The Good
The best thing for a superhero is to have a great supervillain. For us readers, we want great stories to showcase how cool the hero is. A character could have the coolest powers but if they don't have worthy adversaries, it gets boring really fast.
For Miles Morales, adjusting to being Spider-Man at such a young age and keeping the secret from others is a hard task. To make it worse, his uncle happens to be a shady guy (and is the Prowler in this universe). Miles' uncle also knows his secret and uses that to convince Miles to help him take out the Scorpion, who has arrived in New York City with the intentions of being the new Kingpin. That may sound like a noble gesture but Uncle Aaron was mixed up with the Scorpion and owes him money. He's hoping to use Miles' abilities as Spider-Man to take care of the problem.
This is where Bendis shines with ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN. From the beginning, it would have been easy to just tell new updated versions of a young Spider-Man. Bendis has always tried taking different routes when possible. With Peter getting killed and Miles taking up the mantle, it's as different from the original as you can get. The idea of Spider-Man's secret identity being known by a criminal relative adds a huge wrench into the mix and keeps us in suspense.
David Marquez has only been on the series for a few issues but it feels like he's been here a while. He's clearly comfortable with the characters and he has a great way of showing Miles as Spider-Man in action.
The Bad
I have to question how much stamina and healing ability Miles has. He gets a solid punch to the face and while he is a little dazed, he brushes this and getting his head smashed into a table with no problem. Later when he returns to school, there's not a single mark or bruise on his face. Perhaps I missed or have forgotten a mention of his being able to heal really quickly.
I am enjoying the Miles/Uncle Aaron angle but I wonder where the story could go.
The Verdict
It's hard to believe it's only been eleven issues with Miles as the new Ultimate Spider-Man. Bendis is doing a great job establishing him as this universe's Spider-Man and you can't help but like Miles as a character. Bendis also ensures that these are different sorts of Spider-Man stories. The angle of Miles' shady uncle knowing his secret is fascinating. We also have an interesting development at the end of the issue. David Marquez is killing it on the art and continues to show he's earned the right to draw these stories. I continue to be amazed each month that I can enjoy this series without Peter Parker around but since Bendis has succeeded throughout the entire previous series, it's really no surprise he would continue to make this such an enjoyable series.