John D.
Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.
Posts: 81 
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Post by John D. on Dec 24, 2014 9:19:01 GMT -5
Is anyone still reading Miles Morales: The Ultimate Spider-Man?
I have been but after issue #7 (I haven't read #8 yet), I'm considering either dropping it or at least moving it to trade. The pacing has been unnaturally slow for this book, which I enjoyed immensely back when it was just Ultimate Comics Spider-Man. It's taken seven issues to fully "resolve" the first arc--if you can call it that--which pertains to two major characters coming back from the dead. Yet, I don't feel like the explanation given for their sudden resurrection was sufficient and it feels like these two characters will be showing up again when the plot needs a pick-me-up. Not to mention issue #6 and #7 tacked on two very strange and jarring plot threads, one involving Miles' father and the other involving Kate Bishop. Part of me is intrigued but the other part of me feels like it's unearned complications. I mean after all this time spent with Miles as Spider-Man, why we would just now find out something about his father? And the Kate Bishop reveal feels a little late to the party. There was a window of time earlier this year that her reveal would have been much more shocking, but now it's almost a parody.
Does anyone else feel the same way? I'm going to be picking up issue #8 from my LCS today so I'll give it a read and decide if I'm going to continue along with Miles into 2015, but I figured I needed to get some thoughts out there in order to help me decide.
(Feel free to post spoilers in the comments--I just didn't want to spoil it too much in case someone stumbled in here hoping to learn more about this book without actually having read it)
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Post by thegiaimo on Dec 24, 2014 11:36:59 GMT -5
Is anyone still reading Miles Morales: The Ultimate Spider-Man? I have been but after issue #7 (I haven't read #8 yet), I'm considering either dropping it or at least moving it to trade. The pacing has been unnaturally slow for this book, which I enjoyed immensely back when it was just Ultimate Comics Spider-Man. It's taken seven issues to fully "resolve" the first arc--if you can call it that--which pertains to two major characters coming back from the dead. Yet, I don't feel like the explanation given for their sudden resurrection was sufficient and it feels like these two characters will be showing up again when the plot needs a pick-me-up. Not to mention issue #6 and #7 tacked on two very strange and jarring plot threads, one involving Miles' father and the other involving Kate Bishop. Part of me is intrigued but the other part of me feels like it's unearned complications. I mean after all this time spent with Miles as Spider-Man, why we would just now find out something about his father? And the Kate Bishop reveal feels a little late to the party. There was a window of time earlier this year that her reveal would have been much more shocking, but now it's almost a parody. Does anyone else feel the same way? I'm going to be picking up issue #8 from my LCS today so I'll give it a read and decide if I'm going to continue along with Miles into 2015, but I figured I needed to get some thoughts out there in order to help me decide. (Feel free to post spoilers in the comments--I just didn't want to spoil it too much in case someone stumbled in here hoping to learn more about this book without actually having read it) I certainly understand this point of view. Bendis has a habit of stretching his stories, which pays off when you go back and read his stuff in trade format or several issues at once, but month-to-month it is more often than not very underwhelming. I've been really enjoying this comic since Miles' introduction, and I will continue to read it as long as it's in print, but I have to say that I completely agree that the development of Miles' father in this direction is a complete misstep in my opinion. One of my favorite things about Miles is that he's a normal kid. He comes from a normal family (sans super-villain uncle), making it that much more amazing that he feels compelled to step up and be Spider-Man even though he has no Uncle Ben. Linking his father into the whole SHIELD thing worries me that this will take away from that. Now it threatens to say that it is more in Miles' genetics to step up and be the hero rather than him as an individual. I prefer that his father is opposed to Superhumans from a speculative standpoint, not one of past experiences. I don't want rationale behind his hatred for them because that creates that many more hurdles for Miles. If there is something in his past that explains that hatred away, then there is potentially a dismissal of one of the major subplots of the first Miles run, which is that his dad BLINDLY hates Spider-man, and Miles has to find a way to deal with that. I'm more okay with the Kate Bishop part. It was a subtle reveal for a character who, up to that point, we basically knew nothing about. Just that she was this cute girl from school who likes Miles. Now that this very important aspect of her character has been revealed, I suspect we'll be spending a lot more time with her and that it will pay off in the long run. At the end of the day, I love Miles Morales. More so than any incarnation of Peter being written today. And friggin' Ganke. God bless Ganke. If they DO move Miles to the 616, they better take that kid with him because doing away with him is NOT okay. For that reason, I'll continue to pick up the singles each month (and that I'd probably drop dead from the wait for the trades), but I can completely see why you would feel that things have been fairly lackluster of late. Because they kind of have been. |
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Post by henrythemorerecent on Jan 15, 2015 17:08:56 GMT -5
A while ago I read the entire Bendis Ultimate Spidey run from start to finish because I was loving Miles (pre-relaunch) so much. I'll speak for myself, but it is a flawless book from start to finish. In the entire 200+ issues, there were about 2 I remember only being slightly bored with but that was only because it was a play on the tacky 90's Rob Liefeldish comics which in turn made it feel like those comics. Other than that the story and characters stuck with me so much. The Prelude and Death of Ultimate Peter Parker is hands down the saddest and emotional storylines I've ever read next to Y The Last Man. Aunt May slapping Cap across the face probably one of the best moments I've seen in comics. Every single side character feels like a real person. MJ, Gwen, May, Ganke. I love them all.
But I read all this in trades, night after night, week after week. 15 years worth of comics in the span of 2 months. The extended storylines and threads didn't feel like they dragged one bit. What was resolved for me in one evening of reading would have taken a year.
Reading this month to month feels completely different and I have to agree with you a lot on your points.
This is the only Marvel book I am buying at the moment (well now Star Wars as well) but its because it is so character driven, the creative team will never be in constant flux, the quality always remains, Bendis puts so much love into it (if you've ever heard him talk about it, he has so much passion for it) and it will never get bogged down by events and crossovers and so on.
This is a book that definitely reads better in collected form, but I will keep buying it month to month because I'm always in fear of it being cancelled along with the rest of the long dead Ultimate line. I recommend sticking with it just because of how much I love the entire Ultimate Spider-Man story and from what has happened in that world since it started, nothing happens without a reason. Take Gwen for example. In the world of comics where death is meaningless, the fact that Bendis killed her and then brought her back while making it work and not feel like yet another comic resurrection says it all. Especially when mainline characters like Daredevil and Iron Fist and Kingpin and so on died in almost throwaway moments and have stayed dead since. SO if he brings back Peter, you know its gonna be worth it.
Anyway, its rare I hear or read people talking about this book so when I do I get passionate as hell. I don't know what it is. When I read this book I feel different from when I read my other comics. When I read my other books its like "Okay, time to sit down and read my comics" but this book now makes me feel (and this is going to sound corny as hell) like I'm opening a window to other peoples lives. They feel like real people and I'm watching their life unfold in front of me. Its weird. Like when we met Miles he was a kid. Now he's a teenager. How often does that happen in superhero comics?
My only ONLY complaint of this recent run was the Kate Bishop reveal. Mainly because, as I said, this book has felt so removed from everything else Marvel, to have this particular reveal felt so on the nose. It was like I had turned the page to a Marvel meme. But as I said, its Bendis so there has to be a reason. And there will be a payoff.
Aaaaaanyway. I hope you stick with it. But if not, I may buy an extra copy each month. |
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Post by Czor on Jan 23, 2015 7:05:00 GMT -5
Well reviving this as we know the book will end with issue 12.....I do believe we will get a resolution to the Kate Bishop stuff soon (based on the Hydra covers) for the next issue. And well I hope to see how the Ultimate Universe ends up during and after Secret Wars.
On a side I been enjoying Miles in Spider-Verse and how funny it is that he was paired with the Ultimate cartoon Peter Parker.
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Post by Simon on Jan 23, 2015 20:08:24 GMT -5
Well reviving this as we know the book will end with issue 12.....I do believe we will get a resolution to the Kate Bishop stuff soon (based on the Hydra covers) for the next issue. And well I hope to see how the Ultimate Universe ends up during and after Secret Wars. On a side I been enjoying Miles in Spider-Verse and how funny it is that he was paired with the Ultimate cartoon Peter Parker. I hope things get resolved. I love the book but I feel like it has slowed WAY down. I feel like we're just crawling along at this pace. |
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Post by optimus on Apr 9, 2015 22:36:56 GMT -5
Well it ended but it felt like they just cut it off to get to secret wars
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Post by pacino on Apr 14, 2015 7:19:46 GMT -5
I enjoyed it...it flows right into Ultimate End.
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Post by jonathansoko on Apr 15, 2015 9:28:07 GMT -5
It was ok. A lot better than deadpools death, which felt tacked on to the end of a fun story
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