Ultimate Spider-Man 4 Review (2024)
Summary: Outside of the cover, there is no sighting of Spider-man in this book. While a small bit of costumes or action would have been nice, this whole book is about building bridges that had been kept from being built for 20 years.
4
Dinner time!
Background – A very fun and awkward dinner.
Writing – Gwen Stacy has officially landed in the Ultimate Universe. Gwen Stacy has never met Peter in this reality, which led her to eventually marry Harry Osborn.
It becomes very clear very quickly that the couples are being presented as two sides of the same coin. On Peter & Mary Jane’s side we have the happily married couple with kids who are seemingly stuck in a rut. They have successfully built a family and are just comfortable being where they are at. Harry and Gwen are the couple who are definitely out to change the world (both in normal and super-powered ways), but because of the way the world is they refuse to have kids yet (well, Harry refuses. Gwen really wants kids.)
Partway through dinner it starts becoming clear Gwen knows all about Peter being Spider-man. Harry confirms this, but only after Mary Jane and Gwen have left for the bathroom. Peter is shocked by this, but Harry is more… resigned that Peter hasn’t told his wife yet. We’ve seen Peter accept his destiny and have his first encounter with a villain, but there still seems to be something missing. Peter is still aimless, waiting for someone to tell him what to do. That’s where Harry Osborn comes in, because he of all people utters the immortal line “With great power comes great responsibility.” He implores Peter to aim higher than just beating up the Shocker. This sends a very obvious shock through Peter’s mind.
I guess with nothing terrible ever happening to Peter until May’s untimely death, Ben never had a chance to say it to him. This Peter never had to grow up way sooner than he was supposed to. This Peter is the equivalent of a modern day post-grad: just living life and waiting for someone to tell him what to do. Thanks to Harry Osborn, Peter may have just fully woken up.
Meanwhile, in the bathroom, Gwen asks Mary Jane to set up a meeting between her, Ben and Jonah. She’d like to invest in their upcoming business venture.
As for Ben and Jonah, the online newspaper officially has the name of “The Paper”. Jonah being Jonah still looks at the pessimistic side of things, which leads to May’s dislike of him. Also, I realize it’s his official title, but can somebody PLEASE write a story that makes Uncle Ben and Aunt May Grandpa Ben and Grandma May? They really are grandparents already so can somebody just make it happen?
Artwork – David Messina fills in on art for an issue and… it ALMOST looks like the rest of the art for the series. There is something just a little different about it. It’s a kind of a weird thing to ask an artist to draw like someone else and not themselves, but I guess it can be chalked up to not wanting the trade to look 5/6’s normal and then have that one issue smack dab in the middle look entirely different. The best piece of art in the book is the single panel that shows Peter hearing the iconic responsibility line. It perfectly shows a man who’s world has just been shaken awake.
Final Thoughts – Outside of the cover, there is no sighting of Spider-man in this book. While a small bit of costumes or action would have been nice, this whole book is about building bridges that had been kept from being built for 20 years. An uneasy friendship has been forged, and while it doesn’t seem it’s going to last (it can’t), for right now Peter has some friends in high places. As for Uncle Ben, he and Jonah have a name finally for their business. Let’s hope it finally gets off the ground in next issue. Pick this up every month. Don’t be silly.
Final score: 4 out of 5
Comic Details
Publisher: Marvel
Writer: Jonathan Hickman
Guest Artist: David Messina
Color Artist: Matthew Wilson
Cover Artist: Marco Checchetto & Matthew Wilson
Letterer: VC’s Cory Petit
Genre: Superhero
Format: Monthly
Release Date: 04//24/2024
About the Author
Matt Fischer Lover of all things nerdy. Reader of Comics for over 25 years. DC encyclopedia. X-Men historian. Spider-Man and Marvel lover. Indie side guy.
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