- 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 A)
- Cover price: $4.99
- Release date: February 26, 2025
Ultimate Spider-Man #14, by Marvel on 2/26/25, pits Harry and Peter against Kraven, Mole Man, and Mysterio in the Savage Land. Not everyone makes it out alive.
Is Ultimate Spider-Man #14 Good?
Recap
When we last left Earth-6160’s Peter Parker in Ultimate Spider-Man #13, Peter and Harry Osborn found themselves in the clutches of Kraven, Mole Man, and Mysterio in the cavernous underground beneath New York City known as the Savage Land. Kraven chose to test his prey’s capabilities by dropping them into the middle of the prehistoric, underground jungle to see if they could survive without the benefit of their advanced tech. Meanwhile, Richard Parker kept up the visual presence of Spider-Man in NYC by donning the advanced pico-tech suit and built-in AI. His early days as a web-slinger ran into a snag when he crossed paths with Felicia Hardy, the new Black Cat.
Plot Synopsis
In Ultimate Spider-Man #14, Ultimate Kraven’s First Hunt continues. Harry and Peter make their way through the Savage Land to get to the edge of the jungle, per Kraven’s “game rules.” Harry uses his engineering smarts to come up with tools to help use the raw materials around them, but it’s Peter’s super strength that gets them out of more than one scrape.
The friends ride a tamed, mounted dinosaur to speed up their progress over the course of days. One day, the dinosaur is gunned down by a sniper shot from Kraven. Harry’s ankle is injured in the fall, so Peter tells him to run while he distracts Kraven. How? Peter notices a new ability – he can sense when Kraven is about to shoot before he does it. Peter uses his new “Spider-Sense” to draw Kraven’s fire so the two can escape.
The friends run but don’t get far enough to guarantee safety. Suddenly, they’re approached by Mole Man, who offers them safe passages through his secret tunnels because he has plans that involve keeping Peter and Harry alive. Out of options, Peter and Harry follow a group of Moloids through tunnels to escape Kraven’s tracking. Meanwhile, Mysterio appears to observe Mole Man’s betrayal.
Later, Kraven tracks Peter and Harry down again. Harry uses what tools he has to create an explosive booby trap. The trap works, injuring Kraven and giving Peter the opening to beat Kraven down. Harry urges Peter to kill him, but Peter refuses. The issue ends with Kraven getting the last laugh, Richard Parker making “friends” with Felica Hardy, and Peter learned the price of being a superhero.
First Impressions
Ultimate Spider-Man #14 is a pretty great issue. Why? Because Jonathan Hickman finally got off his complacent ass and pushed the story forward. You get action, stakes, surprises, plot movement, and a shake-up to the status quo, which is exactly what should be happening in EVERY issue.
How’s the Art?
There isn’t much to say other than Marco Checchetto’s art looks fantastic. Where else can you find an issue depicting Peter Parker and Harry Osborn riding a dinosaur in the underground version of the Savage Land and have it look amazing? I could go into detail, but there’s no point. Checchetto is one of the best internal artists at Marvel.
What’s great about Ultimate Spider-Man #14?
Jonathan Hickman’s action fest is the comic Spider-Man fans have been waiting for (almost) since the series began. You get action, tension, drama, goals, clear stakes, and a hard-hitting finish. It’s not just about having action for action’s sake. It’s about furthering the story through the action to keep the reader from falling asleep.
What’s not great about Ultimate Spider-Man #14?
For all the thrills and wow moments, it’s still a head-scratcher that Hickman still can’t seem to have an action comic with Peter in the suit for more than a few minutes. In this case, the only Spider-Man we get is Richard pretending to be Spider-Man for a few minutes. How does Hickman expect Peter to mature into the role of Spider-Man when he keeps holding Peter back from acting as Spider-Man?
About The Reviewer: Gabriel Hernandez is the Publisher & EIC of ComicalOpinions.com, a comics review site dedicated to indie, small, and mid-sized publishers.
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Final Thoughts
Ultimate Spider-Man #14 is the type of Spider-Man comic that readers have wanted but not gotten since the series started. Jonathan Hickman finally puts the endless world-building aside for a thrilling adventure that mixes action, drama, plot movement, and status quo shakeups. Plus, Marco Checchetto’s artwork is gorgeous. This is one of the best issues in the series, but points are deducted for the lack of Spider-Man.
8.8/10
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