Cataclysm -Ultimates' Last Stand #2

Writer - Brian Michael Bendis
Art - Mark Bagley, Andrew Hennessy, Jason Keith


The first round of stories from the Ultimate universe's Cataclysm event had been completed.  Now, with the introductions out of the way, we can get to the action, right?  

For the most part, yes, the second installment of the core Cataclysm story brings the action.  The shock and awe of the introduction of the the 616 has subsided and we're presented with the Ultimates facing the biggest challenge of their lives.  This is what I was hoping for the most out of this series.  Heroes against the wall acknowledging how deep they are in it.  It may be a familiar narrative, especially in the light of Infinity, but our works and can lass to great stories.  A plan is coming into play here that holds the answers a lot of people have been waiting for regarding the Ultimate Spider-Man's future.

More important than the action, there is a sense of fun here that has been missing for some time through most of the non-Spidey books.  Things are extremely dire for our heroes, of course, but Bendis does what he does best here and gives us great character interactions.  They man has a deep-seeded live for Spider-Man that shows.  Even with Peter Parker long dead, his memory resonates in the story, influencing the decisions and actions of Miles Morales.

Bagley is back to form here as well.  The introductory issue had its own issues with the pencilling but they seem to have evened out.  While some scenes seemed rushed, the overall result is much more forgivable.  The art team in general is finding their footing here.  I'm looking forward to what is to come.

The Verdict...

A lot of my fears have been alleviated.  If the tie-in stories step up their game to match the quality of this title, we could be sitting on a nice little event