Ultimate Spider-Man #131

In Ultimate Spider-Man #131, Brian Michael Bendis delivers a great tie-in issue to the Ultimatum storyline (which I haven't read yet). To get a solid stand-alone that works with the overarching plot, Bendis treats Ultimatum as a really good disaster movie - you don't have to worry about exactly what Magneto's doing or what's happening elsewhere, all you know is that New York has been hit by a giant tidal wave. Large parts of the city have been destroyed and people are in danger everywhere, but Spider-Man is still muddling through. Bendis gives us the little character moments we love without having to worry about the backstory happening in other books.

The most beautiful character moment in this issue is a paradigm shift for J. Jonah Jameson. In a gorgeous two-page spread by Stuart Immonen, Jameson stares out of the Bugle office at the city underwater and sees Spider-Man diving down to save someone. He finally realizes that Spider-Man isn't a self-serving menace in tights, but a true hero even in the face of disaster. As the newspaper staff scramble to make some sense of what's happening, JJJ sits down to write his first ever pro-Spider-Man editorial.

If Ultimatum is suppose to redefine the Ultimate universe as distinct from #616, this could be a fantastic opportunity. I've seen JJJ scale back his Spidey hate in the interest of not losing Spider-Man fans as readers, but I haven't seen him actually believe in the good Spider-Man does. It would be great to see Bendis explore this new attitude and see what that does for Jameson's character.

[At this time, I would like to note that an editorial shift in the paper of record could have significant impact on how the public feels about Spider-Man and the positive effects on Peter Parker's life, but my brilliant fiance didn't even consider those things, just that Jameson as a supporting cast member has had a change of mind. So there you go. - RD]

There are several other beautiful two-page spreads throughout the issue, contributing further to the epic movie feel - the art is great, since it's Immonen, and, since it's Bendis, the pages are all focused on something about the people in the shot. We get more crossover components with the Hulk appearing briefly and Peter finding a way to make him part of the solution rather than the problem. Aunt May's first (of many, we hope) encounter with Spider-Woman is also a treat.

And chillingly, Ultimate Daredevil's death, though it may be a large part of other books, is seen from this angle as a throwaway scene. It's a sign that this disaster is so huge that heroes are dying off-camera, and the ones left behind can't spare the time to honor them - there's still too much work to do.

- JC