Spider-Men #3: I'm absolutely loving this book. Say what you will about Bendis' pacing style, but this has been terrific. I really wish he would write 616 Peter the way he has been in this book in 616. Sara's art is simply beautiful...and that ending...I knew it was coming, but still...I got emotional. The reaction from May and Gwen...man. I can't wait for next month's issue.
No one read last issue? I find that hard to believe. Anyway: Spider-Men #4: This series continues to get better. Easily Bendis's best Marvel work in quite a long time. This consists mainly of conversations between Peter and his family as they react to their being a grown up Peter Parker. Meanwhile Fury and Stark attempt to locate Mysterio. This was a pretty emotional issue...especially the scene where Ultimate Mary Jane sees Peter just as he is leaving with Fury. It's a poignant scene. The beautiful artwork. I can't praise Sara's artwork enough. This has by far lived up to the hype, and the finale should be fascinating indeed.
I read it but forgot there was a separate thread for the mini, so I posted a few thoughts in the ongoing Marvel thread. Copied from there: Spider-Men #4 consisted almost entirely of conversations between Peter, Gwen, Miles, and May - and it was the best issue of the miniseries so far. The bit where May accepted that it really was a Peter was particularly well-done, and fairly low-key too. Watching Miles play with Ultimate Peter's web-shooters was amusing, and has me looking forward to seeing if those are the ones he'll be using in the near future in his own title*. (* If he has already started using web-shooters, then I haven't gotten to those issues yet - I think the last issue I've read so far was #10.)
I've been enjoying both Ultimate Spider-man and Spider-men. Bendis may not be the most action-oriented writer out there at times, but I love his character moments and I think both books are more character-driven than anything else. Bendis does use visuals as much as dialogue to tell a story, so there are times in which things are conveyed solely through the looks and gestures of the characters, IMO.
Normally I would decry an issue with no action, but this was very well done. Great premise of the family meeting a doppleganger of their dead Peter because it's not just an alternate reality or a clone it's the REAL Peter!
This latest issue was damn good. It was a good "down issue" given there was little to no action and more "drama." Interesting to me, as I don't follow Marvel let alone Ultimates Marvel, that the "Spider-Man and Wolverine switch bodies" incident still has "really happened" given some of the... "oddities" in that issue(s). (Which I have.) Isn't Gwen Stacy dead in the main Spider-man line? Or is this Spider-Man from a different "universe" than the one Gwen is dead in? Or has Gwen been retconned/magiked back to life? Or was Peter just being really good at making it sound like she was still around in his universe when talking to Ultimate Gwen?
No, it is the "real" Peter from the 616 Universe. That's the entire point behind the crossover, after all. He simply talked around his Gwen's death to avoid upsetting Ultimate Gwen.
Yeah all you had to do was look at the expression on Peter's face to know that he didn't want to be having that conversion with her. Gwen almost was brought back to life along with Harry during Brand New Day, but Marvel eventually abandoned that plan. I still maintain, this along with Ultimate Comics Spider-Man are among Bendis' best Marvel work's right now. He's nailing both out of the ball park.
Spider-Men #5...the conclusion was just as great as the beginning. This entire series lived up to the hype surrounding the book IMO. Probably ranks in my opinion among one of the best works that Bendis has ever done. He has finally shown that when he wants to that he can write 616 Spider-Man without merely being comedic fodder. I wish he would do this in his other books. The art is incredible, and the ending...I wonder what Peter saw about 616 Miles? It very much would seem like we will eventually get a follow up to this book at some point.
I'm guessing it'll come out next spring or summer. Will be interesting to see if Otto-Peter will be used in it or if that will have wrapped up by then. Or if Bendis just ignores Superior altogether, although I doubt that since there was some continuity with both books, especially with Miles and the Ultimate 'Verse.
I'm pretty sure that is the reason why Bendis is doing a sequel. This should be pretty fascinating. I absolutely loved "Spider-Men" (recently bought the hardcover) so I'll be looking forward to the sequel. I suspect we'll get more information on this as con season begins.