After checking off eight issues from my Death of Spiderman checklist, the question of when he will die looks like it may soon be answered. It’s difficult to think of a character in the Marvel Universe less deserving of death than Spiderman. Except for Howard the Duck. But in the words of Clint Eastwood in Unforgiven, ‘Deserves got nothing to do with it.’

This time we join our hero darting around New York trying not to freak out. Meanwhile the Sinister Six (or Ultimate Six?) are struggling to get their act together. It is a fact we’ve all learned from bad action films that a super villain cannot handle rejection. So it was nice to see that little convention played out between two of Spidey’s most notorious villains even if the result felt a little abrupt.

Brian Michael Bendis clearly has big plans for the character from the deft way he keeps the plot racing and emotions flowing in equal measure. A moment between Peter, Aunt May and Gwen is only a couple of pages long but proves very sweet amid the calamity.

Mark Bagley is on great form once again, easily rising to the challenge of unveiling this big story on a small scale. I will say that his recent depiction of the Green Goblin looks a little rushed compared to his previous work on the character.

Which brings us to the elephant in the room. To avoid spoilers please look away now… It may be undeserved, but you couldn’t come up with a way of offing Spiderman that is more befitting to his character. I’ve observed that superheroes have different techniques; Batman is a detective, Superman is a godlike sentinel, and the Fantastic Four are scientific explorers. Spiderman is a well-meaning teenager. He leaps into the fray with naught but his moral compass to guide him. More often than not it works in his favor. It has nothing to do with ego or bravado but an innocent desire to help. If this leads him to his demise then I can appreciate it.

But I may be jumping the gun if you’ll pardon the expression. I’m not sure yet if I’m taking the title of the storyline too literally or not literally enough. You may have heard that issue #160 will be sold in a plastic bag. This means there’s a big twist coming up and it must be something other than his death. It seems cruel to let a gunshot wound last for three issues.

Joe Read.

Ultimate Avengers vs. New Ultimates #3

The injection of humour in this chapter makes it a big improvement on the last. Millar’s ‘Balls to the Wall’ style works best when satirizing the kind of Michael Bay blockbusters it appears to imitate. If he forgets to put that tongue in cheek then we get what happened in issue 2. The ridiculously rapid pace of the action here completely disregards any cloak and dagger subtlety that could be explored in the mystery of who the traitor is. However rather than being a hindrance this element helps drive the story towards a brilliant twist, which I will not spoil here.

My gripes with this one are not huge. The jokes about Tony Stark’s alcoholism had worn thin after the first six issues of the Ultimates but Millar insists on flogging that dead horse. It’s a shame to see it after writers like Warren Ellis have proven the character can be developed in interesting ways and not just sidelined for comic relief. While we’re on the subject, why does the Iron Man armour now look just like it does in the movies? It should be the other way around! Then again how can I expect common sense in a comic where Captain Britain and the director of S.H.I.E.L.D. are gushing over David Cameron?

For more on the shocking ending of this issue, stay tuned for my review of Ultimate Spiderman #157, coming soon!

Joe Read.