Review: Ultimate Comics Spider-Man #10

When the feds come to nab Kitty Pryde for violating mutant law, Spidey & his Amazing Friends aren't quite sure how to help.  

The Good

Talking about one specific scene, I have to say that the principal's speech to the emergency PTA meeting was powerful stuff. The "mutant prejudice" metaphor has been thoroughly explored, many a time, already but Bendis broached it again in such a way that really felt true. It was definitely a memorable scene. Even though this is set a high school and some people think it's the "kids stuff" version of Spidey, I have to say I was impressed by the sheer amount of twists and turns covered in just one issue. The reveal of the mysterious "red cloak" was a dramatic surprise and there was actually a great amount of complexity to Kitty Pryde's characterization here. Not only does she become a formidable antagonist, but you're always sympathetic to both her and Spidey's side of the conflict. Not once did it feel forced.
 
LaFuente's art is really appealing, capturing right range of "high school drama" with superheroic action. With some trace manga influence, he's got a unique style. And I have to say that splash of Kitty crying in the sewer was really striking.

The Bad

I like LaFuente's cartoon-style art for the most part, but there's a few points where it seems sparsely-detailed out of short-cutting rather than style. There really aren't that many instances of that, but they're noticeable.

The Verdict - 4/5

Having been a fan of the first volume of Ultimate Spider-Man, I was concerned that the launch of Ultimate Comics was going to stray too far from the original point of the whole line (that is, updating the MU and making it accessible to new readers). This series is definitely keeping true to that. You can pick this issue up and enjoy without having read a single issue of Spidey before. Actually, I'd recommend this over the "Earth 616" Spidey books at the moment. Spidey works a lot better as a teen in high school, and this is the right team for those kind of stories.