Random Thoughts On... Ultimate Spider-Man Post-Bagley through Ultimatum

I’ve been looking at the blog lately, and I just realized that it’s been along time since I’ve talked about any Spider-Man. Yeah, I may have mentioned him in one post or another, but 2018’s still a long time. Right now, the third MCU Spider-Man movie has been released, and… I haven’t seen it. Yeah, I’m that behind on Spider-Man these days. I still haven’t seen Far From Home, though that could be due to not caring about the Wall-Crawler these days and the fact that it ain’t on Disney Plus. I’ve heard good stuff about No Way Home, so I may see it… someday.

Today, I thought I would return to the world of the pretty defunct Ultimate Universe. A few years ago, I went through an adventure of sorts. I reviewed Ultimate Spider-Man from the beginning to Mark Bagley’s departure from the book. I can safely say that it was an awesome run. Last year, I finally decided to see what the rest of the first run of Ultimate Spider-Man looked like. I started the Bendis/Immonen run and pretty much got to Ultimatum, the event that changed the Ultimate Universe for more ill than good. I actually skipped ahead and read more after that event like Hickman’s Ultimate Avengers.

Today, I’ll just be listing my thoughts on this run of issues. The issues will be Ultimate Spider-Man #112-133, Ultimate Spider-Man Annual #3, and Ultimatum: Spider-Man Requiem. Of course, Brian Michael Bendis is the writer of all of these issues. While Stuart Immonen started his run on the book in #111, he ends up doing his first full issue with #112. Immonen’s been all over the place working on characters like Superman, the X-Men, and many others. Wade von Grawbadger joins the crew as the inker for the book. Grawbadger was one of Immonen’s usual inkers and stays on the book during his duration. The Annual was drawn and inked by David LaFuente, the artist that took over after Ultimatum. Mark Bagley returns to draw some pages in the Requiem mini.

Trade Tales! - Ultimate Spider-Man Volume 18: Ultimate Knights

Well, a new year has dawned on us and I’m starting it off by looking at media featuring martial arts. That’s what January has been about for the last few years and I still want to keep it up. Sorry for starting a little late. So, what can I say that isn’t related to me making fun of the fact that Spider-Man: Homecoming pushed Black Panther back a few months? I might as well let go now. I don’t need to mention it anymore especially since I watched Homecoming with a pretty cool lady. Wait, what else has happened that involves a certain creator of Marvel’s Ultimate Universe?

For those who don’t know, Brian Michael Bendis, the writer of this series and many other series, has left Marvel for DC Comics. It was something that literally got me out of bed when I saw it on my phone. I didn’t believe and I’m still pretty shocked. One may wonder what caused him to leave but I wanna know what he’s going to do at DC. Maybe he could do justice with the Outsiders or B’Wanna Beast. Just keep him away from Superman because I can see that going either way.

Anyway, the next volume for this series is "Ultimate Knights" and it contains Ultimate Spider-Man #106-111. The creative team is pretty much the same. Bendis is writing, Andrew Hennessy is inking, and Justin Ponsor handles the colors. Mark Bagley is still on pencils but it has to be said that this is his last arc with this series. He and Bendis stuck with this series for over 110 single issues. Not many teams have done that. At the end of this arc, he passes the torch-shaped pencil to Stuart Immonen who does a few pages here. So, let’s see what happens when Spidey teams up with some martial artists, a crazy guy, a sorcerer, and a blind lawyer.

Ultimate Spider-Man Volume 18: Ultimate Knights

Writer: Brian Michael Bendis

Pencils: Mark Bagley and Stuart Immonen

Inks: Andrew Hennessy

Colors: Justin Ponsor

Letters: Corey Petit

Trade Tales! - Ultimate Spider-Man Vol. 17: Clone Saga

Well, it’s May and you know what that means: Cinco de Mayo! Also, it’s Sci-Fi Month, a time where I pretty much praise (or wreck) one of my favorite fictional genres. This month is different in that this is the first time where I won’t be looking at any Star Trek shows or movies. I’ll still fit it in though. The thing I like about Trek is that it’s not just contained to movies or TV.

This time though is a return to the Ultimate Universe. I’ve been wondering when this day would come. Now that it’s here, I’m a little sad. I thought about ending this long look at Ultimate Spider-Man with the next volume but I may continue to its end. Besides there are really only a few volumes left in this iteration of the series. It does mean I will have to browse the horrible subject known as Ultimatum, but I’ll get to that stuff later.

Today's post is about the Ultimate Clone Saga. Now, my history with the Clone Sagas (Sagi?) is a little limited. I never read the original Clone Saga from the 1970’s. Back in the day, I did peruse a few issues of the pretty infamous 1990’s version at grocery stores. I know this may be sacrilege, but I kind of liked Ben Reilly. His costume was kinda cool. Hey, I had to do something while my mom was getting groceries! This trade also marks an important time for the series. Brian Michael Bendis and Mark Bagley together made it past 100 issues. That’s actually pretty rare in the comic book industry.

This 9-part story takes place in Ultimate Spider-Man #97-105. As usual, Bendis does the writing. Bagley is on the pencils. Inks are handled by John Dell and Drew Hennessy. They also get some help from John Sibal and Matt Ryan. The colors were done by Justin Ponsor, Richard Isanove, and Andy Troy. The letters were done by Cory Petit and Chris Eliopoulos. The trade I have also has some interviews from Wizard Magazine with Bendis and Bagley. So, let’s see what happens when Spider-Man meets a crapton of people who look like him!

Ultimate Spider-Man Volume 17: Clone Saga

Writer: Brian Michael Bendis

Pencils: Mark Bagley

Inks: John Dell, Drew Hennessy, John Sibal, and Matt Ryan

Colors: Justin Ponsor, Richard Isanove, and Andy Troy

Letters: Cory Petit and Chris Eliopoulos

SYNOPSIS

Life for the Parker boy is a little complicated right now. He and Mary Jane Watson are talking again which leaves Kitty (the current girlfriend) understandably miffed. Then, there’s the fact that his lunch with MJ is ruined when the Scorpion wrecks it all. He changes into costume and not only has to subdue this new foe but also not get shot by the NYPD. When they’re alone together, Spidey removes Scorpion’s mask and finds out that he looks exactly like him. Meanwhile, MJ makes it home she is then kidnapped by someone who is later revealed to be a disfigured clone of Peter.

Since the villain literally has his face, Spidey knocks Scorpion out and takes him to the Fantastic Four. He also reveals his identity to the four (take a drink) and Johnny recognizes Peter from his time at Midtown High. Peter realizes it’s getting late, so he heads back home and finds out that MJ’s missing. He first heads to the warehouse where they’d sometimes hide out and instead finds a young woman in a spider costume. Thinking she’s behind MJ’s disappearance, he attacks her and is effectively taken out by her. After she checks his vitals, the girl leaves.

Peter wakes up and heads back to his house where he finds someone else who’s supposed to be dead: Gwen Stacy. She’s wondering what’s happened and remembers little. Then, Aunt May shows up and sees Gwen. Obviously, she flips out but Peter is able calm her down. He also tells her his secret about being Spider-Man. May angrily tells them both to leave but they then get another visitor: Richard Parker, Peter’s father. It turns out that he didn’t die on the plane crash. Agent Henry Gyrich of the FBI found him and had him working for their Research Dept. He’s also behind Gwen’s resurrection. Then, things go from bad to worse when SHIELD shows up outside. Reed Richards told Nick Fury about the clone since cloning’s illegal, so Fury and a legion of new Spider-Slayers have come to take Peter in.

Because of all of this, “Gwen” transforms into a symbiote-like creature (a lot like the one that killed her) and attacks SHIELD while May has a heart attack. This enrages Peter who also attacks SHIELD. Ultimately, they are both stopped. Then, the Fantastic Four show up and try to defend Peter. Sue Storm goes into the house and takes May and Richard to the hospital. Peter surrenders himself to SHIELD when the woman in the Spider costume (I’ll call Spider-Woman) shows up and takes Peter out of the area. She reveals herself to be a female clone of Peter and tells him everything about how she and other clones were created. She also tells him that one of the clones (I’ll call Kaine) may have kidnapped MJ. They end up heading to the disheveled Oscorp where it all began.

At Oscorp, they find Kaine, a multi-armed clone, and MJ who has been transformed into a Goblin creature. Kaine entered the OZ formula into MJ so she could protect herself. Seeing Peter causes her to transform back to normal and Peter knocks out Kaine. Suddenly, Nick Fury, the Fantastic Four, and SHIELD shows up and they have Otto Octavius with them. The Fantastic Four leave and take MJ back to their lab. It’s ultimately revealed that Octavius is the true creator of the clones and “Gwen.” They were created so that the FBI more could have super soldiers that weren’t under Fury’s hand. It’s also revealed that Richard Parker did die and that the man Peter met is another clone with fake memories. Kaine tries to attack him but is killed by SHIELD agents.

After hearing all is, Fury has had it with… well, Doc Ock and leaves Peter and the remaining clones to “deal” with him. Unfortunately, it’s revealed that Octavius actually has the power to control metal and creates new arms for himself. The multi-armed clone is killed but Peter and Spider-Woman are able to take Octavius down. Spider-Woman leaves while Peter stays and is eventually picked up by Johnny Storm. At Baxter Building it’s revealed that Reed and Franklin Storm were able to cure MJ. Peter professes his love for her and they kiss. Reed also reveals that they could also make Peter normal if he wanted to be. Peter ultimately declines the offer, though.

At the hospital, Peter finds out from Sue that his cloned dad has died of old age. Peter stays with Aunt May and is visited by Fury who apologizes for all that went down. After he leaves, May wakes up. Kitty (who got the X-Men to see what was going on) is in the hospital with Jean and wants Xavier to erase Peter’s identity from May’s mind. Xavier doesn’t do it and it turns out that’s it a good thing since May is glad to see Peter safe. In the end, Peter stays at MJ’s house while May is in the hospital. Kitty also finds those two kissing later too. Fury holds on to “Gwen” and Scorpion. Then, this Clone Saga comes to an end.

OPINION

So, what did I think of this 9-part saga? This thing was long but it doesn’t read like that. Other than that, this was really good in my opinion. Bendis really gets to put Peter through the wringer this time. Not only does he have your stereotypical teenage problems, he’s got problems with “The Man,”man! It was interesting to see Peter deal with all of the crap being thrown at him. I also liked seeing this concept modernized. It’s like Bendis grabbed every small idea from the other Clone Sagas and threw them into a blender with some octopus meat. It also felt like a nice continuation of all that came before in the series with Peter’s dad, Doc Ock, Oscorp, and Nick Fury.

The drama gets ratcheted up to 11 with the dead returning and May finding out about Peter’s secret. I did feel it was weird for May go rail on Peter like that when she found out. Luckily, it was only a moment of madness since she’s fine with Peter at the end of the story. I also liked the heroic additions to the story with the Fantastic Four playing a major role and the X-Men cameoing once again. Probably the best addition to the series is Jessica Drew aka Spider-Woman. She was actually pretty cool and she was even cooler than Peter was. It was also cool to see Doctor Octopus return in the way he did. The “Magneto” powers were weird but they did make sense in a way.

The artwork is pretty good overall. As usual, Bagley and team put in some good work. The quiet moments between everyone were pretty good. The action was awesome as usual. Seeing Peter and Spider-Woman tag team Doc Ock was pretty cool. I also liked the designs of the clones. They hearkened back to similar things we saw in the 616-universe. While I thought some of the art was a little sketchy at times (mostly the first issue), it was overall good.

I actually don’t have many problems with the story as a whole. I’ve said before that it’s weird for Peter to be the ultimate players of women’s hearts, but he is a teenager. Aunt May’s outburst felt pretty out of left field but when you consider all she’s gone through in the year, it makes sense. Plus, she’s accepted Peter at the end. I did think MJ turning into a Goblin creature herself was way out of left field though. Add the other weird elements of Gwen-Carnage and an aged Peter clone and you get one weird story.  At least it’s a well-written, well-drawn weird story that doesn’t get as weird as the 90’s Clone Saga was. It doesn’t take 3 years to complete either!

Unmaskings/Reveals of Spider-Man: 3

This time, we got 3 reveals of Spider-Man’s identity. I thought about including the FBI and their research team, but they’re a part of the government, so they already knew. The Fantastic Four find out Peter’s identity when he tells them at the Baxter Building. Later, Franklin Storm (Sue and Johnny’s dad) finds out his identity. Then, there’s Aunt May’s reaction to his identity. I’ll just leave it at three since that sound like enough to get drunk or gain calories on.

Uh... May? You okay? Missing your meds again?

Total Unmaskings/Reveals of Spider-Man: 18

HIGHLIGHTS

Finally, here are the highlights. While a lot of cool stuff happens, here are my favorite bits.

-Professor Xavier… is okay? – This occurs at the end where Kitty pleads with Xavier to erase Peter’s secret from May’s mind. Now this is an Xavier who isn’t a complete douche, Mark Millar! By the way, I know regular Xavier could be a d-bag too at times.

-Tag Team against Doc Ock – the fight between Peter, Spider-Woman, and Doc Ock was pretty cool.

-Meeting the Fantastic Four – It was about time he met up with the other four.

-Together Again – While Kitty being thrown to the curb is harsh, it is nice seeing Peter and MJ get back together.

 ……………………………………………………………………………..

Overall, this was a really nice arc. It definitely made up for the last few issues I’ve read. I felt the series had been a little off before this moment. Hopefully, this momentum continues from here. Well, I’ll stop here with my gushing over Ultimate Spider-Man. I do have something else coming later that involves Spider-Man and it may not be too good. Let’s just say that it involves skateboards, Emma Stone, a bewildered Jamie Foxx, and lizard cops. For now, Peace, God Bless, and watch out for my clone. He’s a bit… rough.

Trade Tales! - Ultimate Spider-Man Vol. 16: Deadpool

Well, it’s April and we’re getting that weather everyone “loves.” For those who don’t know, that weather is a nice blend of wetness and wind. At least it’s warmer and the sun does shine from time to time. 

Before I get too bogged down in May (Sci-Fi Month), it’s time to return to Ultimate Spider-Man for a bit. So far, all’s been good for the most part. I do feel like the series has dipped a little at this point but it’s not dreadful. Today’s pick may test that, though. Ultimate Spider-Man: Deadpool contains Ultimate Spider-Man #91-96 and Ultimate Spider-Man Annual #2. That second annual came soon, didn’t it. As usual, Brian Michael Bendis handles the stories for the trade. Mark Bagley is penciling the main series while Mark Brooks handles the Annual again. The inkers for this trade are plenty though.

Ultimate Spider-Man Volume 16: Deadpool

Writer:  Brian Michael Bendis

Pencils: Mark Bagley and Mark Brooks

Inks: Danny Miki, John Dell, Mark McKenna, Mark Morales, Jimmy Palmiotti, Jamie Mendoza, Victor Olazaba, and Mark Brooks

Letters: Cory Petit

Colors: Justin Ponsor, Richard Isanove, and Laura Martin

SYNOPSIS

“Deadpool”

The story starts out with Spider-Man and Kitty (in a masked costume) taking down a lame criminal called the Ringer. After some swinging and kissing, her automatic ride picks her up while Peter heads home. When Kitty makes it to the Mansion, she gets attacked by some of the X-Men. Before she gets knocked out, she sends the Blackbird to Peter’s house. Peter sees it, suits up, and has it fly him back the Mansion. Kitty meets him there but she then stuns him with a gun. It’s revealed the it was none other than Deadpool taking her form… huh.

Spidey then wakes up on a helicopter shackled with the other X-Men. Spidey and the X-Men then get dropped onto the island of Krakoa. It turns out that the government of Genosha has kidnapped the X-Men in order to get back at them. Spidey was just along for the ride. Spidey and the X-Men start out split up but eventually come together. It’s then revealed that this is being broadcast live around the world. It even has a swarmy announcer. Going against the X-Men are Deadpool and the Reavers, a cybernetic band of douchebags.

The X-Men and Spidey fight their way through the group. It takes some time, but the group is eventually beaten. Deadpool tries to get one more fight in but he is also taken out and unmasked. Let’s just say that the charbroiled version of him looks much better. The team makes it to the compound where Xavier is being held by the Ultimate version of Mojo. Luckily, all seems to be fine with Xavier since he gets to mess with Mojo off-screen. The heroes then head back to the States. The story ends with Peter getting home really late. Luckily, Aunt May decided to play hooky herself and spend the night with her date, Miles Warren. Duh duh duh!

(Note: Miles Warren doesn’t play into… well, you know…)

“Morbius”

The story starts out with a flashback to months ago. Spider-Man is chasing someone who is after someone else. It turns out that Blade, the Daywalker, is chasing down a vampire. Pete is almost bit when Blade grabs the vampire and takes it out. He then tells off Spidey and disappears into the darkness. We cut to present day where Ben Urich has proof of a vampire sighting. Unfortunately, he’s being blocked by Jameson. Peter want to say something but keeps it to himself. At school, Peter finds out MJ has seen he and Kitty together. He tries to keep it calm but MJ understandably sasses him out over it.

Peter, you suck with women. Also, nice Blue Beetle reference, Bagley. 

Later, Ben Urich tries to talk to his witness who was bitten by a vampire. Unfortunately, the chick bites him. Luckily, Spidey was tailing Urich and a fight breaks out between her, another vampire, and him. Also, Morbius shows up to apparently fight the other vampires. Spidey gets them all lumped together and the fight continues. The fight ends with Morbius taking on the other while Spidey gets Urich to a hospital.

Morbius: Also, put your mask back on, dummy!

Later, Morbius comes to Urich’s room and tries to bite him but Spidey stups him. It turns out that if Morbius bites Urich, that’ll counteract the other vampire’s bite and cure him. Spidey doesn’t believe it but their scuffle ends when other vampires come to get Urich. Peter even gets bit but luckily his radioactive blood keeps him from turning. Morbius kills the vampires  is able to cure Urich. The story ends at school. Peter (hiding his bite) and Mary Jane (who’s cooled down from yesterday) have a bit of a moment together.

“Annual #2”

The annual starts out with Spidey taking down the Shocker once again. Thanks to advices from lawyer,  Franklin Nelson, Spidey actually takes the lame criminal to the police department. There, he runs into Captain Jean De Wolfe who is secretly in cahoots with Wilson Fisk. She pulls Spidey aside and asks him to trail a recently released criminal by the name of the Kangaroo. The actual truth is that Kangaroo is encroaching on Kingpin’s territory. Spidey feels uneasy about this but does it anyway.

Spidey heads to the location and finds that he isn’t the only costumed nut after this guy. Daredevil is there beating the crap out of him. Then, the Punisher (who recently escaped from Ryker’s Island) joins the fun and fires a bazooka at the location. Then, Moon Knight (who just recently woke up from his coma) joins the fight. What I’m trying to say is that it’s all one big cluster—buster. Anyway, Daredevil isn’t exactly happy to see Spidey since Spidey’s still too inexperienced. Luckily, Spidey and Daredevil take down Punisher and Moon Knight leaves.

I'm kinda sad that we won't get this in the MCU.

Captain De Wolfe and the police come to apprehend Kangaroo. All seems good until Punisher breaks his bonds and shoots De Wolfe dead. Spider-Man finds him and starts to lay in on him but Punisher reveals that she was working for the Kingpin. Spider-Man and Daredevil get their butts out of there. The story ends with Daredevil finding Moon Knight at his base of operations. The story ends with Daredevil telling Marc Spector that he’s putting a team of costumed folk together to one day take down the Kingpin. Also, we see Fisk mourn for Jean De Wolfe.

"... and I'd like to invite you to our Avengers Initiative."

OPINION

So, what do I think of this one? I wouldn’t say it’s the least favorite, but I can’t say it’s the best either. There are good things here though. I thought it was cool that we get to see more of the Peter/Kitty relationship. We also get the other part that involves Mary Jane. It does make Peter seem like a bit of a douche but he is a dumb teenager, after all. It was also nice to see him actually team up with the X-Men this time. When he’s been around them, not much fighting’s been going on. Too bad it was against some lackluster villains.

Then, there’s the other two storylines. While I didn’t necessarily enjoy the Morbius story, it was nice to see the Ultimate versions of Morbius and Blade for a short time. I also liked that we got some more Daily Bugle action. It feels like it’s been a while since we’ve had that. The Annual was cool in that it’s a continuation the underworld shenanigans involving Kingpin. It was nice to see Daredevil (needs to switch to decaf), Punisher, and Moon Knight show up here. Just know that this is leading to something. Heck, Daredevil’s Nick Fury-like approach to Moon Knight at the end was definitely an example.

As usual, the artwork here is pretty good. While there were a lot of inkers in on the fun, it didn’t feel too different. Bagley did a good job as usual and Brooks handled the annual pretty well. As I said once before, their styles are a little different but fit the universe. The small quiet moments and the action scenes were pretty good. I also thought Kitty’s new costume was pretty good. I do have to say that some of the double pages in the first arc were a little muddled at points.

You can look up how he looks online. It is pretty bad.

The negatives are few but important. While the Spidey/X-Men team up was interesting, the villains were a bit lame. I really wasn’t a fan of Ultimate Deadpool. I barely like regular Deadpool and this version wasn’t an improvement. Basically, he’s “Anti-Mutant Bigot #119” to me. I also felt that team up was an issue too long. As for the Morbius story, it felt a bit shortened since we really don’t learn much about the vampires here. The Annual was fine but the flashbacks were a little weird at points. That being said, it’s not a bad trade. The good does outweigh the bad here.

Unmaskings/Reveals of Spider-Man: 1

Morbius unmasks him at the hospital in order to see the bite. Luckily no one’s around to see. Still, I have to give a point to the meter. At least it’s only 1.

Total Unmaskings/Reveals of Spider-Man: 17

HIGHLIGHTS

Finally, here are the highlights of the trade:

-Spidey and Kitty vs The Ringer – That was one lame villain! It was hilarious seeing the two tear him down like that.

-Blade cameo – While he wasn’t in the story much, it was cool to see Blade. I just imagined Wesley Snipes playing him.

-The Death of Jean De Wolfe – Her death was a bit of a shock and yeah, I know what happened to her original counterpart. Everyone’s reaction to it was interesting. What was more interesting was Kingpin’s reaction to her death.

………………………………………………………………………..

Overall, this was okay. It’s not bad but it isn’t one of the better trades in the series. A part of me feels like Bendis was filling in space for some of this. Maybe he didn’t want to go all out with these issues since we’re coming up on a turning point for the series. Let’s just say that some serious stuff goes down in the next big story arc. Next time, I’ll be looking at the Clone Saga… the Ultimate Clone Saga. Besides, it’s Sci-Fi Month as well, so you know clones need to be involved! Until then, Peace, God Bless, and don’t toy with your women.

Trade Tales! - Ultimate Spider-Man Vol. 15 - Silver Sable

Wow, it's been a while. Between working days, getting used to my PS4, and doing other things, posting has been a little challenging. Then, there’s the fact that the views on my recent posts are all screwed up and crap. I know I ain't that popular and I did ask about it. Darn spammers. Oh well, it’s time to move on and get back in the swing of things. Since Spider-Man: Homecoming is making his way down the red carpet with Christina Hendricks at his side, I think it’s time to return to the Ultimate Universe for a bit. Besides, it seems this new Spidey is looking to be more and more based off that universe especially when Miles Morales is involved. Weird.

Silver Sable is the title for this latest volume. It contains Ultimate Spider-Man Annual #1 as well as Ultimate Spider-Man #86-90. We more or less have the same team on this one. BMB is writing and Mark Bagley is handling pencils. We do get another penciller for the annual issue and that is artist Mark Brooks. The inks were handled by Scott Hanna, John Dell, and Jamie Mendoza. So, let's see Peter win some and lose some.

Ultimate Spider-Man Volume 15: Silver Sable

Writer: Brian Michael Bendis

Pencils: Mark Bagley and Mark Brooks (Annual #1)

Inks: Scott Hanna, John Dell, and Jamie Mendoza (Annual #1)

Colors: Justin Ponsor and Dave Stewart (Annual #1)

Letters: Chris Eliopoulos and Cory Petit 

Trade Tales! - Ultimate Spider-Man Vol. 14: Warriors

Next up for Martial Arts Month is a return to the Ultimate Universe specifically Ultimate Spider-Man. I don’t have any current thoughts about Spider-Man: Homecoming this time. All you need to know is that I’m still not sure if I’m going to see it yet.  Anyway, not only do we get one martial arts hero, we get two: Iron Fist and Shang-Chi. Shang-Chi had already appeared in the Ultimate Universe (Ultimate Marvel Team-Up #16-17) while this is Danny Rand’s first appearance. They aren’t the only faces that show up here though since this one is pretty packed as you’ll see.

This is Warriors. Insert any reference to the 1979 cult classic here. As usual, Bendis and Bagley are heading the writing and pencils, respectively. The inks is still being done by Scott Hanna. The trade contains Ultimate Spider-Man #79-85. So, let’s see Spider-Man get overshadowed by a crapton of characters. Just know that Snow, Cleon, Cochise, and Ajax didn’t make the meeting.

Ultimate Spider-Man Volume 14: Warriors

Writer: Brian Michael Bendis

Pencils: Mark Bagley

Inks: Scott Hanna

Colors: J.D. Smith

Letters: Chris Eliopoulos

Trade Tales! - Ultimate Spider-Man Volume 13: Hobgoblin

Since it’s the end of the year, I thought I’d try to end with some more Ultimate Spider-Man. I didn’t talk about the newest trailer for Spider-Man: Homecoming last time, so I’ll give a couple of thoughts here. It looked fine. We’re back to high school with an even younger Peter Parker. He’s even got Tony Stark as his mentor. It also looks like we’re getting a new villain in the form of the Vulture played by Michael Keaton of all people.  I don’t know if I’ll see this in theaters or not yet. I’ll just have to see when July comes. As for this trade, this is Hobgoblin. It contains Ultimate Spider-Man #72-78. The team is pretty much the same. Bendis is writing, Bagley is penciling, Hanna is inking, and J.D. Smith is the sole colorist on this one. So, let’s see what happens when Harry Osborn returns.

Ultimate Spider-Man Volume 13: Hobgoblin

Writer: Brian Michael Bendis

Pencils: Mark Bagley

Inks: Scott Hanna

Letters: Chris Eliopoulos

Colors:  J.D. Smith

Trade Tales! - Ultimate Spider-Man Vol. 12: Superstars

You know, if there’s one thing that literally gets away from me here, it’s talking about some Ultimate Spider-Man. Luckily, I think I know where I’m going to end it here with that series. I think after the last volume, I needed a break. It’s not that it was bad, but Bendis did do away with a character I liked. For now, let’s get back on the show. We’ll finally get an idea of what the new Spider-Man movie will be soon, so this feels like a good time to get back on the horse.

The next volume is titled Superstars. I don’t know if Bendis was a fan of Molly Shannon’s character from Saturday Night Live, but there you go. Instead of some weird woman, we get some heroes in this new batch. Think of it as “Ultimate Marvel Team-Up” or something. The creative team is pretty much the same as it has been for the last couple of volumes. Bendis is writing and Bagley is drawing. The inking is handled by Scott Hanna, the colors are done by J.D. Smith with Chris Satomayor, and the lettering is done by Chris Eliopoulos. So, let’s see Spider-Man go through some “hilarious” hi-jinks, make a friend, and suffer through a demonic nightmare.

Ultimate Spider-Man Volume 12: Superstars

Writer: Brian Michael Bendis

Pencils: Mark Bagley

Inks: Scott Hanna

Letters: Chris Eliopoulos

Colors:  J.D. Smith and Chris Satomayor

Trade Tales! - Ultimate Spider-Man Voume 11: Carnage

Well, it’s time for another adventure from the Ultimate Spider-Man series. As for Captain America: Civil War, I really enjoyed it. While I do feel that our Friendly Neighborhood Web-Crawler felt shoe-horned in, I really liked Tom Holland in the role. It’s too soon to tell if he’s the best Peter Parker/Spider-Man, but he was good. I still wish Black Panther didn’t get pushed back for another Spider-Man movie, but it is what it is. I’ll stop complaining about it… for now.

Spider-man and his world has a sci-fi feel to it, so that’s why I’ve included it here this month. Plus, the story itself is another one of those “science gone wrong” stories, and those are fun, right? Carnage has the usual team of Bendis and Bagley on it. It’s pretty much the same team from the last volume without Art Thibert. The trade contains Ultimate Spider-Man #60-65. So, let’s see Peter get put through the wringer once more…

Ultimate Spider-Man Volume 11: Carnage

Writer: Brian Michael Bendis

Pencils: Mark Bagley

Inks: Scott Hanna with John Dell

Letters: J.D.Smith

Colors: Chris Eliopoulos

Trade Tales! - Ultimate Spider-Man Volume 10: Hollywood

Well, I’m back with another tale from the Ultimate Spider-Man series. We got a couple of more weeks until Captain America: Civil War. Early press has said it’s good but I’ll have to be the judge of that. This week’s trade has most of the usual team. Bendis is writing, Bagley is penciling, and Thibert is doing some inking. Scott Hanna also does inking and will take over after this arc. Hollywood contains Ultimate Spider-Man #54-59 and is kind of a throwback to an old issue of Amazing Spider-man.

Ultimate Spider-Man Volume 10: Hollywood 
Writer: Brian Michael Bendis 
Pencils: Mark Bagley 
Inks: Art Thibert and Scott Hanna 
Colors: J. D. Smith 
Letters: Chris Eliopoulos 

Trade Tales! - Ultimate Spider-Man Volume 9: Ultimate Six

Let’s see if I can keep the Ultimate Spider-Man juice up for a while. As for the latest news, we have finally seen what Spidey will look like in Captain America: Civil War. It was only a glimpse but he did look fine. It’s definitely got a classic look to it.  I’ve gotta see what’s up with those eyes though. I still wish other movies didn’t get pushed back for another Spider-Man movie, but I just have to get over that.

Today’s trade is a bit of a mix. Ultimate Six includes Ultimate Spider-Man #53 and a seven-issue mini-series that came out between 2003 and 2004. As you could probably tell by the title, it has to do with this universe’s version of the Sinister Six, a team of Spider-Man’s villains. Not only is it that, it’s also a place where the Ultimates (This universe’s Avengers) basically get to do something after their first series came to an end. Brian Michael Bendis writes it all. The regular team of Bagley and Thibert handle the USM issue. For Ultimate Six, Trevor Hairsine is the penciller and Danny Miki handles the inking. Former EiC Joe Quesada also penciled some pages of the mini.

Ultimate Spider-Man Volume 9: Ultimate Six

Writer: Brian Michael Bendis

Pencils: Mark Bagley, Trevor Hairsine, and Joe Quesada

Inks: Art Thibert and Danny Miki

Colors: Dave Stewart, Ian Hannin, Avalon Studios, Transparency Digital, and Richard Isanove

Letters: Chris Eliopoulos

Trade Tales! - Ultimate Spider-Man Vol. 8: Cats and Kings

So… why did it take me almost a year to put this out? It’s simple, really. I misplaced the trade to this and couldn’t find it for a few months. I ended up finding it and that Sentry arc from New Avengers in my laptop bag… Sorry about that if you’re following my look at this series. I didn’t want to put it out without it in my hands, so I sat on this for a long while. It's funny since I was going to put this out when Daredevil Season 1 was released, but it looks like I get to put it out for Season 2.

Anyway, on to the look at this next volume of Ultimate Spider-Man! Cats and Kings has the usual Bendis/Bagely/Thibert team it has had since its beginning. It contains Ultimate Spider-Man #47-53. There isn’t much to say, so let’s see what trouble Peter can get into as the Kingpin returns!

Ultimate Spider-Man Vol. 8: Cats and Kings

Writer: Brian Michael Bendis

Pencils: Mark Bagely

Inks: Art Thibert

Colors: Transparency Digital and J.D. Smith

Letters: Chris Eliopoulos

Movie Talk - Marvel Animated Features Part 1: The Avengers

For my first step into the world of the Avengers, I’m actually going to look at some direct-to-DVD movies that Marvel did a few years ago. Before DC got its stuff together with its animated market, Marvel started off with its own in 2006 with its release of Ultimate Avengers.  They teamed up with Lions Gate Films to put out movies at about twice a year.  All of the movies from that line are on Netflix, so you know what I’m gonna do. Instead of talking about them all in one post, I’ll spread them out according to hero. Today, it’s the Avengers.

Ultimate Avengers was released in early 2006 while its sequel, Ultimate Avengers 2: Rise of the Panther, was released in the fall of 2006. The next Avengers-themed movie to come out from this venture was Next Avengers: Heroes of Tomorrow and it was released in 2008. I bought the first movie and still own it to this day. I rented Rise of the Panther from Hollywood Video while I was in college. As for Next Avengers, I waited a long time until I just decided to see it on Netflix some months ago. Since the Ultimate Avengers movies are also on Netflix, I decided to re-watch them again. So, what do I think about them now? Find out below.

Trade Tales! - Ultimate Spider-Man Volume 7: Irresponsible

I think it’s time to get back the Ultimate Universe. It’s been a while since I’ve been ensnared in its thrall. Lately, it’s been getting a lot of attention in that it is now ending after 15 or so years. Honestly, I don’t care about that since I haven’t even gotten that far into the Ultimate Universe yet. I took a bit of a break in trying to find trades. It also looks like I may be sticking with Ultimate Spider-Man in that search since his series is probably the only one I’m interested in now. I think the Millar-ness of Ultimate X-Men soured me on the Not-So-Merry-Mutants of that universe.

Spidey’s also been getting a lot of attention since Sony and Marvel are going to team up to include Spider-Man in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. They’ll also be releasing another rebooted Spider-Man in 2017. While many are happy about it, I’m actually in the minority on this one for some reasons. They’ve pushed back movies like The Black Panther and Captain Marvel for another Spider-Man movie. I like Spider-Man, but I’m more interested in seeing different properties from Marvel other than the usual “Spidey Play Time.” Also, it’s another frickin’ reboot. I have no problem with reboots but this is kind of ridiculous especially since it was rebooted in 2011. I’ll get over it… someday.

Anyway, it’s finally time to look at this trade. Ultimate Spider-Man Vol. 7: Irresponsible has the same team as before. Brian Michael Bendis is writing, Mark Bagley is penciling, and Art Thibert is inking. It contains Ultimate Spider-Man #40-45. As you can tell by the cover, the Wall Crawler may be running into some familiar faces. So, let’s see what happens when Peter faces the Latverian known as GELDOFF!

Graphic Novels - Ultimate X-Men Vol. 3: World Tour

Well, it’s time to look at what the students at Xavier’s School for the Gifted are doing. When we saw them last, they had gone through a pretty crappy experience at the hands of Col. William Stryk… Wait, wrong piece of media. I meant to say that they were forced into service by Col. John Wraith. Because of some help from Brotherhood and Agent Nick Fury, they were able to head home. Today’s volume is their third one. It contains Ultimate X-Men #13-20, so you can tell this might be a long post.

The creative team for this volume is a little different. Mark Millar isn’t the only one writing this time. Writer Chuck Austen provides a little two-part story involving a fan favorite. The only things I know about Austen is that he is pretty infamous for his runs on Uncanny X-Men and Action Comics in the 2000’s. This should be fun! For the pencils, Adam Kubert does four issues, artist Chris Bachalo does two issues, and artist Esad Ribic does the two-parter written by Austen. The inkers are Danny Miki, Livesay, and Chris Bachalo.

Graphic Novels - Ultimate Spider-Man Vol. 6: Venom

Well, it's time to step back into the Ultimate Universe. As you can tell, by the cover, we are getting another one of Spider-Man's greatest foes: Venom. Venom isn't one of my favorite villains ever but he is one of Spidey's coolest villains. He's probably one of the most personal villains that Spider-Man ever faced in the regular universe. He also has the same abilities as Peter, so that's pretty cool. I always like it when a hero has a villain who is a skewed version of that hero. Superman has Bizarro, Batman has Ra's al Gul (think about it), and the Flash has the Reverse Flash. The creative team for this volume is still the same as it has been. So, let's what happens to Peter as he faces a piece of his past.

Ultimate Spider-Man Volume 6: Venom
Writer: Brian Michael Bendis
Pencils: Mark Bagely
Inks: Art Thibert and Rodney Ramos

SYNOPSIS

We start out with Peter in his basement being depressed about being dumped by MJ. After some more moping, he finds some family videos and some of his father’s work. He watches a video that has his parents, The Brocks (?!?!?), and his aunt and uncle. Aunt May tells Peter that Eddie, The Brocks’ son, is in the city attending one of the colleges. Knowing this, Peter heads to the college and meets up with his old family friend who is trying to follow in his father’s footsteps. Gwen even gets in with the little group. Sometime later, Eddie shows Peter a project their fathers were working on that’s supposed to be a cure for cancer: a bio-suit called Venom.

Graphic Novels - Ultimate Spider-Man Vol. 5: Public Scrutiny

Well, it’s time to step back in to Spidey’s Ultimate Universe once again. I did say that I would be back soon with another one of these. Luckily, this trade was made to be a quickie. Public Scrutiny contains 5 issues from the Ultimate Spider-Man series. They are #28-#32. It seems weird, but there’s a reason why the trade’s so short. The next volume contains seven issues and is a long story arc. The creative team has remained unchanged. Bendis is still writing, Bagely is still drawing, and Thibert is still inking. With all of that said, let’s see Peter have a bad day.

Ultimate Spider-Man Volume 5: Public Scrutiny

Writer: Brian Michal Bendis

Penciller: Mark Bagely

Inker: Art Thibert

Graphic Novels: Ultimate Spider-Man Vol. 4 - Legacy

Well, it's another day and another look at Spider-Man in the Ultimate Universe. It's been a while since I've looked at the Wall-Crawler, so I'm gonna try to make up for that. Today's volume of the series contains issues #22-#27. The creative team is still the same. Brian Michael Bendis is writing, Mark Bagely is pencilling, and Art Thibert is inking. As you can tell by the cover, this is going to be nuts.

SYNOPSIS
Everything is going well for Peter. He's not being hated on as Spider-Man anymore and his relationship is MJ is going well. He may be grounded, but it can't all be good, can it? Things liven up as Harry Osborne returns to school after all of the stuff that happened to him in the first volume. Now you know this might go downhill. Norman Osborn is also back and alive and he wants to see Peter for some reason. In Osborn's office, Norman reveals himself (literally) to be the Green Goblin and that he also knows Peter's secret. We also find out that he has put Harry under deep hypnotherapy in order to forget the truth. Let's say that Peter isn't doesn't handle the news well.

Graphic Novels - Ultimate Spider-Man Vol. 3: Double Trouble

Now, it’s time to dust off another Ultimate Spider-Man trade. Remember when I said that I was going to go through all of them up until a certain event? Well, I… exaggerated. I don’t know where I’ll stop at, but I will try to do this and another Ultimate trade monthly. Instead of detailing the whole book, I’m going to try something different with the synopsis today. Today’s trade is brought to you by the same team of Bendis, Bagely, and Thibert. It collects Ultimate Spider-Man #14-21. As you can tell by the cover, this looks like it’s going to be an interesting story.

Ultimate Spider-Man Vol. 3: Double Trouble

Writer: Brian Michael Bendis

Penciller: Mark Bagely

Inker: Art Thibert

Graphic Novels - Ultimate X-Men Vol. 2: Return to Weapon X

This installment of Graphic Novels is brought to you by Robocop, another remake and more of a sign that Hollywood wants to relive the 80’s. They've even dragged Nick Fury, Batman, Commissioner Gordon, and Rorschach into it as well.

Well, it’s another day and another Ultimate Universe trade. Instead of Ultimate Spider-Man, which I’ll get to eventually, it’s another issue of “Marvel’s Not-So-Merry mutants”: the X-Men. It’s the second volume of the series and it contains Ultimate X-Men #7-#12. The creative team for the issues is more or less the same. Writer Mark Miller and penciller Adam Kubert are back. This time, Kubert is assisted by Tom Raney and Tom Derenick for penciling the issues. On inks, Art Thibert is back with assists from Danny Miki, Larry Stucker, and the late Joe Kubert. With all of that said, let’s get to it!

SYNOPSIS

We start the story with an extended chase between Nightcrawler (!!!!) and a group of soldiers who look like they’re working for SHIELD. It's eventually revealed that the Weapon X program was sanctioned by SHIELD in this universe. Kurt is soon captured by the organization and the head is none other than Colonel Wraith, the man responsible for capturing Logan in the first volume. We then shift scenes to an abandoned Weapon X facility in Arizona. Logan is checking it out and searching for clues to his past. He’s also in telepathic contact with Xavier. At the Mansion, Jean is doing a checkup on Hank since his big operation.

We then go across the world and find out what Storm, Cyclops, and Colossus are up to. They’re apparently being interviewed by a Japanese pop star. The X-Men have actually become celebrities in Japan. They even sign some autographs. It’s here where some hooded figure brushes up against Peter to find the location of the Mansion. This person is none other than Rogue (!!!) and she is working (against her will of course) with Wraith in order to force the X-Men join Weapon X.