One book that’s actually been creating buzz in comic shops is Jonathan Hickman’s Ultimate Spiderman. The first issue’s been selling out at comic shops everywhere, marking a rare win for Marvel Comics over the last couple of years. It looks like a blueprint for how Marvel and DC Comics should act with their characters, but will they listen?
Last year, it was announced Jonathan Hickman would be returning to Marvel. Along with it came a reboot of the Ultimate universe, a series that really saved Marvel back in the early 2000s as Marvel Comics put their top tier talent on the books Ultimate Spider-Man, Ultimate X-Men, and The Ultimates with its launch. Spearheaded by Brian Michael Bendis and Mark Millar, fans loved these modern tellings of origins and early stories of the beloved characters.
It worked because the creators were respectful of what made the characters great. Ultimate Spider-Man featured a teenage Peter Parker in high school. We got to see him interact with Mary Jane in a positive manner, while the main books were already trying to get rid of the character by having her die in a plane crash and disappear for two years. Mark Millar’s Ulimates, meanwhile, was such a solid story that it became the basis for the MCU Avengers later.
Over the years, however, Marvel made bad choices. J. Michael Stracyznski and Joe Quesada concocted a disgusting story which ruined Spider-Man forever where Peter Parker made a deal with the devil to rid of his marriage. From that point, it never felt the same, despite attempts of writers to keep moving this single Peter Parker universe forward.
Fans have been demanding the return of Peter Parker and Mary Jane’s relationship for years. However, no writer seems to want to deliver that in Amazing Spider-Man. The recent Zeb Wells run featured Mary Jane with a nerdy black guy and two children while Peter Parker sulks like a cuck. Readers don’t want that.
Enter Jonathan Hickman. The first issue of his Ultimate Spider-Man relaunch features Peter Parker and Mary Jane married with two children. It’s what fans have always wanted, and when the industry is mostly selling to an adult population now, having Spider-Man in a real adult situation and relationship only benefits the character and furthers the story.
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Jonathan Hickman’s Ultimate Spider-Man’s only had one issue so far, but reviews are stellar. Treating characters with respect and giving them a logical next chapter in their lives based on their morals and history resonates with fans. It does much better than the odd attempts to make replacement characters like Jason Aaron making Thor a woman or turning beloved X-Men characters like Iceman gay.
In speaking with a retail comic shop owner who asked to remain anonymous, Fandom Pulse found that the books are flying off the shelves. Jonathan Hickman’s Ultimate Spider-Man #1 is sold out not only there, but in multiple comic shops. “The second printing of this book is already selling better than 90% of comics out there,” the shop owner said. And that’s with people calling in for pre-orders, as the second print has not hit stands yet.
When asked why Jonathan Hickman’s Ultimate Spider-Man is selling so much better than other books, the character is one thing, but it’s a level of talent as well. “Marvel only wants to pay a few writers,” the comic shop owner said. Otherwise, Marvel Comics cheaps out on their talent, and the stories suffer as a consequence. They use the clout of writing for Marvel Comics to lure in people who aspire to be a part of the industry, don’t pay them well, and don’t get good results.
Why does Marvel Comics do this? “There’s no editorial vision anymore,” the comic shop owner said.
Mark Millar posited last year that most good writers have no incentive to work for Marvel Comics. He proposed a royalties structure where writers would make a lot of money after 50,000 unit sales to bring in heavy-hitting talent. With how well Jonathan Hickman’s Ultimate Spider-Man #1 is doing, C.B. Cebulski and the company might want to reevaluate strategies and get people who respect the characters and know what they’re doing working for the company again.
Jonathan Hickman’s Ultimate Spider-Man is only one issue in, but it’s a great start to a storyline that’s getting people coming into the comic shops. It’s not just speculators going for variant covers either, the comic shop owner confirms. “Most people are buying one copy,” the comic shop owner said elatedly. This means people are buying the book to read and not just parking multiple books, which is a phenomenon lately for most first or perceived key issues.
If Jonathan Hickman’s Ultimate Spider-Man is getting people excited about reading again, that’s a good thing, and the comic industry needs more wins like this to survive.
What do you think about Marvel Comics’ recent direction and Jonathan Hickman’s Ultimate Spider-Man? Leave a comment and let us know.
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Flooding the stands to drive out competition is not a new problem. The Marvel magazines from the 1970s did the same thing to drive out Warren and other magazine publishers. They succeeded, but the Marvel magazines had no clout and quality to stick around, other than Conan.
Marvel leaves a desert behind with their takeovers.
If there were 20-30 more books like this on the market, I might think about buying modern comics regularly again. For now, I’ll stick with back-issues and keep waiting out the Woke Age.