Whatever a Spider Can’s Miles Morales: Ultimate Spider-Man #1 recap

Having read All-New Ultimates #1 (which I believe takes place before this issue timeline and continuity-wise) I sat down and read Miles Morales: Ultimate Spider-Man #1. I will say I don’t know much about the Ultimate universe, in fact, I know less about the Ultimate universe than I do about the standard Marvel universe, which those of you that read my reviews and recaps will know isn’t that much. So with no knowledge of what’s come before here’s the recap for the first issue of Miles Morales: Ultimate Spider-Man.

The issue opens at a secret S.H.I.E.L.D containment facility with a be-suited man shutting telling an employee that with S.H.I.E.L.D shut down, the facility which is funded by S.H.I.E.L.D is also being shut-down, meaning that the prisoner they are holding there is being transfered to a federal prison. The gleeful S.H.I.E.L.D employee then tells the be-suited official that he’s now the proud owner of a Norman Osborn.

The be-suited official is shocked as Norman Osborn was presumed dead and the S.H.I.E.L.D employee takes advantage of the fact he no longer has a job to plant a right-hook on a bedraggled and heavily-bearded Norman Osborn, knocking a tooth out, all because he killed Peter Parker. Norman then ominously says ‘yrl gna brn’ which is translated to ‘you’re all going to burn’, apparently he keeps saying it…

Then we witness two guys moving some boxes and having a self-referential and clever chat about Captain America, who is also presumed/confirmed dead with one of them saying that Captain America has died before and that he’ll definitely be back because “That’s what the super hero guys do. They take a little break and then they come back”.

The two men are then attacked by not one, but two Spider-Men who reveal themselves to be wearing what appears to be identitcal partially metal suits that make them look a bit like Spider-Man. The pair seem a bit conflicted reacting badly to the precense of a gun, and angrily at having to hurt the two men. However they take what they need and leave.

We then get our first glimpse at Miles Morales himself who is with his girlfriend (who has cool hair) Katie Bishop. Katie asks Miles where he was last night and we see an allusion to the All-New Ultimates, who are Miles’ new super hero team. Miles and Katie then talk about his dad, with Miles desperately trying to find him after he ran away.

Katie, who quite clearly doesn’t know that Miles is Spider-Man can’t understand why his dad would bail and abandon his only son, instead suggesting that he died in the whole Galactus thing in Jersey (of which I have no idea about) but in a small panel we see that Miles’ dad blames Miles, who is in his Spider-Man suit,  for his mother’s death and that’s why he left. It looks like Miles is going to tell Katie he’s Spider-Man, but they’re then interrupted by a teacher.

There’s then a brief scene of Norman Osborn being transported in a heavily armoured car, whilst being heavily guarded by several men. Norman says ‘yrl gna brn’ again and the armoured car blows up reavling the silhouette of the Green Goblin in the flames. We all knew it was going to happen.

We cut back to Miles who is now talking to his best friend Ganke, at Ganke’s house. Ganke knows that Miles is Spider-Man and Miles tells him that he is also going to tell Katie. The pair have a brief discussion about how hot Dagger is, and why she’s unavailable hench Cloak and Dagger. Ganke then reiterates that telling Katie is a bad idea and then Miles texts someone to seek more advice.

Who’s the expert on dealing with a super hero partner? Mary Jane Watson of course! Miles seeks out MJ and asks her advice and Mary Jane gives a truthful and honest recount of what life was like comparing the commitment of to being bonded together, or married. The final panel gives you the impression that the talk hasn’t made things any easier for Miles.

Miles finds out about the twin Spider-Men from earlier and then heads home, there he hears a noise and assumes that it’s his dad but true to form, and in a self fulfilling prophecy the comments from the man earlier saying that “super hero guys take a little break and then come back” come true as the man in Mile’s appartment is Peter Parker, who is/was dead.

To be continued….

Check out Whatever a Spider Can’s other Spidey comic book recaps and reviews
Amazing Spider-Man #1 recap, and review
Amazing Spider-Man: Learning to Crawl #1.1 recap, and review
All-New Ultimates #1 recap, and review

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