Cataclysm: Ultimate Comics Spider-Man #2

Background

Cloak and Dagger... Bombshell... Spider-Woman... Galactus... Yeah, that sums up the last issue.

Story Details

Our story begins two years ago, during the Ultimatum event, when Magneto flooded NYC. Tandy Bowen (before she became Dagger) had kept her eyes closed at her mother’s order. When she decided to look, she saw a boat that rested in the middle of the city. She also watched Spider-Man saving someone. Tandy wanted to help people but her mother stressed that they needed to save themselves.

Now, in present time, Tandy has run into a similar situation. Dagger and Cloak watch as Galactus walks across the city until she insists that they must help people. Tandy orders Cloak to teleport them to the epicenter of the chaos. Soon, they are directly in front of Galactus’ face. Tandy throws light daggers into his eye, which helps none.

Meanwhile, the Ultimates and Spider-Man jump to the streets to assist law enforcement save people. Spider-Man and Spider-Woman decide to busy themselves by helping a group of elementary students whose teacher left them unattended on the playground.

Two years ago, we get to see Miles’ story during the Ultimatum event. The Morales family was stuck in a major traffic jam while Miles’ mom attempted to calm down his father. Jefferson stepped out of the car and yelled, “No one knows how to step on the gas!! We’re just sitting here, waiting to die!!” He looked over and saw the ship that had landed in the city. Jefferson told Miles, “Swear to God, I love you with all my heart, kid, but if you were one of them…” Miles sat in the back seat of the car, holding on to his backpack as his mom tried to convince Jefferson to get back in the car.

In current time, Lana (Bombshell) is listening to her headphones, totally ignorant of the people around her racing away. When her ex-boyfriend sprints up to her, she tells him to screw off. He shows Lana the sky, which has turned purple, and explains that she needs to get away. Then, a car flies from the sky and crushes him. Bombshell removes the car to find that her ex-boyfriend is dead. Crying, she flies into the sky and finds Galactus’ figure in the sky.

When Bombshell looks that the ground, she spots Spider-Man and Spider-Woman helping kids. Spidey is assisting a kid who wants his daddy and swings off to return him. Bombshell asks Spider-Woman what she can do and decides to stop a robbery.

Elsewhere, Spider-Man finds the little boy’s house, which is littered with beached boats. When the father and son have a reunion, the man tells Miles that nothing is more important to a father than his son.

At the epicenter of chaos, Cloak and Dagger float into Galactus’ eye. The purple giant shoots beams out of his optics and Cloak and Dagger are shot across town. Dagger decides that they need to help the civilians. In the city, a man is crouched near his wife, whose leg has been impaled by a spear of some sort. Cloak appears and envelopes the couple with his cape. Cloak decides to teleport away without the people and tells Dagger that he can’t save enough civilians.

Soon, Miles is racing across town until he reaches his house. Jefferson is on the porch, crying for his son, when Spidey lands in front of him. He pushes the costumed hero away and Spidey calls his “dad.” Jefferson is surprised and Miles explains that he can save him. Then, Miles unmasks himself in front of his father.

General Comments

Ahh! Come on Bendis! I love ya, but your event tie-ins almost always disappoint me. Nearly nothing happens here and it would be nice if the series had a stronger tie to the actual event. I mean, Galactus rarely shows up and when he does, it’s just a silhouette or his eyes. Why buy a cover that prominently features Galactus’ head if he barely even appears!? Bendis’ thin plotline mainly called for Spider-Man to save people and reveal his identity to his father. Therefore, he threw in Cloak and Dagger, and Bombshell to waste time.

On another note, Bendis does a great job at setting up Miles’ unmasking. He captures his anxieties that his father won’t accept him with the brilliant flashback of the Ultimatum event. Bendis also justifies Miles’ decision with the heart-warming scene of the father and son’s reunion. I am really looking forward to where Bendis goes with the reveal and what will come out of it. He’s been building up Jefferson’s hate for super-powered beings and his mysterious past since his run began. If it all boils over as I presume it will, the next issue will reveal Jefferson’s secrets and act as an appropriate conclusion to Miles’ origin story.

Hmmm… Nothing else I can really say about this issue… Marquez’s art is beautiful. He portrays Bendis’ drama well and his panels flow smoothly. I was particularly astounded at how many cars he fit into Page 9. If you aren’t impressed by that, you’re delusional! Particularly, Ponsor’s colors look phenomenal with the art.

Overall Rating

I really can't give this issue any more webs. While the reveal and buildup to it is captivating, the rest of the issue is pretty much crap.