Ultimate Spider-Man V. 3 (#14-21) – Double Trouble

Brian Michael Bendis/Mark Bagely

This is the last of the arcs I read back when Marvel.com was experimenting with free comics on its site, and it's the one I remember the least. It's also my least favourite so far. There are a boatload of strong and well-executed ideas here, but there were too many times when reading this that I felt Bendis has overloaded this arc with too many elements and characters. When reading volume 2, I thought adding Electro to a strong Kingpin story was too much, but that's nothing compared to the deluge of new characters and situations presented here. I'm so conditioned to the slow pace of Bendis' Spider-Man origin, which worked so well, that I think he would have been well-served by building the character's world at an equal speed.

The overload of characters and plotlines hurts because the concept behind Dr. Octopus and his motives is so strong. Bendis creates an effective and creepy vibe to the introduction of the character and his mechanical arms. The character is so familiar that I applaud Bendis for making the moment he wakes up and discovers his condition so haunting and powerful. This ominous vibe is continued when Ock kills the resident of his former home. The early thread of reporter Ben Urich investigating the case and trying to figure out what is behind Ock's rampage contributes to the danger behind the character. I like the concept of Ock being created by Norman Osborn's actions, strengthening the threads that connect to Peter's origin. When Peter worries that Ock may figure out who Spider-Man is because of their shared origins, the threat feels real and viable. Bendis has crafted a strong web to connect these formerly disparate characters.

But suddenly, in an admittedly great monologue, the Ock story takes a turn. Ock is suddenly directing his anger towards a new character, Justin Hammer, not Norman Osborn. The rage and feeling of a ruined life he's projecting works really well, but it seems misdirected. Similar to how Peter began investigating the Kingpin in volume 2, the crux of the story's action now feels off-kilter. I know Osborn is believed dead at this point, but it feels strange from a story point of view to have Ock so angry at a new character we've barely met. As the central conflict of an eight-part story, it does feel off. Hammer himself has interesting elements (particularly when he's connected to the creation of Electro and a new Sandman); but there's suddenly a lot of effort put in to building him up as a corrupt businessman, and it begins to run counter to establishing Ock as a threat, which the story had been doing so well up to that point.

The battle scenes between Spider-Man and Dr. Octopus and generally good stuff, with Bagely ably pulling off the acrobatics and Bendis presenting Ock as a credible threat in battle. The strongest element of the first battle scene is the legitimate threat of Spider-Man being apprehended by the authorities. It's these moments of Peter's inexperience that Bendis most shines with, and the extended, underwater chase scene worked because it feels like Peter's predicament with the police, usually such a minor problem in the main titles, is a real threat. The final battle, with Ock, Hammer, and a makeshift press conference, is a little much. But it's again well choreographed and Ock comes off as a dangerous opponent.

Added into this main conflict us the Ultimate introduction of Kraven the hunter as an Australian adventure-type personality who has a reality show. As a ratings ploy, he's traveled to New York to taken down Spider-Man. There's actually some really interesting stuff in one of his early scenes, regarding raising interest in his flagging show in order to get enough episodes filmed to go into syndication. But none of this really fits into the already troubled Ock/Hammer story and it feels superfluous. It doesn't help that we don't get much of a read on Kraven himself, who possess little of the cavalier attitude or danger that has at least given him a personality in the main universe. The only consolation regarding this weak plot line is how it ends, which is perfect. When Kraven does finally confront Spider-Man, as the final Ock battle is winding down, he is quickly dispatched of with a single punch. Whether this is Bendis commenting on the empty celebrity of reality tv personalities or realizing there was nowhere else to go with this story, it fits perfectly. Kraven had been nothing but a diversion in this story, and it's fitting that he's dispatched of so quickly and effortlessly. But even with that perfect ending, the Kraven story didn't need to be crammed in to this already busy volume.

Into this mix is also added two persistent SHIELD agents, one of which is Sharon Carter, investigating Ock's actions and his connection to Hammer and Norman Osborn. They leave with Ock at the end, but end up as nothing than yet another element in the mix here. Instead of creating an exciting vibe, these multiple elements just make the story feel to cramped and busy at points, stifling some of the more interesting stories, like Ock's struggle to accept his predicament.

The strongest material in volume 3 comes from Peter and his high school life. Bendis puts a spotlight on Kong, who is portrayed as a Spidey-worshipper. There's a great subplot where Kong believes he's pieced together Spider-Man's identity (in a wonderfully paced scene by both creators); it's a really good twist on what we've typically gotten out of Peter's high school life. Liz Allan continues to be portrayed as slightly uncomfortable with the superhero craze, given the danger at the school. There's also strong interaction between Peter and Mary Jane, as the latter helps him with sewing his costumes and disguising his wounds. There's the beginnings of inevitable jealously between Mary Jane and a new female character, just as she and Peter are getting physically intimate.

That new character is the Ultimate version of Gwen Stacy, a radically different character than I'm used to. She's a new student who comes off as mysterious and strange to her new classmates, waxing about the nature of powers and superheroes in her first scene, then brandishing a knife on Kong when he bullies Peter. Bendis doesn't play that for the expected commentary on high school violence; instead, he uses it to present us an instantly interesting and damaged Gwen, making me question throughout what drove this teenage girl to behave as she did. Her father, police captain Arthur Stacy, also plays a role, investigating one of Ock's murders (yet another character thrown into the mix, but he's fairly minor). I quite liked the scene where Gwen apologies to the class for the knife and questions why Kong hasn't been asked to apologize to Peter for what he did. She's an interesting addition to the book.

Thankfully, Bendis keeps focus on Peter throughout everything going on here. There's good material with him volleying through the challenges of Ock and Kong discovering his identity, as well as finally getting a moment of public adulation at the end. At the very end, May confronts him for his disappearance, is a very good scene. Bendis has added a real complication to his life as Spider-Man, by having May exist as more than just a doting, worrying aunt, but a younger, more vital member of the cast.

Bagely continues to be a valuable member of the creative team, particularly on the action scenes. There were times when his work got cramped here, reflecting the nature of the story, and I'm worried that his angular style might be too harsh for some of the more emotional character scenes, but it's still a strong looking comic.

The final twist, of Ock revealing that he knows Peter is Spider-Man, is a great scene, but it caps off an overly busy story that volleyed and shifted focus too many times from it's interesting central villain. I'm beginning to wonder if Bendis is rushing into this world too quickly, as the pieces he set up in the opening arc created a real and vibrant world. Even with the many strengths of this volume, I don't see the need to throw this many elements into the world this early.