Oct 23 2008
The Ultimate Review Week - Ultimate Spider-Man #123 - #127
Greetings from your friendly neighborhood Searnold [Shár- Nŭhld]. Today is Thursday, October 23rd, 2008. Welcome to my comic book review blog - thanks for tuning in. Are you interested in a comic book but not sure you want to shell out the cash? Let me know and I’ll review you for it - letting you know if it’s worth your hard earned money!
Today’s Issue:
Ultimate Spider-Man #123 - #127. This is the current arc of Marvel’s Ultimate Spider-Man, written by Brian Michael Bendis (Mighty Avengers, Secret Invasion) with art by Stuart Immonen (Action Comics, Nextwave). The arc should wrap up once #128 hits shelves.
Premise:
It’s the return of Ultimate Venom! And the return of Ultimate Carnage! And the return of Ultimate Silver Sable! And the return of Ultimate Nick Fury! Oh wait… that’s not a return - this story is all taking place before he dissappeared (how weird - right?). And - because nobody asked for it - the introduction of Ultimate Beetle! A more standard summary of the story would look something like this: a few months ago, Venom returns and attacks Spider-Man, but Silver Sable intervenes and captures Venom. The mysterious Beetle breaks Venom free. In the ensuing battle, the symbiote reattaches itself to Spider-Man, who is then forced to fight the Ultimates. Meanwhile back when Green Goblin broke out of the Triskelion, he inadvertantly released Carnage (who still thinks she’s Gwen Stacy) who finds her way back to Peter’s house. To be concluded!
Awesome Parts:
I love a good Venom story. And I love Spidey being forced to attack his idols, the Ultimates. Following his thoughts through the battle added a nice blend of comedy to the kick-ass-action. There are great mysteries surrounding Roxxon and Trask industries and their plans for the symbiote. It was also refreshing to see The Ultimates working together as a super hero team - as opposed to the dysfunctional gathering of individuals we saw in Ultimates 3 (see my review on Thursday, September 4th, 2008.) I also like what Bendis has done with Ultimate Venom. He still has some of the same core characteristics as the original Venom - psychotic killer, dual personality, love of Spider-Man, kick-ass powers. But he makes more sense. The conflict between Eddie Brock and the sybiote is one of Venom’s most interesting attributes - and it stopped making sense in the Marvel Universe many years ago. But in the Ultimate Universe, the dynamic between these two entities who need each other to survive is great.
Un-Awesome Parts:
Bendis is playing with time again and it didn’t work for me. Why did this whole story have to take place two months ago? So that Nick Fury could play a role? I understand doing some flashbacks - that works for me. Sure, let’s see what Venom’s been up to. Sure, let’s go back to the moment Green Goblin busted out of the Triskelion so we can see Carnage’s escape instead of being told about it. But why does the WHOLE story have to take place two months ago? That’s just poor story telling in my opinion. Speaking of problems with time - when did Venom have the time to sit down on a park bench and narrate the first issue of this story? There’s also some stuff in this arc that directly contradicts Ultimate Origins #4 (see my review on Wednesday, September 24th, 2008). To make matters worse - they were BOTH written by Bendis. Bendis contradicted HIMSELF! I blame Ultimate Origins. Everything in this arc is consistent with what we’ve seen so far in Ultimate Spider-Man. But there was a reveal about Peter’s father in Ultimate Origins #4 that contradicts a lot of the stuff people say in this arc. There better be a GREAT explanation forthcoming, Bendis, or I will be sorely disappointed.
My Recommendation:
Don’t get me wrong - I absolutely recommend this arc to any Spider-Man fan, and anyone who likes super hero comic books. There’s some great stuff in here - especially if you’re a fan of Venom (as I am.) I wouldn’t recommend this as a jumping on point though - because the playing with time gets a bit confusing if you aren’t already familiar with Ultimate Spider-Man’s chronology. It also REALLY helps to have read the original Venom arc (Ultimate Spider-Man #33 - #39).
That’s it for today. As always - thanks for reading - see you next time. And don’t forget to let me know if there are any comic books you’d like me to review for you - I take requests!
-Searnold, SuperSearnold@yahoo.com
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