Afre's Profile

Consistent tone, solid writing and intriguing ending makes this a very good third part to this crossover. Can't wait to see what is next.

If I had a nickel for every time the first big crossover of new ASM is horror related, with second issue marketed as Spider-Man vs Venom fight, drawn by Ed McGuinness and having Eddie as red murderous symbiote, I would have two nickels. That's not a lot but it's weird that it happened twice.

This was pretty good. Something felt a bit off, I dunno. Ed's work is amazing, and I was surpris ed how much it fits here, when I am used to his stories being a bit more comedic. I liked very much that the tone was consistent with what was established (that Dark Web wasn't after that first issue) even if art style was different.

Maybe I just wanted more. The plot could've progressed a bit faster, but I liked everything that this issue offered and I am really glad Peter's plotline of coming to home is not sidelined for the crossover (that Dark Web did).

So overall, I liked it. It's hard not to compare this two Dark Web and it's second issue, but this was done so much better.more

Better than the Endgame series.

I liked it. Short and simple. And very interested to see what happens next.

It honestly stings that I could not enjoy this series as much as everyone, and it seems that I am a contrarian to this issue. It honestly feels like a story that nothing happens. it is honestly strange on how Hickman has the concept of Peter Parker being married with kids, and he does nothing about it. I understand that it's normal for solicitions to have fake cover and fake news, but when the iss ues are bland and not memorable, something is not clicking with me. This series is not a slow burn, it's just...... boring.

Say what you want about Zeb Well's and Nick Spencer Spider-Man run. Even if we all hated how Spider-Man lose a lot, or the Kindred identity, or how underwhelming the big crossover story arc endings were. At least something happens. The Uncle Ben and J Jonah Jameson story arc of newspaper is a really cool idea.... for a different series that is NOT named SPIDER MAN.

Like honestly, does Earth 6160 Spider-Man really stnad out? Like do something that is pretty cool and sick and makes the fans remember? Heck, even Bendis Ultimate Spider-Man, he has some sick and cool moments like taking on Doc Ock, Green Goblin, Sinister Six, Morbius, Deadpool, dating Kitty Pryde, Ultimate Clone Saga. Hickman's Peter doesn't take a pro-active approach, nothing bad really happens to him. What has he actually done outside of getting powers? Most of his power development happens off-screen.

I am going to bring this back to the issue, because the moments don't feel impactful. They feel flat and hollow. Richard Parker turning to Venom, nad seeing Ultimate Anti-Venom, and Richard and Black Cat making out did not elicit any emotion from me, because I couldn't care for them. I liked the way Kingpin and Mister NEgative ended, and I wished we had the Peter and Mary Jane scene 22 issues ago instead of the final issue.

Overall, I just can't get behind this series, and I consider this series to be overrated. It's not terrible, but I feel that people rate it highly because we are finally getting a Peter and Mary Jane series where they are married, happy and have kids compared to what Marvel is treating EArth 616 Spider-Man. But if you stop and think about it, most of the character moments happen off-screen. Peter's kid getting the symbiote... off-screen. Why and how did Otto Octavius become Superior Spider-Man and get spider powers? Why did he want to be a hero? Off-screen. It's like Hickman has his mind set on Gwen, Harry, J Jonah Jameson and Uncle Ben as the main focus, but then neglects Peter Parker to the side.

So overall, this in my opinion is hte most wasted potential comic book I have read in my life. And it's a shame to say.
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Ok. I'm gonna start my rand about this comic and whole series with something else. TLDR: I hated this and this pretty much ruined UPM (Ultimate Potential-Man) for me.

Imagine there is a new pizza place. You know the chef, you have eaten his food before, and you know he is a great cook. And you have been looking for a new pizza place, as the current ones haven’t been delivering. Each mon th, the Chef’s Special is what’s recommended. And each month you take it. The first 5 times it’s great. Especially the first two. What a joy. You feel like you have found a true amazing pizza place.

Then, the quality hinders. It’s still good, with hints of greatness and you like it a lot.
But after a year, something changes. You go to this pizza place, expecting pizza and this time the Chef’s Special is a hamburger. Next time it’s a steak. Next time it’s a soup. After that a salad. Every time all those foods are good, but they are not pizza. They are not the reason you came to this place in the first place. And every time you try to explain your view, you are met with comments like this:

“IT’S ACTUALLY REALLY GOOD FOOD. YOU ARE JUST A HATER. LET HICKMAN COOK. LET HIM COOK. HE CAN DELIVER. LET HIM COOK”.

Then another year goes by, you never get the pizza anymore in that Pizzeria, people still scream how you just need to let the Chef cook and wait until it is closed and… Nothing. Just nothing.

This series was a massive disappointment; I think the biggest Spider-Man fumble since Spencer run and mostly a waste of time. I am annoyed. Because first issue still is amazing. And my favorite of that year. But this? After two years? What a joke.

Nothing of consequence happens. Nothing really matters. This feels like a fanfiction. And just like every other cliffhanger in this series, everything ends okay and there is no consequences. Again, why is Otto Spider-Man? What did that even mean? What was the point of that? Does he even have spider-powers???

It’s questions like these that make me realize how poor job Hickman did with this one. Sure. You can try to defend it, saying it ended before he wanted. But no. It was his plan to make each issue focus on a month. He knew year before that this would end by 24. And what did he do with it? Nothing. Harry doesn’t do anything here. I don’t even know why was he brought back and his death faked when he as a character doesn’t matter in any way to any of the plots. We don’t know how he is handling all this. He feels very sidelined, which is odd because he was the major focus for the most part.

Richard gets the girl and we get a cute quirky line how he is grounded and then isn’t. Nice to know Peter is fine with that an AI-based-on-him monstrosity is still with him and he has no problem that a teenager is acting as a superhero. And seemingly neither does MJ. Parents of the year.

May does nothing. Just like her “grandmother”, both are wasted. She doesn’t even say anything.

Ben and JJJ? Cool I guess. Their plot would’ve mattered more had we seen anything bad Kingpin did. Why was liberating New York so important? How bad was he? What did he even do? Seriously.

Don’t get me even started on Mr. Negative. We waste a fucking issue on his backstory instead of the main character or antagonist and he does nothing. He just dies lol. Just like Fisk. What a joke.

And then there is the Potential-Man. What a waste. I think he might be one of the worst interpretations of the character. There is nothing Peter Parker about him. He just feels like a fanfic character who does nothing but gets the happy ending. There were no consequences in the end for him becoming Spider-Man. All that intrigue of seeing Peter choose the powers as a married man with kids. And nothing was done with it. MJ is fine. Sometimes. It would be nice if she wasn’t just super horny for Peter and actually did anything. But silly me, expecting Hickman to make me care about this couple. Because this is not the marriage I have been wanting for so long. Don’t get me wrong. The flashback scene is great. I like it a lot. But too little too late. Now is the time you show us this??? Like. Why now? Why not 22 issues ago??? Why now try to make us invested in this couple and see how they are unique to Earth-616, when we know it’s ending.

And what I am most confused about is Peter’s speech. He tells how you don’t need great power to have great responsibility and do things, but that is the literal opposite of what happens to him? He only manages to do anything because he got bitten by a spider and got those powers. And never seemed to care about anything going on? Like we never got any input from him, feeling powerless or anything. His whole arc of finding out he didn’t lack anything because family is what mattered feels hollow. It’s unearned. We never saw this kind of need for Peter ever again after first issue. So to focus on it now is just kinda pointless. Just like this series.

I would rather read Spencer or Wells run again than this. I don’t think I ever need to visit this series again. Why would I? Adventures of the blandest version of Peter Parker and his jinks as Potential-Man are so uninteresting and this final issue also kinda retroactively ruins all stories of more interesting characters because nothing is done with them. So good work Hickman, this is how you ruin a series after amazing introduction.
And the fact that this series shares the namesake of Ultimate Spider-Man is a crime. Ultimate Potential-Man has nothing compared to it. It’s all potential and ideas, but fails to deliver in almost every aspect.
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Damn, what a start. MacKay still continues to deliver with Moon Knight which is amazing.