Spider-Man is one of the many comic characters that exist far beyond the limits of their source material. From Superman and Batman, to Wolverine, there are any number of heroes that are well known in pop culture, despite only a fraction of their fans reading the books of their origin. A Spider-Man fan is likely to have never opened a Marvel comic in their life. Broad popularity has the unfortunate ripple effect of locking the characters into a brand, and entrenches specific associated attributes, even when they become detrimental in terms of story. Peter Parker gets the Peter Pan treatment, in part to ensure he has a properly marketable age for his fans’ demographic. Stasis of story and character is one of the most common problems flagged by avid comic fans. It is emblematic of the unbalanced relationship the books and authors find themselves in with their own creative spawn. There is much to laud about Ultimate Spider-Man, but the work’s ability to shake away the ankle weights of expectation is perhaps its most remarkable feat.
The philosophy of the 2024 graphic novel, Mary Tyler MooreHawk can be seen right in the main character's design. Cute and full of personality, the little girl with two buns in her hair is certainly a unique creation. However, she does bear a silhouette that is strikingly similar to a well-known mouse. The overlap of iteration and creation, of trope and mimicry, are at the heart of the story spelled out by author and artist, Dave Baker. A surreal and captivating experience, the work manages to walk the line between excelling and subverting the expectations of its medium.
Part of 2024’s relaunch of Marvel’s Ultimate Universe, a reboot of Black Panther in an alternate universe makes a lot of sense on paper. The hero has become a household name thanks to the 2018 movie, which effectively showcased the strength of the character in a modern context. There is an opportunity to present Black Panther stories from a clean slate, divorced from the Kirby-Lee originated continuity, which many of their other creations would not benefit from as much. Great power and great responsibility are core to classic Marvel books, but applying the motto to modern colonialism is something the originators never quite proved able or willing to tackle.
