This volume is so vastly superior to 
volume 7, Irresponsible, that it leaves me with no worries for this title’s future. Bendis revisits, to varying degrees, the Kingpin arc from volume 2 in an excellent fashion. There are plot lines aplenty being juggled here, and it all fits together nicely, even introducing some new elements into the title. Most importantly, Bendis proves that he doesn’t have to up the character-anguish stakes to get rewarding character work from Peter. He can mix the two less-serious stories here with scenes of Peter questioning his resolve to remain a hero without bringing the title to the depths of despair (like in v.4-6, which I do love) or into too frivolous or unfocused a territory (v.7). There can be a middle ground and balance in tone, where Peter’s character can be kept at the heart of the book without dragging him down into depression too excessively. There are two short arcs here, both tied together by the return of the Kingpin, back in New York after a video of him killing someone surfaced in volume 2.
The first arc begins with J. Jonah Jameson endorsing Sam Bullit, a rabid anti-Spider-Man candidate, for mayor of New York. Bendis has Fisk stand at the outskirts, as an almost powerless foe – he can’t act out too much for fear of losing whatever public credibility he’s managed to rebuild for himself. So the heavy lifting is left to 
other characters, such as Ben Urich, who gets Bullit to reveal his ties to Fisk in a fantastic scene. Jameson also takes on his largest role yet. Bendis shows the true integrity at the heart of the character’s bluster when he finally relents in his support of Bullit. Yes, it takes a near attack from Fisk’s henchmen to get this to happen. But the true journalist at his core re-emerges. His later apology to Peter is a great scene, where we learn more about his deceased son and his dedication to helping Peter learn about journalism.
There’s a strength of will to Peter’s character here that we haven’t seen yet either. He is beyond outraged at Fisk’s release and asks why JJJ would endorse Bullit, who was Fisk's lawyer. JJJ yells and fires him, and Peter’s ability to stand up for himself as he leaves is even better. It’s great to have Peter finally speak up so strongly for himself.
In this opening arc, Bendis shows great skill in balancing the various character threads that compose the story. Mary Jane plays a balanced role here, and it’s welcome. She provides Peter with a list of everyone who knows his secret identity, and it’s a humourous idea. Jameson, Urich, and May all play strong roles as well , progressing the story and giving it energy by taking all of the weight off of Peter’s shoulders. The Fisk-Bullit story isn’t a complete storyarc, but it feels organic and thoroughly enjoyable and it’s built upon strong character work from the leads.
The second arc is a bit fluffier, but finds grounding by remaining tied to the Kingpin’s machinations from the first arc. It opens with a very lengthy theft by the new Black Cat character, a sequence almost free of dialogue. There’s a great interplay between she and Peter once he finds her, and a fun sense that he is just amazed to see a costumed female like her. Bagely expertly choreographs these scenes, and they make for a nice break from this sometimes dialogue-heavy book.
At the centre of this arc is Peter questioning his future as a costumed hero with Mary Jane. It’s a completely realistic decision for a teenager in his position to ponder and I applaud Bendis for having this question realistically weave itself through multiple stories. This is a question Peter has faced many times, and it’s understandable that the events he’s been through would make him constantly second-guess his superhero lifestyle.
A large part of this arc also centers around MJ’s father, who cheated on her mother and has been a tyrant in their household ever since. This allows for some great moments of May being plucky and pushy, but this is a less engaging story than some of the other plot lines here. MJ eventually runs away, Peter finds her at their secret hangout, and it’s a sweet scene. It all feels a little superfluous to the main action, but works just fine.
The Black Cat story centres around her stealing an artifact in order to get revenge on Wilson Fisk, who framed her father for a crime (and he later died in prison). She puts out a newspaper ad to have Spider-Man meet her, and Peter is enticed to do so, almost as an escape from MJ’s family problems. They meet for a rooftop dinner, in an excellent scene, where Peter is not only attracted to a girl who pursues the superhero life, but another girl besides MJ in general, and must face these feelings.
Their date is interrupted by 
Elektra, hired by one of Fisk’s goons to retrieve the artifact. The rooftop battle between the three is quite lengthy, but, again, Bagely does a great job with the night time fight scenes. It’s a bit hard to get invested when the two females are such new quantities for us. Still, it’s a nice change of pace from the talkier opening arc. The story ends with Fisk attacking Black Cat, and Elektra apparently killing her. It’s a strong final fight because Fisk, finally in action, makes for a crushing, oppressive foe. But I can’t help but wish we got more from Black Cat. Like Gwen, who’s nearly absent here, she’s an opposing female figure for Peter, who brings out the types of feelings in him that MJ doesn’t. Still, it’s hardly certain that she died and I’m hopeful to see more of her. The final page reveals that Fisk wanted the ancient artifact because its text could help revive his comatose wife. This doesn’t quite work. It smacks of Bendis trying to insert too much story into a volume that hit a nice groove (shades of volume 3’s plot overload). It’s such a jarring development to tack onto the final page.
Still, there is a lot to like in both
of these arcs, including the fact that both are short, taut three-parters. They are nicely connected, grounded in Peter’s development as a character, and show a good balance of many compelling plot and character threads. This volume proves Bendis doesn’t have to wallow in too much doom and gloom for the book to feel like its moving places. At the same time, he adds a lot more substance than the previous volume had, while keeping things fun. A strong return to form.
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