Ultimate Comics All New Spider Man #1

written by Brian Michael Bendis
Art by Sara Pichelli
Colors by Justin Ponsor

A great number of us held our breaths for this one. We saw the comments and the talking heads. There was a large amount of backlash and bigoted comments thrown around. Just last week, I went to a comic convention where someone said that Glenn Beck's statements were not that bad. It was crazy. To be honest, I don't think Marvel Comics or Brian Michael Bendis intended to have this backlash. I also don't think it was a marketing scheme. I think Bendis thought it was a good idea. I give him props for sticking his neck out.

To be honest, I didn't know what to expect. In Ultimate Fallout #4, we are introduced to Miles Morales but it was just a glimpse. Like many of my peers, I wanted more. In Issue #1, we are introduced to the Morales clan. Miles is raised by his mother and father. Despite his father's warnings, Miles hangs out with his Uncle Aaron who is some sort of high tech cat burglar.

Bendis rips a scene out of the documentary "The Lottery." It's a story about a lottery for a charter school in Harlem that was released before "Waiting for Superman." We see the tension between Miles' parents in that one scene. I love the fact that it takes place in Brooklyn.

I am not familiar with Sara Pichelli's work but I am impressed. Pichelli captures Norman Osborn's instability beautifully. The reader will be able to witness Dr. Markus' fear when Osborn threatens him. She captures the emotions of the parents and children during the charter school lottery. Pichelli gets the clothes right as well. It looks hip without being too campy. I hope Marvel keeps Pichelli on board for at least 20 issues.

While there isn't much action, I think it's a great introduction to the world of Miles Morales. If I know Bendis, his build up is just as good as his action. Bendis knows how to write about relationships and the day to day grind without sounding corny. I think everyone should give this book a try. And yes, the babies will enjoy this as well especially when they see the powers Miles manifests. Bendis, is this a shout out to Ralph Ellison?

Batwing #1

Written by Judd Winick
Pencils by Ben Oliver
Colors by Brian Reber

Omi's Note: I don't recommend this comic for children under a particular age. There is a hefty amount of gore and blood. Parents you know your children better than we do. We felt that you should know this before purchasing this book.

Outside of it's Vertigo imprint, I am not really a fan of DC. I am a Marvel and Image guy. To be honest, the last good thing DC put out was the 52 story line. If you have been living under a rock, you know that DC is relaunching several of it's flagship titles as well as reintroducing some lesser known characters in their own titles during the month of September. Some titles such as Animal Man are hits while others like the Justice League are flops. With 52 new titles being introduced in September, DC can't go wrong. Animal Man #1 is already going into reprint as we speak. Another runaway hit is Batwing.

David Zavimbe or Batwing, was created by Grant Morrison sometime in 2010. Bruce Wayne upon returning from his time/interdimensional "death," decides to take Batman into a world wide crime fighting franchise. Zavimbe is Wayne's African incarnation as Batman. The premise sounds shaky. While there might be a little hit and miss with some of Batman incarnations.

The first issue works. While it is difficult to pull off an introduction behind a story arc, Judd Winick does it well. I dug the fact that he reintroduced several African superheroes that will make up part of this story arc. While Zavimbe is an understudy to Bruce Wayne its not a sidekick thing. Zavimbe has skills of his own and is also a police officer. Zavimbe also understands that he has to work both sides to help end the corruption found in the Tinasha, Congo government.

The artwork between Ben Oliver and Brian Reber is sleek and futuristic. You can feel the emotion and the fear between the characters. The paneling allows the story to flow easily. The splash pages are to die for. I really hope that DC keeps these two together for at least 7 to 8 issues. I hear rumors that some of the artists will be changing in the 3rd or 4th issue. Bottom line, Batwing looks like it's the hit that everyone is claiming.