Ultimate Spider-Man V. 2 (#8-13) – Learning Curve

Brian Michael Bendis/Mark Bagely

This is another set of stories I'm vaguely familiar with, having read the issues when Marvel first experimented with posting full comics on its website. It's been quite a while since reading them, though. I'll admit that, at first, I was less than enthralled with the Kingpin storyline, even if Peter's high school and family life remained entertaining. But Bendis won me over with some pretty bold story choices and his incredible ability to balance and integrate Peter's personal life into the stories.

As mentioned, the actual Kingpin plot did start off a bit weak for me. Through a wordless scene, Peter makes a connection between the Kingpin, Wilson Fisk, and his Uncle Ben's murderer, in an online search. This sets Peter on the path to investigate Fisk. But, for me, that motivation and the linkage Peter makes were just not made clear enough here. Peter embarks on this mission, and, due to the weak motivation, it starts off seeming like a way to showcase new Ultimate characters. It's not helped by the introduction of the Enforcers, introduced with an overload of Bendis' trademark banter, which can irritate on the best of days. Peter, as Spider-Man, gets some insider information on a fundraiser Fisk is holding, and decides to do even more investigating. He seems to be going to great lengths to put himself in danger, and, for me, the motivation wasn't fully there. I get that he's an impulsive kid, and he's been able to make a tenuous connection to his uncle's killer, but I don't think it was enough to justify these lengths.


The third part of this story thankfully brings a strong upswing in quality, thanks to a chilling encounter between Spider-Man and Fisk. Peter is grabbed, abused, unmasked, and tossed out a window in short order. I love that Bendis gets the unmasking over with so quickly and almost casually; it's a slap in the face to all of those stories that have used it as a cliffhanger or huge dramatic moment. The whole sequence shows that Peter is still new at this. He's gotten out of his depth and is playing with forces much greater than him. There's no holding back on this point and no attempt to glamourize Peter's exploits as a hero. From this point on, Peter has motivation to continue his pursuit of Fisk - it seems to be a mix of redemption, getting even, having his ego bruised. Bendis isn't afraid to mix Peter's superhero pain with his personal problems in the scenes directly following this. In this way, he gives both aspects of the book, and that gives this book its richness.

The rest of the story plays out in a more action-oriented way, albeit with Bendis showing Peter using his tactical intelligence to outsmart and entrap Fisk and get back into his facility. Part of the fight scenes have Peter confront Fisk's lackey, a fairly different looking version of Electro, who had briefly appeared earlier in the story. Bagely does a great job here, with a dynamic battle scene bathed in red light. But I'm almost thinking Electro's inclusion was unnecessary, particularly as the arc already has Fisk, who has been established as a ruthless opponent, willing to crush the head of an earlier dissenter. Perhaps Bendis trained me too well with the slow burn of the opening arc, but Peter facing only one Ultimitized opponent in this arc would have worked just fine. This also applies to the Shocker, who appears in the trade's opening scene as a thief Spider-Man stops, but that's all fairly harmless to the overall story.

I will say that the battle scenes, against Electro, the Enforcers, and Fisk, which take up a large part of the final two issues, never feel padded or stretched out like issue 6 and 7's Green Goblin battle. They feel more like catharsis for the pain and humiliation Peter experience and are deftly paced and presented to us. There is still danger in these scenes - getting away from Fisk, especially when on his home turf, isn't a cake walk - and it makes the fights more effective.

Throughout all of this, Bendis expertly weaves in scenes of Peter's personal life. As mentioned, the problems he faces in his personal life are put on a similar level as his superhero problems. In general, these tend to be the best elements of the book. There's strong work being done with Aunt May here. Bendis explores her relationship with Peter after Ben's death with real pain and vulnerability coming through. I also like the attempt to make her a bit younger, with a mention of having to work thrown in (as well as her overall demeanour). The Daily Bugle is properly introduced as a part of Peter's life, as he begins selling Spider-Man pictures to them, while helping Betty Brant with web design. Some of the dialogue from these characters can be over the top, but Bendis seems to settle into it and deliver some worthwhile scenes. The strongest is when Peter openly questions Jonah on why the paper has to run negative Spider-Man stories. It's these types of moments, where Bendis makes a bold character choice and sticks with it, that the book truly shines. Peter's relationship with Mary Jane continues to develop, with an aborted date subplot running through the issues. Bendis has done a good job differentiating her from her classmates, so that her attraction to Peter feels believable. Here, we also get an abrupt intro to Liz Allan, with an unexpected twist that the Spider-Man/Goblin battle at Midtown High has shaken her up. It's a persistant, almost ominous element in the story, and it's certainly an interesting addition.

The trade concludes with a single issue story, in which Peter reveals his double life to Mary Jane. For me, it was almost a showcase of how this Peter is different from the main Marvel Universe Peter. It's a bold direction for Bendis to take so early, and I like what it shows us. This Peter is a real teenager, excited, scared, and confused about his new role. It makes sense that, earlier in the trade, the first time Spider-Man gets in the way of his date with MJ, he ponders just telling her then. It's realistic that he would make such a hasty choice to end the problem. And when he tells her, it lays the foundation for him to develop a relationship built on truth. For all the fun of Peter breaking dates when duty calls, this interpretation offers the most potential for growth. The issue does feel light at times, but it's generally excellent, with dialogue and interaction between the leads that is taut and believable. The relationship is allowed to build naturally, and the friendship at the core of it is evident. There is also a funny bit with May thinking they are fooling around in Peter's room, which persists, but doesn't overwhelm, throughout the issue. Bagley conveys emotion very strongly in this issue, and the trade as a whole, with a strong use of close-ups, interlocked panels of facial expressions, and more use of bigger panels to allow his pencils to be dynamic, and not cramped.

The trade ends with a spread of Peter, who has fallen back on his bed, full of joy over both his relationship with MJ and the choice he's made to tell her he's Spider-Man. It's a beautiful image by Bagely and it demonstrates the strong, confidant voice Bendis has brought to this interpretation of the character. He's making some decisions to do things differently in this version, with a strong command of the character throughout. Outside of some plot mechanics early on, this is an excellent second collection.