I've seen some talk in the online comics community lately that Brian Michael bendis's snappy dialogue style -- his trademark -- is starting to get a bit stale, that he's been doing the same thing for too long. I certainly see the point, and I can understand why some readers might tire of his style. To be honest, I'm almost surprised that I haven't tired of it as well... almost. But scripts such as the one for this comic book make it easy for me to defend my appreciation of Bendis's super-hero writing. This is a wonderfully grounded story that taps into a feeling that (hopefully) all of us can appreciate and recall in our own lives. And while I lament that regular Ultimate Spider-Man penciller Mark Bagley only provides the cover art for this issue, Mark Brooks -- after a slightly shaky start -- manages to capture the same sort of youthful energy and emotion in the characters.
Now that he's broken up with Mary Jane Watson, Peter Parker feels all alone in the world. There's no one for him to share his secrets with, no one to whom he can rant about his frustrations as Spider-Man. It turns out he's not the only one. The X-Men's youngest member, Kitty Pryde, feels trapped at the Xavier School and longs to find somebody to share her time, thoughts, feelings and heart with. That's when she remembers that Spider-Man is her age, a secret the X-Men discovered during a previous adventure with the wallcrawler. A call is made, and a date is arranged.
At the outset of this comic, the characters all look a bit too old. Brooks's style boasts a more angular approach, and there's not as much softness in the teen characters' faces as a result. Later on in the issue -- no doubt at a segment inked by regular Ultimate Spidey inker Scott Hanna, that softness returns, making for a much more consistent tone with the art on the regular series. Peter and Kitty actually look like kids later in the issue, and it's an important element in the story.
I really enjoyed the repetition in the narration as it shifts from Peter to Kitty and back again. It drives home the point that these characters have a lot in common. The way the writer brings the two characters together feels natural. I'm pleased to find that he doesn't come up with some all-too convenient menace to serve as the initia; meeting point. Two teens who have met before meet for a date. It's not about two super-heroes teaming up. Bendis is also careful to show that Peter's not just on the rebound. He genuinely likes Kitty and has a lot in common with her. It's as though Peter is moving on. It's surprising, given the reader's assumption that the title character and MJ are fated to be together, and I liked to be surprised.
Yes, the dialogue is classic Bendis, and he offers no new tricks here really. But man, I love the pacing and genuine feel of the banter between the two main characters. I realize that genuine quality is really more of an illusion than a realistic tone, but it's convincing and entertaining nonetheless. The awkward pauses, the overreactions, the honesty in the conversation, the gradual transition from anxiety to contentment... it all rings true. We envy Peter this new relationship because we all know how that initial part of the experience feels. 8/10
