Ultimate Comics: Spider-Man vol 3 h/c back

“Hello?”
“Is this Miles? Miles Morales?”
“Yes.”
“Do you know who this is?”
“Your – your name came up on my caller I.D.”
“Can we meet?”

The look on young Miles Morales face!

It’s almost impossible to impress upon you how brilliant this third series remains, with art as sleek as Sara Pichelli’s, without resorting to SPOILERS. That phone call, for example, was surrounded by superb misdirection before you discover who’s on the other end of that line. It’s… quite the encounter.

There’s a war coming to America: a civil war, and whether he likes it or not – whether they like it or not – Miles Morales will be dragged into The Ultimates’ fight. That puts Captain America, still riddled with guilt over Peter’s death, in a very difficult position.

Before all that, Miles must face his family, particularly his Uncle Aaron, the predatory Prowler and thief playing on Miles’ loyalty yet unafraid to resort to blackmail, emotional or otherwise. And here I do issue a SPOILER whilst trying to keep as much information to myself as possible. The legend of Spider-Man has always hung on Peter Parker’s relationship with his Uncle Ben who, in the main Marvel Universe, died at the hands of a thief whom Peter not just failed to stop but declined to even try. It’s always hung – like the albatross around Peter’s neck – on that guilt, and poor Uncle Ben could do nothing about that.

Well, aren’t you the clever one, Bendis?