Whenever Ultimate Spider-Man is brought up, it usually considered to be the prime Spidey story, yet no one goes into detail or even discuss the most notable stories and maybe not everyone can read the entire run. I'll try to list its notable stories and some pros and cons:
Notable Arcs:
- Volume 1: Power & Responsibility (1-7) - For many, this is THE Spidey origin story. It's basically an extension of and a more detailed and modern version of Amazing Fantasy 15. This is the story that has been used for Spidey's film adaptations. It adds depth to Uncle Ben and Peter's relationship with him and when Ben is killed, given Peter's prior actions, and seeing May and Peter's reaction, it really hits you. Peter comes off as someone you genuinely identify with and root for. What Bendis does here is draw you into this new "ultimate" world and fills it with characters that you slowly start to relate to as if you're part of this world. And then you have the Green Goblin... probably more terrifying than his 616 version. It also works how he ties SM to the whole Ultimate-verse, for example, how the spider that bit him is an genetically engineered with a serum that was supposed to be the Super-Soldier serum.
- Volume 2: Learning Curve (8-13) - Basically a continuation of volume 1, Peter continues to learn about his responsibilities, gets a job at the Daily Bugle as a "web designer" and finally hooks up with MJ. He also faces the Kingpin, Electro and the Enforcers. First off, Peter as a character is further developed, and we see how he grows more confident and develop his infamous sense of humor. Seriously, that barrage of "fat" jokes he unleashes on Fisk towards the end is awesome. We also see how Peter gets in over his head when he attempts to punch above his weight, a 15 year old fighting the mafia and how he just doesn't understand how everyone knows Fisk is a bad guy, yet isn't behind bars. We also see how Peter has to rely on more than his abilities to beat certain foes, like Electro, who are stronger than him. And finally, there's his relationship with MJ. If you identify to the guy, it feels like you just "made it" when he finally hooks up with the hot red-head. It's quite a powerful moment.
- Volume 4: Legacy (22-27) - This is where things get truly serious, this is the ultimate (pun intended) face off between Spidey and the Green Goblin. Norman comes off as one of the most sadistic, evil and heinous villains in all of comics. In one issue, he has a truly terrifying monologue that just shows you how bad this guy is and how far he's willing to go to achieve his goals. If you doubt that the Green Goblin is Spidey's arch-nemesis then this story line will change your mind. You genuinely feel sorry for what he puts Peter through, and you will truly be satisfied when Peter gives him the beat down he had coming.
- Volume 6: Venom (28-32) - This arc introduces the Ultimate version of Eddie Brock and Venom. Generally regarded as one of the strongest stories of this run. It's deep, it's personal and adds depth to what we know about Peter's parents. It also adds depth to his relationship with MJ towards the end.
- Volume 10: Hollywood (54-59) - This story humorously addresses the fact that a Spider-Man movie is made directed by Sam Raimi and starring Toby Maguire! And what's worse is that Spider-Man didn't even agree to this, didn't get a dime out of this! However, what this story also adds is more depth to Doctor Octopus. He originally appeared in Volume 2, but I felt like he wasn't as interesting as his 616 counterpart. This story changes that, and it reminds us that Doc Ock is up there with Osborn as Peter's arch-nemesis. The way Ock's return was implemented into the Spider-Man move subplot was very well done.
- Volume 11: Carnage (60-65) - Probably one of the most heart-gripping story in the series. Gwen Stacy features heavily into this, though she is introduced in earlier volumes and had her character deepened in Volume 5. If you read those, this story will hit you harder. I think this is the point where I just started to say "this is enough" when it comes to tormenting Peter. Ill talk about that in a bit.
There are def. others but these are the strongest, other arcs include "The Hobgoblin" (Vol 13) and "Death of a Goblin" (Vol 19) story which further expands Peter's relationship with the Osborns. There's also Vol 16 which introduces Ultimate Deadpool as well as Peter's new girlfriend Kitty Pride of the X-Men! And Spider-Man's story as part of Ultimatum was also really strong, as it shows how much of a hero Peter is. Issue 111 is also one of the strongest issues in the entire run as it expands upon Peter's relationship with Aunt May.
What worked really well with this story is that it felt like one big story, almost every volume is a continuation of the previous one, with very few filler issue. Almost every issue has a payoff. Also, Peter's humor was very well handled, making you laugh out loud at some of his jokes. I also enjoyed Peter's relationship with Nick Fury whom he sees as a father figure, though their relationship is strained. Aunt May was handled very well. Gwen Stacy and Mary Jane were also written very well. Jameson was written well, though not as well as his 616 counterpart, but still not bad at all, but I did like his development towards the end. And while I didn't like the fact that they killed Peter, the story itself was really strong. In terms of villains, Green Goblin takes the cake, but some of the others were strong too. Electro, Kingpin, Venom (initially that is), Doc Ock (later on), Mysterio, Hammerhead were written strongly. I even enjoyed Shocker, who was purposely written as a joke but an enjoyable one that worked well as a recurring villain/joke.
ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN'S CONS:
However, as acclaimed as this run is, nobody really talks about its cons.
Bendis' writing becomes repetitive and stale: This may be expected when a writer has a long run, but Bendis's style of dialog can become a bit repetitive at times. um...it's umm.. You'll see a lot of that. You'll also see characters repeat themselves. A LOT. You may enjoy that at first, making the characters more relatable, but after over 100 issues it becomes a little tiring. and annoying. I'm not saying his dialog is bad, but his formula becomes stale. Not a deal breaker he makes that up with deep characterization but something of note.
Putting Peter through too much turmoil: Also, as mentioned in Vol11, it seemed like Bendis was trying to outdo himself in how much he can make Peter's life worse. It's like he stuck with a formula that revolved around making Peter miserable. Seriously, he puts Peter through stuff that no 15 year old should go through, and yes it's expected since he's Spidey, but i think Bendis overdid it a bit. He makes you root for the character yet constantly puts him through hardships where it feels a little too much at times, it becomes a little depressing. And the tone is all over the place, one minute it's comedy, the other it's heart-wrenching. The transition isn't very well done. More on this later.
Missed Opportunities: And there were several missed opportunities with characters. Kraven the Hunter was a complete joke, Sandman, Lizard, Scorpion and Rhino were barely in there, Silver Sable and her Wild Pack were handled poorly and made to look like fools (in contrast with Sable's very strong portrayal in the Ultimate Spider-Man video game which was also written by Bendis), Harry Osborn was a hit and miss as the character had much more potential, Curt Conners was poorly handled, Peter's relationship with Gwen Stacy could have been handled better. While Kitty Pride as a character was well written she was poorly handled towards the end. Even though early on, the relationship with Pete worked really well, she was basically kicked to the curb so that he can get back together with MJ. I think that was very poorly handled and a disservice for fans of Kitty Pride and the relationship between the two. Also, Black Cat, I think could have been better, If you are a fan of their relationship in 616 you may not like their relationship here, or lack there off, it's even a little gross. Other characters that were introduced were made to look really bad to make Peter look good. . I'm talking about the Marvel Knight/Warriors stories. where Dardavil, Moon Knight, Shang Chi and Iron Fist played a factor, I don't those characters were handled very well.
Filler at the wrong time: Also, while there's very few filler, the few that were there, some of them were at the wrong time. For example, after the serious tone of the Legacy story, we got a humorous tale revolving around Peter changing into Peter, missing class and arriving later at the crime scene after another hero had already solved the issue. It's a nice issue on its own, but Legacy still needed its aftermath explored, which it did in later issues, but this filler issue was at the wrong time. Also, after Carnage we had the infamous "Freaky Friday" story with Wolverine, yet we still haven't recovered from Carnage's emotionally gripping ending. Also, despite having a strong initial story, Venom never really did have any lasting impact. He only appeared twice in the whole run, which is disappointing, and anyone who's played Ultimate Spider-Man the game knows how much potential was wasted.
Kong: Maybe I'm in the minority here, but I honestly didn't like Kong. He just felt so forced. That sort of characterization could have benefitted Flash Thompson, a character who was also a bit one-note, that's actually part of the Spidey mythos. I heard he was based on Bendis himself is that true? Whatever it is I honestly didn't like him.
Everybody knows Peter's ID! : A minor grip but I felt like too many people know Peter's secret. Something that people also criticized in the first ASM movie.
Killing off Peter: quality of Death of Spider-Man and Miles Morales aside, it's still breaks your heart when Peter dies.
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