Ultimate Spider-Man Reviews By: Nick Akrvios

Ultimate Spider-Man #41
“The Letter”
Writer – Brian Michael Bendis
Pencils – Mark Bagley
Inks – Art Thibert
Reviewed by Nick Akrivos
The Plot
Geldhoff is still blowing up cars, but the police are coming. So, the teenagers at the party do what an self-respecting teenager at a party late at night would do when he hears the cops coming. They leg it. Amongst this lot are Peter and Gwen, who just seem to go with the flow. Peter spies Mary Jane falling over, and promptly helps her up, and over the fence they must climb over in order to make good their escape. So Peter, Gwen, MJ and Liz are all waiting at a bus stop. Peter can’t keep his eyes of MJ, then the bus comes.
On board (the bus, duh), MJ tells Peter to sit with her, and they have a little chat, which continues as they get off the bus. MJ gives Peter a letter, telling him not to read it until he gets home. So, once he’s home, he reads it. To his delight, MJ still loves him as much as he loves her, and he bounds over to her house to make-up and make-out.
In school, Peter is head-over-heels about having gotten back together with MJ. He bumps into Flash again, who still wants to talk to Peter. This time, it’s MJ that tells him to get lost. Everyone is talking about Geldhoff, and news quickly spreads that he’s outside his own school, blowing up cars. Peter is reluctant to go, due to his lack of a costume. MJ takes him to one side, and gives him half of one (hey, she wasn’t finished, okay?). And so, of Peter bounds, half baggy Spider-Man, half normal guy. Hmm, should be interesting…
Likes
Even though there wasn’t that much happening (only one big thing) this was still a great issue. I’m very happy to see Peter’s back with MJ, and the letter she wrote him was very sweet. The Flash sub-plot is still the most interesting thing, however, even if we’ve only had a handful of panels devoted to this. I’m really excited to find out what he wants to talk to Peter about.
Peter heading off in half a costume was classic, and I can’t wait to see the public’s reaction to this when he shows up next issue. Once again, Bag’s art was excellent, especially the Flash panels. But not only is Peter getting back together with MJ great in itself, it also means no more characters are going to find out Peter is Spider-Man so he can talk about his web-swinging activities. I was getting worried that Gwen might find out. That said, it will be very interesting when she does find out, given that she blames Spider-man for her father’s death, and is best friends with Peter. Oh, the suspense!
Dislikes
We didn’t really get any background on Geldhoff. In fact, we barely saw him. Oh well, let’s hope next issue sort’s this out. Other than that and the usual “too slow” complaint, there wasn’t anything bad about this issue.
Rating
4 ½ webheads out of 5. Excellent, but it needs to move a little faster to get that perfect score.

Ultimate Spider-Man #40

“Average Bear”

Writer – Brian Michael Bendis

Pencils – Mark Bagley

Inks – Art Thibert

Reviewed by Nick Akrivos

The Plot

Peter has lost his costume. How can he be a super-hero without a costume? Could he wear some leather, temporarily? Or does that stuff only work well on short people? These are just some of the problems Peter is facing this issue.

In class, Peter is lost in thought. Mary Jane is interested as to why, and inquires, via the old secret-massage-written-on-paper-behind-teachers-back technique. Peter isn’t having any of it though, and brushes her off. MJ is persistent, however, and it’s likely this persistence that leads to both their pieces of paper taken by the teacher, and consequently read aloud to the class. How embarrassing indeed.

Later, Peter runs into Flash, who is apparently very eager to talk to him about something. He asks if they can have a private conversation outside. Thinking Flash just wants to pound on him the minute they are alone, Peter calls him a jackass and walks away.

Now we cut to a women being chased by a group of muggers. Luckily for her, Spider-Man is around. Due to Peter’s lack of a costume, he is sporting a rather badly sewn together home-made replacement, so the muggers don’t quite quake their boots and leg it when he shows up. After some (mostly violent) persuasion however, they get the point, and Peter has just about redeemed when the women he rescued very kindly points out one of his eye pieces has fallen out. Rather wisely, Peter exits.

Back at home, Peter is getting increasingly frustrated about his complete lack of the mastery of sewing, and wishes Mary Jane were there to help him. Gwen comes in, forcing Peter to hastily hide his “costume”.

Gwen’s bored. He and Peter are losers. They aren’t having any fun. So, after careful persuasion, Gwen drags Peter along to a party. Once there, they don’t look as though they are having a lot of fun. Just as Peter decides it’s time to leave, Mary Jane walks in, sporting what is either a wig or hair die gone wrong. Either way, the site of this is both helpful and un-helpful to Peter. But just as he is thinking about his ex-girlfriends sudden, and rather odd, appearance, his attention is drawn outside.

A crowd has assembled, and are cheering “Gheldoff”. This Gheldoff seems to be exploding expensive cars on his own. It seems he has some sort of power. Peter catches his eye, and the issue ends.

Likes

This was a good issue. Me like.

It was an issue full of rich character interaction and development, and highlighted the emotions and feelings Peter and Mary Jane are undergoing. The scene in the classroom was great. MJ really does still care a great deal for Peter, and it shows here. Peter, on the other hand, while he still loves her, is finding it difficult to show express his feelings. He has had a hell-of-a bad week. The whole Eddie Brock/Venom thing has shaken him badly, and to make matters worse, he’s running around without a costume.

He has no-one to talk to this about. Before, Peter always had MJ to talk to about his second life to, but now, he’s all alone, at least in that respect. I’m sure the time will come when Gwen or somebody else finds out (hell, with the amount of people who already do know Peter’s secret, I’d bet on it), but for now, short of other heroes, Peter’s on his own.

The conversation with Flash, while it was very short, it revealed depth to Flash’s character that we’ve never seen before. The expression Bags puts on Flash’s face is fantastic and is, maybe more-so than Bendis’ script, responsible for that depth.

Gwen’s almost Aunt May-like persistence with Peter is funny here, and the party is very interesting indeed. Firstly, Peter and Gwen’s “we’re losers” statement unfortunately appears to be true here, as they sit on their own. And what is MJ wearing? I’ve heard un-scrupulous comments in the form of jailbait already; though you get the feeling she was hardly 100% into what she was doing. Never-the-less, it was probably an interesting situation for Peter….

And what of this Gheldoff character? Well, given that he’s only been seen in a few pages, all we really know about him is that he likes to blow up expensive cars, and there’s a good possibility that he’s a show-off, so to speak.

And, of course, Marks Bagley’s art was, as ever, superb.

Dislikes

Not a great deal, to be honest.

There was a lot of dialogue, at least for this book. There’s always my gripe about the pacing of the stories. Maybe I should review them in trade-paperback format? Nah, just kidding. My only real gripe is that we’ve now had three issues of no Spider-Man. Sure, we got almost Spider-Man this issue, but it wasn’t his costume-costume. And that’s a tad annoying. I hope next issue he’ll have it back.

There’s not a lot else to complain about, so I guess it’s on to the rating then.

Rating

4 1/2 web heads out of 5. A fine issue, but the no-Spidey factor keeps it from getting an extra half a point. A perfect five’s tough to get with me, I say I say.

So a promising start to a new story, but we’ll have to wait an issue or two to find out if the villain is all that.

This issue begins with Nick Fury eating in a restaurant, and after he leaves, activates a device of some sort and then someone falls of a wall into some rubbish. Yep, that someone was Peter. It seems that device took away his powers for a fraction of a second, and as he is getting out of the rubbish, it has already worn off. Peter wants Fury to take away his powers because he believes he killed Eddie. After telling Peter to calm down, Fury explains about his plans for him, back in issue 27. Peter thought that when he turns eighteen, Fury would take him prisoner. Here, Fury tells him he misunderstood his meaning. What Fury actually said was that, when peter turns eighteen, he’ll be able to become one of the Ultimates.

After Peter thinks about Eddie again, Fury tells him “you’re not responsible for everything and everyone”. Then Peter asks how his parents died, but Fury says he has no idea, and that his own parents were killed when he was young also. The scene ends with Fury telling Peter “next time you talk to me, make an appointment – or I’ll shoot you”.

Next, Peter, wanting to “finish it”, goes back to Eddie’s dorm, where he finds someone cleaning the place. The guy tells Peter that all of Eddie’s belongings have been taken, and also says he’s glad Eddie’s gone, since everyone thinks he’s an arse.

So Peter goes back to the lab, and meets Doctor Connors, who appears to be drunk, or getting there. He also has seen the news reports with Spider-Man in a black costume, and he too figures out that Peter is Spider-Man. We also find out that Doc Connors is the Lizard, as Ultimate Marvel Team-Up #10 is referenced. Connors tells Peter that the suit, all the files – everything to do with it – have been taken. He also talks about the super-society and then mumbles something about Peter’s father, Ray Parker, being similar to Einstein, in that they both created things for good that were used for bad. Finally, Connors passes out.

Peter leaves, angry and confused, but then his spider-sense goes off. Peter seems to think its Eddie. He calls for him, but no-one answers. We see Peter standing atop a building, alone.

So, this is the conclusion then? Good job too, because this issue is bloody marvellous. The issue is split up, more or less, into two portions: the conversation with Nick Fury, and the conversation with Doctor Connors. Bendis characterises Nick Fury so well that you want him to write The Ultimates. This conversation is the highlight off the issue. Once again, Bags does an incredible job of showing the emotion Peter is going through. He wants out. He doesn’t want to be Spider-Man any more. And Fury tells him “you’re not responsible for everything and everyone”. A fine piece of advice, and very true, too.

So Peter is going to be a part of the Ultimates when he turns eighteen? Cool. Unfortunately, I don’t think that the book will last that long. At the very least, Bendis probably won’t be writing it then. But I see Peter staying the age he is for a very long time. After all, that is the point of this series. I loved the ending line of this scene too.

The dorm room scene was interesting. All Eddie’s stuff has gone. Hmmm….. In the lab scene, the plot thickens. All the files, disks, the suit itself have been taken. Is Eddie really still alive? I certainly hope so. The scene right at the end of the book was good, too. I think we’ll be seeing more of Mr. Brock in the future.

And I’m beginning to think the majority of Ultimate Marvel Team-Up has been in continuity. I didn’t think so before, but with the Wolverine issue (#1) surely going to be referenced in Ultimate X-Men #34, the Fantastic Four story and now the Lizard story – could this mean that that book was in continuity. I suppose we’ll find out if Doctor Strange turns up, and knows who Spidey is.

Not much. Not much at all. Really, my only complaint is that now another person (Doctor Connors) knows Peter is Spider-Man. And that’s it.

4 ½ webheads out of 5. This was a fantastic issue, with no real faults. Bravo, Bendis.

Last issue, Peter and Eddie squared off for their first confrontation, at last. But before we get into the fight, we get Peter’s father, via a video, telling us how much he’d like to eradicate cancer.

Then it’s in to the fight. Throughout the fight, Peter tries to talk to Eddie, but the suit is controlling him, and Peter is forced to fight. After trading blows, Venom manages to cover Peter with the suit, and for a little while, Peter is trapped inside. It doesn’t take him long to break free though. The fight shifts from school to the middle of the city, where the cops eventually come. Before Eddie has a chance to react, the police shower him with lead. As if that wasn’t enough, and electrical cable, which had become severed in the fight, is struck, and completely blows Eddie to pieces. Peter, after dodging gunfire, manages to escape, and we end with his father talking to us again.

Not much. Seriously, as a conclusion, this issue sucked. But this is supposed to be the “likes” section, so I’ll leave that for now. The fight, though not what I had expected, nor wanted, was never-the-less good. Peter’s father’s narration was both good and bad. It was interesting, but at the same time annoying.

Though one thing I did find interesting is the cops calling Peter a mutant, and firing on him. This is something that I’d like Bendis to develop upon in his upcoming stint (June, to be precise) on Ultimate X-Men, considering that that story will be Spidey orientated.

For an issue that is supposedly a conclusion this was not a conclusion. Absolutely nothing was resolved, and all we are left with is a bunch of questions. What the hell happened to Eddie? Did he die? Did the suit save him? Did the suit “die”? Is there any more of the suit left? If so, what’s going to be done with it? Too. Many. Questions.

As for the fight, it was not to my liking. It wasn’t bad, and it was certainly done well, but I came into this story expecting a battle between Spider-Man and Venom. What I got was a battle between Peter Parker and Crazy Eddie Goo Man. Not what I expected and certainly not what I wanted. Another thing. I mentioned before that I quite like Peter’s father’s narration, and I did. But then there were times when it just annoyed me.

2.This was supposed to be an incite into Peter’s past, his parents and his “long lost” best friend.

As far as anyone knew, this was the conclusion to the Ultimate Venom story. But, considering nothing has been resolved with regards to Eddie/the suit, I know that next issue will hopefully resolve these things. I know this because of two things:

Firstly, because the solicitation to Ultimate Spider-Man #39 reads, among other things, “The aftermath of the Venom saga!” Secondly, because issue 39 is included in the sixth trade of the series, that collects the Venom arc, issues #33-39. Now we know that this will deal with the Venom story, but we don’t know for sure that it will resolve anything. Let’s hope it does.

3 webheads out of 5. The main reason for the score is the story’s failing to be a conclusion, even though it was billed as one. That and the quite ridiculous slowness of the story. I’ve said it before that I don’t like this whole “write for trade-paperbacks” attitude currently under usage at Marvel, and you can’t get a better example of it than this. There are stories that read better all at once because they just do, and then there are stories, such as this one, that read better all at once because that is how they were written.

So, this being the “official” conclusion (and I use that term lightly) to the story, I’m going to have to give it 3 ½ webheads out of 5. If this story was shorter, and actually had a conclusion, then it could easily have gotten higher. As it is, it wasn’t, so it didn’t.

The first few pages are a dream sequence, involving Peter’s nearly killing a guy in issue 35, and that guy turning into Eddie. Now we move to Mary Jane’s bedroom, where she is fast asleep. Unfortunately for her, she is awakened by a tapping on her window. It’s Peter, standing outside in the rain. She lets him in, of course. The two enter into a long but not so long conversation about their relationship and it ends with Mary Jane walking away from Peter. Needless to say, he doesn’t look too happy.

So Peter walks away, and it’s on to the lab (for us, not him) and we see a janitor walking around listening to the radio. She walks into the lab, and, upon seeing the pile of goo that is Eddie wearing the suit, she tries to help. She’s obviously a nice person, and doesn’t deserve what happens next: Sharp, pointy teeth, courtesy of Eddie as his body is seemingly being eaten by the suit.

After managing to (sort of) get the suit under control, he blames Peter for everything. Then his thoughts and struggles are interrupted as two cops burst in, and get webbed, and, presumably, killed.

Finally, it’s back to school, as Peter, while in a lesson, is alerted to an evil presence by his Spider-sense. Managing to get out of school without being seen, he squares off against the goo, believing it to be the remnants of the suit he wore in issue 35. After all, he destroyed all the rest of the stuff, didn’t he? Ooops. The “goo” speaks, and Peter realises that it is in fact Eddie, who promptly informs Peter that he is going to kill him. Uh-oh.

While all the scenes in this issue were excellently done, they are all hampered by the ridiculously slow-paced nature of the issue; more on that in the next section. The conversation with Mary Jane was well done, and we really get a feel as to why (apart from the reasons stated in issue 32) she left Peter.

The dream sequence was just sensational, at the beginning of the issue. The way the pencils and colors were in that bit was fantastic. The best art in the issue, the story and quite possibly the series to date. That being said, I wouldn’t want that type of art to be used all the time; as good as it was, it just wouldn’t look right for a whole issue, and the way it was used in a dream sequence was just great. Kudos to everyone involved with those few pages.

Eddie fighting to control the goo was handled well too. And the confrontation between Peter and suit-wearing Eddie was very good, if not the way I’d imagined it.

Yeah, well, y’know I keep saying how slow this story was? Well, in this issue the slowness hit an all time low. For an issue containing 22 pages, the final product felt like it could have been done in about 10, if that. All the scenes in this issue were needlessly extended. That isn’t to say the dialogue that is there is not good, far from it, it’s great, but every issue I read of this series, more often than not, I feel ripped-off, at least story-wise.

The Peter/MJ conversation, for example. That took up the majority of the book, and for what? Something that could have been handled in two pages? I mean, I enjoyed the scene, but there were simply too many panels with little or no dialogue there to warrant the amount of space the scene was given. That being said, I did like the bit at the start of the scene, with Peter knocking on MJ’s window. It just goes that little bit farther to show how different these two’s relationship is to that of the average teen relationship. Normally, Peter would be throwing rocks at her window to get her attention, but here, he just climbs up the wall and taps on it. Small? Yes. Cosmetic? Sure. Worth it? You betcha.

On to the ending. Well, we’ve at last gotten to the confrontation between Peter and Eddie. Although Peter isn’t in costume. It seems those Spidey vs. Venom covers are lying to us. Well, we’ll see next issue. Hopefully.

3 out of 5 webheads. I’d really like to give this issue 4, I really would. But the story is just too slow. I feel bad knocking a whole point (of which there are only 5) off simply because the story is moving too slowly. But it is. Next issue is supposed to be the conclusion, and the two protagonists’ have only just met for the fight. Hell, the way things are going, there might not even be a fight. Still, if the slowness doesn’t bother you at all, add an extra mark onto the score.