Review: Ultimate Spider-Man #6
The first arc of Jonathan Hickman’s Ultimate Spider-Man comes to a thrilling conclusion, solidifying its place as Marvel's best current Spider-Man series. In these six issues, Hickman has masterfully crafted a fully realized world with his version of new, yet not-new characters. It has delivered everything Spider-Man fans crave: intense action involving a mature Peter Parker, who also has a home life that includes his perfect partner, MJ. But none of it is lip service. There is an intentionality in this book that shows the creative team knows exactly what they want to do and are flexing all of their creative muscles to achieve it at an extremely high level.
While we see how much of a family man he is in this universe, I’ve loved how much Peter’s family has shaped the superhero he has become. May helped him choose his costume a few issues ago, and in this issue we see that MJ decides on his name. I actually hadn’t even realized he had never used it yet, but I nearly teared up upon its first appearance once I realized what Hickman was doing. Hickman has shown he can write superheroes of all stars and stripes, but I didn’t know he was so good at writing these softer moments. The dynamic between the Parker family is not what we typically see in pop culture. They have their flaws and disagreements, but they’re respectful of one another and aren’t afraid to show their love.
Marco Checchetto returns to art duties and immediately reminds us why he is one of the best in the business. Every scene, every character and facial expression, every minor piece of background is drawn with precise detail. His Kingpin looks downright terrifying. His action panels are brilliantly choreographed with an intensity that makes you feel every bump & punch along with the characters. This isn’t just art, it’s an experience.
Colors from Matthew Wilson bring Checchetto’s designs to life with deep palette that runs from hot to cold to help set the necessary mood. His rich red and oranges during the battle between Spider-Man, Green Goblin, and Kingpin create an intensity that draws you in. Rounding everything out is Cory Petit's lettering which perfectly ties the visual & written aspects of the book together for a complete packaging.
Ultimate Spider-Man #6 is more than just a great Spider-Man comic – it's a near-perfect comic, period.
