Ultimate Spider-Man by Jonathan Hickman vol. 2: The Paper

I was honestly hoping for a better hit ratio than one unmitigated success, two mixed bags, and one clear misfire from this latest version of the Ultimate Universe.  Things could always pick up, and my fingers are crossed for “Ultimate Wolverine,” but that’s the world we live in right now.  At least the relaunched imprint’s one unmitigated success is still going strong in its second volume.

Peter Parker and Harry Osborn’s direct attack on Wilson Fisk didn’t come off nearly as well as they’d hoped.  So they’re biding their time, attacking his interests, and working with Otto Octavius to upgrade their suit tech before they take another swing at him.  Fisk, on the other hand, sees their attack as a rebellion that must be crushed as soon as possible.  So he gathers his five most trusted lieutenants to put an end to the antics of Spider-Man and the Green Goblin.  First up is the master thief who’s still in it for the thrills after all these years:  Martin Hardy, a.k.a. The Black Cat.

My biggest concern about the first volume was that it set up a story that didn’t really feel like a “Spider-Man” one, as he got swept up in a secret fight against the powers-that-be in the world around him.  How does that comport with a hero who’s been all about fighting homegrown, street-level crime for literal decades, with big stuff like that only making an occasional intrusion into his life?  As we find out here, all of that street-level crimefighting is still happening in the margins outside of the scope of the story.  Hickman is just content to hint at that stuff while continuing to focus on the bigger story he’s telling here.

Which, as I mentioned last time, gives the story some appreciable focus and momentum as it moves through this volume.  This is both through the main plot involving Peter and Harry’s fight against Fisk and his cronies, and the main subplot dealing with Jonah and Ben’s efforts to figure out what’s really going on in this world.  The two newsmen and their new outfit, The Paper, know that something’s up with this world and the recent emergence of superpowered characters into it.  They’re both determined to figure out what’s really going on and they’ve got the determination to see it through.

Not without a little humor regarding all of this.  Though the tone of the series is quite serious for the most part, Hickman is really good about letting his characters have some fun along the way.  That’s most clearly seen in Ben and Jonah’s Good Ol’ Boys routine as they apply their newshound skills to ferreting out the truth – regardless of who they have to annoy in the process.  Peter and Harry have some fun as well, and it’s arguably more useful here as it really feels like the writer is steering them towards an eventual falling out over their differing approaches to superheroism.  That’s a concern for the future, as this volume presents them as partners through thick and thin in their shared crusade here.

There’s also a lot of fun Ultimate-style updating throughout this volume.  Some of it is just putting these characters in a modern-day context, like Kraven, while other types involve familiar characters showing up where you’d least expect them.  Others are a bit more radical, like Ben Reilly’s “appearance” in this volume, as well as what looks like the new Venom.  Granted, they don’t call them that here, but any long-time Spider-fan will recognize that’s exactly where Hickman is going with this take on the concept.  If there’s anything that doesn’t work, it’s the fact that Ultimate Felicia Hardy is barely featured in this volume, which feels like a bait-and-switch given how she’s prominently featured on the cover here.

Marco Checchetto and David Messina continue to provide strong art for this volume, even though my feelings towards their work may be shifting.  This is because while Checchetto continues to provide satisfyingly gritty and dynamic work, there are parts where it looks like the monthly grind is starting to get to him.  Contrast that with Messina’s cleaner style, which feels more assured here, and I find myself feeling that if they want to start splitting the art duties – three months on, three months off, or just every other issue – I feel better about the thought of that now than I did after vol. 1.

This volume ends on an out-of-season (at the moment) Christmas story which features barely any superhero drama at all.  It’s just the extended Parker/Watson family gathering for the holidays and the drama that erupts as a result.  While it could’ve felt like the first time this series has taken a diversion from its main plot, it works because Hickman has been putting in the work to make us care about these characters and seeing them in this domestic setting is refreshing.

Until it isn’t.  I was all ready for vol. 3 before the cliffhanger ending we got here, but now we’re in Can’t Come Soon Enough territory.