The Good

This is a great issue for so many different reasons. This run of Ultimate Spider-Man may be my favorite volume so far. As much of a bummer as it is to see Peter Parker gone, I'm loving Miles Morales fit more and more into this role as Spider-Man with each issue.

In issue 14, we get to see Gwen Stacy shout out the line "CAPTAIN AMERICA IS A JERK!" much like Kitty Pryde did in UNCANNY X-MEN 168, but that time she was yelling at Professor X. It's a really fun scene and a great way to start the issue off in a light-hearted way.

Miles Morales is still new to the whole hero lifestyle, and what I love about this book is while he is doing the "hero thing," he's still adjusting to this lifestyle. This is a transitional phase for this character and while he is fighting the baddies, he's still learning smaller things Spidey-fans take for granted like how to actually end a fight without blowing everything up and how to websling. That's right, Miles gets Peter's old webshooters. Some of the best scenes in this book are Miles learning how to web-sling.

It's little moments like those that make this book great. It's not just about fighting crime. This book is about coming into your own and making your own decisions to reach your full potential. Dare I say, a comic book can be uplifting and motivational? I just did.

I know some people have not been digging Miles Morales hanging out with Aunt May and Gwen Stacy, but I think it's the coolest part of this book. It connects the Spider-Men, and I'd rather have it this way than just forgetting about May, Gwen, and MJ altogether.

Everyone should know by now that I'm a David Marquez fan. I loved his work on SYNDROME, and when I found out he got picked up for this book, I got super excited. His artwork is brilliant on every level. Am I a fanboy? Hell yes, but I'm not unreasonable. His art shines here. I love some of the work towards the end of the issue where he fights Rhino. The page set-up is great, as well as the pacing, and I love how the panels are a bit off kilter and they represent the chaos happening within them extremely well.

The Bad

My only real complaint about this issue is that is doesn't really feel like a tie-in to Divided We Fall. I'm not too sure when this takes place, compared to THE ULTIMATES. ULTIMATE COMICS X-MEN & ULTIMATES both work together in this event. I feel like they're in the same world at the same time. This issue feels like it's off on its own, doing it's own thing.

The Verdict

This was so close to perfect for me; however, this whole volume has been amazing. I love the callback to the famous Kitty Pryde quote in the opening, and how this is more than just a super-hero book. It's about a person who just happens to be a super-hero. There's lots of really cool things that happened in this issue that move Miles closer and closer to becoming Spider-Man here, which I left out or blacked out for obvious reasons. The writing and art are wonderful as well.

Overall, I highly recommend this issue.