by Randy Lander

ULTIMATE MARVEL TEAM UP #12 Highly Recommended (9/10) Marvel Comics Writer: Brian Michael Bendis Artist: Ted McKeever Colors: Transparency Digital Letters: Chris Eliopoulos Editor: Ralph Macchio Price: $2.25 US/$3.50 CAN With Ultimate Marvel Team Up, Bendis has been given the chance to tweak the origins of a variety of Marvel characters in the same way he did Spider-Man, albeit on a more space limited basis and with the caveat of a Spider-Man appearance in the story. He has also been given the chance to work with a variety of artists, and to tailor his scripts to their different styles, and in general that has worked out pretty well. Ultimate Marvel Team Up #12 looks like another success, with the strange and otherwordly artwork of Ted McKeever fitting in perfectly with the character of Dr. Strange, and Bendis's funny and "street level" approach to the characters serving up an intriguing twist on the Ultimate version of Marvel's sorceror supreme. In many ways, this is a straight-up origin story, as a man in a bar relays the story of Dr. Strange to another man who may have a run-in with him at some point soon. However, Bendis throws a few minor curves into the origin story throughout, and then one major one that changes the story considerably and makes Dr. Strange a far more interesting character. Perhaps most interesting of all, neither Spider-Man nor Dr. Strange really makes that much of an appearance in this issue, as we instead get one of those things Bendis does so well, a conversation in a bar. The conversational tone in the narration of Dr. Strange's origin makes it a more entertaining read than it might otherwise have been. As always, the Team-Up features art by someone you're not used to seeing at Marvel, working in an unusual style on a story suited to that style. Ted McKeever's work has been hit and miss with me, and I imagine he may put some of the more traditional fans off this book, but his work here conveys the weirdness and the dingy settings of this story. In addition, like the work of Jim Mahfood on issue #9, the depiction of powers and magic comes with a slightly goofy and odd tone that really fits the rest of the story. While Bendis has been tailoring his writing to the different artists on this book, certain elements of his style, notably the humor and the dialogue, remain in place with just about every issue. Spider-Man's exchange with a woman who would like him to perform his "inner" monologue elsewhere because she has to get up, or the young Strange's first encounter with his magical destiny, are both very amusing exchanges that give insight into the main characters. And the finale, while setting up the premise of the second issue, also serves as a funny punchline given the way the dialogue plays out. If nothing else, Ultimate Marvel Team Up deserves some credit for introducing unfamiliar faces to the comics mainstream who read Spider-Man books, or for giving big name talent a chance to have some fun with Marvel characters without a major commitment. Happily, it also deserves credit for delivering entertaining stories on a regular basis. Email Randy Lander comments about this review, or discuss it on the Fourth Rail message board.