Ultimate Spider-Man 19, Venom 29

Ultimate Spider-Man 19
Bendis (w) and Pichelli (a)

I admit I was skeptical when Miles Morales was introduced, the multicultural new Spider-Man. I've no qualms with multicultural characters, but I worried that he'd be multicultural simply to BE multicultural. I was afraid that Marvel was trying to create a character of two races because they had so few main characters in either race. While I'd still maintain that this is partly true (it's definitely true that they don't have many main characters of either race, but I'm saying I'd still maintain that it's partly true that he was mixed race just to be mixed race), I'm doubling back on my words a little bit because the fact that Miles Morales is of two races has hardly mattered, which is exactly how it should be. You want a strong character of another race? Just write a strong character, make him that other race. Sure people are treated differently based on their races or different problems could come up, but the key is to make them a good character first and dependent on their race second. That's what Bendis has done with Miles and why I think he's just about at his strongest these days on Ultimate Spider-Man.

After the events of the last few issues, tied into the Divided We Fall storyline, and the last point one issue, which revolved around Betty Brant uncovering the identity of the new Spider-Man (though she guessed it was Miles' father, not Miles) and being killed by Venom shortly after though seemingly before she could get the news out, we find ourselves in the midst of Miles still adjusting to being Spider-Man (geez dude, you've had almost 20 issues and you're like, 13, you should really have this down by now). He runs out of web fluid while swinging about town and is subsequently caught on camera by plenty of cellphones. Ganke brings the topic up with him and begins making new web fluid for him. That is a sort of problem that I have with this new world of Spider-Man; the kids all go to a special advanced school and that's how we know they're smart. They don't necessarily seem smarter than anyone else (nerdy, sure, not particularly smart) but we're told they are so they are. It's not a huge deal, at least they broached the subject at all with the smart-kid-school but it does feel a little "I'd rather not tell" to me.

Anyway, Venom's playing around in a warehouse and he's Venom, so that's important. It'll be Miles' first run-in with a real Spidey villain. Miles goes home to his family and eats dinner and finds out that his dad fought HYDRA in the Divided We Fall story, though he doesn't like talking about it. Reporters come and interrupt dinner, he leaves to chase them and give them crap and Venom appears behind them in broad daylight in New York. I guess no one else saw him. LOOK, we're past that now, let's not think on it too much. Bendis also introduced a new lady-friend for Miles Morales (introduced as in we saw her looking at him) and homicide detective Maria Hill because I can't get through a universe without seeing her. I actually had just told my girlfriend that Bendis seems to love two types of female characters; punk rock kind of girls and Maria Hill kind of girls. The new love interest is the punk rock type and Maria Hill is the Maria Hill type. I'M NOT WRONG. Anyway, despite its few flaws, I was fine with this issue. I like much of Miles' home life and think there's more to be done there. I've always like the J. Jonah Jameson character in this series, a nice departure from the 616 Jameson. The best parts of 616 Jameson always came at the Bugle, whenever he was dedicated to news and not screaming about Spider-Man (okay, largely I liked him as a role in Daredevil with Ben Urich). It's nice that this universe's Jameson is largely the parts of Jameson I've liked over there. This is the first issue of the Venom arc, so there's definitely room for this to expand. Should be fun.


Venom 29
Bunn (w) and Silas (a)

I want to say, first and foremost, I'm glad this issue started by addressing Flash's need to reference football all the time. He was a soldier longer than he was a high school football player, I'd expect him to be more in the vein of Red Hulk or Cap, planning like a soldier. Sometimes he does. I like the explanation of his football as escapism, like Spider-Man's quipping. It works and it means I can put up with the constant barrage of "HAIL MARY, THOMPSON" and "FUMBLED ON THAT ONE, BUT IT WAS A MISTAKE THAT BORDERS BETWEEN LIFE AND DEATH AND NOT LIKE LOSING THE GRIP ON A FOOTBALL." It helps, anyway.

Anyway, this issue continues with Venom fighting the U-Foes and tracking them down as they interrogate and experiment on Venom's pal Katy Kiernan. Though he barely survived the attack from the U-Foes the first time, he drops in on them again, this time getting back-up from his "girlfriend" or "friend with benefits" Valkyrie. There was a nice moment as Secret Avengers set-up relationships come into play here and allow Bunn to work with Valkyrie before starting his Fearless Defenders book. I like when Marvel works together. Anyway, I mostly like the art in this and Silas has a pretty good eye for Venom but there is definitely the exploitative (maybe...SEXploitative??) feel of EVERY panel with Valkyrie. Despite her typically bare legs and arms, Valkyrie tends to be one of the less sexualized heroes in the Universe (putting aside her recent relationship with Flash). In this, though, we're treated to multiple crotch-shots and plenty of the weird "my body doesn't contort like normal body" poses of somehow showing butt and boobs at the same time. Honestly, I tend not to notice this kind of thing, but I noticed it here so it feels like that's something worth noting.

Despite this, I liked the issue well enough. I've liked Venom's book because he's often outmatched. He'd probably be less outmatched if he went full-Venom but he'd rather not open that can (symbiote can) of worms (symbiote worms). It's a nice internal struggle to watch and the fact he often can't unleash means that he's often equal or at a disadvantage with high powered enemies. It's not like the Thor thing or the Iron Man thing, where you have to find an enemy that matches Thor's enormous power and Iron Man's enormous intellect. It's Venom's own thing, where any villain could come up and would likely be somewhere on the same level as Venom. It often makes for more compelling story-telling because anyone can come up and be a threat. With Thor, the U-Foes would probably turn up and be absolutely killed. Not because they're bad villains, just because they're not Thor villains. It would be worth reading this book if just for his own internal struggles. Fortunately, we have even more going on than that.


Sorry about the late update today, couldn't get the comics until later than I'd hoped. Tomorrow we'll be looking at Red She-Hulk and Punisher Nightmare.