Time for yet another comic book review!
Since I went on and on about alternate stories set in the Marvel Universe, here's another one for ya!
A classic already!
For more stories of AMAZING FANTASY check those out!!
Comic title: Ultimate Spider-Man Vol. 1: Power and Responsibility
Art by Mark Bagley
Story by Brian Michael Bendis & Bill Jemas
Published by Marvel ComicsFrom 2002
Lineup Ultimate Marvel, Spider-man
Format: Trade paperback collecting issues #1-7 of Ultimate Spider-Man.
Back in early 2000, Marvel tried and succeeded into launching another "alternate" Marvel Universe inprint (like those I like).
While others attempt like Marvel 2099 or Marvel MC2 tried new ideas with established characters and the history of the Marvel U, expanding upon well known concepts for either long time fans or at least fans on the know basis, Ultimate Marvel was conceived as a way to touch upon new readers.
The idea was to reinterprete Marvel in a more contemporaneous setting, while most of their creations had come from the 60/70s (often under Stan Lee's writing).
For this a team of writers joined together to establish the ground for this new universe.
Amongst those, Brian Michael Bendis, Warren Ellis, and Mark Millar.
Like in the past, the Spider-man comic become the forefront of this new alternate universe, Brian Bendis inventing the first rules and creating the basis for all the other titles.
It started wiith Spidey and then quickly rose each year a new publication, Ultimate X-Men in 2001, The Ultimates in 2002 and much later Ultimate Fantastic Four.
To those initial four were added some other books over the years, more were canceled until only one or two titles were kept around.
And the line has been alive and kicking, even if sometimes less so, to this day where the brand has finally been put back on the frontline and retitled in 2011.
Anyways,
Let's not dwelve on the entire Marvel Ultimate Universe, but have a focused look instead on the first volume of this so-called Spider-man!
It all starts with a spider-bite...again...
The story takes place in a sort of near future-ysh present day.
Ultimate Marvel comics are set in this blank state of a world where all stories start to take place in a modern New York City. Some characters are simply reinterpreted, others completely reimagined from scratch.
Peter Parker was your usual geek. A nerdy kid with a good heart.
He's constantly bullied by jocks, extremely awkward and shy around girls, etc. But he's brilliant!
His parents disappeared while he was a kid and he's been living with his uncle and aunt since.
Peter only has a couple so-so friends. Like MJ, Mary Jane Watson, the girl next door.
And Harry Osborn, who he helps with his homework from time to time , son of Norman Osborn the big industrialist, local NYC Golden Boy and scientist on the verge of a breakthrough that will change the world for ever!
And for a reason!
With Doctor Octavius, they're finally achieving some pretty oustanding results in the genetics field.
Playing with cross-species genetic altering proprieties. Though most subjects seems to end up dying.
One day, Peter and his classmates are visiting OSCORP when suddenly...
Oh, poor Peter.. you never see that coming, do you?
It's a pretty classic origin story, that follows closely upon the original Amazing Fantasy classic yet expanding beyond that single issue into one full graphic novel-arc.
The important checkpoints are all reached and present. Peter is bullied/shy/awkward. He gets a set of spider-inspired super powers. Becomes Spider-man, this other personality in which Petey is able to let loose a bit, quips, taunts and has fun for the first time ever!
He starts a wrestling career to make some quick easy bucks.
He's finally having the time of his life! It was about due time too!
One night, he comes back, Uncle Ben was killed by some guy he didn't care about stopping despite all his great powers and abilities.
Oh, and meanwhile Norman Osborn gets a fixation on Peter and then becomes The Green Goblin.
Bendis did a great job with keeping the important stuff and slightly updating it (a genetically altered spider instead of a radioactive one, with some planning more characters and future enemies are more closely related - via Oscorp notably).
Some details are changed for the sake of playing around with this new universe, or just for fun. Like almost everyone being slightly younger, Uncle Ben being a former hippie (he's rocking that ponytail!), etc.
The art of Mark Bagley is simply fantastic!
He's a defining key in the success of establishing this whole Ultimate Marvel line in my eyes.
His art is fun, fresh, unique and gets that "younger" characters/universe straight on.
I know some might have a problem getting used to one or two "different" things. But I could have done with more new elements.
Later on Peter would get to work for the Daily Bugle...as a webmaster rather than a photograph! And many more adaptations of old ideas (Venom, Carnage, the clones saga,..) would also get some drastically different interpretation.
Finally, I just want to say, of all the incarnations/across all the mediums, Ultimate Flash Thompson is easily the most douche-y Flash Thompson yet!
Overall, it's a well crafted, well thought and quite original new interpretation of Spider-man!
It could have done with some more changes if you ask me.
But it's a solid book.
Bound to become a classic!
...
And it has! After it's release it as become the basis for all Spider-man cartoons since then and for all the live action movies as well. Mark Webb Spider-man draws as much elements from it as Sam Raimi's Spider-man.
The secret projects Peter's parents were working on, secluded in the Parkers' basement, is the on-going plotline for several later foes!
A must read!
I give it:
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