Ultimate Spider-Man, Vol. 4: One Last Day

Ultimate Spider-Man (2024) (Collected Editions)

by Jonathan Hickman, Marco Checchetto (Artist), David Messina (Artist)

Jonathan Hickman’s acclaimed saga of a married Peter Parker and his amazing family continues!

Brace yourself for Fisk vs. Mr. Negative vs. Mysterio — with Spider-Man and his allies caught in the middle! Will the Sinister Six destroy New York before they destroy each other?! Plus: Harry Osborn lives! And Peter and Mary Jane share another fateful dinner with Harry and Gwen.

COLLECTING: Ultimate Spider-Man (2024) #19-24

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Marvel, Spider Man, Comic Book, Graphic Novels Comics, Superheroes

192 pages, Paperback

First published July 26, 2026

About the author

Jonathan Hickman is an American comic book writer and artist. He is known for creating the Image Comics series The Nightly News, The Manhattan Projects and East of West, as well as working on Marvel Comics' Fantastic Four, FF, and S.H.I.E.L.D. titles. In 2012, Hickman ended his run on the Fantastic Four titles to write The Avengers and The New Avengers, as part the "Marvel NOW!" relaunch. In 2013, Hickman wrote a six-part miniseries, Infinity, plus Avengers tie-ins for Marvel Comics. In 2015, he wrote the crossover event Secret Wars. - Wikipedia

Reviews

[Jim Ef]

8.1/10
The conclusion to Hickman's run. I really liked this interpretation of Peter, M.J. and the rest of cast. We are finally in the end of a exciting and emotional journey. The whole run was done tastefully, focusing more on plot and character development. I will miss this version of Spidey and this world.

[elliot]

i will never forgive marvel for canceling this.

it could’ve been a long series like bendis’s ultimate spiderman and it would’ve been a better series than that also. i wish we got to see more of this story by hickman.

i am glad harry finally erased norman’s ai from his suit. it was an awful idea to begin with.

[Brayden Morrison]

For such a strong start to this run, it's such a weak ending (in other words, nothing really happens).

[Khurram]

Yes I am biased Peter and MJ Parker forever. This whole series has been a bit of a slow burn, however, like anything when the pay off or in this case the main event completely delivers completely all is forgiven.

The battle for New York is starting. The (remaining) Six against each other. Ben and Jonah Vs. The Kingpin (in the media), and the rematch between Spider-man the Kingpin physically. This is the end game the main event whatever you want to call it, this is it. Nuff said!!!

I love the Parker family i will always advocate the Peter and MJ split should never have happened. This is the Peter/Spider-man story I needed, (personally, just the extra shot of motivation I needed today). This is what Spider-man should be. The book finishes with variant cover gallery.

[Sean Gibson]

This is a really fun series, and the most character-driven Hickman work I've read. Great art, too.

[milo]

ok so i kind of am not the most super sure HOW they won. but yayyyy hot peter parker with kids !!!! good job

[emms]

I really didn't enjoy the sudden changes in the art style, the usual one is much better, and the new one kinda threw me off.
Loved the mj and peter moments tho, and I liked in general how the plot ended.
Reallyy enjoyed this comic!

[Rory Wilding]

With these final six issues of Ultimate Spider-Man, Peter Parker’s life continues to get more complicated with not only having to juggle super-heroics and a loving family, but what happens when the two things start to intertwine? By this point, Wilson Fisk and his Sinister Six know who Spider-Man is and even though there is some Game of Thrones-like backstabbing secretly happening in the background, the Kingpin is determined to bring down Peter and his family.

Picking up where the previous volume left off, the conflict gets a little too close as Peter’s son Richard, donning the sentient picotech suit when he goes out as Spider-Man, is set up by Felicia Hardy and finds himself in a room with Fisk and his goons. This results in Richard’s suit taking action, and if you think the suit being black isn’t obvious enough, there is a whole action sequence where it goes full Venom. Considering J.J. Abrams AND HIS SON co-wrote a Spider-Man comic years ago about both a father and his son donning the mask, writer Jonathan Hickman actually does write right by this concept, in how he uses Richard throughout the story.

Family is the ultimate theme of this book and as much as Peter’s family were initially on board with his heroic alter-ego, his wife Mary Jane not only starts to grow more concern over the ongoing conflict with the Kingpin, but the many secrets that Peter is sharing with Harry Osborn and Gwen Stacy, each with their own inner demons. With more emphasis on character drama than spectacle, which is where David Messina’s strength is as an artist, there is a great deal of dialogue, from issue #20 devoted to a dinner conversation to #21 where we get Mister Negative’s backstory.

Due to the series’ episodic nature, what felt refreshing initially, you start to see the cracks as the story does these monthly time-jumps, it always feels like you are never given enough to spend time with a character going through a particular situation. Although Hickman subtly sets up Peter’s alliance with others expanding, the time-jumping doesn’t support the overall outcome, especially when the story suddenly jumps three months, in which Peter’s family hanging out with the likes of Otto Octavius (rocking his Superior Spider-Man outfit) and the Mole Man in the Savage Land.

However, despite the awkward structure, it is surprising how much Hickman achieves a lot, from the numerous plot threads getting resolved, to the touching character moments whether it is Peter and MJ expressing their love for one another, or any time where the young May Parker says anything. It is also satisfying when we see the heroes winning after months of struggle as shown in the climax.

There is an intensity in the way Marco Checchetto illustrates the action, particularly when the Kingpin delivers such impactful hits, but you can also tell that Checchetto loves to draw Spider-Man as seen here with some striking imagery where our hero still stands on his two feet after being pummelled. I particularly like how Checchetto draws the intricate webbing and with the recent announcement he will be drawing the next Avengers run later this year, it makes me excited to see him drawing more Spidey.

If I have another criticism towards Ultimate Spider-Man, it is that it ends. Whatever conflicting reports there have been on whether this version of Marvel’s Ultimate Universe was gonna continue or not, Hickman and his two collaborative artists hit the landing with and an ending that makes the series come full circle about the importance of family and the true realisation of what Peter had been missing from his life. As the volume concludes from pages of the Ultimate Finale one-shot, we see a fun little tale not only showcasing the wonderful Parker family dynamic, but also how there is a hero in all of them.

[Tom Oldale]

After worrying slightly that the ending of this limited series was on a slight downward trajectory after the 3rd instalment, I was pleased in the end to get what I consider a satisfying, neatly packaged, multi-threaded story that mostly sticks the slightly older super-hero landing.

This 4th collection of the 24 comic series manages to tie up all the characters stories into a coherent and well orchestrated ending overall, with room for a sequel should they decide to continue it one day…

I will say, I still wished for slightly more insight into some characters backgrounds in this universe by the final page. I was very happy with how some characters were represented here but part of me was always wanting a more detailed look at motivations and mechanics of how said characters came to be than what I was presented with SOME of the time.

But what I certainly did get, I’m pleased to say, was an ending that reflected what attracted me to the first instalment originally, a through and through “family man” Peter that puts his loved ones above all and does what is needed to secure their happiness and safety in both his super-powered ways and his “off-duty” shenanigans. It makes for a fairly good balance of grounded character moments and superhero drama.

This last collection is fast paced, action packed and I think a pretty good conclusion to this limited series. It’s one of very few graphic novel series I’ve read where I’ve found myself immediately buying the next one before I’ve finished the current one… so that’s evidence in itself of my opinion I guess.

As I said in my review of the first book, I picked this up on a complete whim in a shop one day and like I said then… I’m glad I did.

[IamT-Rex]

3/5

Final volume and it finishes up cute. There is no stakes as usual, it literally copies the homework of Daredevil Season 3’s finale but it’s fine! The final thesis and statement this book makes on who Spider-Man is as a character is so good. I wrote a whole video essay on does Spider-Man ever get to be happy and the answer here is the obvious one. Yes, if you stop telling stories about him. If you tell his arc and leave him be, to continue to be Spider-Man in a way that the audience never see’s then he will always be happy. As long as we are reading his story though he can’t be. Which makes it awesome that this is a Spider-Man that we get a true good bye to and not in a way like the other Ultimate Spider-man or Life Story where he has to die. This Peter will eventually die, but it’s not at the end of this story. He gets to live many more years with his family and wife that he loves. It’s very sweet, it’s very dumb but it’s heart where it counts. I love Spidey and I love that this ending felt earned. It felt like the ultimate payoff to the first volume being called married with children.

Felt very much what I want them to do with peter b Parker in beyond the spider verse but you know they are gonna kill him too bad cause I’d love to see him have a good life!1

[Reece]

And so the Ultimate Universe ends not with a bang but with a whimper.

MJ is great in this volume. She really shows a strength of character and puts Peter, Harry, and Gwen in their place. In a world of costumed freaks, she rightfully paints herself as the only sane one in the room.

The final confrontation with Kingpin and Mr. Negative is great. I found it very reminiscent of the black suit confrontation in prison in the back in black storyline. Peter is there to stand and fight to defend his family against an enemy that will never let them know peace.

It's a very well-balanced final outing, there's three plot lines converging in the Kingpin's building. As Mysterio makes their powergrab and the Parkers work to save their whole family.

I'll mostly vamp about the ending now. After all is said and done, Mysterio stands as the new "Kingpin" of New York. The Maker, the big bad of this Universe, has decided to let them have their fun and rule as he sees fit. And Peter Parker knows this! The same Peter Parker who is supposed to exist as a force for the good, who every kid in the world looks up to! He's content to live out his days in the sandbox, the great dictator the Maker has carved out for him. Like bowling with the bumpers up?

What a hollow ending to this run.

[Micah Fisher]

I understand why some people have complained that across this entire series, "Nothing happens,". I don't agree with the complaint, especially since we've gotten some of my favorite Spider-Man moments in years from these last few issues.

But, here's the thing: I loved the moments in this run where, "nothing happens,". I couldn't get enough of Hickman's voice for these characters! I loved the quiet moments of relationships being tested and characters being forced to grow and change!

The action and artwork in this book are both stunning and worth the price of admission alone, but it will be those quiet moments that stick with me. Those moments that show us just how much potential there is for a story where Peter Parker is a husband and a father. They say actions speak louder than words, but those conversations were the most meaningful issues of the run.

The moments that show the weight of the responsibility that in the end we all feel, no matter how great our power.

[Vinayak]

A beautiful end to this amazing run although I do wish this run went on for like another 100 issues. Felt like it really was written for the fans who had to deal with the MJ and Peter split with the way this one ended. Glad to see every character handled with care and having their own win in this book or see their ambitions fully realized. This run as a whole might be the best Marvel run of the 2020s that I read so far

[Shakirul Khan]

"Something was missing, but it wasn't what mattered...
because I already had everything I truly wanted. I just didn't know it at that time.
But now?
Now I do."

This run have become one my most favorite one. 🕷️

[Inky Lee]

Plot got pretty confusing but I’m in love with Peter’s domestic life.

[Clint]

Satisfying ending, but I am sad to see it end

[lauren]

very good idk why everyone was hating

[Can]

2.5🌟 The slight change in the artstyle felt weird but it was alright. The ending felt rushed, I enjoyed the slow paced issues before. Not much else to say, a lackluster ending overall.

[Lewis Dite]

Loved this take on Spidey - this was the weaker of the volumes though

[Bryan Fischer]

I was going to say this book was a disappointment (again), but after the last 2 volumes lowered my expectations enough, this one actually did meet my new (lower) expectations!

[Tyler]

Read as individual comics, ratings below:

#19= 4 stars
#20= 4 stars
#21= 2 stars
#22= 3 stars
#23= 4.5 stars
#24= 4 stars

Overall rating of 4 stars

[Simone]

Penso che non riuscirò mai ad essere obiettivo fino in fondo con questa serie. Ultimate Spider-Man c'era nella mia adolescenza, e c'è stato nella mia età adulta, presentandosi sempre come quella pacca sulla spalla nei momenti difficili. Ma vediamo di provarci.

Partiamo da quello che credo sia il più grande rapporto conflittuale che la maggior parte dei lettori hanno con questa serie, ossia il fatto che abbiano ottenuto l'Uomo Ragno che volevano (sposato, figli, adulto ecc.) ma anche che - ad un certo punto - il protagonista sembrava perdersi nella sua stessa serie. E, può sembrare un paradosso, ma questo è il motivo per cui la serie funziona davvero.

Dopo One More Day, era chiaro come il sole che la Marvel non voleva far crescere Peter davvero. Ogni volta che sembrava vicino a una forma di maturità stabile — il matrimonio con Mary Jane, un lavoro, una serenità emotiva — la continuity trovava sempre il modo di riportarlo indietro. Peter doveva restare incompleto, precario, eternamente in ritardo sulla propria vita. Lo Spider-Man classico vive di questo squilibrio permanente: bollette non pagate, relazioni che crollano, senso di colpa, caos continuo. Hickman fa qualcosa di molto più radicale: ribalta l'obiettivo; la ricerca di Peter non diventa quella dell'equilibro ma del mantenimento dello stesso ora che è ottenuto. Non deve imparare cosa significhi la responsabilità. Non deve capire come bilanciare la maschera e la vita privata. Non deve ancora “diventare” sé stesso, perché già lo è; non lo vediamo direttamente ma, dopo tutti gli archi di formazione visti dentro e fuori dal fumetto, non c'era bisogno. L'arrivo della maschera è l'elemento destabilizzatore della felicità e Peter diventa il centro stabile attorno a cui il conflitto si genera. Diventa quasi più simile a personaggi come Seiya dei Cavalieri dello Zodiaco, dove il suo arco narrativo si è già concluso e fa da faro agli altri personaggi, ancora in cerca di crescita.

Per certi versi, Hickman scrive Peter più come scriverebbe Reed Richards che come l'UR tradizionale. Non è più un outsider nevrotico che rincorre la vita. È una figura adulta, paterna, a cui attorno a cui iniziano a orbitare un sistema. Non deve cambiare: deve reggere il peso del cambiamento intorno a lui. Ecco perché la serie rallenta così tanto. Ecco perché dedica così tanto spazio ai dialoghi domestici, alle cene, ai silenzi, ai momenti quotidiani. Non sono pause dalla trama: sono la trama. Perché il compito di questo Uomo Ragno, è non perdere quei momenti lì. È un paradosso interessante: molti lettori volevano uno Spider-Man adulto, sposato e finalmente sereno. Ma quando ottengono davvero quella versione del personaggio, scoprono che un Peter Parker emotivamente stabile genera meno caos, meno nevrosi, meno centralità assoluta. Perché gran parte della forza narrativa dello Spider-Man classico nasceva proprio dalla sua incapacità di essere pronto. Ed è forse qui che si nasconde il vero motivo del successo della serie, perché è una di quelle versioni dell'eroe in cui è possibile immaginare un futuro.

[Shivesh]

Bittersweet to note that this really did feel like the best possible ending for this run/alternative Spidey. As a finale volume, it lands with emotional clarity and a sense of thematic closure that feels earned. And yet… it’s bittersweet because it’s hard not to see all the stories we won’t get. This world was messy, strange, full of potential—Hobgoblins as a Zodiac‑killer legion, Hydro‑Man causing tsunamis, all the wild corners Hickman could’ve explored if he weren’t juggling Three Worlds/Three Moons and unfinished projects. There was so much room to grow. I read this after waiting a long time and it hit right. I will miss Mayday and Richard Parker - they didn't get enough time.

The series started strong, then slowed down and repeated beats, especially around the time jump. I still don’t understand how Richard accessed the suit or why Peter and Harry’s disappearance barely registers in the narrative. Actually he disappeared twice. His dad/AI also could have been explored deeply - it would have been another villain arc lasting 5 issues in itself. But even with those stumbles, I genuinely enjoyed this book. Hickman’s voice is still commanding in the comics world—and even when this run wasn’t perfect, it was never boring.

There were so many standout choices. Ben Parker being alive and teaming up with J. Jonah Jameson? Incredible bromance. Harry staying morally grounded instead of spiraling into the usual Osborn melodrama? Loved it. Kingpin and his Sinister Six were fun, Mole Man was surprisingly funny with his Molepeople, MJ and the kids were warm and believable, Gwen as Mysterio was inspired. Otto’s arc was way too short, but what we got was good. Above all: MJ as everyone's perfect girlfriend turned wife... we could not ask for more than that, and the epilogue here sealed the five stars for me. It was a deep hit of nostalgia for the child inside me reading old issues on my bed on a warm Saturday morning.

In the end, this wasn’t the next long‑form Ultimate Spider-Man epic we hoped for. It became something else—a sharp, heartfelt anthology about a new Peter Parker in a new world, wearing a familiar mask but carrying different burdens. And honestly? It was a blast. The characters worked, the writing hit more than it missed, and the art was consistently gorgeous.

I’m going to miss this series. Maybe in ten years Marvel will give us a “Newer New Ultimate Universe,” and maybe we’ll get to revisit this Peter again. I hope so. For now, this was a beautiful goodbye. See ya later Pete.

[Ángel Javier]

A ver, esto lo he leído número a número, y es el perfecto tebeo serializado: pasan muchísimas cosas dentro de un arco argumental potente que va in crescendo constantemente, mostrando la pericia de un guionista que, cuando quiere y le dejan, está entre los mejores de la industria y, sin duda, el mejor de Marvel.

En estos episodios vamos de sorpresa en sorpresa, de emoción en emoción, y continuamos amando a los Parker y preocupándonos por el Duende y Gwen aunque constantemente tengamos la sensación de que van a acabar fatal. Los malos son creíbles, con ambiciones realistas, especialmente Kingpin: Wilson Fisk se muestra en estas páginas a la altura de sus apariciones más icónicas, rozando la colosal estatura de Born Again. En el apartado gráfico, que quede claro que hay un abismo entre Chechetto, espectacular, y Messina, cumplidor.

Y van y nos cierran la serie. La miopía de Marvel es extraordinaria, chapando (en teoría, esperemos que sea otro «bluff» publicitario por el que la Casa sin Ideas es conocida en el mundo entero) su universo mejor construido, el Ultimate. ¿De verdad nos vamos a quedar sin los Parker como deberían ser, y nos tendremos que conformar con la anémica versión de Amazing, con un Peter congelado en los veintimuchos, una MJ que no es más que una caricatura de la que los fans de toda la vida amamos, una May que cambia de edad como quien cambia de camisa, etc., etc.? Sinceramente, espero que Marvel (y Hickman) recapacite y nos ofrezca más de esta versión, que, insisto, debería ser la principal —la evolución natural del personaje creado por Steve Ditko—, del lanzarredes. Tan solo el flashback en el que se muestra la conversación entre una MJ que acaba de enterarse de que está embarazada y Peter (su novio, en ese momento) suena más emotiva y auténtica, más propia de estos personajes que conocemos y amamos desde hace (en mi caso) más de cuatro décadas, que todo lo que se ha escrito sobre ellos en el Universo Marvel mainstream en los últimos veintipico años. Quo vadis, Marvel??

[Chris Gooch]

So it’s finally done!

After 24 issues, Hickman has finally finished this Ultimate Spider-Man narrative…

Was it good? Well the art was good. Was it well paced? Not at all. The ending felt rushed, and when we look at the story overall, with all the issues devoted to two or more people talking at a bar, or over dinner, or in their office, or in a bunker (each of these issues, quite literally the entirety of a chapter will be people talking in a restaurant setting with little to no progress made.) Add to this, the constant time-jumps after big game-changing cliffhangers; you can’t help but feel all those chapters devoted to people chatting over dinner could have been used to delve into what happened during said time-jumps (you know, instead of doing the actual time-jump)

So with the climax finally… well… climaxed, this has a similar issue that the series finale of Strangers Things has: long-winded, drawn-out endings for all the characters that takes up about 16 more pages than it really needed to have.

Some people may absolutely love this run. It did not really connect with me. The initial idea, I feel was, “what if Peter Parker had a beard and a family?” And that is where the originality comes to an end - everything else about this run became a test of how many different ways can we still shoe-horn in characters from regular continuity and make them more or less look the same and make tangential changes to these characters that just muddy the story more than add to the story. From Mysterio, to Venom/Anti-Venom, Mole Man, Mr. Negative, Black Cat and so on and so forth; everyone and everything looks the same but is just different enough for the sake of being different rather than being essential to the narrative.

Anyway. I’m glad I read it, but I’m more glad it is over.

[Riley Pilgrim]

I really wish this was better. I wish Marvel didn’t cancel this. I wish Hickman didn’t lose himself in this story. I just wish I liked this book more. I was on board with a lot of stuff, but it getting canceled really ruined it for me.

Ultimate Spider-Man was one of my favorite ultimate titles at the start. It had so much momentum. An older Peter, with MJ, uncle Ben was around, he had kids, and he gets powers late in life. What does that mean for Spider-Man? Well not a lot apparently, as this book barely explores Peter as a character at all.

My biggest issue with this book is that there is WAY TOO MUCH GOING ON. Hickman lost sight of his story early on. Look at Absolute Batman, it slowly expanded its story as each arc happened. Bruce is the core of that story. Ultimate Spider-Man was plagued by this weird timeline of this universe, and was hindered by Marvel as a whole.

Hickman just didn’t have his heart in this book anymore by the end. Things happen, and you don’t get any build up or much development from it. Every character feels the same by the end. M.J, who I love, didn’t change much at all. Like who even is she? We barely got to know her at all…. And this is the case with most characters…

The finale was such a mess, and felt so rushed. Nothing was earned. This story needed to be focused on the Parker’s and not be hindered by a growing cast, and the Ultimate universe as a whole. There’s so much more I could go into, but I won’t. Incredibly disappointed with how all this ended.

[Alex Sarll]

There was a logic to deciding from the off that the new Ultimate Universe would only run for two years: Marvel is notoriously shorter than DC on relatively self-contained stories that work as easy introductions, and it's uncontroversial to say that the first Ultimate U started strong with its ground-up reworking of Marvel's big characters, before going rapidly downhill thereafter, so why not skip the decline this time? But that ticking clock really worked against the strengths of Ultimate Spider-Man in particular, where the covers often tease a charming, seasonal superhero family sitcom, while the stories behind them, especially in the second year, increasingly bogged themselves down in angst and conspiracy, the Parkers and affiliates hiding out in a subterranean jungle between waging a guerilla war against the secret rulers of the world, which is a very different mode. And here, at the last, having sometimes really messed up its own pacing by a strict one issue per month of in-world time rule, the series abruptly abandons it, skipping two months and then devoting three issues to one extended scrap. There's still a lot to enjoy, most obviously the family dynamic, and this dad version of Peter Parker is much more likeable than the regular one who was so permanently messed up by his childhood trauma that he's been a self-sabotaging irritant ever since. And gods know it's certainly better than the rest of the Ultimate Ultimate Universe. But I'm really not convinced that this run is going to become the perennial it was intended to be.

[Alex]

Man, do I really wish this felt like the ending we have come to expect from Hickman. Spoiler warning: it's not.

Ultimate Spidey was the big series coming out of this relaunch, and was pretty strong through the first year. But after the kraven stuff, this book was simultaneously doing too much/not enough with the remaining time it had. I still suspect the "line conclusion" from Marvel wasn't planned, and this is what we are left with.

This whole volume felt like throwing ideas at the wall, with no time to see them develop. It does wrap up the Kingpin plot, sure. The micro hero vs villain catharsis is there. But the grand scheme is found very wanting. I don't think I care for Richard as a second Spidey, and I never felt positive about Black Cat.

I'm still torn on MJ as a whole throughout this whole series, she seemed too doting and too supportive, past all limits. Seeing her and Pete be a married couple was kinda novel, but it didn't amount to anything tangible.

Mirroring the first issues final page with a updated version for this issue was a artistic touch, but it rings hollow. This book just ran out of gas, and I'm more saddened by what it could have been, and not what it became. With great power comes great responsibility, and I don't think Hickman/Checcetto used their powers to their full potential.

[Seppe Vanhoof]

A great conclusion to an even greater run. This story has had me in it’s grasp for months now and I’m happy with how it ended. I am sad though that we aren’t getting more, but it is what it is. I liked the villains in this book as well as our heroes and side characters. The emotions are overwhelming but relatable and I think this might be one of the best stories I’ve read in a long time. I’d really like to see the Parker family return in ultimate endgame. I love the relationship between MJ and Peter and the rest of his family, as well as Jonah and Ben. The villains are all peak, the power struggle between Kingpin and Mr. Negative is a blast. The only thing bad about this comic is that it wraps up so soon, I do believe there was more story to be told (you can’t give us that last panel of May and then just call it quits there…).

The art is good as always. I would like to see a bit more experimenting I think, as the art is good but a bit basic.

Overall: characters 5/5, story 4.5/5, art 4.5/5 => 4.7/5 stars

[James De Leon]

What the heck is going on with Marvel’s editorial? Ugh anyway, in general, this arc was … fine. It’s hard not to grade it on a negative curve - and it’s hard to treat this arc by itself being the culmination of it all.

Solid, but frustratingly short of what it could have been. The biggest issue might have been the decision to jump an in-universe month between every issue. That structure undercut character development and skipped over interactions that should have carried emotional weight. For a story built around Peter’s life and relationships, that is a major flaw.

The scale also worked against it. The plot grew too large, with too many characters for a 24-issue run to properly service. It either needed more room to breathe or a tighter, more focused scope.

There is still a lot to appreciate, especially giving Peter and MJ a stable, intact family and a definitive ending. But in the end, it feels like wasted potential. A good Spider-Man story that could have been much more.