This super-fun crossover continues after Peter and Miles teamed up to defeat Mysterio's Ultimate Universe avatar (that he controlled virtually from his hideout in the regular Marvel U). By the time Fury and SHIELD showed up, Peter had disappeared, heading to Queens to see his family and try to make sense of his situation.
This issue starts with Peter standing on Aunt May's lawn with his mask off staring at May and Gwen. Thinking he's a classless prankster, both of the women physically attack Peter, knocking him down. Miles shows up then and tells them that it's really Peter, causing Aunt May to faint. When she wakes up on her couch she quietly moves up the stairs and stops, listening in on Peter, Miles and Gwen's conversation. They trade questions and each wants to know about their counterpart's in the other world. Gwen keeps asking about her regular Marvel U self and Peter deftly evades the question, not wanting to tell her about her death. May comes in then sits by Peter and asks him how he's here, if he's going back and if Uncle Ben is alive in his world. Peter explains that, like his Ultimate Universe self, Ben's death inspired him to become Spider-Man because with Great Power comes Great Responsibility. May has stayed composed this whole time, but when he says that her eyes get big and she says, "Oh my God, it IS you. Look at you." Then she hugs him with all she's got, tears flowing from her eyes, just holding him close. She continues, "We lost you. We lost you and we didn't get to say good-bye. And now you're all grown up. You're here. You're okay." About that time, Miles notices the SHIELD car outside and says it's time to go. Everyone hugs and says goodbye and heads outside. Peter sees Ultimate Mary Jane in the crowd that has gathered across the street and reaches forward to call to her, but she runs away. They get in the car and fly away (it IS a SHIELD car). Back at the Triskellion, Peter meets Ultimate Tony Stark and they locate Mysterio's hideout. Fury calls in the team and the last page is a great shot of a SHIELD strike team, Thor, Iron Man, and both Spideys swinging into action. I would NOT want to be Mysterio in issue 5!
I wish I could show you that scene with Peter and Aunt May but my printer is being stupid. The way it went down and the art and the pacing of the story...it was perfect. When I turned the page and May was hugging Peter, I had to look away and blink my eyes. I know that's not cool to admit, but dang it, it was touching! Imagine anyone who's lost a loved one too young and what they would give to see how that loved one could have turned out and to hug them one more time. This was so good. I want to give this book of the year, but I'll reserve that call until I see what they've got cooking up for a finale!
I had an epiphany lately. Just because I like a character doesn't mean I have to religiously follow their book. With that in mind I cancelled The Mighty Thor from my pull list and added Conan instead for something new. Thor is great and his comics have been somewhat fun, but they haven't been great for a while now and I try to only keep up with comics that I can see myself wanting to read again later. I read good things about the current Conan direction, and being a longtime fan of that character, decided to jump in on this storyline at #1.
This story find Conan returning to his homeland, Cimmeria, in the frigid North lands with his lover, Belit, the infamous Queen of the Black Coast. They receive a welcome from Conan's mother that's colder than the landscape. She implies that Belit is a slave woman and tells them to find a place to sleep elsewhere. The next day Conan meets with the clan elders and discusses the matter that brought him home. A man is moving through Cimmeria killing and destroying everything around him, claiming to be Conan. Conan swears to stop him and the elders suggest he leave his woman behind. Belit is a pirate captain and a fearsome presence in her home region, so being dismissed by everyone has her in a deadly mood. Conan stops her from killing some peasant women who laughed at her and tells her that she will indeed be coming with him. The issue ends with a scene of devastation as the false Conan raises another town to the ground in his name.
This is an interesting story and I'm glad to be reading a new Conan adventure, but what really grabbed me about this book was the art by Becky Cloonan. Female artists are rare in the industry, and choosing one for a "macho" book like Conan is a very bold choice. I love seeing women draw mainstream comics because their artistic approach seems so different. It's hard to explain the difference. Everything seems...softer? Conan still looks powerful, but he's more stylized and less bulky with muscle. It's a strange choice for this genre of visual storytelling and for that I love it. I'm looking forward to issue #2.
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