So you, my faithful blog reader, are going to be getting (if I don't change my mind) some reviews pertaining to some comic book collections/graphic novels! We'll start with the Ultimate Spider-Man Ultimate Collection Volume 1 which ULTIMATELY! collects the first thirteen issues of Ultimate Spider-Man, which can also be found in the less ULTIMATE and more normal volumes 1 & 2
Before we begin, I suppose I should explain the "Ultimate" Marvel Universe for those who aren't familiar with the concept. I shall also now warn you that I'm just going to say "ULTIMATE!" from here on when that word comes up? Clear? Clear.
When the first few modern superhero films came out, such as Blade, X-Men, and the first Sam Raimi Spider-Man film, people's interest in comic books were rekindled. They had just seen these awesome stories unfold on the big screen with this fascinating group of characters, and they wanted more. These new found fans of freedom fighting do-gooders ran into a problem, though. An ugly problem called... continuity.
You see, at the point of history we're talking about here, Marvel Entertainment had been publishing comics for around SIXTY years. Even with some ret-cons here and there, that's a LOT of back story to be familiar with. So when fans of the X-Men opened up the ongoing comics of the time, they were probably confused by mentions of a dark phoenix, or a multitude of various characters they didn't recognize, such as Gambit, or Psylocke. Similar problems faced people wanting to jump on board the main Spider-Man comics, there was simply too much back-story in play. You might be reading a book, only to have Gwen Stacey mentioned, and that name carried a lot of weight when it was mentioned, but as far as people who were only familiar with the movies were concerned, she never existed.
Marvel, apparently, came prepared. Starting in the year 2000 with Ultimate Spider-Man, Marvel began publishing a line of comics unconnected with the "main" continuity, and instead, formed a new ULTIMATE! universe where things could unfold differently, with more modern and ULTIMATE! takes on their beloved characters.
And so, in this ULTIMATE! universe, we find one Peter Parker, unaware of his destiny, unknowing of his calling. Whatever dimension you look into, though the details may vary, it all boils down to an unsuspecting boy, having an average day... when along came a Spider.....
As far as beginnings go, Spider-Man's is pretty famous. Nerdy kid is nerdy. Kid is bitten by special spider. Spider gives kid super powers. Kid takes advantage of powers and becomes selfish. Uncle dies, and the kid learns that with great power, there must also come great responsibility. Kid gets red and blue tights and fights crime while trying to win over the girl of his dreams. What is interesting about this particular take on the origin is how little they tinker with that core story. I mean, sure, the Spider is updated from a random spider that just so happened to be exposed radioactive materials and is instead a genetically altered spider. And instead of Gwen Stacey being the first girl Peter ever had eyes for, it's Mary Jane Watson, who is here a bit more of a nerd here, and bonds with Peter a bit even pre-spider bite. And of course the most important update, Uncle Ben now has a pony tail.
Besides that, though the first half of this volume is mainly concerned with fleshing out all those character beats. After Pete gets his powers, we see him slowly come to terms with his new gifts, because at first, they really freak him out. Then we witness as he abuses those powers in some pretty understandable ways. And then we see him called out on it, just before his uncle is tragically murdered, and watch him slowly piece together exactly how he needs to use these powers for the benefit of others.
The other part of the "origin" arc deals with Norman Osbourn's reaction to someone getting Super Spider-Powers, especially since he realizes it was through his genetically altered spiders. While not every point of this arc is my thing, I do like the basic concept, for the most part.
The next arc included in this volume features the classic Spider-Man/Daredevil villain, Kingpin. This arc is pretty well put together, and resolves in a satisfying way, with Spider-Man getting his butt kicked before realizing that he needs to learn to work smarter, not harder. It also features hands down one of the funniest Spider-Man moments ever in Spider-Man's second encounter with Kingpin. I shan't spoil it, it must be seen to be believed. And finally, I like that Pete admits to someone that he's Spider-Man so he can have a confidant. As much as I really admire the fact that Pete does what he does selflessly, it's also nice to have someone who has your back when you have to vanish out of class, or come home late to dinner.
When you reinterpret stories and characters like this, you're bound to change something in a way that some people don't like. It's just how these things go, and I don't hold it against the creators too much, they went for something, and I respect that... but I just don't care for ULTIMATE! Green Goblin. Too much Hulk/raging monster. Not enough of the plotting trickster version of the character I enjoy. Simple as that.
The angst and edge of the ULTIMATE! modern day update is also not my thing. Too much of it seems like they're trying to show how "real" all their high school stuff is, but it comes off more like a teen drama aired on WB Network around 2005. (Do I win most specific analogy? is that a prize?) But seriously, I just don't care for that sort of thing, and it did kinda detract from my enjoyment.
Content advisory:
What's this? a Parental warning? Yeah, for most movies and such, I don't really do this sort of thing for movies, since their are so many places where you can find out whether or not the film is appropriate for little Timmy. Comic books, though? Good luck, far too often have I picked up a random comic book and flipped through it too find either a barely obscured woman in some form of undress (if any dress at all), or surprisingly messy violence. The simple fact is, that while comic books do have boundaries in which to operate, these boundaries are a whole lot looser than your average PG-13 movie or TV show. So whenever I do a comic review, I'll try to let you know what to expect if you pick up a copy.
As far as this first volume of Ultimate Spidey goes, things are at about the Cable Teen Drama level I just mentioned in the previous section. Light to mild swearing happens on a semi-frequent basis with harsher profanities often alluded to but replaced with various symbols.
Violence is mostly the standard BIFF POW WHAM stuff of Superhero stories, with a couple of notable exceptions. The first being at the scene of an explosion, where a man is clearly impaled on a piece of metal, though the goriest bit being obscured by the position of his arms, and the second being a scene where a young teen finds the charred remains of his mother, though all we see is a burnt and deformed hand in a blase of fire. The most intense is probably when one man crushes another man's skull with his bare hands. The deed is mostly done off panel, focusing on every one's horrified reactions. But we do see the aftermath, sort of as the man was wearing a Spider-Man style mask at the time, and security footage of the event.
Sexual content or Nudity is sparse in this volume, but not not absent. A couple of girls dress scantily at a party, Mary Jane is seen in both a towel and a bathrobe, and Pete himself hangs out in a T-shirt and some briefs. The most awkward moment comes at the end during a scene with Peter and Mary Jane. While nothing happens between the pair, Aunt May walks in and finds them in Peter's Bedroom after hearing a racket. She then has a frank conversation with the pair about " at least I hope you were being safe" and "no shenanigans in the house" It's mostly played for laughs, but not really a conversation you want your eight year old reading.
Summary
This first ULTIMATE! volume of Ultimate Spider-Man (which is a special collection that contains Ultimate Spider-Man Issues 1-13 otherwise contained in Ultimate Spider-Man vol. 1 & 2) was a decent scratch to the Spider-Man itch I had. I might read further volumes, though my local library system where I borrowed this from has quite a few gaps in the series, so I'll have to figure some stuff out on my own. (I've already read ULTIMATE! Volume 3, which collects regular volumes 5 & 6, so I've had some practice) But as for this volume, it gets a rating of ULTIMATELY! just OK.
All pictures used are, of course, property of Marvel. I own nothing but all the words I typed. Those are mine, sorry as they may be.
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