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ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN #20
"Live"
Recommended (7/10)
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Marvel Comics
Writer: Brian Michael Bendis
Pencils: Mark Bagley
Inks: Art Thibert
Colors: Transparency Digital
Letters: Dave Sharpe
Editor: Ralph Macchio
Price: $2.25 US/$3.65 CAN |
After dancing
around one another for a lot of the story, this issue sees the big confrontation
between Spider-Man and Doctor Octopus. The issue feels a little light, thanks to
a big extended fight sequence, but it reinforces Bendis's version of Doc Ock as
a much deadlier character, and there is also some interesting movement on the
notion of Spider-Man as a pariah as a result. Of course, there is also the usual
funny banter, one of Bendis's biggest assets when it comes to writing this book,
and a moment in a Spider-Man/Doctor Octopus fight I never thought I'd see. The
third arc of this book has felt more extended than the others for some reason,
but it looks like we're coming to the end with not one but two fights between
Spidey and his big name foes.
Throughout this story arc,
Doctor Octopus has been portrayed as a madman, but still as someone with vast
intelligence. That's certainly the case this issue, as he taunts and bullies
Hammer, but does so in a way that discredits him. Even if Hammer survives the
physical assault, his public image will have suffered severe damage. I was also
impressed that Octopus has upgraded his arsenal beyond simply having mechanical
arms, and it made for a much more exciting fight.
A lot of this issue is
action, punctuated by Spidey's snappy banter. Though there are few better at
depicting acrobatic movement and dodging than Bagley, I did think he fell down a
little in conveying the power of the battle. He focuses on the arms and their
effects, without necessarily connecting them on panel to Doctor Octopus, and
while this gives them a feeling of life of their own, it does tend to remove the
battle one level, making it feel like we're watching an abstraction rather than
seeing it actually happen. It's clear enough, but it doesn't really feel like
Spider-Man and Octopus are in direct conflict for the most part. It seems
instead that things are happening to them off-panel, not connected to their
adversary. In some cases, however, this does work, notably with Spidey's
"pantsing" of the villain, a hilarious and unexpected maneuver.
The banter and dialogue is a lot of what makes Ultimate Spider-Man so enjoyable,
and Bendis has some fun with that this issue. Spidey's references to Dennis
Hopper or his mockery of Octopus's powers are a lot of fun, and they help to
bring out the humor and confidence of his persona. I was also pleased to see
some movement on the notion of Spidey as a misunderstood villain, as the
reporters seem to understand, or at least somewhat understand, that he is trying
to help.
Though I've grumbled about
the presence of two villains being an unfortunate choice in this arc, the finale
of this issue is a solid cliffhanger, and it gives a good reason why we needed a
second big baddie waiting in the wings. I'm still not convinced that more time
shouldn't have been spent on developing one adversary instead of two, but I
can't deny being just as interested as ever to see what happens next as a result
of a strong cliffhanger.
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