Ultimate
Spider-Man #46
“Afterwards”
Written
by Brian Michael Bendis
Pencilled
by Mark Bagley
Inked
by Art Thibert
Reviewed
by Nick Akrivos
The
Plot
The issue is more or
less one big flashback, in a prelude to Ultimate
Six. The flashback in
question takes us back to the third story-arc, specifically issue #20
(that’s the fight between Spidey and Doctor Octopus, by the way).
Probably. Anyway,
we see things from an entirely different perspective this time around,
as the story focuses on Sharon Carter.
Seems that after Spidey beat the snot out of Otto, Sharon
Carter and SHIELD arrived, and go to search Justin hammer’s labs.
Inside, they discover
three scientists, and a man locked away in a cell, apparently, by the
name of Flint Marko. Marko,
or as Sharon and the rest come to realise, Sandman, escapes his cell,
and goes on a bit of a rampage. Spidey
is there, to stop him, of course.
He doesn’t do a very good job, and it looks like the
Sandman’s about to kill peter when those scientists fire some funky
gun thing and take Marko down, effectively saving Peter, and everyone
else’s life.
Likes
You’d think that,
given that this is a double-issue, there would be a load of stuff
happening, wouldn’t ya? But
noooo, here we have another quick read.
And it’s not even double-sized!
I’ve no idea why Marvel seem to hate double-sized comics
nowadays, preferring the extra-sized they do now.
But I’m coming off
as overly harsh. This was
a fabulous issue (admit it, I had you for a second there).
The writing was lovely, the art was lovely, and, while it seems
odd that Peter has already had his first battle with Sandman (over
twenty-five issues ago), the way the issue was structured and set-out
made everything work. Sharon
Carter’s character was a joy to read (maybe not as much as a joy to
read as Peter and Kitty, but I digress), and really made the book for
me.
Bagley and
Thibert’s art was a joy to behold here.
Not only does Mark draw a brilliant Sandman, but, if you go
back and look at issue #20, you can really see how he and Art’s
style has improved, every issue.
I mean, watching Spidey break Otto’s jaw looked marvellous
back then. Now, it’s
simply beautiful.
Dislikes
Not a lot.
Well, actually, I didn’t not like anything about this issue.
So there.
Rating
41/2 webheads out of
5. Great stuff.
Looking forward to ext issue, and the return of the Kingpin.
U
ltimate
Spider-Man#45:
“Guilt”
Writer
– Brian Michael Bendis
Pencils
– Mark Bagley
Inks
– Art Thibert
Reviewed
by Nick
Akrivos
Plot
We are also shown the
confrontation between Peter and May set-up last issue.
Peter manages to get away with it by saying he was reading a
book that happened to be one of his mother’s favourites.
The issue ends with May and Peter “making up” and all is
well again. Hmm…
A very good issue,
but one where, to tell the truth, nothing happened.
The issue was May talking, with a quick flashback to her
encountering Spider-Man and her and Peter getting over their little
argument. That was it.
This is a problem, because it doesn’t give me much to say.
Regardless, it was still a great issue, and a very
un-conventional ending to a multi-issue story arc.
But then, I suppose, this entire arc was unconventional.
Bags’ art is still fantastic (as if you need me to tell you that). This issue in particular gave him a chance to show his mastery of facial expressions. Speaking of facial expressions.
Dislikes
Just what exactly
happened to the Flash sub-plot? That
was extremely interesting, and it’s been absent for the past few
issues. Next issue is
double-sized, so hopefully Bendis will address it there.
Hopefully. As far
as other dislikes go, well, it was a horrendously slow issue – but
in a good way. Whatever
that means.
Rating
4 webheads out of 5. An exercise in slowness, perhaps, but a good one none-the-less
Ultimate
Spider-Man #44
“Tampered”
Writer
– Brian Michael Bendis
Pencils
– Mark Bagley
Inks
– Art Thibert
Reviewed
by Nick Akrivos
Plot
We ended last issue
with Peter falling out of a plane.
We begin this issue with May being very angry.
She’s mad that Peter wasn’t in class, and she’s even
angry enough to break down Peter’s door to find out where he is.
Peter is, of course, at Xavier’s mansion, the home of the
X-Men. We learn, through
flashbacks, how Peter, Geldhoff and the X-Girls managed to survive,
and then we learn about Geldhoff’s past.
It seems that he was
the victim of some science experiment.
A rather in-human one at that.
When he was an un-born baby, a substance, probably some kind of
mutant gene, was injected into his mother’s placenta (i.e. his
placenta) and this is how he developed his powers.
It seems he’s not a regular human but he’s not a proper
mutant either.
Charles tells peter
he’s going to be running some tests and will present Geldhoff to
some colleagues to try and find out more of his origins, but this
doesn’t sit well with Peter, who promptly beast up some of the X-men
and escapes with Geldhoff. It’s
only Peter thinking, however, and he (and Xavier) are quick to point
out it’s not a very intelligent decision.
The issue ends with
Peter at last coming home to find something far worse than any
super-villain - a mad-as-hell Aunt May.
Uh-oh.
Likes
My favorite thing
right now is probably Kitty. I
love the way Bendis writes her, and cannot wait until he gets around
to doing so in Ultimate X-Men.
What with Spidey’s guest-starring, we might even get some
more scenes with the two of them.
It’s definitely the most enjoyable part of the book for me,
and it still makes me wish Peter would at least go on a date with
Kitty. Curse you Mary
Jane!
Peter’s thoughts
about busting out of the mansion with Geldhoff were fun, also.
Sadly, how-ever, in that dream sequence he smacks Beast.
Hank was always one of Spidey’s best super-hero friends in
the Marvel Universe, and it’s a bit of a shame Peter feels he wants
to punch him here. Justifiably,
it may be, but still, I’d like it for them to be on the same terms
as they are normally.
May’s increasing
anger throughout the issue was good.
It seems that next issue will be a talky issue.
Which is fine, if a little unconventional for the finale of a
multi-issue story arc. I
may be wrong, though, and next issue will involve Ultimate Doctor Doom
killing everyone to get his son back.
Hmm...or not.
Dislikes
Not much Peter/Kitty
chatter, and now the entire X-Men know his secret identity.
And perhaps more will, if
Rating
3 ½ webheads out of
5. Good stuff, but not
enough peter/Kitty, dammit! Bendis
has created such a fun and enjoyable relationship between these two
that it would be a crime not to develop it.
Ultimate
Spider-Man #43
“Help”
Writer
– Brian Michael Bendis
Pencils
– Mark Bagley
Inks
– Art Thibert
Reviewed
by Nick Akrivos
The
Plot
We begin in Peter’s
school, in the class he’s supposed to be in.
Unfortunately for him, his teacher notices this, and MJ has to
cover for Peter. Then an
announcement is made, about some mutant related trouble at another
school, so they have got the rest of the day of.
Hurray! If only that
stuff happened in real life!
Anyway, back to where
we left off last ish, with Ororo Monroe, Jean Grey and Katherine Pryde
meeting Peter and Geldhoff. Geldhoff
proceeds to faint, and after some hilarious conversation between Peter,
the X-girls and the rarely conscious Geldhoff, the girls are told by
Professor Xavier to take him back to the mansion, and Peter decides to
go along for the ride.
Back at school, MJ’s
mother arrives, as well as May, who wants to know where Peter is.
MJ tells her he’s at the Bugle, and, luckily for her, the staff
there don’t seem to be too interested in May’s calling them for his
whereabouts.
Back onboard the X-jet,
Geldhoff wakes up, and goes nuts. He
blows a hole in the plane, and, despite all their efforts to save
everyone, Peter and Geldhoff fall out of the plane.
This leaves Storm with two options: 1, help the people still on
the plane to fly it to safety, or 2, save Spider-Man and Geldhoff from
falling a very long way to the ground.
Urp.
Likes
Another great issue from Bendis and Bags here, who I fully believe are
trying to become the longest running creative team on a Spider-Man
title. And from the looks
of thing, they’re going to do it.
Easily the best part of
the issue was the immensely fun banter between Peter and the X-girls.
Kitty’s crush on Peter is sweet, to the point that it’s sad
that he’s just gotten back together with MJ so he can’t be with
Kitty. Peter and Jean’s
psychic moment together was hilarious, as was Geldhoff’s constant
fainting.
Speaking of Geldhoff,
I’m really not looking forward to the point when he and Peter (and
probably the X-Men) do battle, because I’ve taken quite a shine to
him. His obvious power
troubles come through again here, and they keep on putting people in
danger. Obviously neither
Peter or the girls in the plane are going to die, but it’s still a
very tense moment as Storm goes over the two possibilities in her head.
I know I certainly wouldn’t want to be in her position.
And the comment about
wolverine leads me to wonder if the events here and the events in Ultimate
X-Men are happening at the same time.
It’s certainly possible. I
guess we’ll find out as Blockbuster continues.
And, of course, no
review of Ultimate Spider-Man
would be complete without the obligatory praising of Mark Bagley’s
art. It rules.
There you go.
Dislikes
Nothing!
Well, okay, I was slightly sad that we didn’t get any further
developments with the Flash sub-plot, but still.
Oh, and there’s the slow factor, but it’s not enough to stop
me from absolutely loving this book.
Rating
5 webheads out of 5. A fabulous issue, devoid of any real faults.
Ultimate
Spider-Man #42
“Temptations”
Writer
– Brian Michael Bendis
Pencils
– Mark Bagley
Inks
– Art Thibert
Reviewed
by Nick
Akrivos
The
Plot
Peter,
complete with half a costume, is swinging his way towards Geldhoff’s
school, after hearing that the man in question is blowing up cars again.
Once Peter arrives, and once the onlookers are convinced he is
actually Spider-Man, the cops arrive, and Peter swings off.
Geldhoff grabs hold of him, and then looses his grip, leaving
Peter to save him. They end
up on a nearby rooftop.
We
now enter into a long conversation between Peter and Geldhoff, in which
we learn he’s Latverian, doesn’t know how he got his powers and
doesn’t like being called a mutant, although he probably is.
He also explains that when he focuses on things and “points”
he can make them explode.
When
shots are heard down in the street, peter must leave to investigate,
telling Geldhoff to stay put. Peter
deals with the robbery, but then the building explodes.
Before checking if everyone is alright (which they are) Peter
goes back up to the roof and starts shouting at Geldhoff, who is getting
increasingly annoyed, and may very well blow his top.
Then, Marvel Girl, Shadow Cat and storm, of the X-Men arrive.
It seems Geldhoff is a mutant after all.
Likes
Another
great issue. Bendis’
dialogue is fantastic throughout; easily some of his best in the whole
series. The reactions of
the school kids when Peter shows up in his half a costume are hilarious.
Mark does a tremendous job with the art again, especially in the
Peter/Geldhoff conversation, which itself is filled with humour.
There was a small hint that Geldhoff may find out Peter’s
identity, which would be a shame, really.
Far too many people know it already.
I think I’ll compile another list after another couple of
stories.
A
lot about Geldhoff is explained here.
His powers, where he comes from, and what he thinks.
His being Latverian is very interesting.
Perhaps he fled from the tyrannical grasp of Victor Von Doom?
Who knows? That is
speculation. Geldhoff’s
thoughts and ideas are captured well here, too.
He likes his powers, and seems to get carried away when using
them. Maybe he wants to
help people. But he certainly has no idea how, yet.
Perhaps, with the involvement of the X-Men, he will appear in
Bendis’ run in Ultimate X-Men?
If he survives this story, that is…
Dislikes
Again,
not a great deal too dislike here.
There was no further advancement of the Flash sub-plot, but then
again, no supporting characters got any time this issue, so that’s
probably why. Also, the
bulk of the issue was filled with the peter/Geldhoff conversation.
Now I know it was this long because of everything Bendis fitted
into it, but even so, it was still a very, very slow issue.
Not enough happened to warrant the page count.
Luckily, it was fantastic. Truly
excellent. So I’ll
forgive it the slowness. Just
this once, mind.
Rating
4
½ webheads out of 5. I was
really tempted to knock it down to 4 or even 3 ½, but, despite the
slowness, it was such a good issue I didn’t have the heart.
Looking forward to next issue.
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