Ultimate Spider-Man is going to be hitting another major note with its latest issue. As the cover for Ultimate Spider-Man #11 teases, we will be seeing an adult Felicia Hardy make her appearance as Black Cat. Given what happened when her father fought Green Goblin and Spider-Man a few issues ago, there is no telling if we will get the anti-hero Black Cat. Her alignment provides more questions around how we will see the Kingpin’s Sinister Six be presented. Let’s find out with Ultimate Spider-Man #11.
CREATIVE TEAM
Writer: Jonathan Hickman
Artist: David Messina
Colorist: Matthew Wilson
Letterer: Cory Pett
ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN #11 SOLICITATION
“WHO IS THE ULTIMATE BLACK CAT? Tensions rise between Spider-Man and Green Goblin in the wake of recent events! And a new villain steps up to the plate! What is her connection to the Black Cat on Kingpin’s Sinister Six?” – Marvel Comics
REVIEW
Ultimate Spider-Man #11 is a chess piece moving chapter for the series. In the process Jonathan Hickman and David Messina deliver what may be the best example of what has made this series great. That is the chemistry Peter Parker has with his supporting cast as we see how he is growing as Spider-Man.
The greatest strength for Ultimate Spider-Man #11 I how Hickman and Messina maximize the one-shot style storytelling style. This is a comic book that has a bit of everything that makes this series special. We get to see Spider-Man in action against another member of the Sinister Six, this time Mister Negative. We get Peter Parker having one-on-one interactions with MJ and Uncle Ben in different scenes. Then there are more light shined on the dynamic with the Kingpin’s Sinister Six.
All of this is done without Harry Osborn around. Hickman immediately reminds us of this fact as Peter has gotten used to working with Harry as their own version of the Dynamic Duo. Their team-ups have made it so Peter has become reliant on Harry having his back. Peter’s conversation with Otto Octavius hints at him not being comfortable as a solo hero after spending so much time as a duo with Harry.
This made Spider-Man vs the Inner Demons standout even more than the usual fight. We see how it doesn’t take long for Peter as Spider-Man to get used to fighting solo. The quippy Spider-Man immediately comes out as Peter is more than ready to banter with both the villains ad civilians who throw shade at him. It is something we haven’t seen much of with his team-up with Green Goblin as Peter has tried to be a more “professional” hero with Harry. The quippy Spider-Man made the way he used his agility and quick thinking make the action done by Messina flow as well as it has in any issue of this series.
Spider-Man showing his competence as a solo hero made his first meeting with Mister Negative’s stronger. As we’ve seen with other supervillains, Spider-Man’s inexperience was spotlighted here as he got to into trying to sound confident in being able to take on the villain. The problem with that approach was immediately seen as Mister Negative easily surprised Spider-Man with how he used his powers to have a large crowd jump Spider-Man.
At some point hopefully we see Spider-Man learn from his losses to Shocker and Mister Negative that he needs to have his guard up. He can’t continue to rely on Green Goblin to have his back because that safety net won’t always be there. If Peter is to become the superhero, he believes himself to be than he needs to be better prepared. Because unlike on Earth-616, the Ultimate Universe is a place where the villains have decades of a head start on all the heroes. That was something proven with what happened to Tony Stark in The Ultimates #6.
This all made Peter’s individual conversations with MJ and Uncle Ben even more poignant. Hickman continues to do an excellent job treating Peter and MJ’s relationship as it should, which is an adult relationship. Their dynamic is one of trust with each other as they can tell when the other is uneasy about something. MJ calling Peter out on his inexperience is a great example of this. She does it in a way that shows she is concerned but still believes Peter can become the Spider-Man we know he can be. But Peter still gets there, it’ll be interesting how the battles against the different Sinister Six members will challenge his dynamic with his family.
Then there is Uncle Ben. It is not at all surprising that Ben was able to figure out that Peter is Spider-Man. Ben is to good of an investigative journalist to not figure out his nephew’s secret. Ben even calling out how Peter needs to be more careful because it is only a matter of time before J. Jonah Jameson figures out his Spider-Man secret out as well shows his care for his nephew. And like MJ, it was good to see that Ben didn’t go into trying to dissuade Peter from being a superhero. He instead just wants to help Peter be a better Spider-Man by giving him great advice.
The Sinister Six portion of Ultimate Spider-Man #11 shows that the drama isn’t limited to Peter Parker. While Kingpin is clearly the one in charge we see hints of how the power each member of the Sinister Six has makes the groups alliance not be a steady one. Wilson Fisk having to slam his fist through his desk showed this. It is a sign that Kingpin understands the Sinister Six will pounce at one sign of weakness from him.
Kingpin’s attitude trickles down to the rest of the Sinister Six. This is seen with how quickly Walter Hardy is to make sure the other Sinister Six members know his family is still in charge of their area. This set-up puts into question how Felicia Hardy as Black Cat will factor into the power struggle within the Sinister Six. Felicia not talking in Ultimate Spider-Man #11 didn’t help make her feel like a character of agency. But Hickman has built up enough credit that Felicia will get showcased well in future issues.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Ultimate Spider-Man #11 continues the excellence this series has been known for from the moment it started. Peter Parker operating as a solo hero created a lot of intriguing developments both for his personal and Spider-Man lives. How that trickled down to what goes on with the Sinister Six showcased the multiple layers this series has. It all leads to creating the feeling of wanting to read the next chapter of this story as soon as possible.
Story Rating: 9 Night Girls out of 10
Art Rating: 8 Night Girls out of 10
Overall Rating: 8.5 Night Girls out of 10
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