Ultimate Spider-Man #64

August 20, 2004

Quick Rating: Good
Title: Carnage Part 5

Confronted with the creature that killed Gwen Stacy, Peter Parker must fight for his own life.

Writer: Brian Michael Bendis
Pencils: Mark Bagley
Inks: Scott Hanna
Colors: J.D. Smith
Letters: Chris Eliopoulos
Editor: Ralph Macchio
Cover Art: Mark Bagley & Richard Isanove
Publisher: Marvel Comics

Is this the end of this story arc? In five issues? It certainly seems like the end… and as far as endings go, at least for this series, it’s slightly disappointing.

Gwen Stacy is dead and the creature that killed her – a mixture of DNA from Spider-Man, Curt Conners and the experimental cancer dip that Richard Parker was developing – is confronting the wall-crawler at his home in Queens. An enraged Peter sends Conners to safety and faces the monster himself.

Bendis chooses an unusual sequence for this issue – the first half of the book is the first half of the fight, then he jumps ahead in time and we see the conclusion of the fight in flashback. Is this for dramatic effect? Is it to call Peter’s recollection of events into question? It’s not confusing from a storytelling standpoint but it is sort of confusing as to why it was structured this way.

The book does end logically, but it doesn’t tie up any loose ends. Far from it – nearly every page of this issue screams of dangling plot threads that are being left flapping in the breeze to allow a return to this storyline in the future – which would be fine if it wasn’t quite so obvious. The ending of this issue is, at this point, something of a cliché — the sort of thing that again makes logical sense, but has been done so many times (particularly in the Spider-Man titles) as to have lost all meaning. Kind of like killing off Jean Gray in an X-Men comic.

Mark Bagley’s artwork is a saving grace this issue. He does an excellent fight scene, with great poses and facial expressions and some really dynamic angles. None of this is made easier by the fact that our hero is not in costume for the battle and that the villain is really an amorphous blob that just chooses to take humanoid form when it’s convenient.

Based solely on his origin, I actually find this incarnation of Carnage far more interesting than his mainstream Marvel Universe counterpart, and I feel confident that much more will be done with him (it?) in the future. For his debut storyline, though, I feel like more could have been done. Most of this storyline, as pained as I was to read it, was really well done, so it’s a shame that this conclusion is kind of a letdown.

Rating: 7/10

Ultimate Spider-Man #63

August 6, 2004

Quick Rating: Great
Title: Carnage Part Four

Peter Parker comes home… to face the unthinkable.

Writer: Brian Michael Bendis
Pencils: Mark Bagley
Inks: Scott Hanna
Colors: J.D. Smith
Letters: Chris Eliopoulos
Editor: Ralph Macchio
Cover Art: Mark Bagley & Richard Isanove
Publisher: Marvel Comics

I hate Brian Michael Bendis. I do. And the reason I hate him is that he makes it so hard to hate him when he makes a comic that drives me this bonkers, but it does it so well. Last issue, the creature that Curt Conners was creating using Spider-Man’s DNA went on a tear, slaughtering innocent people in a grotesque, vampiric fashion, and finally striking close to someone Peter loves.

This issue is almost entirely aftermath – Peter and the other characters finding out what has happened, the requisite police investigation scene, the required slow, silent pondering of the universe, the obligatory heart-to-heart among those struck by the tragedy. Nothing terribly groundbreaking. But it is all done so well. Without ever really breaking far from the formula, Bendis shows a whole range of emotions – grief, rage, guilt, and he does it all perfectly in character. We get some more details in this issue as well, as Peter learns the truth about the creature that’s causing all of this sorrow… and the truth has a little tweak that I haven’t heard anyone theorize.

Mark Bagley, as good an artist as he always is, gets bonus points for handling such a delicate issue. If anyone ever doubts his incredible talent as an artist, they need only look at the single, wordless page in this issue where Peter rips open his bag, revealing his costume, tears appearing heavy in his eyes. Sometimes I criticize Bendis for being over-wordy, but he reminds us here that sometimes he knows when to step back and allow the art to tell the story all by itself.

Again, I’m still furious over the direction this storyline has taken… but that’s okay. In fact, that’s really a good thing. The fact that I can get furious over a storyline like this is a solid reminder of how well-done this comic book is, and a testament to the creative team and this issue in particular. Love it or hate it, this is as good as Ultimate Spider-Man has ever been, and that’s saying a lot.

Rating: 9/10

Ultimate Spider-Man #62

July 9, 2004

Quick Rating: AAAARGH!
Title: Carnage Part Three

A monster is loose… and it’s link to a certain webslinger cannot be denied.

Writer: Brian Michael Bendis
Pencils: Mark Bagley
Inks: Scott Hanna & John Dell
Colors: J.D. Smith
Letters: Chris Eliopoulos
Editor: Ralph Macchio
Cover Art: Mark Bagley & Richard Isanove
Publisher: Marvel Comics

It is utterly impossible to discuss this issue in-depth because the whole thing hinges on the ending. Curt Conners has crafted a new organism from Spider-Man’s blood… this issue, the creature has escaped and has a thirst for blood of its own. As it rampages the city, Mary Jane Watson and Gwen Stacy have a long-needed heart-to-heart.

The end of this issue has been a point of speculation among fandom for some time, and all I’m willing to say without spoiling it is that I really hope this turns out to be one of those classic comic book fake-out endings that turns out to mean something else next issue, because if this ending stands, I’m going to be seriously angry.

The issue is constructed well, with plenty of character stuff between our two female leads. In fact, the issue flows so well that it wasn’t until I started writing this review that I realized Peter Parker never even appears, in either of his identities. As good as the characterization is, it is a classic example of how Bendis tends to stretch out his stories with padded dialogue and elongated scene. In-between the nice character stuff we get stilted dialogue like “No.” “Uh-huh. Please.” “Well…” “I’m like, so not stupid.” Granted, this is the way people talk in real life, but when you read too much of it, it starts to get boring.

The rest of it is well-done, even if I can’t get into it in detail. But man, I’m miffed right now.

Mark Bagley, as always, is flawless in his artwork. Way too many artists make Mary Jane and Gwen look exactly the same save for hair color. Bagley gives them each their own distinctive look. You could tell them apart without a problem even if they were dressed identically and the book were in black-and-white.

It’s interesting to note that there were two inkers on this issue, because the transition was flawless. I wonder if perhaps one of them inked the daytime scenes and the other the night scenes, because the flow is perfect and that’s one of the few ways I can imagine to hide the transition.

It’s a good issue. A solid issue. But it’s an issue that leaves me a little mad, because I’m afraid Bendis is sacrificing a lot of storytelling potential for the sake of shock value. Still, this is a comic book, and the final outcome remains to be seen.

Rating: 7/10

Ultimate Spider-Man #61

June 18, 2004

Quick Rating: Very Good
Title: Carnage Part Two

Curt Conners finds a startling discovery… and makes Spider-Man a tantalizing offer.

Writer: Brian Michael Bendis
Pencils: Mark Bagley
Inks: Scott Hanna
Colors: J.D. Smith
Letters: Chris Eliopoulos
Editor: Ralph Macchio
Cover Art: Mark Bagley & Richard Isanove
Publisher: Marvel Comics

After a “Hollywood” story arc that, save for a great final issue, was fairly lackluster, Brian Michael Bendis is back in form with this newest Ultimate Spider-Man storyline. I’m not particularly a fan of Carnage to begin with, but like he did with Venom, Bendis has found a way to revamp and reintroduce the character, keeping the creepy spirit without dragging in the heavy continuity.

Last issue a wounded Peter Parker turned to Curt Conners for help. This issue Conners, examining a sample of blood left behind, makes a discovery that, if cultivated properly, could change the world. This is mostly a talking heads book, but it’s never slow or boring and not a single panel feels like filler.

It’s not entirely talking heads, however – the book ends with a fairly good action sequence that brings back an “Ultimized” character that (to my knowledge) hasn’t been seen since Marvel Team-Up and “Ultimizes” an old Marvel villain. The redesign of the goofy villain doesn’t make him any less goofy but it looks a bit better, and I very much like Bagley’s interpretation of the other character.

The book isn’t flawless – as has been widely reported all over the internet Bendis gives a wink to the audience by borrowing a name from a character that should have stayed in limbo, and while this Ultimate version (hopefully) has no connection to the original version, dropping the name really adds nothing to the story and just serves to jolt the reader out of the book.

Mark Bagley – what does one say about Mark Bagley’s artwork that hasn’t already been said? It’s painful that John Romita Jr. is leaving Amazing Spider-Man, but I take solace in the fact that the other great Spider-Man artist of the modern era is staying put. Whether he’s drawing Spider-Man or Peter Parker, Gwen Stacy or Aunt May, Bagley’s pencils are almost flawless. A comic book penciller has to be actor, director and cinematographer all in one, and few do it as well as he does.

Bendis has succeeded in getting me excited again in a book that, for the last few months, had started to grow stale. For the first time in quite a while, I’m really excited to find out what happens in the next issue of Ultimate Spider-Man.

Rating: 8/10

Ultimate Spider-Man #60

June 5, 2005

Quick Rating: Good
Title: Carnage Part One

Spider-Man encounters a new foe, and Curt Conners makes a discovery…

Writer: Brian Michael Bendis
Pencils: Mark Bagley
Inks: Scott Hanna
Colors: J.D. Smith
Letters: Chris Eliopoulos
Editor: Ralph Macchio
Cover Art: Mark Bagley & Richard Isanove
Publisher: Marvel Comics

Maybe I haven’t recovered from the brilliant conclusion of the “Hollywood” story arc, or maybe it’s just my general lack of enthusiasm for an Ultimate version of Carnage, but this issue was just okay for me. We open up with an extended sequence with Curt Conners, back in his Lizard form, throwing down with Spider-Man. Spidey then gets into a fight with a new bad guy characterized by spikes and blades before turning to Conners for help.

Although my biggest complaint about this title is usually the extremely slow pacing, this issue has an awful lot of action in it, much more than usual. The spike-covered villain is pretty forgettable, though, but that’s not really a problem. He’s not so much a character as a plot device, a means to an end. I’m merely underwhelmed by the idea of a new version of Carnage, the poster child for overwritten 90s villains. Bendis is going to have to tackle the character from a very different angle to make him interesting to me, and while we get a glimpse of how he may come about in this issue, we have no idea who will be in the costume just yet, and that will be paramount to determining how interesting the idea is.

Bagley does his usual fantastic job with the artwork. The new villain’s design may be as stereotypical as his place in the story, but the fight scene is choreographed wonderfully and the pages are charged with action. I also really like his rendition of the Lizard, which is just different enough from the mainstream Marvel version to be interesting. I’ve also got to give credit to Bagley and Isanove for a beautiful cover. It’s simply a wonderful piece of artwork, and while it may not relate directly to the story within, it does relate to the story arc that begins this issue, and therefore I won’t decry it as falling victim to pointless pin-up cover syndrome.

This is a good issue, but not a great one. There’s room to play around with this character and tell some new stories. Time will tell how well that is done.

Rating: 7/10

Ultimate Spider-Man #59

May 22, 2004

Quick Rating: Great
Title: Hollywood Part Six

Gwen knows Peter’s secret… and she’s not the forgiving sort…

Writer: Brian Michael Bendis
Pencils: Mark Bagley
Inks: Scott Hanna
Colors: J.D. Smith
Letters: Chris Eliopoulos
Editor: Ralph Macchio
Cover Art: Mark Bagley and Richard Isanove
Publisher: Marvel Comics

Finally. After a few issues that felt stretched, elongated and ultimately superfluous, Brian Michael Bendis wraps up this storyline with the best issue yet. There isn’t an unnecessary panel in this book, it’s tight, entertaining and adds a very interesting dimension to the future of this Spider-Man.

Over the last few issues, Gwen Stacy discovered the truth about Peter Parker – that her friend is really Spider-Man, the costumed character she blames for the death of her father. After a particularly nasty battle with Doctor Octopus and a side trip to Brazil, Peter got home to find a nasty little surprise… Gwen and a gun.

To tell you any more would ruin one of the best issues of Ultimate Spider-Man since the series launched. Suffice it to say that Peter and Gwen confront their differences, and the resolution is something that I didn’t really expect, but that makes perfect sense in context with the characters. Bendis knows these teenagers, knows how to make them behave, and has created a dynamic on an ages-old relationship unlike anything the mainstream Spider-Man has ever had. It should be very interesting to see how this new angle twists things in the future.

We also get a resolution for Doctor Octopus (that Nick Fury is rather sadistic) and a return to the “Spider-Man movie” storyline that started this arc but sort of vanished a few issues ago. It all wraps up rather nicely.

Mark Bagley continues to be one of the best Spider-Man artists ever. As much as the Ultimate version of the character looks small and gangly – and basically, like a teenager – in comparison to his elder counterpart, that difference is really pronounced in the scenes where Pete appears in costume without his mask. Art-wise, the only complaint one can have about the issue is the cover – it’s a fine Spider-Man pin-up, but it’s another generic pin-up that has nothing to do with the issue at hand. Marvel is getting worse and worse about actually having relevant covers, and since it’s happening on nearly every title, I’ve got to believe it’s an editorial mandate rather than any choice of the artists themselves.

I was a little underwhelmed by the middle issues in “Hollywood,” but the conclusion is a knockout. One of Bendis’s best issues yet.

Rating: 9/10

Ultimate Spider-Man #58

May 8, 2004

Quick Rating: Fair
Title: Hollywood Part Five

Spidey escapes and throws down with Doctor Octopus!

Writer: Brian Michael Bendis
Pencils: Mark Bagley
Inks: Scott Hanna
Colors: J.D. Smith
Letters: Chris Eliopoulos
Editor: Ralph Macchio
Cover Art: Mark Bagley & Richard Isanove
Publisher: Marvel Comics

After landing in Brazil, Doctor Octopus goes out to find the escaped Spider-Man. What follows is a really good, but surprisingly short fight scene, after which it’s hard to talk about the issue without spoiling everything. The events that take place after the fight are pretty funny most of the time, I must admit, but feel kind of stretched out. Considering how little actually happened in the last issue, I really feel like that one and this one could easily have been combined were it not for the urge to make comic book stories come in at the magic number of six issues.

The good points about this issue are easy to point to – a great fight scene, lots of well-placed and well-used humor, and a last sequence that promises this storyline will have a powerhouse ending that will change Spider-Man’s life forever. Unfortunately, the bad points are easy to find as well – the story is stretched way too thin. It’s funny, that with Marvel shipping this book on an almost biweekly basis, you’re still getting three months of story in three months, but it’s taking six issues to do it.

Also, the “Hollywood” idea, about the Spider-Man movie, has been completely forgotten in this issue. The concept that launched this storyline is nowhere to be found, and it’s hard to imagine how Bendis is going to get back around to it at the end and make the title of the inevitable trade paperback work.

Bagley and Hanna, as always, do impeccable artwork. The fight scene is great and well-paced and the funny stuff mostly hinges on their ability to convey a sight gag. (Not to give anything away here, but think of Spider-Man wearing fuzzy earmuffs.) Bagley has also mastered the art of conveying a range of facial expressions on Spidey’s faceless mask just through altering the size and shape of his eyepieces. Keep your Todd McFarlanes – as far as I’m concerned. Bagley is the definitive Spider-Man artist of the last 15 years or so.

As usual, the biggest complaint about any Ultimate Spider-Man story is how long it takes to get there.

Rating: 6/10

Ultimate Spider-Man #57

April 23, 2004

Quick Rating: Fair
Title: Hollywood Part Four

Spider-Man is caught in the clutches of Doctor Octopus.

Writer: Brian Michael Bendis
Pencils: Mark Bagley
Inks: Scott Hanna
Colors: J.D. Smith
Letters: Chris Eliopoulos
Editor: Ralph Macchio
Cover Art: Mark Bagley
Publisher: Marvel Comics

Let’s look at that teaser for a second: “Spider-Man is caught in the clutches of Doctor Octopus.” It may sound to you, reading this, that it is a statement of being as opposed to description of action. There is a reason for this. It is because, until the last five pages of this issue, nothing happens.

Brian Michael Bendis is usually one of the best writers in comics, and he has one of the freshest takes on Spider-Man in decades. In fact, the only criticism that ever seems to stick to him is the snail’s pace his books sometimes crawl at. This issue is perhaps the greatest example of that problem I’ve ever seen. At the end of last issue Ock had beaten Spidey into submission and, at the end of the issue, the webslinger woke up to find himself bound and on a plane to who-knows-where. This issue we are treated to what amounts to 17 pages of Dr. Octopus making ominous-sounding statements, descending even further into insanity and giving us a wholly unnecessary flashback to what happened between the time Spider-Man was knocked out and he woke up last issue. (Not to spoil too much, but Dr. Octopus acted like a loony and hijacked a plane.) There’s a little exposition with Ock talking about links between the respective pasts of our two characters, but nothing that progresses the plot and couldn’t have been included elsewhere.

What saves this issue are, in fact, the last few pages. The good doctor gets a nice surprise before we steer into a three-page sequence picking up on a subplot that started over the last few issues and which, after last month, is not at all surprising, but nonetheless is one of the best twists Bendis has put in this book since day one and promises that the future of this Spider-Man will be very different from his mainstream Marvel Universe counterpart.

Artwise, this issue delivers as always. Mark Bagley and Scott Hanna do a nice job in the flashback sequence showing our villain hurling cars around like they were Hot Wheels, and the talking heads scenes in the plane are very tight and claustrophobic, perfect for the sequence. The only misstep in the art is that many pages in the middle, for no apparent reason, switch to double-page spreads. I don’t have any problem with this in theory, but when you do too many of them in an issue it gets a little repetitive. Furthermore, those double-page spreads are almost always difficult to read in the inevitable trade paperback edition, as was proven repeatedly in several CrossGen trade paperbacks like Ruse or The Path.

Beautiful artwork and a great twist at the end rescue this issue from oblivion, but none of that changes the fact that if you cut all but the last five pages of this issue from the collected edition, chances are no one would be able to tell the difference.

Rating: 6/10

Ultimate Spider-Man #56

April 11, 2004

Quick Rating: Good
Title: Hollywood Part Three

Peter Parker faces off with Dr. Octopus on the set of Spider-Man: The Movie!

Writer: Brian Michael Bendis
Pencils: Mark Bagley
Inks: Art Thibert
Colors: J.D. Smith
Letters: Chris Eliopoulos
Editor: Ralph Macchio
Cover Art: Mark Bagley
Publisher: Marvel Comics

Last issue, as Spider-Man was staking out the set of the movie that carries his name, albeit without his permission, Dr. Octopus arrived and threw things into chaos. This issue is mostly an extended fight scene between the two classic enemies. As with any issue-long fight scene, the book runs the risk of getting kind of repetitive, although Brian Michael Bendis manages to break up the monotony with gags about the crew of the movie, including a very funny scene where one of the stunt men steps up and joins in the fight.

The fight really goes on a bit longer than it should, however, making the real gem of this issue a four-page sequence where we get to see some rare interaction between Gwen Stacy and Mary Jane Watson. The two most important women in Spider-Man’s life (except for Aunt May, of course), don’t get enough of a chance to play off each other, and this issue marks a high point for the two of them. We also get not one, but two cliffhangers, one involving Spider-Man and the fight with Doc Ock, and a much more subtle one with a supporting character and what may be a pretty big change, depending on which way Bendis goes with it.

Mark Bagley, as always, does a fantastic job with the artwork. He picks up a fight scene that gets tedious with great, dynamic visual storytelling. It’s been said before but it bears repeating – I’m always amazed at how Bagley can produce such consistently quality work at the frequency he does. He should be giving lessons to all the so-called “superstars” who can’t bother to put out one issue every three months.

While still a basically solid story, this issue is running the risk that Ultimate Spider-Man usually does – namely, of stretching out the storyline past the point of viability. With three issues left, there will have to be some drastic actions in the next couple of issues to keep this story from running out of steam before the end.

Rating: 7

Justice League of America (2005 Series) #48

September 13, 2010

Title: The Dark Things Part Five (A Brightest Day crossover)
Writer: James Robinson
Pencils: Mark Bagley
Inks: Rob Hunter, Norm Rapmund, Don Ho, Derek Fridolfs & Rich Perrotta
Colorist: Ulises Arreola & Zarathus
Letterer: Rob Leigh
Cover: Mark Bagley, Jesus Merino & Nei Ruffino
Editor: Eddie Berganza
Publisher: DC Comics

The Justice League and Justice Society (along with Kyle Rayner and Mr. Miracle) face off against a hyped-up Alan Scott. Jade and Obsidian have merged into a new being, and Mr. Terrific’s plan to save the universe will hinge on a couple of girls named Kara.

This really is a fine conclusion to this story arc, bringing everything you were excited about to a boil in the finale. Dr. Mid-Nite’s rescue of Starman is well done, and the cavalry storming in works really nicely. There are some great bits in here with lasting changes for Alan, Jade and Obsidian, clearly establishing their roles in the DC Universe in general and their respective teams in particular. In fact, the Justice League we’re presented with by the end of this issue is an interesting group. I think Robinson has put together a nice core team to build his tenure on this title around.

Mark Bagley’s artwork works, but as I’ve often pointed out, it works better on the young heroes than the Justice Society. It’ll be nice next issue when they return to their own stomping grounds and he’s left with a pretty young team to depict throughout the book. The color team deserves some special recognition here though, I think, really turning out some eye-popping pages.

Then there’s the backup story…

Title: Cogs Part Three
Writer: James Robinson
Pencils: Pow Rodrix
Inks: Ruy Jose
Colorist: Zarathus
Letterer: Rob Leigh

While the Starheart was making all the elementals on Earth go crazy, Cyborg had just finished upgrading Red Tornado’s systems in a way that makes him virtually indestructible. Great idea, until the Starheart pits him against his friend. This issue is mostly an extended battle scene, with Cyborg doing whatever he can to stay alive long enough to – temporarily – put Red Tornado down. It’s an okay sequence, but doesn’t really add much to either character, save for building up the friendship between the two of them. It’s nice, but as neither of them promise to be part of the regular cast of the title, it feels sort of inconsequential.

Rating: 7/10