Ultimate Spider-Man #24 marks the end of the Jonathan Hickman, Marco Checchetto, and David Messina. This series has been the benchmark of the latest incarnation of the Ultimate Universe. Even when it was at its lowest it was still a good comic. The build up to this final issue has done everything to make sure that there needs to be a conclusion for all the characters involved in this Ultimate Sinister Six gang war going on. How will it all end? Find out with our review of Ultimate Spider-Man #24
CREATIVE TEAM
Writer: Jonathan Hickman
Artist: Marco Checchetto and David Messina
Colorist: Matt Wilson
Letterer: Cory Petit
ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN #24 SOLICITATION
“THE END OF THE LINE! This is it, folks — the last you’ll see of Spidey and his Ultimate friends by Jonathan Hickman & Marco Checchetto! That’s all we can tell you!” – Marvel Comics
REVIEW
Ultimate Spider-Man #24 does the one thing we haven’t gotten much of a focus of in the second half of this series life. That is having Peter Parker be the focus character. He has certainly had a consistent presence, but Peter’s taken a backseat to other character arcs. That was all done for the reason to make this finale as big as possible. We needed all those other character arcs to develop to the point they got to make the way Peter and the rest of this cast story conclusion be a satisfying one.
Ultimate Spider-Man Time to Shine
No doubt, Ultimate Spider-Man #24 was the Peter Parker show. Everything that happens in this finale was to elevate the importance of his final showdown against Wilson Fisk and Mr. Negative. By doing so Jonathan Hickman showed that all the character development he gave this series’ cast had a payoff.
There was constant tension felt because we had multiple planes of action going on. By having multiple things going on at the same time it created a sense of urgency for the Spider-Man vs Kingpin and Mr. Negative fight. We were constantly made aware of how much time was passing.
This is where Marco Checchetto and David Messina shined best. The way they drew the quick shift between the main fight and other things going on never interfered with the story pacing. The shifts to what Venom, Black Cat, Uncle Ben, J. Jonah Jameson, and Harry Osborn was all timed right. Peter being made aware of his son and Black Cat’s situation made you as the reader feel his urgency to defeat Kingpin and Mr. Negative.
Hubris the Ultimate Kryptonite
By the end of the fight with Kingpin and Mr. Negative we got what fans wanted: Spider-Man defeating the bad guys. This was not at all easy as Peter had to use every trick up his sleeve and then some to defeat them both. Even when he had the depowering drug provided by Doc Ock it was a struggle to activate.
Ultimately what proved to be the biggest advantage Peter had in the fight was Wilson Fisk and Mr. Negative’s hubris. Both of them always felt in control thanks to either The Maker’s backing or their incredible powers. It was that hubris that led Wilson Fisk to constantly letting Spider-Man have time to recover each time he was the dominant fighter. Fisk was so confident that he provided Spider-Man the opening to use his superior speed and agility to inject him with the depowering drug.
That wasn’t the end of Fisk’s hubris getting the best of him. We see it once again with what his final fate is. Even after losing his power as Kingpin he was still confident he could rise up to regain his power. This left him in a spot forgetting Mr. Negative’s own power. Which also made Mr. Negative so supremely confident that he didn’t foresee Fisk’s hatred being deep enough he would take them both out. It made the moment they both fall to their deaths both shocking and fitting as their respective hubris got the best of them both.
Power of Family
In the aftermath of all the fighting Jonathan Hickman, Marco Checchetto, and David Messina reminded us all of the greatest aspect of this series. That is how for all the cool superhero fights what made us connect so much with Ultimate Spider-Man was the family dynamic. Whether it was the bond between the Parker Family or the power hunting married couple of Harry Osborn and Gwen Stacy, family was what shined in Ultimate Spider-Man #24.
It felt fitting that the Parkers and Osborns had such different endings to their respective narratives. For the Parkers we saw that the unity Peter and MJ had was both of their greatest superpowers. Even before Peter got to embrace his Spider-Man fate he and MJ went through so much. Whether it was deciding to marry early after MJ learned she was pregnant, different career paths, or friend choices, they did it all in a united front. The strength of knowing that they can overcome all the ups and downs of life made everything else they got a reward for their unity.
Which is such a different story to what we see with the Osborns. Both Harry and Gwen were so power hungry, for different reasons, they got both their ideal and sad endings. For Gwen she got to become part of The Maker’s inner circle but at the cost of becoming just one part of the greater entity that is now Mysterio. Then for Harry, he did ultimately get his revenge and power in the Ultimate Universe but it cost him his wife, the last of his family, to barely exist. It is a fate that is both sad and fitting for their respective journeys.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Ultimate Spider-Man #24 does a fantastic job providing a satisfying conclusion to this series. Peter Parker steps up to show no matter when he got his powers he will always step up as Spider-Man. The ending for every character arc felt right for where everyone was going. Ending the series by emphasizing the strength of the series, the Parker Family bond, was the cherry on top to leave you with a smile on your face.
Story Rating: 10 Night Girls out of 10
Art Rating: 9 Night Girls out of 10
Overall Rating: 9.5 Night Girls out of 10
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