Ultimate Spider-Man, Vol. 1
by Brian Michael Bendis
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Book Summary Information
Author: Brian Michael BendisEdition: Hardcover
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2003-04-15
ISBN: 078510898X
Number of pages: 352
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Product features:
- MARVEL ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN
Book Reviews of Ultimate Spider-Man, Vol. 1
Book Review: Retelling the story of Spider-Man for the 21st Century
Summary: 5 Stars
The idea with "Ultimate Spider-Man" was to update the charaacter for the 21st century, specifically by going back and starting over from the beginning, albeit with Peter Parker a bit younger, and doing so fully cognizant of where Stan Lee and Steve Ditko started off the comic book and where the character would end up in terms of super villains and future bride. There is certainly a sense in which this version is compatible with the blockbuster "Spider-Man" movie, but that is more in terms of having Mary Jane Watson there from the start than anything else. Ultimately, the point here is tighten the original Spider-Man story and give the characters some twists. The stories here are by Bill Jemas and Brian Michael Bendis (who does the script), with pencils by Mark Bagley and inks by Art Theibert and Dan Panosian.
"Power and Responsibility" (issues #1-7) takes its time in developing the origin of Spider-Man. The original story by Lee and Ditko in "Amazing Fantasy" #15 was eleven pages long. Here it takes six issues to get to the same point in the character's history. Of course, since we know where things are going, we can take time to appreciate the journey. At the same time, there is a concerted effort to bring various elements more into the mix. That infamous radioactive spider is the creation of Osborn Industries, the pet project of Norman Osborn and one of his chief scientists, Dr. Otto Octavius. Osborn is extremely interested in why young Peter Parker does not die after the bite and the creation of the Green Goblin becomes a direct consequence of the fateful spider bite. In time I am sure we will see the birth of Doctor Octopus will come from this as well.
"Learning Curve" (#8-13) has to do with Wilson Fisk, a.k.a. the Kingpin, who catches Peter Parker's attention. Then Spider-Man tries to bring down the secretive crime lord. The key point here is that Spider-Man, who is in point of fact almost sixteen years old, is in way over his head as a superhero. The Kingpin proves this by taking about a half dozen pages to defeat Spider-Man and toss his unconscious body out the window. Spider-Man's early attempts at crime fighter are so inept that he actually contributes to the idea that Spider-Man is a criminal, making it easy for J. Jonah Jameson to trash the hero in "The Daily Bugle." In the end it is as much Peter Parker as his alter-ego that scores an initial, tentative victory over the Kingpin; plus Spider-Man's verbal battle with the Kingpin is a minor comic (as in comedic not as in book) gem.
But Bendis is interested in doing more than creating a more streamlined version of the story of Spider-Man. In the final issue of this collection he unveils a radical change in the whole secret identity part of the character's dynamic. It will be interesting to see how this plays out (especially since it kills one of the my all-time favorite scenes from the original "Amazing Spider-Man"), but I have to admit I appreciate the character's motivation for doing so. The Spider-Man story is enough of a soap opera without resorting to the more inane traditional elements of the genre. All in all, this is a first rate retelling of the tale, enjoyable both by those who are well versed in the character and those who come to this series in the wake of the blockbuster film.
This is a unique artistic interpretation of Spider-Man (think Titian inked by Todd McFarlane) and Peter Parker (whose can match Mary Jane strand for strand for hair in the face). In many ways I am reminded of when John Byrne had the responsibility of restarting Superman; there is a sense to be a bit more realistic. It is not that Peter Parker is an absolute scientific genius; it was his father who did most of the preliminary work on what would become the formula for Spider-Man's web. Once he gains his spider powers, Peter Parker does what just about any persecuted high school nerd would do; he goes out and becomes a super jock. When he starts web slinging he makes a lot of initial mistakes. I even like the way Peter snaps back at Uncle Ben and Aunt May as things start to get to him, both before and after the spider-bite. This just increases the pathos of the tragedy that unfolds.
I like the fact that "Ultimate Spider-Man" is divorced from the two "real" Spider-Man comic books (now three with the rebirth of "The Spectacular Spider-Man"). Going back to the original stories by Lee and Ditko (later John Romita, Sr.) in either "The Essential Spider-Man" or "Marvel Masterworks" series are not going to be really helpful to younger readers of the character. It was well worthwhile for those of us who started reading "The Amazing Spider-Man" in the Sixties to go through Betty Brant and the death of Gwen Stacy to eventually get to the day when Mary Jane confronted Peter with the fact she knew he was Spider-Man, but those are hundreds of issues to go through. Starting over again with full knowledge of where the characters are going to end up is a worthwhile approach, especially given how good of a start we see in this first collection (the next four are already out for those who want to continue the journey). I have checked out a few of the other Ultimate titles, but this so far this one is the best.
Summary of Ultimate Spider-Man, Vol. 1
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