do this too often on his first run with this character. His longest story arc on the previous iteration of this title was seven issues, but here, five issues in, things don't feel anywhere near resolution, and it's largely because of his insufferable propensity for decompressed storytelling. 

The good news is that artist David Marquez is at the top of his game here, and his art for both issues is nothing short of amazing, ably abetted by Justin Ponsor and his color palette. Bendis' dialogue, particularly the exchange between Miles' girlfriend, Katie Bishop, and her older sister, is fairly enjoyable, if a little repetitive, considering how most of his characters seem to have identical speech tics. Truth be told, the story overall is rather enjoyable; what detracts is the feeling that so little has happened over two whole issues, and even over the last five.

It's been said that Marvel looks like it's finally calling time on the Ultimate imprint (though people have been saying that for some time now), and considering the sagging sales its titles have experienced for over half a decade now if they've decided to make that call I can hardly blame them. Maybe that's why Bendis is dragging this series out a bit; maybe he knows the world in which it moves is on its last legs.

Either way, I really hope Bendis has a really butt-kicking finale in store for this arc. 

7/10