Ultimate Comics Spider-Man, Vol. 3

Ultimate Comics Spider-Man (2011)

by Brian Michael Bendis, David Marquez (Artist), Pepe Larraz (Artist)

Miles Morales, the newly minted Spider-Man, teams up with the Prowler! But wait, isn't the Prowler a bad guy?! Caught in a moral crisis, Miles must choose between battling his uncle-turned-crimelord, or joining him to keep his family safe! What path will the young hero take? And what will be the dramatic consequences?
Plus: With the nation at war, Miles Morales decides to become a member of the Ultimates - and he will do absolutely anything it takes to earn that right.

Collecting: Ultimate Comics: Spider-Man 11-18

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Marvel, Spider Man, Superheroes, Comic Book, Graphic Novels Comics

120 pages, Hardcover

First published November 14, 2012

About the author

A comic book writer and erstwhile artist. He has won critical acclaim (including five Eisner Awards) and is one of the most successful writers working in mainstream comics. For over eight years Bendis’s books have consistently sat in the top five best sellers on the nationwide comic and graphic novel sales charts.

Though he started as a writer and artist of independent noir fiction series, he shot to stardom as a writer of Marvel Comics' superhero books, particularly Ultimate Spider-Man.

Bendis first entered the comic world with the "Jinx" line of crime comics in 1995. This line has spawned the graphic novels Goldfish, Fire, Jinx, Torso (with Marc Andreyko), and Total Sell Out. Bendis is writing the film version of Jinx for Universal Pictures with Oscar-winner Charlize Theron attached to star and produce.

Bendis’s other projects include the Harvey, Eisner, and Eagle Award-nominated Powers (with Michael Avon Oeming) originally from Image Comics, now published by Marvel's new creator-owned imprint Icon Comics, and the Hollywood tell-all Fortune and Glory from Oni Press, both of which received an "A" from Entertainment Weekly.

Bendis is one of the premiere architects of Marvel's "Ultimate" line: comics specifically created for the new generation of comic readers. He has written every issue of Ultimate Spider-Man since its best-selling launch, and has also written for Ultimate Fantastic Four and Ultimate X-Men, as well as every issue of Ultimate Marvel Team-Up, Ultimate Origin and Ultimate Six.

Brian is currently helming a renaissance for Marvel’s AVENGERS franchise by writing both New Avengers and Mighty Avengers along with the successful ‘event’ projects House Of M, Secret War, and this summer’s Secret Invasion.

He has also previously done work on Daredevil, Alias, and The Pulse.

Reviews

[Baba · Rating 4 out of 5]

As the world is truly on the brink with the huge global problems for the Ultimates and the mutants, in true Spider-Man fashion, most of his concerns are locally, but to the reader, even more important and deadly as their realism makes them feel more dangerous. A huge moral crisis working with the Prowler, wanted for murder, dealing with Gwen and May, fighting alongside Spider-Woman AND the Ultimates, and dealing with his own family!

Bendis seemingly has created his own micro-reality in the Ultimate universe for his black-Latino Spider-Man, a universe that feels more real, more pertinent and way more interesting than pretty much anything else under the Marvel umbrella! A solid Four Star, 8.5 out of 12.

2022 read; 2017 read; 2013 read

[Sam Quixote · Rating 4 out of 5]

Uncle Prowler knows that his nephew Miles is the new Spider-Man and plans to blackmail him into his enforcer for his takeover of the NYC criminal underworld – but will Miles go along with it? Also, HYDRA attempt a second American Revolution as their ranks go toe-to-toe with SHIELD in open warfare and Cap gets made President of the United States?!

Brian Bendis’ Ultimate Comics: Spider-Man continues to impress with this great third volume. The Uncle Aaron/Prowler storyline plays out superbly – with added Ultimate Scorpion/Mac Gargan! – and Miles’ transformation as the new Spidey completes after a touching meeting with Aunt May and Gwen Stacy. I really liked David Marquez’s art too – he’s definitely a fine choice to tag in on the non-Sara Pichelli issues to maintain the high visual standards of the series.

The book falls down somewhat in the second half with the forced Divided We Fall/United We Stand crossover/event nonsense. I didn’t care for the storyline and would’ve much preferred to be reading more of Miles’ story and less SHIELD/HYDRA war drivel. Still, Miles and Cap have some good scenes and Miles’ dad looks set to undergo some trials of his own so it’s not a total waste of time.

Three books in and Ultimate Comics: Spider-Man is still a very enjoyable, quality read thanks to the inspired efforts of Bendis and co. – what an excellent Marvel title this is!

[Dan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Miles Morales deals with his uncle, the Prowler, meets Gwen Stacy, Aunt May, and MJ, and goes to war with the Ultimates against HYDRA.

One chapter of the new Spider-Man's life ends as a new one begins. I thought the Prowler storyline was resolved abruptly, which is weird in this day and age when every story is stretched out for 4-6 issues. It was a good resolution, however, that will probably have lasting consequences.

Miles gets webshooters from Aunt May, passing the torch from the old Spider-Man to the new. He saves Captain America's life and joins the Ultimates against HYDRA, which he probably regretted.

It was a pretty enjoyable tale but wasn't nearly as fun to read as the previous two volumes. The Ultimate Universe sure was a much grimmer place, wasn't it? I reiterate that Marvel should have used Miles instead of Peter in the MCU. Miles winding up in the main universe after Secret Wars is a step in the right direction, though.

3.5 out of 5 stars. I'm hoping the next volume is better.

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had to skip volume 2, but I liked this one.
I'd already read the majority of it in Ultimate Comics Divided We Fall, United We Stand, so it was only the first few issues in this that were new to me.

The first bit was about Miles trying to decide what to do about his uncle, who turned out to be Prowler. So Parker got Uncle Ben, and Miles got Uncle Evil. Poor thing.

Once everything wraps up with the uncle, Miles gets recruited into the crossover event.
And, like I said, I'd already read it. Still, it's good stuff.
Captain America is freaking out about Miles joining up with them, because he doesn't want another repeat of what happened to Peter. You really can't blame him, the kid's only a tweenager!
But you know he's gonna fight, and you know he's gonna be Amazing.
And adorable. Don't forget how adorable this kid is...

I'm enjoying everything I've read so far with Miles in it. My only regret is that I waited so long!

[Kemper · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Marvel comic book is in the middle of an excellent run of stories only to be sidetracked by a huge crossover? Who could have seen that coming? Other than anyone who has read Marvel since the first Secret Wars, I mean…

The first part of this is excellent as young Miles is being blackmailed by his Uncle Aaron (a/k/a The Prowler) into helping him take out the Scorpion so that he can take control of New York’s super underworld. Peter Parker was certainly a lot luckier in the uncle department. Then the crossover kicks in, and the next thing you know Miles is going off to war with the Ultimates to try and save the United States from Hydra.

The crazy thing of it is that I didn’t entirely hate the big war storyline. The Miles character arc is so strong and well done that even when he’s dragged into some other huge happenings it still feels very much like a continuation of his on-going efforts to be Spider-Man. And he’s getting pretty good at it.

So 3 stars for an excellent first half and a second part that wasn’t nearly as awful as it could have been.

[Jan Philipzig · Rating 2 out of 5]

Just when I was starting to get the impression that I should make mine Marvel more often, this third volume reminds me why that probably would not be such a good idea after all. I mean, the first half of this book is almost as good as the previous volume: sweet, well-observed, subtle, funny, humane, charming. But then… what is this… SHIT?!? Our 13-year-old hero joins the Ultimates, terrorists attack the United States, the end is nigh, Captain America for president, Spidey to the patriotic rescue… Oh my God, how bad can a story get?! FUCKING bad, that’s how - that "Divided We Fall/United We Stand" story line is a steamroller from hell. The golden question: How can a smart guy like Bendis deliver such crossover dreck?! Man, just a moment ago I loved this title…

[Terence · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ultimate Spider-Man Volume 3 begins with Spider-Man and The Prowler teaming up to take down Scorpion. It shifts to an Uncle nephew show down and The Prowler brings a lot of the Tinkerer's toys to the battle. Then the story even more inexplicable switches to a S.H.I.E.L.D. Situation Map displaying the United States at war with itself thanks largely to Hydra's meddling. Miles joins up with S.H.I.E.L.D. and heads to war.

The story was all over the place, but Miles shines whenever he shows up be it on his own
 
or with Captain America.
 

My favorite part of this volume though is that Miles gets to have a touching moment with Aunt May who somehow managed to track him down.


Even the people who were hardest on Miles have found themselves supportive or concerned.
 

Miles Morales is a good kid and a surprisingly fun Spider-Man. I'm glad I picked up this volume to continue his story.

[Subham · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was really good and omg its loaded with so many awesome story bits!

Okay so first we have Miles and Prowler teaming up to fight the Scorpion and it was a fun fight and then the big thing that happens with his uncle and how that informs his character going forward, meeting with Cap and before that fighting Rhino and Batroc which was fun lol but when he meets May and Gwen and all its such an emotional climax leading to the "United we stand arc", Miles joining up with Ultimates and how they fight Hydra and I love the story arc there and so many awesome team-ups and Miles big fight there but the story with his dad and what he did is so compelling and it will be interesting to see the family drama going forward!

One of the best story arcs I have seen in USM for a while now and I love how Bendis ups the momentum here and shows the status of this new world and how it affects Miles and so many awesome moments and team ups and character development plus the family drama of it all and the character work here is so awesome plus the art is just next level, each page is a gem unto itself!!

[Chad · Rating 5 out of 5]

The first few issues are really the end of the last arc with Miles facing his uncle, the Prowler. It's some rough but terrific stuff. Then the Divided We Fall/United We Stand crossover fills the rest of the volume. It starts off excellent (even if Captain America is a dick) but as it goes on it gets really disjointed if you just read this book. I don't recommend wasting your time with the rest because overall it's a crap event that Bendis makes seem better in these issues.

[Sesana · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the payoff that the previous volume had been building us up for. Wow. That was worth the wait.

I think this is the volume where Miles really starts to come into his own as Spider-Man. There are, and probably always will be, some parallels to what Peter went through. But Uncle Aaron is nothing like Uncle Ben, and what happens with him will haunt Miles in an entirely different way. That part of the book, the first half or so, is just done so well. It all rang perfectly, horribly true, all the way through the arc. Also true: Aunt May, Gwen, and Mary Jane wanting to meet the new Spider-Man. For those of us who read through Peter's run as Spider-Man, and who miss him and his family, it's a nice bit of closure, and I fully believe May wanting to see who's carrying on Peter's legacy, and give him her blessing.

But sadly, the last few issues get caught up in some kind of massive event that was going on in the Ultimate comics at the time. To be perfectly honest, I neither know nor care about what was going on elsewhere. I just felt bad for Bendis that his story got derailed by having to shove Miles into the bigger, Ultimates conflict. He did a pretty good job of it, keeping the connections to the Divided We Fall/United We Stand story as light as possible at first. And even when Miles was in the thick of it, he still took time to write one of the most compelling scenes in this volume, with Miles's father.

[Roxana Chirilă · Rating 3 out of 5]

Don't judge me for being all over comics lately - I bought a subscription, I wanna make the best of it.

So, this story is about Miles Morales, a black-Latino kid who became Spider-Man after Peter Parker died. In the previous two volumes, he came to grips with his new powers and responsibilities and he tried to balance real life and superhero-ing.

In this volume, his uncle, the supervillain The Prowler, discovers Miles' identity and decides to blackmail him so he can use him in the world of crime. Miles eventually gets out of that (mostly through tragic accident, rather than anything clever), and then he gets thrown into what was probably the crossover event of the year: a battle between S.H.I.E.L.D. and Hydra, full of superheroes and things that aren't very well explained. For some reason, Captain America becomes the President of the United States, which I assume makes sense if you follow his comics.

All's well that ends well, and of course all ends well.

[James DeSantis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Seeing as the Ultimate Universe shrunk a lot after ultimatium, any event for the universe had Miles in it. Luckily Divided we Fall United we Stand is a solid crossover for miles.

It starts with Miles dealing with the aftermath of his uncle and their actions. Miles doesn't have much time to figure things out as he meets May, Gwen, and MJ before getting twisted up in the world of Hydra invading America. Leaving Miles to have to work with most superheroes, including Captain America and the Ultimates.

This one is even quicker paced than last two volumes with heavy on the action. And while Divided we Fall is solid it's not a grand event or amazing, but Miles growth here, and him dealing with the Trauma is great, as well as him dealing with what happened to his Uncle and his dad. So much good stuff here, even if it feels a little too crossover heavy at times.

[Jason · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book can do no wrong, apparently. Even amidst a mega-crappy cross-over event, Bendis managed to make the story accessible and to move the more "local" stories of the book’s main cast of characters forward. I am such a geek-fan of this series.

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amazing to me how well Bendis sets up and plays out the conflict/drama with Miles' uncle here. That's a poetic way to up the suckage in Miles' life, even when he tries to do the right thing.

Then we get into the Divided We Fall crossover, and I don't know whether Bendis was a contributor to the storyline or just a victim of it, but I can't see how it improves the Spidey story. The actual relationships and conflicts with heroes and villains were fine - cool in fact - and I enjoyed the way Miles acted and talked.

I don't get how the "event" itself made any contribution to these stories and (judging by what was peripherally leaking in from above) I don't expect that this event will have any meaning whatsoever. I dot know if it's exhaustion from all the desperate world-killing events that Marvel has had to put the Ultimate universe through, or if this event had just so little impact on an already-overdone New York, but either way I'm convinced that I won't seek out the event - and it gives me no incentive whatsoever to seek out the Ultimates or X-Men with which this story theoretically crossed over.

[Anthony · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great volume i loved it, the stuff with his uncle was pretty gut wrenching. I loved the tie in issues they were great.

[Ondra Král · Rating 4 out of 5]

Miles začíná být docela OP a zasazení do eventu sérii logicky škodí... První půlka a vyvrcholení linky se strejdou je ale skvělý.

[Craig · Rating 3 out of 5]

I still really enjoy this series and the first half of this collection was more stellar material, as Miles battles his uncle, The Prowler. The art continues at a high level, though we've lost original artist Sara Pichelli. New artist David Marquez is more than up to the task of carrying on one of the flagship Marvel Ultimates titles. What I didn't care for was the whole, stupid Divided We Fall/United We Stand crap. What is it with Brian Michael Bendis and these big crossover events? Why, oh why does a comic as nuanced as this one can be have to be dragged into something like that? I can buy Miles as a young kid, struggling to control his powers and figure out his way in life, but it's really stretching things to have him join the Ultimates and go to war (eventually saving the life of "President" Steve Rogers--and, no, as stupid as that sounds, I'm not making it up). Please, please, please bring this thing back to earth and let Miles go back to some semblance of a normal life...

[Koen Claeys · Rating 3 out of 5]

I hate giving one of my favorite titles such a low rating. The first issues in this volume are good stuff, wrapping up the Prowler story-arc. But then we get the 'Divided We Fall/United We Stand' bullshit that fills the rest of this book, painful considering the 'Ultimatum' disaster was not that long ago. Marvel & crappy cross-overs = a marriage made in hell. I'm hoping for a return to quality story-telling in volume 4.

[Charlos · Rating 4 out of 5]

This series still runs strong. Miles resolves both family issues and involves himself in the larger world events of the Ultimate Comics universe. The viewpoint of young Miles coming to terms with his powers and trying to find his role as the new Spider-Man continues to be what defines this title, and makes it unique in the Ultimate Comics lineup.

[Soph · Rating 5 out of 5]

18 issues deep into Miles’ first comic run and I’m enjoying it more than ever! This volume saw the conclusion of the prowler arc and his first real team up event, with Captain America and the rest of the Ultimates (the Ultimate Universe’s iteration of the Avengers). Compared to the gentle pace of the volume before it, the eight issues collected here packed a punch and saw Miles undergo more growth and face his biggest challenges yet.

The conclusion to the Prowler arc was expectedly heartbreaking but that did not make it any easier to read, and the heavy load Miles is already carrying made my heart ache. Miles has such resolve and is so morally centred that you simply cannot help but adore him and his endeavour to protect the city and people he loves, while honouring the legacy of Peter Parker. Maybe one day I’ll stop commenting on his tender age but at just 13 years old everything this fledging superhero experiences makes me fret for him.

Thankfully, the Ultimates crossover arc sees Miles receive some much needed guidance from a source far less dubious than his uncle, the face of justice himself Captain America. Miles’ insistance that he’s ready for the big leagues and the unwavering support he receives from Peter Parker’s own family was extremely satisfying to read, and Miles’ earnest ability to prove himself when he feels discounted it’s consistently heartwarming. I truly hope we see more team ups with the Ultimates in the future as I loved seeing them together, and a high stakes full-blown war offered an interesting change of pace compared to the neighbourhood crime Miles typically combats. I truly love this series and can’t wait to see what is in store next.

[What's In A Name · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a long story, weaved so frantically that it's almost impossible to judge them as a monolith.

The first part with Prowler as his uncle and the moral dilemma of whether he should blindly follow his uncle as a mob enforcer, or come out to his parents as the risk-taking, life-endangering Spider-man, of whom his father seems to have an awfully strong negative opinion about, was substantially well written. The sheer irony and the weird parallel between the death of Miles Morales's uncle and Peter Parker's uncle was something, upon notice, convinced me of the brilliant writing of that particular issue.

But in the following issues, where Miles, out of the blue, joined S.H.I.E.L.D. and somehow gets accepted by Captain America was so uncharacteristic of not only the Captain but the self-conscious parent-fearing teenager that it reverted back all the sweet things I had to say about Bendis.

One of the most unrealistic and lazy thing about this comic is the infinite, James-bond-esque plot security of the kid. No matter what happens, and how much strong the opposition is, Miles invariably comes out unharmed and without any real danger in the entire duration of the fight. I don't know if it's typical of superhero comics or the fault of this one in particular but it definitely leaves a bad taste in the mouth.

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this, but it wasn't up to the earlier stuff. It didn't necessarily do anything wrong but with Miles being a new character and still developing his own "voice" I kind of found he gets lost/overwhelmed by the bigger stage. He really did feel tagged in to the event because "we've got to include Spiderman" rather than him adding anything unique. In fact his dad probably got the most interesting panels of this collection, as short as those panels were.

Not bad, just not great.

[Nikki · Rating 4 out of 5]

This series is so fun! I sorta wish Miles Morales was our Spidey in the MCU. This trade kinda gets blind-sided by the 'Divided We Fall, United We Stand' crossover, but even though crossovers are generally not my favourite, this one was pretty enjoyable.

[Brianna · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5

[Wing Kee · Rating 3 out of 5]

The start was good, the end gets sidetracked by an event...so not so good.

I have been really enjoying the last two arcs of this new Spider-Man, he's relatable and different and fun. With the cliffhanger of the last arc I was super excited to read this one, how does it read? It's good and aight at the same time.

World: The art was fine, we finally get to see Spidey in action and for the most part the motion is good and kinetic, I still think that the best art in the book so far are the facial expressions and the quiet moments. The world building this time around was good at the front end and mediocre in the back, this is because the front was Milescentric and built his world and motivations further with Aaron and Miles doing what they do and the result of that. But the rest of the book is the event which I don't even know the name of, is it Divided we Fall or United We Stand? The event pretty much pulled focus on Miles and the rest is just event stuff. I still don't understand how fast Miles developed as a fighter cause it makes no sense but it was needed for the event so he's a good fighter. I hope they spring back into amateur Spidey after this event.

Story: The first half of this arc was great, we finally get to see how the Uncle relationship would mirror and be the opposite of Ben and we finally get it. It ended faster than I thought it would and had the expected result. It was interesting and it did resonate, but I felt that with the event pushing Miles story aside we did not really dive deep into the fallout of the events, I'm sure they will deal with them in the next arc. I am really surprised that every complaint I've had with the book so far gets addressed with the next arc. This time we actually finally see SHIELD having a response on a 13 year old kid running around as Spidey. The middle part of the story was also great with Aunt May, Gwen and MJ and it was these quiet moments and the stuff before with Aaron that made this book special. But as I've said above, the even pretty much took over and we suddenly have a full formed super fighting and able to spin webs and swing without problems Spidey to serve the event...lame.

Characters: Without going to much in to spoilers the Uncle Aaron storyline comes to a an end and mirrors what we would have expected it to be. I was surprised characterwise how quick we went to the conclusion as I would have expected the drama and the struggle to draw a little longer, but I was wrong. Character development for Miles was wonderful this arc as we see more of him growing and coming to gripes with what he wants to do, the middle section with Aunt May and crew was sublime passing the torch to Miles, that scene made me tear up. The character moments continue to be strong in this series with the family dynamic being interesting, though I do find Jefferson to be fairly one note and his motivations and actions fairly one note and simply there to drive drama and conflict. I'm getting tired of him and I really need to see some more development of him as a character instead of just an plot device.

It was good, but the latter half of the book really dropped off due to the character development hijacking by the event book. Good but not great.

Onward to the next book!

[Mike Clooney · Rating 3 out of 5]

Point blank: Decades from now, Brian Michael Bendis' ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN will be remembered as one of the all-time great runs in comics history. At 13 years and counting, he's already the longest-running Spidey writer ever (unless you count Stan on the daily newspaper strip), and this series has been a joy to read from day one. Spider-Man has always worked best as an awkward teenager - who better to be an angsty smart-ass, after all? - and it's a well that's never run dry for Bendis, even after all these years.

That said, the bulk of this volume suffers a bit from being shoehorned into the Ultimate line's "Divided We Fall/United We Stand" crossover. As fun as super-hero crossover events can be, they tend to put the direction of the individual titles on hold, and I can't imagine writers with long-range story plans are fond of them. Miles Morales joins the Ultimates as Hydra foments civil war in America. A fun super-hero mash-up, but low on the more human moments and dialogue this series has become noted for.

The first couple of issues reprinted here ARE great, though, as Miles' "uncle issues" take a similar path to those of his predecessor Peter Parker, and Miles gets to meet a few members of Peter's supporting cast (Kleenex alert for you softies out there). The thing I enjoy most thus far about the Miles Morales Spidey is the subtle parallels Bendis draws between he and Peter, as Miles struggles to live up to the legacy. What Would Peter Parker Do? Words to live by, for any of us.

[Shannon Appelcline · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a really frustrating volume because it showed Marvel making a fairly rare mistake in the packaging of its collections. The first two issues, #11-12, complete the Prowler arc, so should have been in the previous volume. Meanwhile, at the time this book was released, Marvel was encouraging people to instead buy their nice Divided They Stand hardcover, which fit nicely into all of the Ultimate sequences ... except for Spider-Man, because it didn't have those two issues.

So in early 2012 if you were collecting the whole Ultimate universe you had to get UCSM 3 and Divided We Stand, and then you'd get 6 issues of overlap (or, like me, you didn't buy UCSM 3 for years afterward, never got to see the end of the Prowler arc, and became a bit alienated from the Ultimate Spider-Man comic due to the gap.)

Prowler (11-12). These are a good conclusion to the setup of the previous volume, and a fairly definitive moment for Miles to decide that he's a hero. Clearly, the intended finale of the first year's stories [7/10].

Divided We Fall (13-18). This Spider-Man story isn't a very good Divided We Fall story. The first three issues are pure Spider-Man plot, and though they're up to Bendis' usual strengths, they have nothing to do with the nationwide problems. #16 integrates things well, but then #17-18 involve Miles in boring fights that don't advance anything: the good stuff actual happens at home. Fortunately, that all does result in a good Ultimate Spider-Man story. [7/10].

[Peter Derk · Rating 3 out of 5]

This has some good shit in it, but also has some shitty shit because it crosses over with some big stupid event that I don't give a fuck about.

I'm gonna sum up what I see in most crossovers.

1. Books that are going well take a dip in quality because they have their shit together and have to detour into some other nonsense.

2. Books that are doing horribly do not get any better because when books are doing badly, it's usually a lack of storyline AND the page-to-page, panel-to-panel work. A crossover gives a lousy title a story, but it doesn't fix the execution going on in the individual book.

3. The Main book, the one that is mostly about the crossover, is usually passable, but couldn't that just be its own book? Couldn't they just write House of M or Civil War or Maximum Carnage or Howard The Duck/Squirrel Girl Slash Fiction (how many letters does a guy gotta send) as its own thing and the other stories could continue as normal? Just introduce a new title called [Marvel Crossover TBD] and then we'll all just read those as their own thing?

[Chris Lemmerman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Collecting the finale of the Prowler arc and the entirety of the Divided We Fall/United We Stand storyline, this third trade with Miles Morales as our lead character is exceptionally good. Miles' voice as he struggles with being a hero and a teenager rings very true, and the variation in the storylines is great - seeing Miles on the world stage as part of DWF/UWS was really enjoyable, he easily rose to the occasion, and I didn't feel I needed to read any other books to understand what was going on. I also like how Miles' supporting cast all get mini-plots of their own, and the appearance of May, MJ and Gwen was very welcome.

David Marquez's artwork is blinding, and whilst the art suffers a little when Pepe Larraz fills in, it still feels above average.

Overall, Miles has cemented his place in the Ultimate Universe, and Brian Bendis goes from strength to strength with the character. Excellent stuff.

[Emmett Spain · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another fantastic addition to the ongoing Spider-man saga, this is yet another example of Bendis's talent for emphasizing the humanity of his characters. Miles and his parents feel so desperately real, and easy-to-relate-to in their faults and desires. The art was also sublime. I had never been treated to the art of David Marquez, but this volume made me a fan. He captures the humanity of the characters perfectly. Amazing work. Props also go out to Pepe Larraz who did outstanding work for 2 of the issues collected here.

Also, this volume is excellent value - there are 8 issues in total for the price of a normal trade. A hard spot to jump-on at though - recommend you start with Volume 1 of this series (frankly, I'd recommend going all the way back to the very start with 2002's Issue #1 - this has proven to be the most consistent title in all of comics for my money [with the exception of the Clone Saga!])