Tag: spider-man

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Amazing Spider-Man: Sins Rising Prelude

Writer: Nick Spencer
Artist: Guillermo Sanna
Colorist: Jordie Bellaire
Letterer: Joe Carmagna
Cover Artist: Ryan Ottley and Nathan Fairbairn

Amazing Spider-Man: Sins Rising Prelude is a one-shot from current Amazing Spider-Man writer, Nick Spencer. Spider-Man mostly sits out of the frame in this one, however, as Spencer tells the life story of one of Spidey’s darker villains, Sin Eater. While the intention is to inform readers about the primary antagonist in Spencer’s upcoming ASM arc, this book can be read on its own without much context or future commitment.

On the surface, this looks like another ASM book from Spencer and Ottley. However, flip open to any random page and you’ll think you’ve opened Bendis’s Alias or a Brubaker/Phillips book. The images are stark, and when you take a closer look at the words they don’t make the book much happier. Spencer leaves behind most of the lighthearted humor readers are accustomed to from his Spider-Man dialogue and favors a tale that’s closer to a grim crime thriller than a superhero story. It certainly shows off his versatility as a writer, considering how well he’s able to do both.

Despite Ottley’s work gracing the cover, the interior art team has a style significantly less cartoony than Ottley’s typical stuff. Sanna tends to use thick lines and zooms in on the details important to the story, doing a lot with a bit less. Bellaire follows that example by using only a few muted colors on most pages, emphasizing the grittiness of the book’s tone. It combines well, and though jarring at first compared to the recent ASM arcs I’ve read, I really appreciated its use to tell the story.

This book is good to read for anyone who is eager for the upcoming Sins Rising arc of Amazing Spider-Man. However, it also steps out of the superhero comfort zone and uses a lot of mature subjects and a bit of surrealism to give the tortured backstory and recap of a villain that hasn’t been seen since the ’80s. If any part of the previous sentence appeals to you in the slightest, this comic is worth picking up. While the book certainly encourages readers to continue on to ASM, it isn’t required to appreciate the story.

Review by Andrew Fellner

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Outlawed #1 Review

Writer:  Eve Ewing
Artist:  Kim Jacinto
Color Artist:  Espen Grundetjern
Letterer:  Clayton Cowles
Cover Artist:  Pepe Larraz

Are we willing to give up our freedoms to be safe? Would you trade increased restrictions on parts of the population if it meant slightly increased stability? In this new Marvel comic our favorite teen heroes Ms. Marvel, Spider-Man, Ironheart, Nova, and more have to grapple with this serious question, and whether or not their good intentions outweigh the serious consequences of their actions. After an “incident” at a local school, politicians introduce new legislation that makes underage vigilantism illegal, and the teen superheroes that we know and love must either stand their ground or cut and run.

Tensions rise and the nation divides. As a new government task force looms the Champions must rise to meet them. One thing we can be sure of: the next generation of superheroes won’t take this one lying down. They’ll stand and fight, whether we want them to or not. Both the writing and the artwork in this issue are superb. Writer Eve Ewing, artist Kim Jacinto, and color artist Espen Grundetjurn weave their talents together to produce a fierce tapestry of light and story. Intense action scenes make it a page-turner, with huge splashes of color and movement.

At the center of the action, we’ll get to see how the changes impact the lives of two teen heroes, Miles Morales and Kamala Kahn, in their respective ongoing series. Then the two will rejoin forces along with Nova as the story continues in Champions #1 available April 8th.

Review by Megan Goble

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Spider-Woman #1 HALF OFF!

Spider-Woman is back in a new series written by Karla Pacheco with art by Pere Perez! You can pick up the main cover or the J Scott Campbell cover of issue #1 for HALF OFF! Offer good until 3/22 or while supplies last.

Also, check out these other variants available at Ultimate Comics!

Yoon New Costume, Ron Lim, Stanley Artgerm
Nauck, Hidden Gem, Karre Andrews
Peach Momoko, Garcin Collage, Bruce Timm
Web, Chip Kidd Die Cut

Also be on the look out for the super secret hidden variant!

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Amazing Spider-Man Daily Bugle #1 Review

Writer: Mat Johnson
Artists: Mack Chater, Francesco Mobili, and Scott Hanna
Colors: Dono Sanchez-Almara and Protobunker
Letters: VC’s Joe Carmagna
Cover: Mark Bagley and Morry Hollowell

Amazing Spider-Man: Daily Bugle #1 asks the question so many newspaper publishers are struggling with today: how does print news stay relevant in a digital age? As editor-in-chief of the Bugle, Robbie Robertson’s answer is to obtain exclusive stories through some good old-fashioned investigative journalism. He forms a team of familiar faces from the Bugle and puts them to work.

Mat Johnson’s Marvel writing debut primarily follows Peter Parker, Ben Urich, and newcomer Chloe Robertson, niece of Robbie, as they investigate various leads for the paper. Each one uncovers a mystery that could prove deadly to the people, pets, and “platyrhynchos” of New York City. The art team supports the story with panels colorful enough for a Spider-Man book, yet gritty enough for the detective feeling.

The book takes a step away from most of the super-elements of the Marvel Universe to tell a more grounded story. While seasoned readers can appreciate some of the more obscure character appearances, this introduction to a 5-part miniseries will also make newcomers feel welcome. Daily Bugle #1 is for anyone ready to ditch their cape in favor of a magnifying glass.

Review by Andrew Fellner

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Free Comic Book Day 2019

It’s everyone’s favorite time of year again, Free Comic Book Day! Free Comic Book Day is Saturday, May 4th, and as usual the Ultimate Crew is going all out for this free event! This is the biggest day of the year at our stores.

This year’s lineup of free comic books is amazing! We’ll be giving away the Ultimate Comics exclusive version of DC’s Year of the Villain for free all day! Seeing as it’s May 4th, there will also be a free Star Wars book. Marvel is putting out free Avengers books and a Venom/Spider-man book that kicks off a huge summer event! That’s just the tip of the iceberg as we’ll have 40 or more free titles available!

We’ll have tons of free comics and a huge tent sale with dollar books and more at every location! The Variant is also providing a ton of amazing cosplayers at each location. Come in costume and take some photos with your fellow superheroes!

Ultimate Comics Cary

Come meet comic creators like Jeremy Whitley (Unstoppable Wasp, Thor vs Hulk, Rainbow Brite), Billy Fowler (DC Lucha Explosiva) and local artists/writers like George Hage, Lyle Pollard, and RJ Marchese!

We’ll also be hosting a blood drive with the amazing Blood Connection from 10 am – 3 pm. All donors will receive a $10 Ultimate Comics gift certificate and be entered to win an exclusive Lyle Pollard Thanos sketch cover! Be a hero and donate blood! Sign up to donate here: https://donate.thebloodconnection.org/donor/schedules/drive_schedule/128419

We have so much going on all day! In addition to the free comics, the CW22 TV station will be presenting their CW22 Green Magic Tickets event! Attendees will have the chance to find one of six green tickets that have been hidden randomly in the Ultimate Comic’s free comic books! Each ticket is redeemable for prizes like a $100 Visa gift card or NC Comicon weekend passes!

Along with the CW22, we’ll have tables set up for other great organizations The Triangle Sword Guild will be doing live sword demos throughout the day! The Carolina Roller Girls will even be showing off their skating skills throughout the event! You don’t want to miss it!

Ultimate Comics Durham

Ultimate Comics Durham will have a ton of amazing guests too! Richard Case, artist of DC’s Doom Patrol will be signing at the store all day along with Invader Zim artist Warren Wuccinich, artist Chris Wharton, and writer for Mad Magazine Brockton McKinney!

Those won’t be our only guests! The Orange County Animal Shelter will have a group of adoptable pets under our big sale tent. Big Boss Brewing will also be on hand, selling beverages to keep you refreshed during your day full of comic book fun!

Ultimate Comics Raleigh

The Ultimate Comics Raleigh event is being sponsored by the Ultimate Comics Warehouse, which can only mean one thing, a giant dollar book sale! We rented out a whole other storefront right next to Ultimate Comics Raleigh that will be filled to the brim with dollar books and on sale action figures, toys, and collectibles! And hey, it’s also air-conditioned!

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An Amazing Walk-In

Alan and I had the chance of a lifetime yesterday at Ultimate Comics Cary. Brooks came in with an old leather suitcase and we popped it open to find Amazing Fantasy 15 along with the first 3 years of Spider-Man and a fantastic run of early X-Men. Brooks found Amazing Fantasy off the shelf back in 1962 and was so hooked by Spidey that he started his first comic subscription. After getting over our shock at the find and both of us geeking out over getting to hold Amazing Fantasy 15, we spent the next 2 hours talking comics with Brooks.

We found out he’s more of a Ditko guy then Kirby and was definitely a FOOM (sorry DC fans, he said back then him and his friends didn’t find Superman as gripping as ol’ webhead)! Alan and I shared stories about what got us into comics and we had a lot of fun going issue by issue through the collection. After holding onto his books for 56 odd years, Brooks knew he didn’t want to part with his books unless someone took the whole collection. We were honored to take him up on his offer. It’s going to take a little while for us to go through the collection, but stay tuned for when you’ll be able to see one of the best runs in comics all together in your friendly neighborhood Ultimate Comics. Until then, Excelsior!
-Siena, Manager Ultimate Comics Cary