Ultimate Spider-Man #2: Her Web Connects Us

A pain point in a lot of current periodical media, whether it be comics or television, is the lack of runway for multi-storyline installments. The desire for storytelling to be serialized and streamlined as plot delivery mechanisms might be the most detrimental thing to happen over the last ten or fifteen years to the mediums. Stripping away the B and C plots for being extemporaneous has resulted in the degradation of supporting casts and long-term viability. The ouroboros of no emotional investment and cutting away the runaway for sentimentality is an interlocking battle that is never more evident than in Big Two comics. 

Ultimate Spider-Man #2 – written by Jonathan Hickman with art by Marco Checchetto, colors by Matthew Wilson, and letters from VC’s Corey Petit – leaps into an immediate follow-up to many of the threads from issue one, working to establish Spider-Man’s stumbles on the road to his superheroics. The issue makes a pivot to Peter in the proto-black costume as he gets into the swing of the vigilante gig, becoming a headline for the Daily Bugle. This seeds a bit of tension within the Parker family, as Mary Jane remains in the dark while his daughter, May, expresses a visceral fear of the proto-costume. 

Meanwhile, Uncle Ben and Jonah continue to brainstorm their path forward after leaving the Bugle and connect the dots between the Kingpin-controlled paper’s coverage of Spider-Man vs the lack of coverage about the attempts on Fisk’s life. They realize Spider-Man is working as a distraction to the vigilante trying to kill Kingpin. Finally, the c-plot deals with Kingpin’s machinations, which links the heaviest to the larger Ultimate Universe story as Fisk trades back and forth subtle threats with the French Captain Britain. It’s an excellent seeding that feels tonally in line with the series while promising the implications of a wider universe. 

Hickman weaves these continuing plotlines in between three encounters between Peter and the new iteration of the Shocker. Used as the butt of a long-running joke in the original Ultimate Spider-Man, Shocker is fleshed out as a credible threat to the budding superhero. He manages to outmatch Peter physically and mentally in their first three match-ups, setting up just how green Spider-Man is. It’s an effective, subversive, and hilarious way to continue the establishment of tone and differentiation for this series, showcasing how the divergence in origin can affect the final product of Spider-Man. Hickman sells the sequence through the commitment to the bit, letting Shocker read as credible without undercutting the central ethos of Peter. 

The superheroics are a strong foundation of the issue, but the real magic of this issue is the equal weight given to the subplots. That decision to structure the book with a core A, B, and C plot built around secondary characters and a looming antagonist gives the issue a classic feeling. It reads like a refutation of recent modern superhero comics, which much like other media have shifted into lean, streamlined vehicles for plot. Weaving the three plots allows Hickman to balance story, worldbuilding, and character work organically. The A-story of Peter fighting Shocker benefits from quieter moments with May, which in turn ripples outward to the Ben & Jonah story that in turn serves as the baseline of Kingpin’s interest in geopolitics. 

Even as Hickman deals with the lofty, massive-scale politics of this sci-fi-driven world, the book never loses its street-level approach thanks to the centering on the characters and their interpersonal relationships. The central tension of the issue is not Peter vs Shocker, Ben, and Jonah vs the Bugle, or even Kingpin vs the world. It’s vigilante vs May’s peace of mind, which Hickman quickly resolves by having Peter reveal his identity to her. Before Mary Jane, Richard (his son), or even Jonah, May is his most trusted confidant in the issue even as she clashes with his alter ego on an emotional level. It’s an excellent remix of the Peter and Aunt May dynamic, allowing for a simple, yet natural, extension of the core relationship that lies at the heart of Spider-Man stories. 

Checchetto proves yet again to be the perfect collaborator for this project, as emotion and action have become the bread and butter for the artist. The linework offers the perfect balance of stylized, kinetic action that is rooted in a semi-realistic sheen of anatomy. While these figures and faces are in their idealized forms, there’s still a lack of artifice that allows the emotional warmth to radiate out. The moments between Peter and May always pulse with a pure sense of understanding, as though there can be no deception or anger between the two. It’s endearing and infectious, selling this relationship between father and daughter in tight, lively pencils. 

The coloring from Wilson continues to refine itself and meld with Checchetto’s pencils, with this issue offering a wide variety of tones in the palette. The book gets to play on the gritter blues, blacks, and grays of New York as Peter battles Shocker while contrasting with the warmer yellows, pinks, and whites of interiors with Fisk or the newsmen. The cycling of palettes creates a visual cue for the three plots and establishes distinct pockets of the world that feel unique from moment to moment yet holistic by the end of the issue. 

Shifting between these tones also showcases the thought of subverting the expectations of the title as Spider-Man lives further in the shadows while establishing himself. Even Shocker, a villain known for his bright yellow quilting and golden lightning lives in the muted tones for now. The Spider-Man section gets a tease of more typical colors by the end, but for now, its palette is a perfect fit for the street-level story unfolding.   

Not to outdo himself on the artistic front, Checchetto brings a fluid, expressive touch to the Spider-Man action. Glimpsed briefly during his work on Daredevil with Chip Zdarsky, the action beats here feel smooth in their non-smoothness. This Spider-Man is like a baby deer trying to find its footing, with awkward angles and over-telegraphed movements that sell the adjustment of physical attributes. The fights with Shocker read like awkward (in a great way) street brawls, as Peter tries to brute force his way through his problems. Each time there is a learning curve, and Checchetto pays close attention to ensure the subtle and notable shifts in Peter’s movements. What starts as graceless webswings and poorly thrown punches shifts into the more dynamic ships.