written by Brian Michael Bendis
illustrated by David Marquez
colored by Justin Ponsor
Miles Morales has a rematch with Norman Osborn, one that spans two issues, and Peter Parker, apparently really and truly not dead, comes to an important decision. Also, the readers learn why it's quite a bummer for Katie Bishop to learn that her boyfriend Miles is actually Spider-Man.
This issue is brilliantly illustrated, and a pretty satisfying conclusion as far as the Osborn/Parker/Morales saga goes, but holy cow, it took Bendis two issues to say what could have easily been said in one, and as I will emphasize in my review of Daredevil #10 (which will be a full review, unlike this snippet), the extra twenty pages were completely unnecessary.
Apart from Bendis' penchant for decompression, though, I think the reason for the ultra-long two-part climax to this story; is to definitively establish Miles Morales as a force to reckon with in the Marvel Universe. Norman Osborn, in this particular world, is the definitive "ultimate universe" bad guy, and Miles takes him on without blinking. Bendis has put Miles through the wringer since creating him, and seeing Miles really cut loose is cathartic, in a way, as it would surely be for the character after all he has endured. To be fair, despite the extra length, Bendis' story manages to pack quite a few narrative punches.
The star of this show, though, is Marquez, and whatever happens to this title or the Ultimate Universe in general, I hope he continues to illustrate Spider-Man adventures for a long time to come, whether it's Miles or Peter under the mask.
There are some unresolved threads, apart from the one introduced at the end of the issue; in particular the "Spider-Men" who have been on a robbery spree remain on the loose, but clearly Bendis has more stories to tell in the little time this book, and this imprint, have left. I just hope they're a little more compact than this rather bloated seven-issue story has been.
7/10
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