It's an astoundingly good week for comics from my POV, but even with all that, it wasn't hard to decide that Ultimate Spider-Man was my favorite read this week. Bendis and company have been on a roll with this title ever since the "Public Scrutiny" arc, and it's made waiting for the hardcover editions absolutely maddening. This story arc introduces a new villain, the oddly-named "Geldhof," but that's not really what has me so interested in it. Instead, Bendis continues to focus on what is, to my mind, the heart of the book, the Peter-Mary Jane relationship, without forgetting that this is also a super-hero book and we need some action as well.
When you look at the rest of the Ultimate universe, you see artistic variance of the worst kind (Ultimate X-Men) or delays that border on laughable (Ultimates), but Ultimate Spider-Man has had pretty much the same creative team (barring a couple changes in coloring, lettering and the occasional guest inker) from the start. It has allowed Bendis, Bagley and Thibert to build up something of a rapport, and as a result, the book is capable of storytelling ranging from the broad to the subtle. The look on Peter's face when Gwen encourages him to "climb the wall" is a subtle piece of business that engenders a happy chuckle from the reader, because we know exactly what he's thinking. Mary Jane motions for Peter to come sit next to her on the bus. Peter rushes out from his basement after reading an amazing letter. These sequences, as well as one more laugh-out-loud sequence involving costume tailoring, come from a creative team that is totally in synch.
I'll be honest, when you've got a rogues' gallery that includes notables like Green Goblin, Doctor Octopus and even the Ultimate version of Venom, it's hard to take a guy named "Geldhof" very seriously, even if he can blow up cars with his mind. However, Bendis is doing a nice job of portraying this guy as an enigmatic and probably very dangerous antithesis to Peter, a teenager with great power but no sense of great responsibility. The cruel look that Bagley gives him, showing that he enjoys the destruction he can wreak, speaks volumes about this enigmatic character. He's not going to win any name or costume contests amongst super-villains, but it is entirely possible that he could turn into a memorable foe for this version of Spider-Man.
Really, though, while I'm glad that this book features plenty of action and super-hero stuff, the focus for me has always been the high school and relationship stuff. It's interesting the way that Gwen has developed into less of a temptress and obstacle for Mary and Peter and more of a really good friend to both, and I like that Bendis isn't afraid to shake up the Peter/Mary relationship even if he seems just as committed as the readers to wanting to see it work. The difficulties they've had over the past few stories just made some of the moments between them in this issue all that much sweeter, and once again Bendis is writing idealized but fascinating teenagers.
I've gotta be honest, I'd rather read this title in the trade paperback or hardcover format where I can get bigger chunks of story and, in the latter case, nice oversized pages that really show off the artwork. But Ultimate Spider-Man reads just as well in single-issue format, always a satisfying blend of characterization, humor and a sense that these creators absolutely "get" the character and his world.
