Chapters nine and ten of Ultraman: Along Came a Spider-Man are now available for free on the VIZ manga app or at the VIZ manga website! The collision between the friendly neighborhood wall-crawler and the Giant of Light continues to expand, as an all-new perspective emerges in this story arc.
A young civilian named Onita takes center stage this time. Small, already injured, and unable to defend himself, Onita is an easy target for school bullies. However, he does not take the punches in stride. Onita’s resentment manifests as a lust for revenge. ‘…I’ve been alone and I always will be.’
Onita’s building desire for power and the destruction of his foes becomes a catalyst for Alien Mefilas’s newest scheme. After reaching through dimensions, into the Monster Graveyard, Mefilas is able to resurrect the lost soul of Gango the Brain Wave Kaiju.
Gango’s form changes in response to the brain waves of those around it. The creature can shift into any being the mind can imagine. Mefilas, in his cynical nature, sends Gango to Earth under the notion that humanity will fall to shambles when presented with the ability to create whatever they wish. ‘Pure hearted intentions into insatiable desires.’
As it happens, Gango’s egg bursts on Earth in front of Onita. When the strange, mouthless creature shows itself to be entirely obedient, Onita becomes intoxicated with the potential of its abilities.
Onita wishes for Gango to have powers like Spider-Man, who has started to establish himself properly, and instantly the alien shapeshifts into a spider-beast. At Onita’s command, Gango ties Onita’s nemeses up in his spider-web and shapeshifts into replicas of them whenever necessary…
Except Onita’s nemeses are not big, bad, kaiju or even evil adversaries. They’re his schoolmates and parents.
There’s truly few things eerier than the totally hollow look in the Gango doppelgangers’ eyes…
Alien Mefilas’s vision is coming to fruition. The most vengeful, envious pits of human emotion are now a catalyst for great power. Will Alien Mefilas succeed at the advantage of humanity’s own greedy nature?
When faced with suffering we all have the choice to reenact it or refuse it. Peter Parker and Shin Hayata were both slim, young, working-class guys that could’ve easily folded to the will of those around them had they not determined themselves towards protecting the greater good.
Both boys dealt with great adversity throughout their lives, but chose not to be victims in their own narratives. Ultraman and Spider-Man have seen hardship, and in turn decided to defend the innocent from the chaos of the galaxy. When faced with hardship of his own, Onita chooses to perpetuate it, becoming the sort of bully he feared before, and far worse.
With Gango, Onita has become a perfect foil to Spider-Man. Not only are his intentions and driving force a complete opposite to Spider-Man’s, but his level of power is completely equal. If there is a showdown, it’s gonna be messy.
Not all humans turn to retribution when compromised. Some become heroes. But are those few enough to balance the scale of human morality and what will happen when those without a strong ethical foundation come into an abundance of undeserved power? Will Ultraman and Spider-Man be able to change Onita’s heart, or will it go too far?
Find out next week on the VIZ Manga app or the VIZ manga website and be sure to stay tuned here at Ultraman Connection for weekly updates!
