Spider-Men #5

Trapped in the Ultimate universe with no way to get back home, Spider-Man (Peter Parker), Spider-Man (Miles Morales) & the Ultimates wait patiently for Mysterio to make his final move.

The Team

Written by Brian Michael Bendis (Fear Itself : Avengers, Powers Vol. 7 : Forever, Scarlet Book 1), illustrated by Sara Pichelli (Runaways : Homeschooling, Astonishing X-Men Vol. 7 : Monstrous, coloured by Justin Ponsor & cover by Jim Cheung (Young Avengers Vol. 2 : Family Matters, New Avengers : Illuminati)

The Pros

This was a satisfying ending to a fun mini series featuring the very first crossover between the Marvel Universe and the Ultimate Universe. I think expectations were high for this mini series, what with Bendis at the helm, but for me, it was an amusing tale that kept me entertained. There’s even a little shocking ending that’s supposed to blow you away I guess, but only manages to make me say “hhmm”. Mysterio’s fate is kind of unexpected, but definitely opens the doors for future stories involving both Spider-Men & the Ultimates. Throughout the story the were moments of adrenaline pumping action and some quieter moments of emotions featuring Peter Parker’s “reunion” with the Ultimate Universe’s Aunt May & Gwen Stacy.

This isn’t Brian Michael Bendis’ greatest story, but still delivers a good, but a paint by numbers story about super hero dimension hopping. The best part of this mini series, is Sara Pichelli’s illustrations. Up until this mini series, I have never seen her drawings before, but was in total awe by her style of artwork. Her characters are slender, yet muscular and have a real life quality to them, without the use of the exaggeration & a flair for the dramatic. I can’t wait to see what her next project will be. Another treat was Jim Cheung’s covers, like Pichelli, I wasn’t too familiar with his illustrations having just seen the AVX covers, but was very impressed with what he had to offer.

The Cons

Fans who were expecting a lot more from this mini series will probably be a little disappointed, but for my time and money, it was just right.

The Outcome

To be honest, I had no idea what to expect from this mini series, but in the end I was pleasantly surprised. The HC collection comes out on Nov 28, 2012 or save a few bucks and get the TPB which usually comes out a few months later. Makes a great gift for that certain Spider-Man fan. This issue gets a 7 and so does the entire series.