Ultimate Spider-Man has been on an absolute roll since it started earlier this year. Jonathan Hickman and Marco Checchetto have nailed providing the Spider-Man franchise a fresh start by going in a completely different direction for the franchise. Things have been slowly escalating with the first story arc ending with both Spider-Man and Green Goblin getting their asses kicked by Kingpin Wilson Fisk. That fight was a wake-up call for the new vigilante superheroes that put a lot of questions as to what they do next. Let’s find that out with Ultimate Spider-Man #7.
CREATIVE TEAM
Writer: Jonathan Hickman
Artist: Marco Checchetto
Colorist: Matthew Wilson
Letterer: Cory Petit
ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN #7 SOLICITATION
“THE ULTIMATES RETURN! NEW ARC STARTS HERE! After their intense battle with the Kingpin, Green Goblin and Spider-Man both know they aren’t as ready to reshape the world as they hoped. Harry and Peter get to work, while Ben and Jonah work on “the truth”… And problems for their resistance arise when the ULTIMATES return!” – Marvel Comics
REVIEW
Given the massive beatdown that they suffered at the end of the previous issue Peter Parker and Harry Osborn needed to take a step back. Their defeat at the hands of Kingpin Wilson Fisk showed them that they tried to punch way above their weight class as rookie vigilante heroes. While the characters themselves take a step back Ultimate Spider-Man #7 as a comic book progresses the story forward.
Peter and Harry working with Otto Octavius to unlock the full potential of their respective suits built with Stark Tech further opened the universe. What was particularly interesting about this version of Otto Octavius, in particular, is the classic Peter Parker characteristics the character has. The way Harry explains who Otto is and the relationship he had with Norman Osborn is reminiscent of the dynamic Peter and Norman are shown to share in many iterations. From the way he speaks down to his design, Hickman and Checchetto played into Otto acting as someone you believe was Norman’s protégé.
This made the dynamic Otto shared with Harry and Peter stand out even more. Having Otto wear his goggles the entire time added some mystery to how he was taking in helping Peter and Harry unlock their respective suits’ full potential. Not seeing his full facial expression made him appear stoic throughout these scenes while having a sense that he had his own plans during this process. It was great subtle storytelling to build up a character that we know will eventually become one of Spider-Man’s big bads.
These scenes also further drive home that this version of Peter and Harry aren’t as scientifically inclined as their Earth-616 counterparts. While we’ve seen this version of Peter have some tech background to understand how to operate the suit Tony Stark sent him from a top-level he isn’t that knowledgeable. This makes the introduction of both the Spider-Man and Green Goblin suits having custom AI built into them even more important. These AI can help make up for the technical deficiencies they have.
Though, at the same time, the voices Peter and Harry each choose appear to be an important plot point. Harry choosing his father’s voice in particular shows that there is a much deeper impact his father’s death had on him than he lets on. While he does his best to hide it Harry is clearly motivated by revenge. As we saw when he interacts with Bullseye in Ultimate Spider-Man #5 there is a darkness in Harry that could consume him. Having his father’s voice in his ears that only he can hear likely won’t be a good thing.
On the other end of things, Hickman once again emphasizes Ultimate Spider-Man’s connection to the greater universe developments with Wilson Fisk and Captain Britain’s scene. The interaction between Fisk and Britain does give us a better idea of the governance of the world. While Fisk does not have the power of one of The Maker’s Council members he clearly wants to ensure he is the one controlling his territory. Captain Britain letting Fisk turn down the offer to use a Bullseye Corps to take care of Spider-Man and Green Goblin could have bigger ramifications down the line.
These ramifications could be something that could be tied into Ben Parker and J. Jonah Jameson’s investigative journalism direction for their media company. Learning that Robbie Robertson purposely made sure he stayed on as the Daily Bugle EIC to work as Ben and Jonah’s inside man into the Fisk operation was a great twist. It is a great way so whenever we see Ben, Jonah, and Robbie whenever they appear on screen they’ll have importance on the greater story.
All of that said, Ultimate Spider-Man #7 is not perfect. The one part of this issue that stood out because of its length was the short scene with Mary Jane and Gwen Stacy. Their appearance was treated as more of a reminder that they were part of the cast rather than giving them meaningful screen time. This was particularly disappointing after in the previous issue MJ learned Peter’s Spider-Man secret. MJ and Gwen are too important to be treated in such a way and hopefully, future issues have them play a bigger part in the story.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Ultimate Spider-Man #7 delivers even more world-building as Peter Parker and Harry Osborn learn from their earlier defeat at the hands of Kingpin Wilson Fisk. This gave the impact of the first story arc greater impact as it’s not just Peter and Harry who are dealing with the current status quo. It all led to an ending that connects this series to bigger things going on in the world, creating even more excitement for what’s next in the Ultimate Universe.
Story Rating: 8 Night Girls out of 10
Art Rating: 9 Night Girls out of 10
Overall Rating: 8.5 Night Girls out of 10