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ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN #18
"The Cycle"
Highly Recommended (9/10)
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Marvel Comics
Writer: Brian Michael Bendis
Pencils: Mark Bagley
Inks: Art Thibert & Erik Benson
Colors: Sharpefont
Letters: Dave Sharpe
Editor: Ralph Macchio
Price: $2.25 US/$3.65 CAN |
I was really impressed by the debut of Ultimate Spider-Man, but I
wondered if the creative team could possibly keep that level of innovation,
entertainment and style up for long. Well, we're a year and a half in, and they
don't seem to have missed a step yet. In fact, while elements of this issue are
familiar from the Kingpin story, there's a clear learning curve going on for
Spider-Man, and so far the balance between familiar elements of Spider-Man and
modern story elements and style has been pretty much perfect. In addition, the
balance between Spider-Man and Peter Parker has been great, and this issue has
great stuff for both sides of the character.
Given how much he clearly enjoys writing Spidey, Bendis doesn't seem to have much problem showing the kid getting the snot kicked out of him. Peter's vulnerability in his early days as a super-hero, the danger and the real after-effects of fighting for a living, are shown more realistically in Ultimate Spider-Man than
they have been in most other Spidey titles, and this issue is another great
example of that. The battle with Doctor Octopus puts Peter at a disadvantage and
keeps him that way, and makes Ock seem a lot more dangerous. Which is
impressive, given that Peter spends most of the fight delivering withering
commentary on the villain's various fashion faux pas, reminiscent of his
showdown with the Kingpin.
In addition to a great
showdown with Octopus, we get a look at what really might happen if Spider-Man
were caught at a disadvantage by law enforcement. We've been told in the comics
before that Spidey is not well-liked or trusted by the populace at large, but
the danger of that feeling and the potential imprisonment that Peter faces has
never felt more real than when he was surrounded on the docks in this issue. I
love that Bendis and Bagley have created police and federal forces that seem
equipped to deal with super-heroes.
The stellar moments of the
issue, however, come from Peter and Mary Jane. I'm as nervous as anyone else
about the introduction of wild card Gwen Stacy into the mix, because the Peter
and Mary Jane story has been perfect so far. We've never seen a teenage Peter
Parker who had a confidant, able to share the ups and downs of being a
super-hero; the revelations of his identity came later in life, after he
matured, in the mainstream books. The interaction between Peter and Mary Jane
here has all the enthusiasm and joy of youth and discovery, and I love the
romantic touch of their relationship as well as the teasing going on between
them.
With the Spider-Man movie only a few months away, Marvel is gearing up big-time so that their comics will be ready for the potential influx of customers, in a way they weren't with the X-Men movie. However, the big changes, the important ones, took place over a year and a half ago, as Ultimate Spider-Man is a great read
for comic fans and non-comic fans alike.
Email Randy Lander comments about this review, or discuss it on the Fourth Rail message board. |
