Ultimate Spider-Man #100
“Clone Saga, Part 4”
Writer: Brian Michael Bendis
Pencils/Cover artist: Mark Bagley
Inks: John Dell & Drew Hennessy
Colors: Justin Ponsor
Letters: Virtual Calligraphy
Editor: Ralph Macchio
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Price: $3.99 US/$4.75 CAN

One hundred issues in six years, all by the same creative team. It’s actually quite an accomplishment on several levels, especially in the context of the comic-book industry today. Bendis and Bagley took the title character back to his roots as a regular teenage kid who finds himself in way over his head on a regular basis and added to it more modern sensibilities. Bendis built a solid foundation for the series by keeping Peter Parker’s feet planted firmly on the ground, so it’s unfortunate that this milestone gets away from that strength.

Union Jack v.2 #1
“Enemies of the Crown”
Writer: Christos N. Gage
Pencils/Cover artist: Mike Perkins
Inks: Andrew Hennessy
Colors: Laura Villari
Letters: Virtual Calligraphy
Editor: Andy Schmidt
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Price: $2.99 US/$3.75 CAN

I stopped following Ed Brubaker’s Captain America run a couple of issues ago. Though I enjoyed the Winter Soldier subplot, the whole Invaders story arc struck me as just a rehash of past stories (as did the Cosmic Cube’s incorporation into the plot earlier in the series). As a result, my interest in this new Union Jack limited series was somewhat minimal, but when I heard about writer Christos Gage’s use of Israeli and Arab heroes in the story, my interest was piqued. I’m pleased I picked this book up. Politics are front and centre in this story, not the title character’s history. Gage has developed a plot that allows for the color and fun of super-hero action with the tension and intellect of a political thriller. I was also pleased to find that one needn’t have read recent issues of Cap (or any past Invaders comics) to follow this story.

Criminal #1
“Coward, Part One of Five”
Writer: Ed Brubaker
Artist/Cover artist: Sean Phillips
Colors: Val Staples
Publisher: Marvel Comics/Icon imprint
Price: $2.99 US/$3.75 CAN

Those who have read Ed Brubaker’s foray into the espionage genre (by way of super-heroes and villains, in Sleeper) won’t be surprised at how well he pulls off a journey through an urban underworld in his latest project, Criminal.  This is classic Brubaker writing… dark, intense and engaging.  Actually, the writing seems so much like what we’ve seen from Brubaker in the past, it borders on the derivative.  Fortunately, it’s really good derivative stuff.  It may not be rare in the context of Brubaker’s comics CV.  And while there are other strong crime comics on the go right now, the genre’s not so prevalent that it doesn’t need another strong member among its ranks.