Ultimate Incursion
Plot Summary and Credits
When the evil version of Reed Richards known as the Maker left to rule a new world, he left Miles Morales, the only other survivor of his home universe, with a key to get there. Miles is suspicious of the Maker and decides to ignore the key, until his baby sister Billie finds it and is sent to the Maker’s new Ultimate Universe, where she is captured by the Maker’s forces in the hope of using her to free him from his prison. Miles spends weeks following her across the world, first to New York, then to Wakanda, then Japan, and finally to Latveria, finding help from new and familiar heroes along the way. After a final battle with the leaders of the Maker’s world, the Ultimates send Miles and Billie home.
Deniz Camp, Cody Ziglar (writers), Jonas Scharf (artist), Edgar Delgado, Erick Arciniega, Bryan Valenza (colours), Cory Petit, Joe Caramanga (letters), Sara Pichelli, Tamra Bonvillain, Patrick Gleason, Dean White (cover artists)
Collects Ultimate Spider-Man: Incursion #1-5 and material from Free Comic Book Day 2025: Amazing Spider-Man/Ultimate Universe
My Copy
I’d known that this series was coming out for a while and noticed the first couple of issues on the shelf at the comic shop, but completely forgot about it after that. Then one day, as I was in to get something else, I saw that the collected paperback had been released, so I picked one up on my next visit.
Before Reading
I honestly didn’t expect all that much from this miniseries. It just looked like a cheat sheet for the five main storylines of the Ultimate Universe, which I did need to an extent. Whatever the case, I’d been impressed by the universe so far, so I was willing to at least give it a look.
After Reading
I’m not totally up to date on the activities of a few comic characters, and Miles Morales is one of them. The opening chapter throws you in the deep end, giving you a panel-by-panel rundown of what he’s been up to, from getting bitten by Blade to making a pact with the African spider god Anansi to having a super-advanced vibranium suit and a glowing sword. It seems I’ve got quite a bit of catching up to do.
Something else I’m a bit behind on is the new Ultimate Universe, of which I’ve only read the Spider-Man and Ultimates runs, as well as the opening Invasion storyline, all of which I’ve been enjoying so far. I was happy to see Miles interact with this universe’s version of Peter Parker and his son, briefly switching their typical teacher-student dynamic. I also enjoyed his interactions with Maystorm of the Ultimate X-Men, who I know the least about out of the entire Ultimate lineup. Their similar ages put them on a more even footing, even if Miles is more experienced than they are, and the language barrier between them adds an extra layer of to the trust building between them.
The most impactful part of the story for me came at the very end, when Miles tells Doom (the Reed Richards of this universe who was imprisoned by the Maker) about the Maker’s true origin, unaware that he’s talking to the same man. I’m looking forward to getting back into the Ultimates’ own run to see how this pays off, and hopefully it’ll be Doom who delivers the final blow in their war.
The story does feel a bit drawn out in terms of the time frame. Miles’ journey across the world reportedly takes a number of months, most of which we don’t actually see. This length of time would be more believable if he didn’t have several allies with access to spaceships and teleportation spells, and you wouldn’t really notice the jumps if they weren’t directly mentioned.
Closing Thoughts
This miniseries is essentially a recap of other storylines, so it’s a bit confusing if you’re not up to date. The story is a little formulaic, but it works for what it is; a fun, fast-paced tour of the Ultimate Universe.
I still haven’t read the subject of my next review, but it’s a classic storyline that I’ve been meaning to get a hold of for a while.
