While Godzilla has spent the last several months crossing over with Marvel, another Tokusatsu star has had the chance to co-star with the famed superhero franchise. This time, the beloved Ultraman collides with Peter Parker in the trade paperback release of the completed Ultraman: Along Came a Spider-Man manga. Translating the film/television star Ultraman and iconic comic star Spider-Man to manga is a task well-handled by author Shigenobu Matsumoto (known for Duel Masters) and illustrator Tomo Hirokawa (previously worked on Sword Art Online: Hollow Realization), as fans will enjoy a wholesome, fun story filled with charm and plenty of action.
The main villain of this story is none other than Doctor Doom, as the action starts immediately through a devastating New York City attack that leaves Peter in crisis. He wants to try his best to save every individual, but Iron Man desperately tells him that he must choose between who he can save and who he can’t save, and that not saving one person can help save another 100. Finally, a mysterious train hits Peter and Doctor Doom and takes them to Japan, where Peter is greeted with a giant kaiju attack, and subsequent Ultraman activation by Hayata. However, it’s not just the two heroes who get to crossover, but villains Doctor Doom and Mefilas team up to combine their might.
©Marvel ©Tsuburaya Productions
From there, it is a simple, smooth ride that does well to showcase the similarities between the philosophies of Ultraman’s world and this Peter Parker’s thinking, and as is the case with many Ultraman stories, it came in Peter’s time of need. At a crossroads in his young superhero career, meeting Hayata and the rest of SSSP is a major turning point in Peter’s character which makes this crossover contain some depth beyond the surface level.
Tomo Hirokawa’s art is simple but effective, as both Spider-Man’s and Ultraman’s fight sequences are aesthetically pleasing and are in the style of their respective works. For comic Spider-Man fans, the manga-centric art and dialogue style may come off slightly peculiar, but it is a great story to introduce them to all that manga has to offer. And for Ultraman fans who may not indulge in a ton of Spider-Man, the story showcases the charm of the iconic Marvel hero and presents how the character’s core beliefs and struggles align with the values of the Ultraman franchise.
For those who have not already read the series and are looking to get into it, this volume provides a great opportunity for fans to dig into one of the more interesting tokusatsu crossovers of this year (and that’s certainly saying a lot). Ultraman: Along Came a Spider-Man Volume 1 delivers what is expected of it and explores interesting connections between the two iconic characters. The story will wrap up in the next volume, making it an easy niche piece to add to your manga collection!
Fun fact: In the comic, Spidey’s and Ultraman’s worlds exist in separate realities. The vehicle that transports Peter and Doom to Ultraman’s world is the Vary Dimensional Train, which first appeared in the final episode of Ultra Q, the series that predated Ultraman and started the Ultra franchise. The power of the train is that it takes you to the place where your wish can be fulfilled!
Thanks for your comment, Jeff! That’s a cool fact and detail that adds another layer to the story.