Awesome alternate cover for USM #160

So…uh…yeah. (Ultimate) Peter Parker is dead. 160 issues, just under 11 years, and tons of stories later he is no more. Next month we’ll probably get his funeral with Ultimate Comics Fallout, which may go for a few issues, I don’t know, because there’s no set launch date for Ultimate Comics Spider-Man (yes, they’re going back to that title), but what I’m most curious about is who the next Spider-Man is going to be.

Personally, I want it to be Jessica Drew, Spider-Woman, who is a female clone of Peter Parker in the Ultimate Universe. She’d be perfect. Think about it: she’s got all of the same memories as Peter up to her birth as a clone, so she’s got that inborn affinity for Aunt May, MJ, and Gwen built in already. Do we really need another origin story for some kid who gets spider powers? Last the Ultimate Universe heard of Jessica Drew she was an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D., which we already know was tired of Peter Parker damaging up the city with no responsibility. The relationship is there and it already makes sense.

Unfortunately, as you can see in this link, it seems like they’re going in a different direction. I suppose a female lead for UC Spider-Man might not resonate with readers, but I just have no clue what’s going on here. Will they just cherry pick another Spider-Man clone to fill the part? I do think that Kaine died and Tarantula has too many arms, but there is an x-factor that meets most of Jessica’s criteria, but is male. See, Ultimate Scorpion is also a clone of Peter Parker and he was last seen in S.H.I.E.L.D. custody. Would Bendis use him as the new Spider-Man?

Could you be the next Spider-Man?

The story could be intriguing, I guess. Ultimate Scorpion didn’t really demonstrate having spider powers (I don’t think, that was a long time ago), but he did demonstrate having Parker memories. If Bendis wanted to turn him loose as a Not-Peter who was Peter it would be good for drama, I suppose, but I think it would be kind of cheap in a way that using Jessica Drew wouldn’t be. Having someone who looked like Peter, but wasn’t Peter seems like a copout to me, I dunno (even though Drew is also a clone, her gender differences make her different enough that no one would mistake her for Peter). It doesn’t help that Peter’s face was photographed and seen during his final fight with Osborn, so a clone wouldn’t be able to have the home life that we’ve come to love with Peter Parker. Said home life doesn’t even seem to exist what with Ultimate Comics X-Men taking Bobby, Kitty, and Johnny out of the Parker home. Anyway, I’m rambling, but I’m excited to see where they take UC Spider-Man. Will they launch alongside the DC revamp and try to cannibalize sales or will they wait until October to be clear of the big event? I’m too impatient to wait!

Sadly the more interesting choice might not happen

That's a lot sexier than I remember Harley Quinn ever being.

I’m not as into comic books as I once was and I was never into DC Comics, but when I saw this I felt like I had to say something about it. Above is the new, revamped look for Harley Quinn in her new book, Suicide Squad where Quinn, Deadshot, and King Shark are death row inmates sent on suicide missions for the US Government.

What is going on here? Does it mean that she’s no longer linked to the Joker? Why would they do this to such an iconic character? I wonder if it has to do with the changes they’ve been making to her design for the Arkham games (see below for her Arkham City look). I hated how they turned her into this weird sexpot (mostly because I grew up with the Harley on the animated series) because it just felt wrong, but this is such a departure that it almost shouldn’t be Harley Quinn. It feels like they had an idea for a character/book and shoehorned her in it to sell books with name recognition.

Also don't remember Quinn in a bodice

The concept of the book is neat and actually kind of intriguing to me, but I don’t know if I want to pick up and read this book because of what they’ve done to Harley.