In this review of Ultimate Spider-Man #11, the villains talk shop at a neighborhood bar as Peter has a couple existential conversations with his wife and uncle.
Ultimate Spider-Man #11
Writer: Jonathan Hickman
Artist: David Messina
Cover Artists: Marco Checchetto
Variant Cover Artists: Corin Howell, Josemaria Casanovas, Terry Dodson
Page Count: 28 pages
Release Date: November 20, 2024
This comic book review contains spoilers
The Story
Ultimate Spider-Man #11 opens in chilly New York City-November as Spider-Man searches for Harry who has gone conspicuously missing. He calls up Otto Octavius but has to cut it short to thwart a bank robbery being carried out by masked thugs with electrified swords. The ringmaster, Mister Negative, hypnotizes nearby civilians to swarm Spider-Man as he escapes.
Back at home, MJ finds Peter bruised up with his costume in tatters. He assures her it’s worse than it looks but promises when things get truly dangerous and they have to run, he’ll let her know. She asks if he wants to “fool around.” Rain check.
Meanwhile at a bar across town, Mr. Negative recounts his encounter with Spider-Man to a captive audience of Mole Man, Kraven, Wilson Fisk, Mysterio, a now wheelchair bound Walter Hardy, and his daughter Felicia.
At Memorial Park, Peter links up with his uncle Ben. Ben reveals that he’s discovered Peter’s alternative identity as Spider-Man. He can keep a secret but he wants Peter to be careful and protect the people he loves. Peter then leaves to join Harry who has finally reappeared in an unmarked black van.
Analysis
Ultimate Spider-Man #11 doesn’t quite have the groundbreaking boldness of the last issue, but it’s a perfectly satisfying chapter that subtly pushes the chess pieces forward towards what promises to be a reckoning for Peter. There is a recurring theme, especially in the scenes with MJ and Ben, about protecting the people you love. This is of course an element intrinsic to the Spider-Man mythos.
Hickman seems to be setting up MJ as the fall guy, at least she’s the one Peter seems most worried about. I’m guessing this will end up being a sort of a reverse bait and switch setting up Ben to die tragically at some point in a parallel to the 616 universe. On the other hand, Hickman’s Ben is by far one of the most interesting characters in this run. His reinvention as a whimsical old widowed newsman determined to unravel the city’s corruption, while also maintaining his original warm paternality to Peter, is what has made him a fan favorite in this run. I wouldn’t mind it at all if he were to evolve into a kind of Alfred Pennyworth figure now that he’s aware of Peter’s dual identity. If I were a betting man though, I’d say his days are numbered.
Harry is ominously mentioned but never seen, and after the last issue I’d suspect that’s a sign of his shifting allegiances. The only other character who is given significant play this issue is MJ, and is it just me or is her characterization becoming a bit one note? I completely sympathize with the impulse to characterize MJ as far away from the irrational film version whose only purpose seemed to be to make Peter’s life more complicated, but this MJ almost goes too far in the other direction.
I’m starting to think there’s nothing this Peter can do that will cause this MJ to raise an eyebrow. You’ve been keeping secrets and lying to me for weeks? You risk death and show up busted up on our apartment floor without warning? That’s all cool with me, let’s fool around! Did I mention I’m cool as a cucumber with everything you do and completely hot? I’ve hated the term “Manic Pixie Dream Girl” ever since someone accused me of using the trope in a short story in college but you get the idea.
David Messina’s art is mostly excellent with bursts of energy and high contrast, and Matthew Wilson’s colors boost it nearly to the level of Marco Checchetto. There are a few wonky character designs and some sloppy line-work on Spidey, but it’s not worth calling foul over.
Final Thoughts
Ultimate Spider-Man #11 is a solid if uneventful issue. I would like to see MJ be given some more depth and I’m eager to see the tension ratchet up as we approach the end of a year with this book. But overall, Ultimate Spider-Man continues to be a worthwhile investment.
