Ultimate Spider-Man #17 – A Change In Attitude

Hello there! Padawan J here, the resident Star Wars expert from the ODPH! And this week I’m going to be reviewing the 17th issue of Ultimate Spider-Man from Marvel Comics!

We’re seeing things from a different point of view this week, as Peter is NOT the main focus! Instead it’s Harry Osborne and his wife Gwen under the microscope! Of course after the mysterious circumstances Harry’s “death” in a previous issue, he “returned from the dead” in the last issue! That was thanks to the likes of none other than his wife Gwen, who we found out is a part of a secret society of Mysterios!

So with all that said, let’s jump into it!

Ultimate Spider-Man #17 by Jonathan Hickman (Writer), David Messina (Artist), Matthew Wilson (Color Artist), VC’s Corey Petit (Letterer), Marco Checchetto & Matthew Wilson (Cover Art) is a fantastic issue that does up for an interesting future.

The Story

Things this issue are fairly straight forward but are still as interesting as ever! First, as I mentioned before Harry is back. We see him and his wife moving in the background to set up a plan for something. We’re not quite sure what, but suffice it to say they have a plan.

Second it’s worth noting that while we the reader know Harry is alive, most of the world in the issue DOES NOT. We see a rather interesting meeting between Gwen & Wilson Fisk himself. We haven’t seen too much of him in the last few issues, and he just wants to remind the readers he’s still around. There was a lot said, without being said directly, in the meeting. And I’m sure it’s going to come back up at some point.

Third, the sequence at the end with Harry & Gwen I feel is very telling. Harry’s been very well written for this whole series, no denying that. However I can’t help but feel that things are about to change for him in some way. Not counting the ending, cause oh boy, it feels like Harry is getting pulled in multiple directions. And eventually it’s got to give.

The Artwork

David Messina & Matthew Wilson did an incredible job with the artwork in the issue from start to finish. Especially when it comes to the sequence at the end with Harry & Gwen. There’s a lot going throughout those pages, and they really stand out from the rest. Messina & Wilson really are two of the best at their craft in all of comics right now!

FINAL POINT: It’s not as shocking or as action packed as previous issues, but it’s still a phenomenal issue. Hickman is setting up for something big with multiple characters. The next couple of issues are going to be monumental, and this issue sets up that run very nicely.

Overall Grade: 9.0/10

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