As promised, a long overdue return to my graphic novel sequence! I’m still gradually catching up with the Marvel Ultimate series; the book I’m reading right now… is not the book I should be reading right now, apparently[1]. Son of a bitch. On the bright side, none of that has any effect on this particular review. And it’s not like I’m ever caught without a backup book in this kind of situation, it’s just frustrating to break order yet again, when I’m only finally getting back into it! So, I guess I’ll start over? Right, then.

That guy Spider-Man, yeah? He has been having a rough couple of months. He lost two close friends right in a row and then had to[2] break up with his girlfriend, and all the while the villains are mostly getting cannier. Plus, enough people have seen his face that if they all got together they could work up a composite and start putting him on milk cartons. When you get right down to it, it’s really about time he caught a break. And, well, that actually sort of happens in Silver Sable. I mean, on the one hand, he is being stalked by one of the pre-eminent bounty hunter types in the world, and that’s not so great. But for once, the chaos surrounding Peter Parker is really not of his own making, not even indirectly. Plus, as the X-Men had previously spoiled for me (since I’m reading a little bit out of order and all), he has a new girlfriend who is far less likely to be killed as a result of Spider-Man’s interference in a normal life. All in all, the book is a humor-centric piece of breathing space amid the various tragedy and drama in Peter’s life. And I’m glad; as well as Bendis handles the drama, it was starting to get a little oppressive in here! …though I can’t help feeling bad for Mary Jane.

[1] It was supposed to be Ultimate Annuals. I instead have Ultimate Annuals 2. And I’m really not sure how my filing system allowed it to happen!
[2] Had to? Plausibly yes. He certainly did, regardless.