Avengers #6 Review

This is the 3rd Avengers issue in a row that solely focuses on one of the lesser known characters that new fans may not be aware of. I have been a big fan of this format, as not having read comic books for as long as some other people, I feel that I have really benefited from these. This particular issue focuses on Captain Universe, who I honestly have never read about. By the end of the issue however, I not only knew about her, but I also felt quite a bit of sympathy towards her.

This issue focused on telling us who exactly Captain Universe is. There is a woman who is the host of this life form, and that is who we learned about. This issue only really touched on who she was, and there are still some questions surrounding her, but it was enough to make me intrigued enough to want to know more about her. Hickman does a great job here in one issue of turning a relative unknown into a character that you care about. He is now 3 for 3 for me using this kind of format.
She also helped us understand exactly what "Adam" has been trying to telling us since he has been with the Avengers. The cryptic message that he gave is exactly that; cryptic. I am not too sure what it means, but it looks to me like things will become clearer in the next issue. What can be said for sure though, is that it still looks like Hickman is going for that epicness I have spoken about so many times regarding this series.

Spider-Man had some great moments in this issue with Sunspot and Cannonball; who are characters that I also know nothing about. There moments were very comedic, and they have also made me want to see more of those two guys in that kind of capacity. Of course I want to see them doing something of use for the team as a whole, but it was clear to me in this issue that they also work fantastically when used in this particular way.

I have enjoyed these last 3 issues immensely as they have spotlighted characters that I would not have read about otherwise. This particular issue seems to link in very nicely to the next story arc we will be seeing in this series. As of right now there is quite a bit of darkness surrounding what it all means, but I trust Hickman to tell a great story with it. Whatever it is, it feels like it is going to be huge.

Rating: 8.7 / 10

Ultimate Comics Spider-Man #20 Review

I have been eagerly anticipating this issue since the last page of #19; and it has really felt like a massive amount of time since I saw that last page. Yes, Venom is back in the Ultimate universe, and he looks as great as he ever has. It is one of the best depictions of the character that I have seen for quite some time, which means that Sara Pichelli is doing such a fantastic job on this issue as always. However, it looks like Miles may have bitten off a bit more than he can chew this time around.

The whole of this issue was pretty much made up of a fight between Venom and Miles, and let me tell you; there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. What we got was a great little battle, which Miles spent most of trying to figure out just how he was going to beat the villain  This is what is great about this book in general; the fact that Miles is still trying to figure out how to be Spider-Man. He has never faced Venom before, which makes battles like this even more intriguing as he is trying to feel out his opponent.

Bendis still includes some humorous touches in this issue, as he has been doing the whole of the series. There was one particular moment when Miles attempted to use the webbing that Ganke had just supplied him with that made me laugh out loud. What really helps with this is just how accurate Pichelli can draw human emotions, which sees the humour just pour off the pages.

The only downside to this book is the fact that we are still waiting for more development of Miles. He has been the new Spider-Man in the ultimate universe for 20 issues now, and he is still a complete rookie. I do not want him to become a vet over night, however it would be nice if he was a bit more polished and a bit more sure of himself; considering everything he has already fought during the series. This is a minor gripe, as I'm sure many people would argue "but we are only 20 issues in". What Bendis is doing here with this series really helps you to overlook a gripe such as this one.

If you have not experiences the Ultimate Spider-Man universe yet for whatever reason, then get involved in this issue. It is a great jumping on point, and I am sure many old school fans will just fall in love with this version of Venom. I really can't wait to see more of him in this series, and how Miles is going to overcome such a strong bad guy. It is also going to be interesting to see just who this new Venom is, as he seems to know a lot about how Miles has become this new Spider-Man. One thing is for sure; the 20th March feels a very long way off.

Rating: 8 / 10

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Ultimate Spider-Man #16.1 Review

I have been dipping in and out of this series for a while now. Whenever I pick up an issue I always think "why the hell did I drop this". This point one issue has made that point even clearer. Miles Morales in such a great character, and a very suitable Spider-Man. However, he hardly features in this book, so what makes this issue so great?

This story follows the journalist Becky Brant as she stumbles across the identity of wall crawler after watching footage of the fight that broke out between Miles and his Uncle Aaron. It turns out she actually thinks that Spider-Man is Miles' father, which is something we do not discover until later on in the issue.

What I really enjoyed in this issue was the way Becky went about finding solid proof for her story. The pages that followed showed how a hungry journalist works, and the lengths that they are willing to go to to find a story. When she finally got all her evidence, she was once again rejected by Jonah as he did not feel that the story was in the public interest. The final panel sees her getting possibly killed by a certain Spidey favourite.

This book was great and really was utilised well as a point one jumping on point for new readers. The art once again was amazing, which has been a constant throughout this series. Some of the splash pages were tremendous, especially the one that saw Becky searching Uncle Aaron's old apartment. Personally I haven't seen anything like that before which made it a joy to view. The level of consistency that this book has is on a completely different level to most books out there. So go on jump on. I doubt you will be getting off any time soon.

Rating: 9 / 10