Spider-Men #2 continues Brian Michael Bendis and Sara Pichelli’s tale of the two, well, Spider-Men. As a result of Mysterio tinkering with a dimensional portal, which of course never goes wrong, the Spider-Man of the regular Marvel Universe, Earth-616, was transported to the Ultimate Universe, or Earth-1610. Peter Parker, this is Miles Morales. Miles Morales, this is Peter Parker.

The book opens with Mysterio having a bit of a fit after Spider-Man’s interference in the previous issue. Readers get a look at some of Mysterio’s tech which allows him to remote-control avatar bodies; one of which will confront the heroes later in the book. From there, we pick up where the first chapter ended with our two leads having just met.

You may have already guessed it, but yes, the characters do fight. The heroes utilize their most popular moves, Miles’ venom sting and Peter’s web-shooters. Peter’s witty banter is present, but it accompanies his confusion about what’s happening. You might expect his humor to be a bit more ramped up, but it all works well considering the situation. Miles was a fan of Spider-Man, so the confusion he feels as he confronts the hero he thought to be dead is conveyed well.

A section of the book comes after the fight as Nick Fury tries to understand this different and very much alive Peter Parker. With Miles in Fury’s good graces, he is left to answer any questions Peter Parker may have about their world. But it wouldn’t end that way, would it? Of course it can’t. They’re interrupted by the previously mentioned Mysterio controlled avatar.

With Pichelli’s name on a book, you know what you’re getting. Her pencils have a smooth flow panel-to-panel. This is especially true in the action sequences. The facial expressions on Peter Parker and Nick Fury during their conversation are noteworthy as well. When you combine her pencils Justin Ponsor’s colors, you have a gorgeous book from beginning to end. His colors give the book a vibrant, animated feel.

I’ll admit I was somewhat apprehensive about the merging of the two worlds because the Ultimate Universe was created to allow readers to enjoy Marvel’s popular characters without worry of continuity. It was always believed they would never overlap. So far this is a fun story and I don’t believe the two universes will mix beyond this mini-series, so it is something that should be enjoyed as it is.

I am reading the series these characters star in, Amazing Spider-Man and Ultimate Spider-Man, and they are both good books. These could serve as good introductions to both characters if you aren't reading either of those series. This is truer for Ultimate Spider-Man as Miles Morales story is not even a year in yet. This is a book I would recommend not based just on the characters, but because it’s a fun and good looking series.


This comic book was purchased with my own funds.