- Written by:Jonathan Hickman
- Art by:David Messina
- Colors by:Matthew Wilson
- Letters by:VC’s Cory Petit
- Cover art by:Marco Checchetto, Matthew Wilson (cover A)
- Cover price: $4.99
- Release date: November 20, 2024
Ultimate Spider-Man #11, by Marvel Comics on 11/20/24, finds Ultimate Spider-Man crossing paths with the next member of the Ultimate Sinister Six, Mr. Negative, during a bank heist.
Is Ultimate Spider-Man #11 Good?
I’ve become increasingly critical of this series due to writer Jonathan Hickman’s cavalier pace and water-treading while Marvel waits over a year (in real-time) for the Maker’s return. However, Ultimate Spider-Man #11 does make improving strides by actually having Spider-Man show up and do something superheroic, so the overarching criticisms about water-treading are still valid, but at least this issue isn’t as dull.
When last we left Peter Parker in Ultimate Spider-Man #10, Peter was too busy playing board games with his kids. Instead, we got an issue following Ben Parker and J. Jonah as they chased down the leads for a story that could blow the lid off the Maker’s Council… maybe. The issue concluded with Ben and J. Jonah learning the Green Goblin’s identity and the publishing of the Earth-shaking story by a phantom writer named Ben Reilly.
In Ultimate Spider-Man #11, we begin with Peter Parker staking out a location while waiting for Harry Osborn, aka Green Goblin, to join him. Harry fails to show up for their meetup, but Spider-Man swings into action when he spots a bank robbery in progress. After Spidey delivers his classic quips and impressive use of web-shooting, the bank robbers are easily subdued. However, the peace doesn’t last long when Mr. Negative arrives to relieve his men.
Finally. FINALLY! Spider-Man shows up and acts like a superhero. Yes, as hard as it may be for readers and Jonathan Hickman to believe, this is a superhero comic, so Spidey’s absence for multiple issues at a time is nearly unforgivable. Spidey’s actions to foil the bank robbery are fairly vanilla, but it’s better than nothing.
Mr. Negative introduces himself and explicitly states he intends to exact revenge for the harm done to Black Cat several issues back. The villain takes control of the minds of every patron in the bank, forcing them to swarm Spider-Man. Later, Spider-Man returns home, bruised, scratched, and tattered, to find MJ waiting for him. The two have a mature conversation about Peter’s new life and whether or not she and the children should be afraid. Peter assures MJ that he’s keeping a close eye on their safety, but the conversation gives him much to consider.
Back-to-back, the two scenes are half good. After multiple issues without a Spider-Man, why would Hickman not follow through on the bank robbery scene? Why resolve the conflict off-panel? That’s just bad form. On the other hand, Peter’s conversation with MJ is long overdue and mildly begins to address Peter’s lax attitude about the danger his exploits put his family in.
Elsewhere, Kingpin meets with the Sinister Six for a debrief on Mr. Negative’s encounter with Spider-Man. The mind-controlling villain explains he couldn’t mind-control Spider-Man because the hero’s mind is too strong, opting instead to use the mind-controlled civilians as a distraction for escape. Black Cat, now confined to a wheelchair, uses the meeting to introduce Felicia Hardy, his daughter, as the new Black Cat in charge of his territory.
Hickman uses Kingpin’s meeting to explain Mr. Negative’s actions off-panel to cap the bank robbery in the beginning and to introduce the much-advertised Ultimate Black Cat. The scene has a well-structured flow, but Mr. Negative’s explanation for not killing Spider-Man doesn’t make a lick of sense, and the aforementioned Ultimate Black Cat only appears in one panel without a single word of dialog. In short, the contents of this issue don’t match the hype or the cover.
The issue ends with Peter meeting Uncle Ben at Memorial Park to commemorate Aunt May’s passing, Uncle Ben revealing he knows more than Peter thought he knew, and an adult conversation about treasuring your loved ones while you can.
What’s great about Ultimate Spider-Man #11?
Something superhero-related happens. I know that doesn’t sound like much, but in a series that’s barely moved a few baby steps in months. Something is better than nothing. Plus, the mature conversations between Peter, MJ, and Uncle Ben are the kind of polished writing you won’t find anywhere else in Marvel.
What’s not great about Ultimate Spider-Man #11?
The entire sequence of events involving Mr. Negative falls on a flat note when you realize the important aspect of his first meeting with Spider-Man happens off-panel. Again, this is a superhero comic. Why is Jonathan Hickman trying to do everything but deliver superhero action to balance out the never-ending stream of character- and world-building?
Worse still, this issue was hyped up as the big reveal for Felecia Hardy, aka Ultimate Black Cat, but she only shows up in one panel and says nothing. The cover and the hype verge on false advertising, so Marvel would do well not to make the bait-and-switch marketing a habit. That didn’t work out so well for DC Comics.
How’s the Art?
David Messina continues as the guest artist while Marco Checchetto takes time off the schedule to catch up on future issues (he returns next month), and the results are solid. Messina’s style is smooth and slick but close enough to Checchetto’s style such that the two complement each other well. You can see the difference, but it’s not jarring enough to make you feel like you’ve picked up the wrong comic.
About The Reviewer: Gabriel Hernandez is the Publisher & EIC of ComicalOpinions.com, a comics review site dedicated to indie, small, and mid-sized publishers.
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Final Thoughts
Ultimate Spider-Man #11 improves on the previous several issues by having Spider-Man show up and act like a superhero. That said, Jonathan Hickman continues to keep the series off-balance by shortchanging the action in favor of lengthy character conversations, and the big reveal of Ultimate Black Cat is surprisingly disappointing. Still, some Spider-Man is better than none, and David Messina’s art is solid.
7.8/10
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