Ultimate Spider-Man #112

The big story with this issue is of course the change in artists. Stuart Immonen takes over with this issue, and I hope he stays around for a long time. His art is different from Bagley’s, that’s no doubt, but it keeps the same level of excitement and action. As with Bagley, Immonen does a good job of making the teenagers look like teenagers and not short adults. The story deals with another return of Norman Osborne as he makes his escape. The bulk of the story deals with continuing the Peter-Mary Jane-Kitty triangle as they get entangled with that most classic of sitcom situations, the take care of a baby assignment. (Which does anyone actually do, or is this something that just happens to T.V. characters?) It’s a cliché, but Bendis makes it work for him, as his characters always ring true. The change of art is not as jarring with Bendis behind the typewriter, as the characters voices haven’t changed, just the way they look. This issue is as good as the series always is.

Checkmate #17

Checkmate gets back on track with this issue, after a rocky crossover with Outsiders and a slow last issue. The other problem recently with this series is also addressed, as they get a decent artist to replace Jesus Saiz. This issue deals with the man in charge of security for Checkmate’s castle base, which is a huge target for villainous organizations. The security chief, or Castellan, turns out to be a former Superman villain named Deathtrap. The story is told from his perspective as he goes through a tough day of protecting the castle from a range of threats. The action is tight, and Greg Rucka along with Eric Trautmann keep the surprises coming and get the reader to identify with this new character. Guest art comes from Chris Samnee, who has a minimalist style, looking almost like Michael Lark. It’s not fancy, but that’s not really needed on this series. He sets the mood and gets all the characters right. If we can’t get Saiz on this series, he’d make a good replacement. Glad to see this series return to its former greatness, and I can’t wait to see where some of the plot points from this series go.