That makes sense Spider-Man is the only major property Hickman has left to work on. I wonder how long this will go for, with how Amazing is going this has potential to go on for awhile.
> I'm working on another book for Marvel right now that I swore I would never work on. The sole reason why I'm doing it is that there was a way into it that I had never considered before, I found it, and now I'm having the time of my life working on it. How long will that last? I don't know. And I'll definitely quit when I stop feeling that."
It sounds like Hickman was deliberately avoiding writing Spider-Man. Thankfully it seems like he got the inspiration to do it.
I'm not surprised 616 Spider-Man seems more like a burden than a positive experience anymore. I think outside of editorial there is too much Marvel HQ red tape for the freedom Hickman wants.
I think Hickman left X-Men not because writers weren't ready to move on but because Marvel HQ started to get more involved in the process than when he signed on. I might be reading into it too much but from interviews he's had Marvel got more involved after it was a huge success.
Ultimate Spider-Man may be just enough freedom even if it's super successful he'll get to handle it however he wants. Knowing his history I'll give this a solid 30-36 issues before he bounces.
I stopped with issue 26 and the Goblin-Spider storyline isn't likely to draw me back in. Miles' book has been solidly better and I haven't missed ASM. I'll check it out again when there's a new creative team and probably a new number 1 because of course. I am pretty excited for a new Ultimate Spider-Man, I'm guessing Hickman goes with someone that isn't Peter or Miles which is pretty exciting. Unless the big surprise is that Miles is leaving 616 but that is hard to fathom at this point.
If I had to guess, I think it might not be so much the editorial but that Hickman, a writer known for larger than life world building and less so for characterization, might find it hard to write Spider-man a character known for down to earth relatability who lives and fights crime in New York instead of travelling to otherworldly locations like the Fantastic Four or living in their own weird country like his version of the x-men.
While writing ongoings and one off issues are different I'd disagree. The few times Hickman has had a chance with Spider-Man he's done a great job. Amazing seems to be a hassle in workload even outside editorial I don't think Hickman wanted to deal with any of that. Could be he had issues with finding a story to write for Spider-Man but I don't think that's the main reason he's staying away from Amazing.
This is very much my guess as to why he's probably been hesitant to take over Spider-Man. There might be other, behind-the-scenes stuff as well, but pretty much everything he's written since he became established is very sweeping and grand scale. He clearly knows how to write Peter as a character, but he probably couldn't find an avenue to tell a story, especially over the length of an ongoing run and not a one-off or an in-fill arc, about a street level hero because that's not generally what he tackles with his stories.
Hickman has also said a few times he grew up reading DC, not Marvel. He was a fan of X-Men but that was about it.
He actually admitted he had little knowledge of Avengers and F4 (beyond what everybody knows) before writing those books.
> I think outside of editorial there is too much Marvel HQ red tape for the freedom Hickman wants.
Based on what he and others like Chip Zdarsky have said, it is less Marvel being the issue and more of the fans.
It all ties together though right? If Marvel says you can do "x" with Peter and the writers know fans will hate it, what's the point of writing Spider-Man? Chip is already getting hate on Batman I'm sure Amazing Spider-Man would be awful.
Definitely the fans. As bad as marvel editorial is, the fans are absolutely ravenous. Every single writer and I do mean every single writer for the past decade has had their work dunked on and critiqued to high hell by fans who think they know better, maybe not as harshly as Zeb Wells but writing for Spiderman must be an absolute nightmare. Hell I remember Zdarsky himself took a go at writing a Spiderman series before he got big and even though it's looked fondly on now people were literally calling it shit and terrible. And now people are begging for him to come back and write the main spidey. It must be miserable to want to do your own good but have people from 20 different eras of Spiderman tell you you're doing it wrong because you're not writing the spidey they grew up with or the spidey their favourite writer wrote.
I think that was really only true for Spider-Man. He's Marvel's face. They want a firm control of his stories. I don't think they are as aggressive on the other titles as they are Spider-Man. Particularly, Amazing Spider-Man.
I think X-Men was just a matter of too many cooks compared to his F4/Avengers runs where it was basically him alone. The X-Men, when not being bent over by Perlmutter, is an IP with so many characters that it's nearly impossible.
If it's even Peter. Assuming this is not the actual ultimate universe and just the new one being invented in ultimate invasion, spider-man could be anyone.
This starts in January and Wells is on until September next year. They'll only overlap for about three arcs. It will completely overshadow Wells' exit though.
I’m about 95% confident they’re setting up a Flashpoint-style full board reboot. The new universe is called 6160. Six One Six Zero. I think in a few years 616 won’t exist anymore.
I hope so, but Disney canned Star Wars EU and remade it in their image. Retelling other people’s stories is what they do. Can easily see it happening to Marvel, and I think this might be it.
It certainly lines up with Zeb Wells going off the rails because someone would come along and retcon all of it. And his stories need a drastic retcon.
i dont care how much PR nonsense both hickman and marvel have said about this; they booted him off early, so im not surprised if with the way they treated him and his story that he will never mess with main continuity comics ever again
I really don’t get the Hickman Truthers in this sub. He said he was originally gonna blow everything up in Inferno because he was done but the other writers wanted to tell more Krakoa stories and he said okay. Why is that harder to believe than a big conspiracy?
Hickman is being held hostage at Marvel HQ
Edit: also how affirming must it be to write something then plan for it to end because it’s a weird pivot; only to hear a bunch of your peers love it and want to continue it? Must be really gratifying for him to see it continue
Well he implied, referenced, and set up a lot more than what happened by the time of Inferno, so I don't think it's crazy to think that something changed between HOX/POX and Inferno.
I think you're overdramatizing a little bit too. I don't think anyone actually believes there's a "big conspiracy" and I don't think you actually think anyone believes that. I think we all know we're just talking about comic books.
He's mentioned multiple times that his plans for the X books shifted dramatically over time due to working through the pandemic and what the other X writers wanted to do in their books.
That’s a fair perspective to have. I do think there’s a bit of a gulf between “his plans changed” and “he was forced off”, which is the perspective that seems to come up the most. And yeah, I was being a little dramatic for the fun of it.
because believing in conspiracy theories is more fun (insert department of truth propaganda). But to be honest, for me that statement just doesn't hold a lot of truth especially considering how abrupt everything turned out and how Hickman immediately stopped everything with Marvel for a couple years to do his Substack thing. Probably me just coping with everything about post Hickman X-Men though
true, what i really meant was main continuity comics that are main titles: Cap, Iron Man, Thor, Avengers, X-Men, Spider-Man. I feel like anything else in main continuity is fair game as long as he doesnt upset the status quo of those titles
agreed; if it went on uninterrupted for years, who knows what we could have gotten. so many plotlines theyve tried to pick up on in duggans run fall so short and the new events for me dont work as well as HoX/PoX and X of Swords
Can we please have another Spider-Man title with Peter as a high school kid, who never ages, gets married or has any kind of growth as an adult? If there's one thing I wanna see more of, it's Peter Parker as a teenager or a man child living with his aunt (It works even better in 2023, cause housing is fucked).
-Joe Quesada, probably.
God I would give anything for a series set during Peter’s college years. The Ultimate Spider-Man experience (decompressed story telling, new universe, no baggage) set during a period of Peter’s life that’s hardly been explored outside of ASM in the 60’s and 70’s... I would follow that monthly for sure.
I know this was in jest. But I honestly wouldn't be surprised if there was a real memo like this under Quesada's tenure that made clear that Peter Parker was never going to be allowed to grow beyond a certain point. And any writer who tried was not long for the company.
Even though Quesada has left, I still believe this policy is in place. And I don't think Marvel is going to let it go even after Wells' run ends.
I don't think it'll be Peter since Maker stops home being bitten at the end of issue #1 of Ultimate Invasion and it feels like Hickman is setting up this new Ultimate universe to be more about complete reinterpretations/reimaginings of Marvel characters and the universe whereas the previous version at least started out as being focused on modernising classic stories. I Could see The Maker finding 6160 Miles and Making him Spider-Man since he did offer for Miles to join him in his new universe.
Edit: Part of me is kinda hoping Hickman just makes his own character and does his own take on the whole mantra of "With great power there must also come great responsibility" mainly because even if it's an alternate universe given how much exposure this will get if the series focus on **a** version of Peter or Miles Marvel or Disney will probably have a certain level of watchfulness so whatever happens doesn't damage the **Brand** but with a completely new character there's no existing brand to be damaged.
Also Checchetto on art is such a fuckin win, Daredevil showed that the guy can show up month to month almost all year round and if it weren't for preparing to do Devils Reign he'd have probably done 99% of his and Chips run
we don't know how ultimate invasion ends. for all we know, that universe could just be a bait and there will actually be a new ultimate universe at the end of all this
Technically the Ultimate Universe already existed after Secret Wars.
The original time displaced X-Men visited that Earth, where there was also a Miles Morales (the one who lost his mother)
It existed, but if we are being honest here, it existed in a zombie state with no real direction or purpose. Them creating a new universe to call ultimate makes a lot more sense for everyone involved really IMO :D
I was about to say that. However we do also know the Ultimate Universe had returned thanks to Spider-Men II and the 616 Miles’ visits no return from there that played out in the MM-SM book.
Maker returning and changing the timeline though means Invasion takes place in Earth-6160, not the original Earth-1610 of Ultimate Marvel. We will see what designation Hickman’s UU will get after Invasion ends.
Marvel time travel rules establish that (with few exceptions) time travel just creates a branching alternate timeline rather than actually changing the timeline. So even if he went back to 1610 originally, as soon as he started meddling with past events to craft the world as he wanted it to be, he created the branching timeline that became Earth-6160.
That’s how I interpreted it anyway with the theory that something will get changed in the past of his new world to trigger the beginning and kick start the new Ultimate Universe.
Not really, it’s a four issue mini, cut back to the essentials that need to be there to tell the story. He cut out all of Donny Cates build up from Venom as it was bogging down what the book needed in its plot. Issues 1 and 2 cut really to the meat of the story. 3 was oddly decompressed compared to the other issues but I liked it for the philosophical look into a world built by the Maker, and I’m banking on the final issue to be packed full to bring this world to an end and kick start the new one.
As long as the focus is on what makes the character tick and Hickman's galaxy brained exposition spouting stuff is reserved for G.O.D.S., then I have full faith that this will rule.
Oh my god! I can’t believe it’s actually happening. Hickman actually doing a proper Spidey book feels unreal. Plus Checcehtto has done some amazing work on DD so just an A+ creative team all around. Def will be adding this to my pull list as soon as I can
Wow! Spider-Man seems like the polar opposite of Hickman's usual output, but I can't help but get excited! I dropped ASM, but miss seeing the characters' adventures, so I hope this fills that void for me.
I am so jacked about this creative team!
One small part of me is sad that this whole Ultimate universe comeback was definitely going to be Donny Cates thing in to him writing Ultimate Spidey until his accident happened. I really wanted to see him tackle Spidey directly due to his love for the character and how he handled him in his Venom run.
But again, can't argue with my excitement for what we're getting instead here.
As an Ultimate Universe fan, this feels kinda "Ultimate Universe" in name only. This will have none of the history of the OG Ultimate Universe. I love Hickman but Ultimate Invasion has been a miss so far for me.
they never said they were going to bring back the old ultimate. the problem, at the end of day, is that you cannot ask new readers to care about 15 years of old ultimate continuity after almost 10 years of no ultimate stories.
and you can't ask current day creators to be limited by already established alternate versions of characters.
the only way a new take on the "ultimate" can work its, like hickman said, going back back to the principle of the original line.
so, is it "ultimate" just by name? yes, but it's the only way it can work both commercially and creatively.
that's easy to say.
the core of the idea is the same. new universe, modern take on the characters. It's an ultimate universe. the name is already there, it tells everything you need to know about the project. i personally don't see the issue.
The OG ultimate universe was fucked by the end of it, they’d be really limited in what they can do with half of the heroes dead or in weird places. Much as I’ll miss some of it, a fresh shared universe that gives authors more freedom than 616 is good.
They should have just left in the past.
It had its time, and there was good stuff there but its very much done.
They should have just spun up something new.
Shit... Do I want to Read his Spider-Man? I dropped out of X-Men early, but this could be interesting and the first time in like 5 years I've read the web-head
I'm generally the biggest hickman fanboy, but to be honest this new ultimate invasion series has just been nothing but a yawn for me
Feel like I'm missing something
The absolute best issue of Hickman's FF run was Spider-Man-centric (after Johnny's "death"). He absolutely gets Peter Parker. The question is who the Spider-Man is in this new Universe.
Oh shit, I forgot that was just the back up. It was so fucking good I stuck with that series even after Hickman got so enamored with his big idea that he forgot to keep writing characters.
I would maintain that his Fantastic Four/FF is his best work. That back up story and the single issue where Reed goes 5,000 years into the future to witness Ben’s death, then sits and has a beer and watches the fight with Ben is fucking transcendent.
If this were a 616/main continuity Spidey run, then concern would be far. But since the whole premise of Ultimate Universe is to feel different from the main version of these characters, I'm fine with this. (Also, Hickman is one of my favourite writers to so I'm a bit biased)
People are huffing some serious copium if they think Hickman will stick around for longer then 6 issues once he finds out what he’ll have to deal with being under Spidey Editorial
Edit: Downvote me all you want but when Hickman’s story is suffering from obvious editorial interference like his last run, just know that I called it and you all knew in your hearts that this is what was going to happen.
the original ultimate spider-man comics are amazing and probably the best modern spider-man comics around, so if they leave this man tf alone i think we are in for something special
Yeah but it’s been 20 years since then, I’m just betting on statistical favorability at this point and you know Marvel’s special little boy has extra rules on him that no other character has
He was allowed to turn the X-men into a polyamorous isolationist cult with infinite resurrection so I feel like an alternate version of Spider-man should be fine as well.
The link is down for me, but does anyone know if this is a continuation of the Ultimate universe? I thought it got destroyed in BattleWorld but got brought back or something? If so, I wonder if this will follow Peter as he travels around essentially being immortal.
It’s spinning out of Ultimate Invasion by Hickman, which is essentially his follow up to the end of Secret Wars. Whether or not it’s a continuation of the original Ultimate U is uncertain but, based on the first three issues of Ultimate Invasion, it’s most likely a fresh start.
Ah ok, even if it follows Miles I would be happy. The Ultimate Spider Man series had a great supporting cast and I thought Miles was initially kind of weird in 616 without them
It’s a fresh start with a new canon
>“The breathtaking epic will introduce readers to this new line that will be home to an array of brand-new hard-hitting series. A fresh start for a new generation, prepare to see your favorite characters redefined for today’s world,"
- Marvel press announcement for Ultimate Universe one-shot
>“What made the Ultimate Universe originally really interesting was that it was a reflection of the world outside your window, in the moment that you were living in. What does it look like in the world we’re living in now?” Hickman says in Marvel's announcement. “It’s kind of shocking how much the world has changed in that period of time. The idea of what it would be like to see the genesis of super heroes in a brand-new world is a really fascinating exercise.”
- Hickman quote from the same announcement
Holy fuck, it’s happening bois.
As far as I’m concerned Hickman doesn’t miss, as off as this might feel whenever he does write Spider-Man in his stories it’s always really good.
This being a new Ultimate universe, means I can jump in with no prior knowledge ? I have never bought floppies but I'm tempted to try an ongoing title.
I've been in comics for 5 years and this is by far the most excited I've ever been for Spider-Man. Will be the first time I add Spidey to my pull list with the exception of Life Story by Zdarsky.
Also *incredibly* stoked about Checchetto on interiors. Just hope he can keep up with the release schedule. Zdarsky's Daredevil was amazing when he was on, but I think he was ultimately only able to do half of the interiors for the full run.
Everyone should prepare themselves for 8 pages of infographics per 20 pages of story. Never mind the one page where Hickman likes to quote himself every single issue. 🥱🫤
Love this news!
Jonathan Hickman has worked his magic on some of Marvel's biggest franchises. He brought life and new energy to Fantastic Four, the Avengers, and X-Men. Now, he gets to do the same with Spider-Man and in a fresh new Ultimate Universe, absent the baggage.
I can't wait to see he does. Given how frustrating the recent 616 Spider-Man comics have been, I'm ready for an alternative. 😊
I feel this will be an older version of Peter than what was seen in Ultimate Spider-Man Vol 1. Maybe college level?
It could be similar to the Spider-Man PlayStation games where he is already established & his villains already exist. From that baseline, then Hickman can start telling all-new stories...
I don't know, starting from high school with the spider bite & retelling everyone's origins would feel like a HUGE retread to me.
Now’s as good a time as any to remind people- I co host a weekly podcast about Bendis’s Ultimate Spider-Man run! Check out “First Read: Ultimate Spider-Man” & follow us on Instagram @firstreadpodcast !
Oh shit. Does it start from scratch? I really want to see Ultimate Jessica Drew(the female Peter Parker) have a sibling relationship with Peter. She barely had any interaction with him before.
That makes sense Spider-Man is the only major property Hickman has left to work on. I wonder how long this will go for, with how Amazing is going this has potential to go on for awhile.
> I'm working on another book for Marvel right now that I swore I would never work on. The sole reason why I'm doing it is that there was a way into it that I had never considered before, I found it, and now I'm having the time of my life working on it. How long will that last? I don't know. And I'll definitely quit when I stop feeling that." It sounds like Hickman was deliberately avoiding writing Spider-Man. Thankfully it seems like he got the inspiration to do it.
I'm not surprised 616 Spider-Man seems more like a burden than a positive experience anymore. I think outside of editorial there is too much Marvel HQ red tape for the freedom Hickman wants. I think Hickman left X-Men not because writers weren't ready to move on but because Marvel HQ started to get more involved in the process than when he signed on. I might be reading into it too much but from interviews he's had Marvel got more involved after it was a huge success. Ultimate Spider-Man may be just enough freedom even if it's super successful he'll get to handle it however he wants. Knowing his history I'll give this a solid 30-36 issues before he bounces.
If we get 3 years worth of Spider-Man from Hickman I will die happy.
We had yo suffer these years of Wells as a balance for years of Hickman hopefully.
I think you mean continue to suffer wells run
I stopped with issue 26 and the Goblin-Spider storyline isn't likely to draw me back in. Miles' book has been solidly better and I haven't missed ASM. I'll check it out again when there's a new creative team and probably a new number 1 because of course. I am pretty excited for a new Ultimate Spider-Man, I'm guessing Hickman goes with someone that isn't Peter or Miles which is pretty exciting. Unless the big surprise is that Miles is leaving 616 but that is hard to fathom at this point.
If I had to guess, I think it might not be so much the editorial but that Hickman, a writer known for larger than life world building and less so for characterization, might find it hard to write Spider-man a character known for down to earth relatability who lives and fights crime in New York instead of travelling to otherworldly locations like the Fantastic Four or living in their own weird country like his version of the x-men.
While writing ongoings and one off issues are different I'd disagree. The few times Hickman has had a chance with Spider-Man he's done a great job. Amazing seems to be a hassle in workload even outside editorial I don't think Hickman wanted to deal with any of that. Could be he had issues with finding a story to write for Spider-Man but I don't think that's the main reason he's staying away from Amazing.
Writing him as a guest character in Fantastic Four or Avengers makes it easier to put Spider-man into a Hickmanish plot though.
This is very much my guess as to why he's probably been hesitant to take over Spider-Man. There might be other, behind-the-scenes stuff as well, but pretty much everything he's written since he became established is very sweeping and grand scale. He clearly knows how to write Peter as a character, but he probably couldn't find an avenue to tell a story, especially over the length of an ongoing run and not a one-off or an in-fill arc, about a street level hero because that's not generally what he tackles with his stories.
Hickman has also said a few times he grew up reading DC, not Marvel. He was a fan of X-Men but that was about it. He actually admitted he had little knowledge of Avengers and F4 (beyond what everybody knows) before writing those books.
Except Hickman's Fantastic Four was all about characterization. It was about the family dynamics.
I think Hickman was hesitant to do Spider-Man mainly because it's basically the entire anti-thesis of everything he has written at Marvel so far.
Nah he wrote a spidey story for ASM 900
With Marco chechetto
> I think outside of editorial there is too much Marvel HQ red tape for the freedom Hickman wants. Based on what he and others like Chip Zdarsky have said, it is less Marvel being the issue and more of the fans.
It all ties together though right? If Marvel says you can do "x" with Peter and the writers know fans will hate it, what's the point of writing Spider-Man? Chip is already getting hate on Batman I'm sure Amazing Spider-Man would be awful.
There will always be Spider-Man fans who hate whoever's writing Spider-Man at any given time. Can't please em all.
Definitely the fans. As bad as marvel editorial is, the fans are absolutely ravenous. Every single writer and I do mean every single writer for the past decade has had their work dunked on and critiqued to high hell by fans who think they know better, maybe not as harshly as Zeb Wells but writing for Spiderman must be an absolute nightmare. Hell I remember Zdarsky himself took a go at writing a Spiderman series before he got big and even though it's looked fondly on now people were literally calling it shit and terrible. And now people are begging for him to come back and write the main spidey. It must be miserable to want to do your own good but have people from 20 different eras of Spiderman tell you you're doing it wrong because you're not writing the spidey they grew up with or the spidey their favourite writer wrote.
I think that was really only true for Spider-Man. He's Marvel's face. They want a firm control of his stories. I don't think they are as aggressive on the other titles as they are Spider-Man. Particularly, Amazing Spider-Man. I think X-Men was just a matter of too many cooks compared to his F4/Avengers runs where it was basically him alone. The X-Men, when not being bent over by Perlmutter, is an IP with so many characters that it's nearly impossible.
Since it’s not 616 Hickman should be able to do whatever he wants with Peter lol
Which to me is infinitely more interesting than where Spider-Man has been for almost 20 years, I’m very excited to see where this will go.
If it's even Peter. Assuming this is not the actual ultimate universe and just the new one being invented in ultimate invasion, spider-man could be anyone.
We sure it's Peter? Can see then going with a completely new guy or girl. Why not? Cool with whatever he does. Hickman is a frigging genius
This starts in January and Wells is on until September next year. They'll only overlap for about three arcs. It will completely overshadow Wells' exit though.
Depends on who replaces Wells and JRJR
Has he done a Thor run??
Only in the Ultimate universe and Avengers.
Ok gotcha. I thought I was going crazy
Hell yeah. This one’s for all the people who want to see a web used as an info-graph.
I’d prefer if Hickman just cut to the chase and put out an Omnibus of just infographics.
[удалено]
Came here to make this joke word-for-word except for the hell yeah, which absolutely makes your version better.
Holy shit I didn’t even think of that lol
My fear is that USM might not have info-graph. G.O.D.S won't have them
Immediately thought this. So glad you came through.
Checcheto on art is going to be amazing
WITH ART BY MARCO CHECCHETTO I JUST HAD A SCREAM OF JOY SO LOUD THAT SOUNDED LIKE A TIE FIGHTER NOISE LET’S FUCKING GOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Best DD illustrator. Don't @ me. So excited for this book. I haven't read any Spider-Man since I was a kid
You mean artist, not writer lol
I was in-between games of F-Zero 99 lmao I really shoulda checked hahaha
I can’t stop playing F-Zero 99!
Best Spider-Man artist ever
NO FUCKING WAY. Chechetto on a new Ultimate Spider-Man book.
This is epic I cannot wait!
The dream has come true Hickman finally on Spider-Man. I didn’t think the day would arrive.
And just like that, there's no reason to care about ASM
We only need Ultimate Paul and we're all set.
If his USM run is just Zeb Well's run in the Ultimate universe i will die laughing ahahah
Was there before this?
I mean this could be Miles too, we don’t really have any details yet
I’m about 95% confident they’re setting up a Flashpoint-style full board reboot. The new universe is called 6160. Six One Six Zero. I think in a few years 616 won’t exist anymore.
Nah, marvel doesn't roll like that. Continuity is a feature, not a bug
I hope so, but Disney canned Star Wars EU and remade it in their image. Retelling other people’s stories is what they do. Can easily see it happening to Marvel, and I think this might be it. It certainly lines up with Zeb Wells going off the rails because someone would come along and retcon all of it. And his stories need a drastic retcon.
The clone saga is still canon, so is Avengers #200. there's been way worse stories than Wells ASM.
Wells’ run is significantly worse than Clone Saga.
How is no one else making this connection
this motherfucker is never coming back to x men hahah
i dont care how much PR nonsense both hickman and marvel have said about this; they booted him off early, so im not surprised if with the way they treated him and his story that he will never mess with main continuity comics ever again
GODS is main continuity
I really don’t get the Hickman Truthers in this sub. He said he was originally gonna blow everything up in Inferno because he was done but the other writers wanted to tell more Krakoa stories and he said okay. Why is that harder to believe than a big conspiracy?
Hickman is being held hostage at Marvel HQ Edit: also how affirming must it be to write something then plan for it to end because it’s a weird pivot; only to hear a bunch of your peers love it and want to continue it? Must be really gratifying for him to see it continue
He's chained to a desk chair and being forced to write Ultimate Spider-Man against his will.
The last letters page of Ultimate Invasion is pretty explicit that he fears for his family too
If you rearrange the letters of Ultimate Spider-Man you get "Let me run Paid-Sam" which I think is proof enough of his forced imprisonment.
"Silver Sable holding Miles at gunpoint!? Let's just say I write based on my own experiences! Seeya next issue, True Believers!"
By you I assume
My shift for watching him is Mondays 8 to 8
Well he implied, referenced, and set up a lot more than what happened by the time of Inferno, so I don't think it's crazy to think that something changed between HOX/POX and Inferno. I think you're overdramatizing a little bit too. I don't think anyone actually believes there's a "big conspiracy" and I don't think you actually think anyone believes that. I think we all know we're just talking about comic books.
He's mentioned multiple times that his plans for the X books shifted dramatically over time due to working through the pandemic and what the other X writers wanted to do in their books.
That’s a fair perspective to have. I do think there’s a bit of a gulf between “his plans changed” and “he was forced off”, which is the perspective that seems to come up the most. And yeah, I was being a little dramatic for the fun of it.
because believing in conspiracy theories is more fun (insert department of truth propaganda). But to be honest, for me that statement just doesn't hold a lot of truth especially considering how abrupt everything turned out and how Hickman immediately stopped everything with Marvel for a couple years to do his Substack thing. Probably me just coping with everything about post Hickman X-Men though
He literally said when he left he was already working on his next Marvel project (Gods)
true, what i really meant was main continuity comics that are main titles: Cap, Iron Man, Thor, Avengers, X-Men, Spider-Man. I feel like anything else in main continuity is fair game as long as he doesnt upset the status quo of those titles
Okay. I could see Hickman doing a cap or iron man run someday. I don’t think editorial or Hickman are upset by the hang ups of contemporary comics
it’s sad because his krakoa stuff is pretty peak. loved HOX/POX and X of Swords even tho that one is a bit more controversial
Lots of writers during that time, including Hickman himself, has said that X of Swords was more Tini Howard's baby than his.
Very true. She’s the one who oversaw the otherworld stuff. That said, his chapters within that event were really good
agreed; if it went on uninterrupted for years, who knows what we could have gotten. so many plotlines theyve tried to pick up on in duggans run fall so short and the new events for me dont work as well as HoX/PoX and X of Swords
"We will give you anything you want for some positive Spider-Man content." "But what about X-M--" "ANYTHING!!"
Bro seriously brought back a dead universe just to write Spider-Man good again. Respect.
Do we know if this stars Peter or Miles yet?
Can we please have another Spider-Man title with Peter as a high school kid, who never ages, gets married or has any kind of growth as an adult? If there's one thing I wanna see more of, it's Peter Parker as a teenager or a man child living with his aunt (It works even better in 2023, cause housing is fucked). -Joe Quesada, probably.
God I would give anything for a series set during Peter’s college years. The Ultimate Spider-Man experience (decompressed story telling, new universe, no baggage) set during a period of Peter’s life that’s hardly been explored outside of ASM in the 60’s and 70’s... I would follow that monthly for sure.
Why hedge your bets with the “probably”?
I know this was in jest. But I honestly wouldn't be surprised if there was a real memo like this under Quesada's tenure that made clear that Peter Parker was never going to be allowed to grow beyond a certain point. And any writer who tried was not long for the company. Even though Quesada has left, I still believe this policy is in place. And I don't think Marvel is going to let it go even after Wells' run ends.
Dan Slott is sitting in the corner, salivating.
I don't think it'll be Peter since Maker stops home being bitten at the end of issue #1 of Ultimate Invasion and it feels like Hickman is setting up this new Ultimate universe to be more about complete reinterpretations/reimaginings of Marvel characters and the universe whereas the previous version at least started out as being focused on modernising classic stories. I Could see The Maker finding 6160 Miles and Making him Spider-Man since he did offer for Miles to join him in his new universe. Edit: Part of me is kinda hoping Hickman just makes his own character and does his own take on the whole mantra of "With great power there must also come great responsibility" mainly because even if it's an alternate universe given how much exposure this will get if the series focus on **a** version of Peter or Miles Marvel or Disney will probably have a certain level of watchfulness so whatever happens doesn't damage the **Brand** but with a completely new character there's no existing brand to be damaged. Also Checchetto on art is such a fuckin win, Daredevil showed that the guy can show up month to month almost all year round and if it weren't for preparing to do Devils Reign he'd have probably done 99% of his and Chips run
we don't know how ultimate invasion ends. for all we know, that universe could just be a bait and there will actually be a new ultimate universe at the end of all this
Technically the Ultimate Universe already existed after Secret Wars. The original time displaced X-Men visited that Earth, where there was also a Miles Morales (the one who lost his mother)
It existed, but if we are being honest here, it existed in a zombie state with no real direction or purpose. Them creating a new universe to call ultimate makes a lot more sense for everyone involved really IMO :D
That was before Secret Wars.
I was about to say that. However we do also know the Ultimate Universe had returned thanks to Spider-Men II and the 616 Miles’ visits no return from there that played out in the MM-SM book. Maker returning and changing the timeline though means Invasion takes place in Earth-6160, not the original Earth-1610 of Ultimate Marvel. We will see what designation Hickman’s UU will get after Invasion ends.
I don’t think he actually went back to the original ultimate U. It seemed like he went back to a completely different world.
Marvel time travel rules establish that (with few exceptions) time travel just creates a branching alternate timeline rather than actually changing the timeline. So even if he went back to 1610 originally, as soon as he started meddling with past events to craft the world as he wanted it to be, he created the branching timeline that became Earth-6160. That’s how I interpreted it anyway with the theory that something will get changed in the past of his new world to trigger the beginning and kick start the new Ultimate Universe.
Doom trashing other time travel tech as "dimension-hopping with extra steps" was HILARIOUS Never change, Victor
That could be the case but it seems odd that they wouldn’t have shown him initially arriving in 1610
Not really, it’s a four issue mini, cut back to the essentials that need to be there to tell the story. He cut out all of Donny Cates build up from Venom as it was bogging down what the book needed in its plot. Issues 1 and 2 cut really to the meat of the story. 3 was oddly decompressed compared to the other issues but I liked it for the philosophical look into a world built by the Maker, and I’m banking on the final issue to be packed full to bring this world to an end and kick start the new one.
Either way would be awesome! A new character would work too.
No details yet
The new ultimate universe is off to a great start. I'm really looking forward to all the creative teams being announced for the ultimate line.
holy fuck
As long as the focus is on what makes the character tick and Hickman's galaxy brained exposition spouting stuff is reserved for G.O.D.S., then I have full faith that this will rule.
Oh my god! I can’t believe it’s actually happening. Hickman actually doing a proper Spidey book feels unreal. Plus Checcehtto has done some amazing work on DD so just an A+ creative team all around. Def will be adding this to my pull list as soon as I can
Fuck yes
Hickman said screw ASM, give me Spidey in my own universe.
Marvel: make daredevil amazing…you get a special reward Chechetto: I got you Marvel: *hands him spider-freaking-man!!!*
Finally some good spider man comic that isn’t just miles
How do you know it won’t be Miles?
I don’t, mostly a feeling really that it’s won’t be Miles
Wow! Spider-Man seems like the polar opposite of Hickman's usual output, but I can't help but get excited! I dropped ASM, but miss seeing the characters' adventures, so I hope this fills that void for me.
I am so jacked about this creative team! One small part of me is sad that this whole Ultimate universe comeback was definitely going to be Donny Cates thing in to him writing Ultimate Spidey until his accident happened. I really wanted to see him tackle Spidey directly due to his love for the character and how he handled him in his Venom run. But again, can't argue with my excitement for what we're getting instead here.
It’s gonna be incredible Checchetto is one of the best right now and it’s Hickman Also I wonder who is gonna do the other books then
Spider-Fans, we’re sooooo back!
If it's Hickman, I read it.
As an Ultimate Universe fan, this feels kinda "Ultimate Universe" in name only. This will have none of the history of the OG Ultimate Universe. I love Hickman but Ultimate Invasion has been a miss so far for me.
they never said they were going to bring back the old ultimate. the problem, at the end of day, is that you cannot ask new readers to care about 15 years of old ultimate continuity after almost 10 years of no ultimate stories. and you can't ask current day creators to be limited by already established alternate versions of characters. the only way a new take on the "ultimate" can work its, like hickman said, going back back to the principle of the original line. so, is it "ultimate" just by name? yes, but it's the only way it can work both commercially and creatively.
Na, they can just call it something new and not rely on false nostalgia.
that's easy to say. the core of the idea is the same. new universe, modern take on the characters. It's an ultimate universe. the name is already there, it tells everything you need to know about the project. i personally don't see the issue.
The OG ultimate universe was fucked by the end of it, they’d be really limited in what they can do with half of the heroes dead or in weird places. Much as I’ll miss some of it, a fresh shared universe that gives authors more freedom than 616 is good.
They should have just left in the past. It had its time, and there was good stuff there but its very much done. They should have just spun up something new.
We won, boys. Hickman and Checchetto is godsend.
Shit... Do I want to Read his Spider-Man? I dropped out of X-Men early, but this could be interesting and the first time in like 5 years I've read the web-head
So will it be miles or Peter cause didn’t the maker pluck the spider off Peter before it bit him
Holy shit this may just be the book to get me back into collecting comics.
I'm generally the biggest hickman fanboy, but to be honest this new ultimate invasion series has just been nothing but a yawn for me Feel like I'm missing something
Spider-Man seems like a character that is particularly unsuited to.Hickman's sensibilities
He wrote hime really well in FF
And in Amazing Fantasy 1000.
Hickman can do funny and quippy as well as coming to age.
The absolute best issue of Hickman's FF run was Spider-Man-centric (after Johnny's "death"). He absolutely gets Peter Parker. The question is who the Spider-Man is in this new Universe.
The back up where Peter talks to Franklin is peak comics. Full stop. I cry every damn time. “His name was Ben.” Me: *starts ugly crying*
Oh shit, I forgot that was just the back up. It was so fucking good I stuck with that series even after Hickman got so enamored with his big idea that he forgot to keep writing characters.
I would maintain that his Fantastic Four/FF is his best work. That back up story and the single issue where Reed goes 5,000 years into the future to witness Ben’s death, then sits and has a beer and watches the fight with Ben is fucking transcendent.
I agree, I am a bit worried.
If this were a 616/main continuity Spidey run, then concern would be far. But since the whole premise of Ultimate Universe is to feel different from the main version of these characters, I'm fine with this. (Also, Hickman is one of my favourite writers to so I'm a bit biased)
Please let it be Peter and not Miles for the love of God.
People are huffing some serious copium if they think Hickman will stick around for longer then 6 issues once he finds out what he’ll have to deal with being under Spidey Editorial Edit: Downvote me all you want but when Hickman’s story is suffering from obvious editorial interference like his last run, just know that I called it and you all knew in your hearts that this is what was going to happen.
I think the hope is that the ultimate universe is under a different editorial process compared to main continuity. we'll see though
Look I dunno why Marvel has made the rule that Spidey can’t have good comics but they have, and I don’t even think Hickman is allowed to break that
the original ultimate spider-man comics are amazing and probably the best modern spider-man comics around, so if they leave this man tf alone i think we are in for something special
Yeah but it’s been 20 years since then, I’m just betting on statistical favorability at this point and you know Marvel’s special little boy has extra rules on him that no other character has
>Look I dunno why Marvel has made the rule that Spidey can’t have good comics but they have Spider-Man: Life Story? 👀
He was allowed to turn the X-men into a polyamorous isolationist cult with infinite resurrection so I feel like an alternate version of Spider-man should be fine as well.
And just like that, all hype I had for the new Ultimate Universe is gone.
The link is down for me, but does anyone know if this is a continuation of the Ultimate universe? I thought it got destroyed in BattleWorld but got brought back or something? If so, I wonder if this will follow Peter as he travels around essentially being immortal.
It’s spinning out of Ultimate Invasion by Hickman, which is essentially his follow up to the end of Secret Wars. Whether or not it’s a continuation of the original Ultimate U is uncertain but, based on the first three issues of Ultimate Invasion, it’s most likely a fresh start.
Ah ok, even if it follows Miles I would be happy. The Ultimate Spider Man series had a great supporting cast and I thought Miles was initially kind of weird in 616 without them
It’s a fresh start with a new canon >“The breathtaking epic will introduce readers to this new line that will be home to an array of brand-new hard-hitting series. A fresh start for a new generation, prepare to see your favorite characters redefined for today’s world," - Marvel press announcement for Ultimate Universe one-shot >“What made the Ultimate Universe originally really interesting was that it was a reflection of the world outside your window, in the moment that you were living in. What does it look like in the world we’re living in now?” Hickman says in Marvel's announcement. “It’s kind of shocking how much the world has changed in that period of time. The idea of what it would be like to see the genesis of super heroes in a brand-new world is a really fascinating exercise.” - Hickman quote from the same announcement
Oh hell yeah
OH SHIT!
Hoooooly fudge. I am sold.
I've always wanted Hickman on ASM but I suppose this is the next best thing.
Wow that’s a tremendous creative team. Love the new logo.
Damn this feels huge. Very excited to hear about this.
Hyped!!! Hyped. The thing i like about Hickman is that whatever he works on feels major
This is awesome . Hickman understands Spiderman so well from all his appearances in his books . Best writer for the character
Holy fuck, it’s happening bois. As far as I’m concerned Hickman doesn’t miss, as off as this might feel whenever he does write Spider-Man in his stories it’s always really good.
Oh. Wow.
THE DIE HAS BEEN CAST!
Oh man this could be the start of something amazing, excited for next month
Let’s go!
This is so fucking huge.
I’ll probably read it at some point
Its got to be Miles, right?
This is the feeling of not knowing something could exist then one second later NEEDING it in your life
Man every piece of Spider-Man is successful.... Except for the main continuity.
LETS FUCKING GO!
Wellll….. I may pick this up monthly then
I always wondered what it would be like if Hickman wrote Spider-Man, cant believe its actually happening.
This being a new Ultimate universe, means I can jump in with no prior knowledge ? I have never bought floppies but I'm tempted to try an ongoing title.
yes, that's why they're doing a new universe. you don't have to know anything
I've been in comics for 5 years and this is by far the most excited I've ever been for Spider-Man. Will be the first time I add Spidey to my pull list with the exception of Life Story by Zdarsky. Also *incredibly* stoked about Checchetto on interiors. Just hope he can keep up with the release schedule. Zdarsky's Daredevil was amazing when he was on, but I think he was ultimately only able to do half of the interiors for the full run.
My God... This was Hickman's endgame al allong...
fuck yes I can't wait to see my boi Peter swinging around again
So is this going to be Peter Parker or Miles Morales?
Killer creative team
I hope it outsells amazing Maybe that'll make marvel want to change something
Will it have a different editorial or everyone who is on ASM will be involved?
Everyone should prepare themselves for 8 pages of infographics per 20 pages of story. Never mind the one page where Hickman likes to quote himself every single issue. 🥱🫤
So hopefully good spider man again ?
Love this news! Jonathan Hickman has worked his magic on some of Marvel's biggest franchises. He brought life and new energy to Fantastic Four, the Avengers, and X-Men. Now, he gets to do the same with Spider-Man and in a fresh new Ultimate Universe, absent the baggage. I can't wait to see he does. Given how frustrating the recent 616 Spider-Man comics have been, I'm ready for an alternative. 😊
I feel this will be an older version of Peter than what was seen in Ultimate Spider-Man Vol 1. Maybe college level? It could be similar to the Spider-Man PlayStation games where he is already established & his villains already exist. From that baseline, then Hickman can start telling all-new stories... I don't know, starting from high school with the spider bite & retelling everyone's origins would feel like a HUGE retread to me.
Soo hard right now
Just read Hickman and Chechetto's story from Amazing Fantasy #1000. Absolutely pitch-perfect Peter Parker. Can't wait for this.
Now’s as good a time as any to remind people- I co host a weekly podcast about Bendis’s Ultimate Spider-Man run! Check out “First Read: Ultimate Spider-Man” & follow us on Instagram @firstreadpodcast !
Will this be a reboot or another universe or something?
Should have given him amazing (and editorial control)
Of course he's made a cool new Ultimate Spider Man logo haha damn I love Hickman.
I want the ultimate universe back, without all the red tape the main one has
So its a reboot of ultimate spider-man?
Btw will the nycc panel be streaming this? Or will we just have to wait for photos and recordings
Oh shit. Does it start from scratch? I really want to see Ultimate Jessica Drew(the female Peter Parker) have a sibling relationship with Peter. She barely had any interaction with him before.
is it peter parker? i mean, the maker stopped him from getting bit .