“I haven’t been Spider-Man in about a year, so I’m a little rusty with the snappy things you’re supposed to say at just such a moment.”

The final issue of the six-part “Spider-Man No More” arc stumbles to finds its ending. After battling Taskmaster for an entire issue, the haphazardly formed team of Spider-Man, Spider-Woman, Cloak, Dagger, and Bombshell confronts their creators at Roxxon Industries. Cue quip, cue fight scene, cue quip, cue SHIELD clean-up squad. For a story about sacrifice, I suppose it’s fitting for Brian Michael Bendis to end this story on an anticlimactic issue.

What worked:

Dave Marquez turns in another wonderfully drawn issue.

I like the team and the idea of other young superheroes for Miles to rely on

The great moment of friendship between Miles and Ganke

What didn’t:

The arrival and subsequent fight scene with the Roxxon Brain Trust felt contrived

A scene with Miles and a tied up Mr. Roxxon was two pages longer than it should have been

The ending wasn’t nearly as satisfying as the promise this arc presented in Part 1 and Part 2 (issues #23 and #24)

By the way:

This is the last issue of Ultimate Comics Spider-Man before Cataclysm arrives with the three-part miniseries, Cataclysm: Ultimate Spider-Man, that will tie-in with Cataclysm. Look for info on the fate of the Ultimate Universe to be revealed with the February solicitations.

No Cataclysm stuff to tease.

Grade: C

Writer: Brian Michael Bendis

Art: Dave Marquez

Colors: Justin Ponsor

Lettering: VC’s Cory Petit

Cover Artists: Dave Marquez and Rainier Beredo

Publisher: Marvel Comics