ULTIMATE COMICS SPIDER-MAN #8

The Scorpion is in New York and the Big Apple is feeling the sting! What does Uncle Aaron have planned for Miles and his new powers?

Story by Brian Michael Bendis
Art by Sara Pichelli
Cover by Kaare Andrews & Sara Pichelli

Price: $3.99
iFanboy Community Pick of the Week Percentage: 1.4%

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  1. I’m moving to trade on this, which is how I read the book pre-relauch anyway. It’s just too slow.

    I read the preview for this issue to get me excited, and it was nothing new. If I didn’t know it was Miles I’d think it was Peter in a new suit. There’s nothing to distinguish Miles at this point. Issue 8 and I don’t feel like I know him, unlike his supporting cast, who are all great.

    • It’s funny how these things work. I honestly feel the exact opposite. I never read any of the Ultimate stuff, but I’d heard great things about Ultimate Spidey. I’ve been picking it up digitally and I’ve really been enjoying it. I think Miles is definitely a unique character and moves at the perfect pace for me.

    • Glad your enjoying it. Ill probably be back when it’s collected, but seeing Miles fight an old Peter villain highlighted how similar the two approach being Spider-man, IMO

    • Zeppo, this is not an “old Peter villain.” The only time that Scorpion has ever appeared in the Ultimate Universe was during the Clone Saga. The cloned Peter Parker was but into a Scorpion exo-suit and immediately died after the real Peter Parker unmasked him. I’m not even a hundred percent sure that they called him Scorpion in his brief appearance.

      It’s sorta like Ultimate Mysterio from Vol. 2. Yes, there was an extremely brief cameo of an actor dressed as [616] Mysterio in Vol. 1 (when Peter Parker was in Hollywood fighting Doc Ock on the set of the Spider-Man movie), however we don’t really consider him THE Ultimate Mysterio.

      This new character has the potential and likelihood of being a very unique villain for Miles and the readers.

      As a USM reader since volume 1 issue 1, I have full faith in Bendis to deliver.

    • @jonny sorry I should have been clearer. In the preview I read Miles is fighting an old Peter villain. The Ringer, it’s a scene we’ve at least twice before.

      I’ve got all the trades, and do love the series, I just now understand why people say Bendis reads better in trade.

    • Have to say I agree with jonny. The characters are very different IMO. Peter was a budding rocket scientist and Miles is a kid whose aspirations for a good education hung on winning a charter school lottery. Miles exists in the same universe that Peter did, so we can’t expect a new rogues gallery–but his uncle provides a new, interesting and unique threat element. Miles has different powers than Peter did. And the story has a very different appeal. I challenge anyone to read the first year of Ultimate Spider-Man or the first few arcs of the 1960s Amazing Spider-Man and tell me Miles is the same as those characters. Peter was a geeky kid living in the burbs whose worst problems were resisting the urge to beat up Flash (after he gained his powers) and the fact that he always swallowed a frog whenever he tried to have a conversation with Betty Brant. Aside from the costumes and the name, Peter and Miles have little in common.

  2. I know it’s been said before but these covers for the Ultimate line are atrocious. The variant for this is so superior, it looks like a comic book cover.This does not. It looks like a computer game.
    Sort it Marvel, it’s not like Kaare can’t draw.

    • “It looks like a computer game.”

      That’s the intent. Anything to get actual kids & teenagers to buy this, is what Marvel must be thinking…

  3. this is coming out too often

  4. i think monthly in place of bi-weekly would do this book justice. of course, i’m a lil’ bias.
    love the title, but hate spending 8 bucks a month on it.
    i vote monthly for all comics until i’m rich.

    • this is a montly title

    • @kingjoeg: The schedule of this book hasn’t bugged me one way or the other, but it has been pretty erratic.

      The first four issues came out close to biweekly, issue 5 took about six weeks to come out, then it was monthly for 6 and 7, and now the publishing pace is picking up again.

      Again, I have plenty to read, and we’ll have gotten 8 issues in 6 months, but the track record makes it hard to truly call this a monthly book.

    • yeah, the last issue just came out two weeks ago.

  5. I wish it would come out exactly as soon as Pichelli could draw them. That way all the issues would be amazing.

    • Samnee grew on me with the second issue. Didn’t like the switch at first even though I liked his art in Thor and Cap Bucky.

      I still agree with you though.

  6. The moment I saw the cover to this I thought:

    “Gee Whiz”

    Then after seeing it SEVERAL times inside Marvel’s issues I thought:

    “Holy fuck get this shitty cover out of my head!!”

  7. And with this – I’m dropping it, straight up. It’s just not compelling storytelling, & when you’re doing a serialized medium, it better damn well be if you want to keep people.

    I wasn’t even impressed with Picchelli’s return, & I don’t care enough at this point to reason out whether it was the art itself or the storytelling that got me so apathetic.

    • Avatar photo tripleneck (@tripleneck) says:

      Not sure I’m dropping this yet, but I’m with you in spirit for sure. Picchelli seemed bland after two issues of Samnee goodness. But really the bland should be laid at Bendis’ feet. Uncle Aaron is Snoop Dogg apparently and that’s just lazy not clever. And woops, we’ve got a supervillain popping up in Miles’ neighborhood only ‘cuz, y’know it’s a superhero comic, and Miles has gotta fight someone every time he puts on the costume. And it’s another villain with a lame power who’s made fun of in-story and then taken down easily. We all know Bendis is the king of decompression and well, he’s certainly proving it on this title. So the reason, I’m not sure I’m stopping buying this yet is that I do like Miles as a character and I’d like to find out what happens to him, but I do wonder how long my patience will hold.

    • @ tripleneck

      “Picchelli seemed bland after two issues of Samnee goodness ”

      did you see how negatively people reacted to the change? Samnee is great for old-style books, but USM IS Piccheli’s book. and bland? samnee is almost the definition of bland(which works in certain books). Piccheli makes her characters really come to life.

      after reading the last two issues, i couldn’t wait for her to come back.

      honestly, Samnee is not remotely close to her level, imo.

    • @thehangman

      I knew a bit of Picchelli trolling would raise some ire 😉

      But, really that’s just how I feel. Apparently I don’t feel the same about her art as many othes. That’s cool with me. It’s also cool with me if you don’t like Samnee as much. You say Potayto, I say Potahtah….

      I any case you won’t have Picchelli on the next issue or the one after that. It’s David Marquez. So it seems Marvel is just pulling their same ole Bait n’ Switch.

  8. Read this and really dug it. I think Pichelli is hands down my favourite artist right now, she is just so damn good. The body language and acting that her characters convey is just brilliant, and she has this unique style that is both ‘cartoony’ and almost photo real. And I think she draws the best black people I’ve ever seen in a comic book. It’s all in the eyes, a few of her black characters (like Uncle Aaron) have these really expressive almond eyes. It’s so subtle and yet it gives such humanity to them. Brilliant stuff.

  9. yep. liked it.
    i hope bendis plays up the gansta angle like he did in his DD run back in the day. that would be awesome.
    5 outa 5

  10. I’m not yet gaga over this new ULTIMATE SPIDEY run, but issue #8 was a fun read. Bendis is picking up the pace, and he’s giving breadth to the tableau with lots of interesting b-stories. My only nitpick is in how he writes “gangsta” dialogue – specifically Uncle Aaron’s, which made me cringe at points. When writers get too precious with dialogue it takes me out of the story. Otherwise? I can’t wait to see what Captain Quaid has to say to Miles! (if Miles does indeed stick around to chat…)

  11. Liked it, but was anyone else bugged (hyuk) by the lack of backgrounds?

    • Avatar photo tripleneck (@tripleneck) says:

      It’s hard to meet your deadline if you include backgrounds. We’re supposed to fill those in ourselves otherwise this issue would cost $4.99.

    • i thought it was an interesting choice. Sometimes my eye gets lost on the panel/page if there is too much color rendering and detail in the backgrounds….it just kills the depth for me at times.

  12. 5 stars this week for Ultimate Spidey #8. Bendis is is going to destroy Miles just like he destroyed Peter. Being Spidey might be the most difficult job in the Ultimate Universe and Miles is finding that out first hand.

  13. I really like that Bendis is going to rope in Aunt May and Gwen to Miles’ story. It’s a neat bit of continuity that enhances the narrative, as opposed to bogging it down.

    Also, who is Uncle Aaron going to kill, Miles’ mom or dad? I’m thinking that Uncle Aaron killing Miles’ dad would carry more weight, being his brother and all, but Mr. Morales already doesn’t like Spider-Man, so if the mom is killed, that leaves lots of bitterness and tension between Miles and his dad, which would be a gold mine for Bendis to explore.

    • Hate to say it, but with the bad blood between Uncle Aaron and Miles’ Dad, the Dad would be too obvious. And since the Dad hates mutant or superpowered humans, leaving him alive would create more tension going forward. My bet is the Mom dies. Losing any parent is a pretty heavy weight for any child. But stories revolving around Miles grieving with a Dad who hates him, while not being able to tell him about being Spider-Man, and knowing he was connected to his Mom’s death would generate a LOT of pathos for this character.

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