Fanboys Anonymous

The Ultimate Universe has survived another near-death experience, which means it is time for line-wide relaunches. Although I found All-New Ultimates 1 to be generally underwhelming, Miles Morales: The Ultimate Spider-Man 1 kick-starts the next chapter of Miles' life and includes two cameos that promise things have only just begun.


The issue starts off at a secret S.H.I.E.L.D holding facility that is being shut down due to S.H.I.E.L.D's inability to prevent the Galactus invasion. Closing S.H.I.E.L.D seems to be all the rage in Marvel Universes outside the main line. This particular prison, however, happens to be the home of a vegetable-state Norman Osborn, who is believed dead by the general public. As plans are made for his transfer, we jump to two factory workers who are attacked by a pair of new characters in matching Spider-Man derivative outfits reminiscent of the 616 Stacy Twin costumes. Following their successful heist, we finally find Miles who is trying to explain to his his girlfriend, Kate Bishop, how he knows his father left him without telling her that it was because he found out Miles is Spider-Man.

The father subplot is a great example of the Ultimate Universe's potential. Major characters in the 616 and their close supporting cast can't often go through such a major change (see the death of Johnny Storm) in fear of making them unrecognizable to new readers. The Ultimate Universe, however, is one where a very real story can be told about a parent who disowns his/her child, and Bendis pulls it off in a way that avoids melodrama. It's a story that grounds Miles, further challenges him emotionally, and you can tell it counts. Elsewhere, Norman Osborn finally breaks free from his captors while his transport is stuck in traffic. We don't linger on the scene long, but you don't really need much to know this will be a game changer.

Later, Miles goes to Ganke's house to do homework and discuss telling Kate he's Spider-Man. Ganke immediately shoots down the idea, but Miles, much like Peter before him, doesn't want to lie to his girlfriend. The scene is reminiscent of Peter's early days but manages to capture the same endearing charm of a young person trying to be a hero without feeling derivative. Miles soon heads to meet Mary Jane, who supports his telling Kate but only if he feels she's really a relationship that will last. It's a tough situation to put a kid of barely 14 in after his father and mother, two people who should have been major players in his life, left or died. Things don't slow down from there, however, as Miles returns home to find Peter Parker standing in his house to finish the issue.

That's right, Peter Parker and The Green Goblin are both back in one issue. It's a lot to process, and although Miles Morales: The Ultimate Spider-Man 1 was a fun read, it left a lot to be considered. It validates my assumptions that it was Peter at the end of Ultimate Spider-Man 200, although the vernacular of the Peter we see here indicates he isn't the same Peter who occupied the series before Miles. Ultimate Spider-Man did have an excellent clone saga that could provide an extra Peter Parker, although my money is on an Ultimate Superior Spider-Man since that title had to end early to fulfill obligations to Sony in time for its movie. It shouldn't be ruled out, however, that those obligations may be enough to fully bring Peter back despite the generally universal praise of Miles.

What did you think of Miles Morales: The Ultimate Spider-Man 1? Are you happy to see Peter and Norman back, or does this simply scream editorial edict to you? Let us know in the comments section below and check back in next month for more Miles Morales: The Ultimate Spider-Man.