Ultimate Comics Spider-Man #1

[cyberghostface]

So here we are with the first issue of Ultimate Comics Spider-Man with Miles Morales as Peter Parker's successor. True to Bendis fashion, it appears that we're going to be dealing with an arc-long origin story. If you were expecting this to pick up from Miles' appearance in Fallout with him already dressed up as Spidey, you're going to be disappointed. Personally, I thought it was a good start.

So like Peter Parker, Norman Osborn has his fingers in the origin of this Spidey, albeit from a distance. He was trying to replicate the same spider that bit Peter.

Our introduction to Miles:



This time it goes differently:



Now what appears to be the Ultimate version of the Prowler is seen breaking into OsCorp (at this point, Norman is gone, having been exposed as the Green Goblin) to steal some stuff (mostly money) but unbeknownst to him, the new OsCorp spider has snuck into his bag. This Prowler appears to be Miles' uncle (or at the very least, is connected to the Prowler). Miles goes to visit him, and the spider sneaks out of his bag and...



Miles has a bit more dramatic reaction than Peter does, and is foaming at the mouth. He gets better, but Miles' father comes in and gets into a big argument with the uncle about Miles visiting him. Appears there's some bad blood between them. Miles runs out of the room.

His father goes to look for him, but he can't find him...only thing is, Miles is right there.

Comments

[eyz]

Miles can get invisible too?
Is it only me or do any one else also thinks he might end up being the "Ultimate" version of the Iron Spidey (that Civil War-esque costume)?
Like being able to "slightly fly", etc..but through powers rather than the costume.

Also, loving him so far! Go Miles! Become a classic like Miguel O'Hara! (still my darn' favorite alternate version of Spidey to this day!!!)

[cainofdreaming]

Well, he has the costume for it.

I finally figured what made me think of Miguel when I first saw the design. It's the division between the upper and lower portions. The lower is all black, in both of their costumes, while the upper has the spider-motif.

[pyynk]

Reminds me a bit of Alex Ross' redesigned Spidey suit which I kinda dug.

[eyz]

I'm pretty sure they took Alex Ross' redesign as basis :P

[drmcninja]

I could see that, but only if the make sacrifices with his other powers. he can't be spiderman PLUS invisibility and hovering, that just wouldn't be fair. He'd need a whole new rogues gallery to even cope with that.

[eyz]

...And wait until he spring those giant Wolverine-like claws!

[mrstatham]

Given a good chunk of the old rogues from USM are dead or overused, we need some new villains anyway. I mean, we don't even have a Doctor Octopus anymore, from what I recall.

[thehood]

I'm hoping we get Ultimate Lady Ock then.

[mrstatham]

I already threw out the idea of a Carolyn Trainer more Peter's age while the Death of Spider-Man story was still going on. No reason, of course, that we still couldn't have a younger Lady Ock, although she should totally take Otto's old codename just for humour purposes.

[darkknightjrk]

Looks like a solid opening for the series and the character. I like that he has some completely different powers from Peter, and that it seems like his family life, while having some similarities, feel very different as well.

[lultam]

It was very weird to see Spider-Man have parents.

Great first issue.

[drmcninja]

Immediately my first thought: "Woah, his parents didn't die?" This is actually (thankfully) looking less like an biracial Peter and way more like his own character, and I'm loving it!

[lultam]

I agree, although my one criticism would be that while he looks a lot like Donald Glover he didn't seem as energetic as he is. Really liking the art here as well. I'm looking forward to seeing the new costume in action too.

[brilliantnova]

Must pick this up. just from the few panels you posted I started to feel for the characters. this is a good thing.

[lieut_kettch]

So how is he disappearing like that? If it's something inherited from the spider, like chromatophores or something similar, shouldn't the effect be limited to his body and not his clothes?

[biod]

Maybe he projects a stealth field instead of actually turning invisible?

[kd_the_movie]

And he's younger than Peter was....appears to be what 12? 13?

[magus_69]

The issue happened "11 months ago," which could put him at 14 when he debuts as Spider-Man. IIRC, Peter was 14 when he debuted, so that makes sense.

[skalja]

No, Peter was fifteen. Miles is meant to be a little younger when he starts out.

[magus_69]

Ah. Thanks. It's been a while since I read the beginning of USM. I knew he was younger than 16, but I guess I overshot the mark.

[practicalcat]

Props to Miles -- if a spider the size of my hand bit me, you'd probably be able to hear my screaming and flailing and carrying on from the other side of the state.

[endis_ni]

If you couldn't hear my scream, you can bet all the all the dogs in the city would bark around the time all the ultrasonic equipment suddenly failed.

[sinisterlink]

That's exactly what I was thinking. Although after all my screaming and flailing I would have stomped the thing till there was nothing left but a fine paste.

[ninjapeps]

I wouldn't scream. I'd most likely be dead unconscious.

[18lemons]

I thought this issue was kind of average. Yeah, Miles seems like a cool character and I don't have anything against him. I mean yeah, I loved Peter. Pete's always been my favourite character, since I was a kid watching the 90's Spider-Man cartoon.
But Miles is fine, he's a bit shy and hasn't shown much personality yet, but he's fresh, seems like he has a decent supporting cast. I've got nothing against him.
My biggest issue was that the story was pretty slow, that's always been the case with USM though, it's not really a story about Spider-Man but the story of a kid and his life, when he just so happens to be Spider-Man. I imagine it'll read much better in the trade.
Sara Pichelli's art was amazing though, I wish there was more I could say about it, but it's fantastic.

[midnightvoyager]

...I don't really like Miles.

Is he on large animal sedatives or something? He doesn't seem to have any actual reactions to anything. And hey, you've got something really positive! IMMEDIATELY MOPE AND WHINE.

He even looks asleep when he falls down after being bitten by the spider.

Can I have a little energy? Reaction? Something? Hello?

[speedingtortoise]

I dunno, I kinda took his sad reaction to winning the lottery to mean that he felt bad that other students didn't get in

[midnightvoyager]

It seems... I guess it's the overall thing. At the start, he's kinda blank. When he's sad, that's a muted reaction, but with all of his other context, it reads as blank. Turning invisible, "huh."

It may be an art fail, I suppose? He just seems so... sleepy. I mean, I don't dislike the guy, it's just... I don't have much to work with toward liking him here.

[speedingtortoise]

I would agree, he seems very subdued. I presume that he'll become more confident and lively as the series goes on.

[aaron_bourque]

Bit by spider, turn invisble?

. . . what?

[biod]

2. ???
3. Profit!

[cyberghostface]

Spiders don't have spider sense either, so...

[aaron_bourque]

That's an acceptable shorthand for a variety of sensory inputs. Spiders don't have a spider sense, but they have more specialized senses that humans don't have.

Spiders absolutely do not turn invisible.

[tsunamiwombat]

Trap Door Spider?

[sinisterlink]

I would love to see someone with those "powers". Have someone like Wolverine walking around in the woods one day and then someone just pops out of a hidden hole in the ground and drags him off. lawl.

[practicalcat]

I approve of Wolverine getting kidnapped by spiders for a while. Let's make it happen!

[sinisterlink]

It would be fun. Knowing Logan though, he'd probably end up becoming their king or something. I just want to see Wolvie get kidnapped and have nobody notice he's missing for a few weeks because he's on so many teams.

Captain America: Hey, where's Logan?
Hawkeye: I don't know. Probably with the X-Men somewhere.
Cyclops: Hey, where's Logan?
Magneto: I don't know. Probably with his kill squad team that he thinks no one knows about.
Deadpool: Hey, where's Logan?
Psylocke: I don't know. Probably out on one of his soul searching lone wolf hikes or something.

[nezchan]

Brown Recluse Spider-Man, perhaps.

[cyberghostface]

Yes, but they don't have a special precognitive ability that tells them ahead of time that danger is nearby like Spider-Man does. Ergo, Spider-Man's "spider sense" isn't an accurate depiction of a spider's abilities.

If we're talking about scientific realism in comics now, being bitten by a radiated spider wouldn't give you super powers. It would make you sick. Being caught in a gamma explosion wouldn't turn you into a giant green monster either.

[darkblade]

If we're going to be like that about it the radiation would probably have killed the Spider before it could bite anyone.

[aaron_bourque]

Yes, but they don't have a special precognitive ability that tells them ahead of time that danger is nearby like Spider-Man does.

It depends on the writer, whether he really does have some kind of precognition or if that's just how his brain interprets his "spider-sense."

Since it is unlikely "turn invisible" will be up to interpretation based on writer, yeah, NO SPIDER TURNS INVISIBLE.

[cyberghostface]

You're missing the point.

Spiders don't have what Spider-Man has. They don't have a sensation or precognitive ability or whatever that tells them about impending danger. In short, Stan Lee was taking liberties with actual spider's powers when designing his character. His character wasn't meant to be scientifically accurate.

If you can't suspend your disbelief that a genetically altered spider can make someone turn invisible because spiders don't turn invisible, then there is no reason why you should be able to suspend your disbelief that an irradiated one can give someone precognitive abilities because spiders don't have that ability.

And for what it's worth, Miles' ability is called "spider-camouflage", and many spiders do possess the power to blend in with their surroundings. A stretch, sure, but no more of a stretch than a spider's senses equating to precognition.

[aaron_bourque]

If you can't suspend your disbelief that a genetically altered spider can make someone turn invisible because spiders don't turn invisible

That's not artistic liberties. It's not a matter of suspending my disbelief, it's mere confusion. What part of ANYTHING spiders can do = invisibility?

Strength, speed, agility, all that I get. Sticking to walls, sure, okay. I can even rationalize the spider sense. But, invisibility? That is . . . WHAT DOES INVISIBILITY HAVE TO DO WITH SPIDERS?

[cyberghostface]

Simple. Many spiders are able to blend in with their surroundings with camouflage. Miles Morales' abilities are called "spider-camouflage"--he's able to blend in to his surroundings. Ergo, his abilities are derived from actual spider mannerisms.

It's less of a stretch than spider-sense, being that spiders don't have any precognitive abilities but many are able to blend in with their surroundings.

[aaron_bourque]

a) That's not invisibility

b) spiders don't have any precognitive abilities

Neither does Pete, usually.

[cyberghostface]

It's camouflage. That's what Miles has.

Unless you have any proof that actual spiders have a special sense that warns them of impending danger, you don't have much of a leg to stand on here. You're refusing to accept one power not directly found in spiders while handwaving another just because.

[aaron_bourque]

It's camouflage. That's what Miles has.

Camoflage is not see-through. See-through is what Miles has.

Unless you have any proof that actual spiders have a special sense that warns them of impending danger, you don't have much of a leg to stand on here.

Have you ever tried to squash a spider? Yes, I know that they have a more specialized sense of touch that essentially alerts them when something gets close, but that's USUALLY how Pete's spider sense works, too.

You're refusing to accept one power not directly found in spiders while handwaving another just because.

Fine. I'm a old curmudgeon and the Spider Sense gets grandfathered in. I'm still confused by the invisibility. WHICH IS NOT CAMOFLAGE.

[bj_l]

Anoles camouflage is often depicted in the same way, by the by.

[thehood]

It's camouflage. Besides, the Oz that altered the Spider probably had something to do with it too.

[newnumber6]

When you think about, in a world where super powers can arise from biological processes like Evolution (I know mutants were created in the Ultimate-verse, but still), the ability to turn invisible would be a huge benefit for a spider... and a spider species who had that ability might well go unnoticed for quite some time.

Or Osborn injected Invisible Woman's DNA in there, just to see what would happen.

[sinisterlink]

Oh please, spiders can totally turn invisible. There's one behind you right now. :p

[speedingtortoise]

. . . I actually turned around to look

[sinisterlink]

And even if they were there, you wouldn't see them. Because they are invisible. Mwahahahaha.

[speedingtortoise]

I don't like this. I don't like this at all. :(

[valtyr]

The proportional strength of a spider does not multiply up to ten tons. And they're not particularly agile.

[valtyr]

I really like this and will totally be picking it up.

[newnumber6]

I actually quite like the idea of giving Miles somewhat different powers than Peter, although I'm not sure about the power set we seem like we may be getting, might be TOO off and prevent him from actually inheriting the mantle in the public mind.

But I'm interested in seeing where this story goes.

[funbox]

I'm diggin' Miles so far. I like how he understood right away that by getting a chance at that school, he was taking it from others. I'll wait another issue to decide if I want the series, other wise it's cool

[crabby_lioness]

Tchah! Homeschool, lady.

[drmcninja]

I like him. I softspoken, calm, and subdued boy who automatically notices how his actions, or even his presence, affects other people. HE could use more devlopment, and I think more personality *but he's new, so w/e, but I am very happy hes not just a biracial peter. Also, I love the accidental discovery of his powers, just like peter.

[magus_69]

I quite like him myself. I agree about his needing to exhibit more personality, but he's much like Peter in that regard as well. I always got the feeling that Peter became a much stronger personality after he got his powers, and I think that Miles will go the same route.

[turtlefu]

I love Pichelli's art. It is just GORGEOUS! I want to buy this book just for that!

[darkblade]

You know what I just realised? Miles isn't biracial Peter Parker, he's biracial Shinji Ikari.

Quite, subdued, empathetic to a crippling degree, not taking well to good things happening to him if it means hurting others. All he needs now is to say something about not running away when he dons his Spider suit.

[nezchan]

His dad needs to be way more of a douche, though. I mean, to the point of that being his dad's superpower.

[salinea]

Nonsense. His superpower should be his shiny glasses of doom.

[nezchan]

Mmm, that could be a secondary power. But it's hard to beat Omega-level douchiness.

[salinea]

His secondary mutation? That works then.

[misterbug]

Kudos to Bendis for referencing the last time that a black guy put on the Spider-threads.

Can someone post a pic of Ultimate Prowler? I'm intrigued to see what he looks like. Hobie was always one of my favourite NY heroes.

[cyberghostface]

Here you go. :)

[aaron_bourque]

Now that looks like stealth Deadpool!

[eyz]

Kinda Deadpool-esque :P

[misterbug]

Much obliged! Hopefully he's wearing a more purple-and-green costume under that stealth suit.

[proteus_lives]

Not bad...

[lbd_nytetrayn]

Liking this so far...

I assume he's aged between the first part and the second part here?

[blackruzsa]

I'm exciiiite <3