Things have been intensifying in Ultimate Spider-Man as Kingpin’s Sinister Six target all the protagonists. The actions by Ultimate Gwen Stacy have escalated things as she has taken matters into her own hands as part of the Mysterio Illuminati. That led to horrible results as Mr. Negative launched an all out assault on the Mysterios, Spider-Man family, and others. How will things go next? Let’s find out with Ultimate Spider-Man #22.
CREATIVE TEAM
Writer: Jonathan Hickman
Artist: Marco Checchetto
Colorist: Erick Arciniega
Letterer: Cory Petit
ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN #22 SOLICITATION
“THE LAST WILL AND TESTAMENT OF [REDACTED]!” – Marvel Comics
HIGHLIGHTS OF ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN #22
Ultimate Otto Octavius Surprising Chemistry with the Cast
Throughout this series Jonathan Hickman has made sure to give a few pages of development for Ultimate Otto Octavius every few issues. It was just enough to make sure readers knew he was an important character. Which is why seeing Otto helping out the Parker family while they hide out in Mole Man’s underground an organic development. It was a nice touch that Otto would use a combination of the Superior Spider-Man and Marvel’s Spider-Man game suits for his costume. Even though he was standoffish with the family it is clear he is helping the Parker family because he likes them.
Spider-Man & Green Goblin Dynamic Duo Bond
Peter Parker and Harry Osborn are such an intriguing thing to see continue. They have the chemistry to be able to fight off Kingpin’s Bullseye army as Spider-Man and Green Goblin. The fight did a good job at showing that they aren’t just sitting back waiting for another attack. They know the Sinister Six have placed a target on their back so it’s better to fight than hide 24/7. It made Harry’s decision to continue to lie about what he is doing on his own so interesting. At some point we should see this lying come to a head with Peter calling him out beyond just asking if Harry is okay.
Proving why Peter & Mary Jane are the Best
As good as his chemistry is with Harry, the best part of the series is the relationship between Peter and Mary Jane. Hickman does a great job at simply treating Peter and MJ as having an adult relationship. As we’ve seen when it comes to Spider-Man comics, that is easier said than done. There is a feeling they aren’t hiding anything from each other. It all helps to ground this series and elevate the stakes because of the overall Parker family chemistry that Peter and MJ are the center of.
Marco Checchetto Artwork Adds to the Vibes
Even with this largely being a dialogue heavy issue Marco Checchetto’s artwork does a lot to help create momentum from panel to panel. Checchetto certainly gets a chance to show his action chops with the Spider-Man and Green Goblin vs the Bullseye. He also delivers on invoking emotion out of every scene, even when characters are wearing masks or helmets. That does so much for the character moments to get you even more invested in to the cast chemistry.
WHAT DIDN’T WORK IN ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN #22
Ball Dropped with Ultimate Mr. Negative
After Ultimate Mr. Negative was put over as one of a powerful and terrifying crime boss he is nowhere to be found in Ultimate Spider-Man #12. It is missed opportunity to not continue the momentum. Mr. Negative’s thugs should’ve at least been the ones fighting Spider-Man and Green Goblin instead of the Putty Patrol-like Bullseye clones. Not properly keeping up Mr. Negative’s momentum speaks to the overall underdevelopment the Ultimate Sinister Six have gotten. The Ultimate Sinister Six are really just living off their name and not getting the momentum they need to make this storyline as big as it could be.
Ultimate Universe Timeline Continues to Hurt Richard Parker Sub-Plot
The son of Peter Parker and Mary Jane Watson-Parker continues to be the weakest link for Ultimate Spider-Man. Richard Parker’s character arc is just missing something to really connect with. Even being given an important mission just feels like setting up yet another failure by the Venom-like Spider-Boy. This is the immediate feeling when Richard once again turns to Felicia Hardy for help after her betrayal almost got him killed. There is just not enough done with Richard’s relationship with Felicia to buy their team-up. Richard’s just a kid that’s set-up for failure and needs to get the nano-symbiote suit taken away from him.
Predictable Twist with Fate of Mysterio
The talked about death of Ultimate Gwen Stacy isn’t something that the story makes you buy. It is something that needed a body to be seen at least hurt after the explosion to think she was dead. It would’ve made the reveal at the end with what looks like the Illuminati group that make up Ultimate Mysterio merging to be a greater surprise. The final page was just something expected and lacked the punch it needed to have.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Ultimate Spider-Man #22 is such a mixed bag. The things it gets right, like how Peter Parker and Mary Jane are portrayed, is done very well. But the places where the story doesn’t fully connect come across as the creative dropping the ball on development that should’ve been great. Luckily even the scenes that don’t work are lifted up by Marco Checchetto’s fantastic artwork. It ultimately leaves us in a spot where there is enough good to still look forward to how this story will end.
Story Rating: 5 Night Girls out of 10
Art Rating: 9 Night Girls out of 10
Overall Rating: 7 Night Girls out of 10
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