SPOILER WARNING FOR ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN #1
Unless you’ve been living under a rock (which to be fair, some spiders do) Ultimate Spider-Man #1 was launched yesterday to rather a critical acclaim. There have been a lot of impactful changes with the Jonathan Hickman and Marco Checchetto series, some of which is revealed in the artwork for issues 1 and 4 below. The Ultimate run promises to shake things up and integrate newer Marvel works and twists into the lore in a highly anticipated run that sees the return of a certain character in a complete ret-canon of the mythos. It’s also confirmed that the first issue will receive a second printing by RB Silva.
“This is a Peter Parker who not only didn’t get bit by a spider when he was a teenager, but a Peter Parker who also never lost his Uncle Ben,” Editor Wil Moss said. “Now that he has become Spider-Man when he’s a full-grown adult, how will having Ben in his life affect who he is as a hero? “It’s a fundamental shift in the Spider-Man mythos, and Jonathan and Marco are really going to surprise you with how it affects Spider-Man’s journey from him as a hero, I guarantee.”
You can read more about this and more in the official press release below.
New York, NY—January 10, 2024— They said it would never happen. They said it couldn’t be done. Yet in today’s ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN #1, Marvel readers saw Uncle Ben alive and well! The debut issue of Jonathan Hickman and Marco Checchetto’s new ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN series was packed with startling revelations, including this sharp storytelling turn for one of pop culture’s most famous super hero origin stories and most notable deaths!
In ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN #1, fans met an older Peter Parker who despite his heroic nature, never became Spider-Man! Instead he’s a devoted husband to Mary Jane, a dedicated father to two children, and works at the Daily Bugle alongside his beloved uncle—BEN PARKER! Having never fallen victim to a burglar’s senseless crime, the Uncle Ben of this new Ultimate Universe plays an active role in his nephew’s adult life, inspiring him in a very different—but no less impactful—way than the late Uncle Ben does for the main universe’s Peter Parker. Now, thanks to intervention from Tony Stark, Peter is reclaiming a life that was stolen from him and beginning his career as Spider-Man. Uncle Ben will be an important figure in the new ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN saga as Ben, an award-winning journalist, and his trusted partner and friend J. Jonah Jameson pursue the truth of this corrupt world and the unrest that’s stirring around every corner– starting with discovering the identity of the newly emerged Green Goblin!
“This is a Peter Parker who not only didn’t get bit by a spider when he was a teenager, but a Peter Parker who also never lost his Uncle Ben,” Editor Wil Moss said. “Now that he has become Spider-Man when he’s a full-grown adult, how will having Ben in his life affect who he is as a hero? “It’s a fundamental shift in the Spider-Man mythos, and Jonathan and Marco are really going to surprise you with how it affects Spider-Man’s journey from him as a hero, I guarantee.”
ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN is the first launch in Marvel’s new Ultimate line that was born out of Jonathan Hickman and Bryan Hitch’s Ultimate Invasion series. The saga began with the Maker, one of the final survivors of the doomed Ultimate Universe, traveling back in time on a parallel Earth to create a world without heroes. He succeeded in preventing various iconic heroes from achieving their destiny and ruled this world in secret through various global factions. Now, he’s vanished and a secret war has broken out across the planet to shape what will happen to his kingdom. Some want to control the world. Some want to free it. After discovering the dark truth, a young Tony Stark embarks on an ambitious mission to make things right, starting with gifting a certain genetically enhanced arachnid to a man named Peter Parker! Filled with modern takes on classic Marvel ideas and characters, the new Ultimate Universe is ripe for rich storytelling and a perfect evolution of the Ultimate brand. See it grow and develop in upcoming issues of ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN, ULTIMATE BLACK PANTHER, and March’s ULTIMATE X-MEN along with more Ultimate titles launching in the months ahead.
The second printing of ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN #1 will conveniently hit stands on the same day as ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN #2. Check out RB Silva’s new cover along with the cover for April’s ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN #4 and preorder both today at your local comic shop!
ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN #1 – 75960620796100111
Written by JONATHAN HICKMAN
Art and Cover by MARCO CHECCHETTO
Colors by MATTHEW WILSON
On Sale Now!
ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN #1
Second Printing Variant Cover by RB SILVA
On Sale 2/21
ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN #2 – 75960620796100211
Written by JONATHAN HICKMAN
Art and Cover by MARCO CHECCHETTO
Colors by MATTHEW WILSON
On Sale 2/21
ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN #3 – 75960620796100211
Written by JONATHAN HICKMAN
Art and Cover by MARCO CHECCHETTO
Colors by MATTHEW WILSON
On Sale 3/27
ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN #4 – 75960620796100211
Written by JONATHAN HICKMAN
Art and Cover by MARCO CHECCHETTO
Colors by MATTHEW WILSON
On Sale 4/24
