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ULTIMATE MARVEL TEAM UP #16
Recommended (7/10)
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Marvel Comics
Main story
Writer: Brian Michael Bendis
Pencils: Rick Mays
Inks: Jason Martin
Brush art: Andy Lee
Colors: Transparency Digital
Letters: Chris Eliopoulos
"The Call of Duty"
Writer: Chuck Austen
Pencils: David Finch
Inks: Art Thibert
Colors: Matt Milla
Letters: Chris Eliopoulos
Editor: Ralph Macchio
Price: $2.25 US/$3.75 CAN |
Main story: And so this series comes to an end... not on its strongest note, but on a fun one anyway. Bendis's flair for dialogue takes center stage, as is often the case, and plot takes a back seat. Some sharp manga-inspired and paitned artwork makes for entertaining visuals. The story itself is rather inconsequential, but there's plenty of entertainment to be had in this final issue of Ultimate Marvel Team Up.
Fu Manchu's representative recruits the help of a massive contingent of Chinatown gangsters to help take down Shang-Chi and return him broken but alive to his father. Meanwhile, Peter and Mary Jane discuss the need for Spider-Man to develop a more polished fighting style, and MJ suggests he ask the guy who ended up not needing a rescue the day before.
Mays's energetic style is well suited to the action-oriented nature of this story. I enjoyed his work on a limited series from a couple of years back -- DC's Arsenal -- but there seems to be a greater level of focus and clarity in his work here. Andy Lee's painted work -- which looks like simply ink on parchment, but boasts a grat depth and serenity to it -- is stunning. One of the things I'll miss about this title is the creators' willingness to try new art techniques in mainstream super-hero storytelling.
Easily the best scene of the entire issue was Peter and Mary Jane's discussion about the former's lack of expertise when it comes to hand-to-hand combat. It's not only a believable dialogue, but Bendis pokes fun at something that doesn't often get addressed in super-hero comics: how do these heroes suddenly learn to fight, just because they have powers? It's yet another example of Bendis approaching the genre with a plausible logic that lends credibility to incredible ideas.
Though this was an enjoyable issue, it gave me pause to wonder if this story really needed to be stretched out over two issues. This story was low on plot, focusing on action and characterization instead.
Call of Duty: The third part of this backup story, running throughout a variety of Marvel titles this month, shifts the focus to characterization, bringing with it a more downbeat but thoroughly human tone. The art remains detailed, but it doesn't boast the same strength it did in the first two chapters of the story, though.
James, the fireman who saw the little girl in the tenement fire but then lost track of her, is ordered off to the hospital. As the ambulance speeds off and he chats up the attractive EMT, they happen upon an accident scene... one with something in common with the fire.
Finch's art, though textured and detailed, isn't as realistic here... at least, not when it comes to the characters. All of a sudden, each figure in the story is a beautiful and handsome vision of perfection, and the tone of Finch's work comes off as closer to the "Kewl" Top Cow approach I used to see in his stuff. Still, he continues to tell the story well. As for the script, Austen steers away from the practice of firefightings and peers into the life and mind of someone who has chosen the dangerous profession. There's a sadness in James that comes off as profound and genuine.
Note: Since the backup story appears in several of this week's Marvel Comics releases, it does not factor into the rating for this review.
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