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ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN SPECIAL #1
Highly Recommended (10/10)
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Marvel Comics
Writer: Brian Michael Bendis
Artists: Dan Brereton, John Romita Sr. & Al Milgrom, Frank Cho, Jim Mahfood, Scott Morse, Craig Thompson, Michael Avon Oeming, Jason Pearson, Sean Phillips, Mark Bagley & Rodney Ramos, Bill Sienkiewicz, P. Craig Russell, Jacen Burrows & Walden Wong, Leonard Kirk & Terry Pallot, Dave Gibbons, Mike Gaydos, James Kochalka, David Mack, Bret Weldele, Ashley Wood
Colors: Transparency Digital & Digital Chameleon
Letters: Chris Eliopoulos
Editor: Ralph Macchio
Price: $3.50 US/$5.75 CAN |
There are many ways to read this Special: As a glimpse of a variety of talented artists taking their shot at Spidey, as Bendis's farewell to the Ultimate Marvel Team Up series, as a part of the overall Ultimate Spider-Man story, etc. But however you view it, one thing doesn't change: It's a fantastic read. Spidey questions whether he should even be a hero, and of course the best place to seek advice on that is by finding other heroes. This lets Bendis revisit a lot of the other Marvel Ultimate characters, as well as giving an excuse for a variety of different art styles, and the question is important enough that there's some emotional resonance for those who have something invested in Peter Parker as well.
For the most part, the attraction of Ultimate Marvel Team Up has been seeing a variety of top name artists, many of them not your average Marvel creator, working on Marvel characters. That is true of this issue as well, but I found this to be one of the best stories that Bendis had crafted on the Team Up book, and certainly the best one that focused mostly on Spider-Man. The decision facing Peter, and the lessons he has taken away from the various heroes in his life, makes for a compelling and powerful read. It also serves as a nice statement from the writer on the nature and variety of heroes in the Marvel Universe.
What has kept Ultimate Spider-Man interesting is how the super-heroic elements haven't lost their magic yet for Peter and his supporting cast, and that feeling permeates this issue as well. Peter's first encounter with an actual vampire, and Mary Jane's reaction to that, was a great look at the downsides of knowing about the weird stuff out there. Kong's take on the Punisher was entertaining but also eye-opening about his character. And Peter's choice of a hero was a heart-warming moment.
Even more interesting to me was seeing these Ultimate versions of the heroes and how their reactions often differed from the relationships I've come to know in the Marvel Universe. Daredevil's rather harsh critique of Spidey is good on its own but downright fascinating when compared to the friendship the two share in their other comics. Bendis's take on the classic "Spidey tries to join the FF" was as much fun as the Fantastic Four issue of Team Up was. And Spidey's first encounter with a couple of dangerous anti-heroes, complete with his "Peter Parker" reaction to it, made for some nice rookie moments.
Of course, I could go on and on about the artists in the book. Each of them is perfectly matched to a character that fits their style, and each of them do stunning work. Highlights for me were Dan Brereton's horror-toned Blade, Frank Cho's surprisingly excellent take on Elektra (I expected only cheesecake, but got great page composition and storytelling as well), a little more Mahfood and Jason Pearson and Sean Phillips on the Fantastic Four. Some of the artwork isn't so much storytelling as pin-ups with narrative text on top, but those are all across the board beautiful as well, from Bill Sienkiewicz's Ultimates to Jacen Burrows and Walden Wong's Iron Man to Ashley Wood's stunning depiction of Elektra.
Given the amount of talent on this book, and how much I've liked Ultimate Spider-Man, it probably comes as little surprise that I loved this issue so much. But it's hard to convey just how much I liked it. How's this: After learning that this issue is going to be included in the upcoming $40 Ultimate Marvel Team Up hardcover, I have reconsidered my decision to pass on that book and now plan on picking it up as soon as its available, largely because of how much I want to own this in a larger, upscale format.
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