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ULTIMATE MARVEL TEAM UP #15
Recommended (7/10)
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Marvel Comics
Writer: Brian Michael Bendis
Pencils: Rick Mays
Inks: Jason Martin
Brush art: Andy Lee
Colors: Transparency Digital
Letters: Chris Eliopoulos
Editor: Ralph Macchio
Price: $2.25 US/$3.75 CAN |
Despite some dialogue that breaks the fourth wall and what I thought was a rather glaring typo, Bendis and company offer up yet another entertaining reintroduction to a familiar Marvel character. Actually, outside of his more recent appearances in Marvel Knights, Shang-Chi isn't all that familiar to me, so this served as an entertaining -- and grounded -- new look at the character.
Gangs plague shopkeepers in New York's Chinatown, but when they reach one particular storefront, they meet resistance from a quiet, unassuming young man who proves to be a skilled martial artist. An attempt to exact revenge attracts the attention of a young fellow by the name of Peter Parker, who shortly thereafter learns his masked alter ego isn't all that necessary in this situation.
Mays's manga-influenced artwork is playful yet down-to-earth. He captures martial-arts action and excitement with seeming ease, and the bright colors really help to bring it all to life. But the real visual strength of this book stems from Andy Lee's painted presentation of a myth -- a myth that mirrors Shang-Chi's own story. It's stunning work, reminding me of Jon J. Muth's art from Sandman #74, one of my favorite issues from that entire series.
There's a dialogue-driven scene featuring Peter and Mary Jane that didn't sit well with me in this issue. Discussing Shakespeare, Peter suggests that timeless or iconic characters can survive being taken from one context to a new one. Bendis is clearly talking about placing Spider-Man in a new continuity, defending his work on Ultimate Spider-Man, and perhaps his Team Up stories to a lesser extent. Bendis -- and Peter -- has a point, but this just didn't strike me as the right place to make it, and for one simple reason: it took me out of this story. I stopped considering the characters and plot and started thinking about the writer and comics fandom.
Fortunately, that was a brief scene. Overall, this was a light, fun read, and I look forward to reading the conclusion, though it's a shame that conclusion will mark the end of this series as well.
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