Review of Ultimate Spider-Man Issue #10

Written by: Jonathan Hickman

Art by: David Messina

Colors by: Matthew Wilson

Letters by: VC’s Cory Petit

Cover art by: Marco Checchetto (cover A)

Cover price: $4.99

Release date: October 16, 2024

Ultimate Spider-Man #10, by Marvel Comics on 10/16/24, follows Ben Parker and J. Jonah Jameson as they chase down the story of the century.

Ultimate Spider-Man #10 is half good. Writer Jonathan Hickman crafts yet another Spider-Man-less story to focus entirely on Ben Parker and J. Jonah Jameson as they uncover who Wilson Fisk sold Stane/Stark Industries to and why. Through the first half, the comic is a tedious investigation, but once the seasoned journalists get too close to the truth, the drama ramps up, but don’t expect any superheroics because there aren’t any.

When last we left Peter Parker and Harry Osborn in Ultimate Spider-Man #9, they subjected themselves to yet another suit upgrade, thanks to the research of Otto Octavius. Peter’s first present from Otto didn’t quite fit the bill, so the next design was a more traditional fabric suit. The best friends put their new suits through the wringer when they were attacked by Black Cat Sr. Meanwhile, MJ had to explain to J. Jonah and Ben how marketing works.

In Ultimate Spider-Man #10, we catch up with Ben Parker and J. Jonah Jameson as they take a road trip to a very exclusive golf course in Long Island. Why? Ben found out one of Wilson Fisk’s top men, James Wesley, happens to be having Lunch there on this fine Fall day.

“Wait, wait, wait. We’re getting ANOTHER Ben and J. Jonah issue focusing on The Paper?” you might ask. Yes, that’s right. Were you expecting something else? Why do you want a comic called Ultimate Spider-Man to focus on Ultimate Spider-Man? Silly reader, this is Marvel we’re talking about. Giving readers what they want is not part of Marvel’s corporate culture.

Ben and J. Jonah interrupt Wesley’s very expensive Lunch to confront him about the sale of Stane/Stark Industries because one of their reporters is writing a story about the implications of that sale. Wesley entertains the questions only until Wilson Fisk’s name comes up, and he signals security to escort the men out. Later, Ben and J. Jonah discuss the trail of shell companies leading the Stane/Stark sale away from Fisk. J. Jonah makes the connection that one of the shell companies is owned by Oscorp.

Up to this point, the story is probably authentic for an investigative journalist’s day-to-day job, but it’s dry as unbuttered toast. We don’t know why Ben and J. Jonah are on this trail or why the sale of a company matters, so Hickman continues to strain the reader’s patience.

The trail is the trail, so Ben and J. Jonah pay a visit to Gwen Stacy at Oscorp to ask about the purchase. Gwen is open to talking at first, but once the questions get sensitive, she throws the men out and threatens to pull her funding for The Paper. Later, Ben enjoys Dinner with the Parker family, where he gets a private word of caution from MJ because Gwen let her know about the earlier meeting.

Again, Hickman continues to strain the reader’s patience with a slow-paced, low-urgency series of conversations. All we know so far is that Ben is on to a story he thinks is big enough to risk The Paper’s funding. The Dinner scene is the only time we get a glimpse of Peter Parker, who only has a grand total of six sentences of dialog, most directed toward his kids during a rousing game of chess. Thrilling!

The issue concludes with Ben and J. Jonah receiving a visit from Harry Osborn, who offers the seasoned newsmen a choice and the appearance of a familiar name we’ve not seen yet in the Ultimate universe.

The positives of this issue work on two levels. First, the path Ben and J. Jonah follow to root out the particulars of their story feels authentic and believable. If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to chase down leads, it can be painstaking work, so you get that experience here in full.

Second, once Harry shows up to confront Ben and J. Jonah, many of the blank spots, including the purpose of the article, the broader implications of its publication, and more falls into place to make their efforts worth it. In short, the implication of the published article is the big idea of this issue.

It’s not too much to expect that a Spider-Man comic, Ultimate or otherwise, place focus on Spider-Man. So far, that’s not been the case in this title. Hickman’s habit of getting lost inside subplots and world-building has become detrimental to the title because he doesn’t feel the need to further the story through the main character’s eyes. After ten issues of setup and laying the foundation for the Maker’s return in a year, Hickman appears to be signaling that the objective for all Ultimate titles is to tread water.

Further, the pacing of what little plot there is has as much pep as watching a documentary. This is a superhero comic, not a PBS series. If Hickman intends to keep focus on things other than Spider-Man, he could at least infuse some excitement and energy beyond the sparse crumb or two.

David Messina steps in temporarily for the glorious Marco Checchetto, and in all fairness, there isn’t one bit of loss in the quality. You can tell the difference in their styles, but this issue has an amazing richness in character detail, and the facial acting and gestures are perfect. I’m not looking forward to losing Checchetto anytime soon, but if he should move on, Messina would be an excellent replacement.

About The Reviewer: Gabriel Hernandez is the Publisher & EIC of ComicalOpinions.com, a comics review site dedicated to indie, small, and mid-sized publishers.

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Ultimate Spider-Man #10 is a slow, tedious ride along with Ben and J. Jonah as they chase down a story with wide-reaching implications. Hickman is close to holding the record for the most number of Spider-Man issues without a Spider-Man. That said, the dramatic intensity picks up in the last act, and guest artist David Messina does a fantastic job filling in for Marco Checchetto.

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