- Written by: Jonathan Hickman
- Art by: Marco Checchetto
- Colors by: Matthew Wilson
- Letters by: VC’s Cory Petit
- Cover art by: Marco Checchetto, Matthew Wilson
- Cover price: $4.99
- Release date: January 22, 2025
Ultimate Spider-Man #13, by Marvel Comics on 1/22/25, begins Ultimate Kraven’s first hunt when he decides to release Peter and Harry into the Savage Land for the thrill of the kill.
Is Ultimate Spider-Man #13 Good?
Recap
When last we left the family in Ultimate Spider-Man #12, readers were “treated” to a Christmas Party filled with Watson family drama. The issue ended with the revelation that Peter, who didn’t say a word the entire issue, was really his picotech suit holding his place while the real Peter and Harry were captured by the Ultimate Kraven the Hunter.
Plot Synopsis
In Ultimate Spider-Man #13, Kraven’s ultimate hunt begins. We learn through a conversation between Kraven and the Mole Man that Peter and Harry have been in his hold for two months. During that time, the friends were subjected to drugging, beatings, and psychological abuse. Now, Kraven wants the thrill of the hunt by releasing Harry and Peter into the massive, prehistorically-populated caverns under Manhattan, dubbed the Savage Land.
Soon, Mysterio joins the planning because he’s thoroughly curious about the outcome of the hunt and wants to witness first-hand the potential of Peter Parker. Peter and Harry are given a last meal before they’re dropped through a trap door to the Savage Land below, commencing a flight for their lives against rugged terrain, dinosaurs, and the hunter to come.
Meanwhile, black-suit Spider-Man swings through NYC, stopping low-level criminals and keeping the Wall Crawler in the public eye. When Spider-Man lands on a secluded rooftop, we learn black-suit Spider-Man is the A.I.-driven picotech suit worn by young Richard Parker. The suit explains it has the mandate to protect Peter’s family if he should disappear, but it has no way of tracking Peter’s whereabouts since Peter refused to have any nanobots injected into his body. Suddenly, Richard’s conversation with the suit is interrupted when the new Black Cat arrives to take revenge for her father.
First Impressions
Considering the plodding pace of the series to date, Ultimate Spider-Man #13 is a significant upgrade in terms of pacing, action, and drama. It’s not the greatest Spider-Man comic you’ve ever read, but it’s a big improvement for writer Jonathan Hickman.
How’s the Art?
Marco Checchetto gives readers a glorious set of unique visuals with a set of firsts. We see the first presentation of the Ultimate Savage Land (and a quick peek at Ultimate Sauron) and a look at Ultimate Spider-Man (kinda, sorta) in his classic Secret Wars black suit. Plus, we finally get some plot-driven action that looks great. I mean, who doesn’t love to see Peter Parker punching out a velociraptor?
What’s great about Ultimate Spider-Man #13?
Action, drama, upbeat pacing, and progression. The biggest criticism of this series has been Hickman’s bizarre refusal to put Spider-Man doing superhero things in his self-titled series. Technically, you’re watching the suit and Peter Parker doing things independently, but it’s a step in the right direction.
What’s not great about Ultimate Spider-Man #13?
As with most of Hickman’s recent offerings at Marvel, the plot holes are hard to ignore. How is it that nobody noticed Peter Parker was gone for two months? Why on Earth would MJ allow Richard to go out and play superhero in the picotech suit when he’s still just a kid living at home? How and when did Kraven capture Peter and Harry, and how did Otto, who brags about monitoring the two closely, not know about the kidnapping?
In other words, it’s a fine enough issue as long as you concede that you have to skip over obvious problems with the setup to get to this point.
About The Reviewer: Gabriel Hernandez is the Publisher & EIC of ComicalOpinions.com, a comics review site dedicated to indie, small, and mid-sized publishers.
Follow @ComicalOpinions on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter
Final Thoughts
Ultimate Spider-Man #13 is a considerable step up in pacing, action, and interest when Peter and Harry must escape Kraven in the Savage Land. Jonathan Hickman’s script breaks with tradition by actually allowing Peter to do something besides sit around or linger in the background, but you have to ignore plot holes to make the scenario work.
7/10
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