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ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN #122
Written by Brian Michael Bendis
Pencilled By Stuart Immonen
Review by Ryan Stevens
As long as there has been as Ultimate Spider-man, there has been an ultimate Shocker, who has been, for the most part, a whipping boy and a laughing stock for our fair web-slinger to dispose of in all manners of humorous scenes, usually at the Shocker’s expense.
Well, the beleaguered villain has had enough of being Spidey’s “funny ha ha joke”. When Shocker attempts another bank heist, he is yet again intercepted by the wall-crawler. Only this time, Spidey’s webbing won’t hold Shocker down. With a generous portion of luck, Shocker manages to free himself, get the drop on our hero, and make a clean getaway! Looks like it’s up to Mary Jane and Kitty Pryde (Spidey’s current and ex girlfriends, respectively) to save him!
In the day of decompressed (or should I say deeeeeecooooooompreeeeeeessssseeeedddd) storytelling, when many stories are stretched out over numerous issues in order to fit in trade paperbacks, it’s nice to see a fun, filling, done-in-one story for a change. The story doesn’t feel rushed at all, and every scene, from the comical scene at the beginning with Peter and MJ, to the touching (and appropriately awkward) MJ/Kitty scene, to the tense and edgy scenes involving the Shocker himself.
The issue really is all about the Shocker. This seemingly throw-away villain is finally given a back-story and a personality, and writer Brian Michael Bendis even makes him a sympathetic bad guy, trying to survive and not having any other way of doing so. The Shocker doesn’t steal for the thrill, he steals because that’s his only source of income to support himself. And if Spider-Man keeps him from supporting himself and landing him in jail, how is the Shocker supposed to have any life at all? Bendis really does add layer upon layer of depth to this guy who used to be no more than a running gag.
The other characters are treated equally well. Peter is the pure and righteous hero, debating his foe solidly even while at his mercy. Kitty and Mary Jane, while hardly best friends forever, realize that there is a greater good that requires their mutual cooperation, but are still the believable teenage girls that Bendis is so eerily good at writing. Seriously, how does this guy so accurately know how teenage girls act?
The issue’s art comes from Stuart Immonen, who’s energetic and frenetic style lends itself well to the book. His renditions of Spidey is very cool, and his Shocker is sickly and despondent, which is just what the story calls for. There are a few problems with Immonen’s pencils, though. His representation of Peter Parker out of costume looks vaguely feminine, and his panels can be confusing at times, particularly in the one where Shocker breaks out of Spider-man’s webs. I’m not sure, but it looks like he fries Spidey with a laser-blast form his belt, which seems preposterous. I’m assuming he just used the weapons in his hands to vibrate away the webbing, but the problem there is that I have to assume.
Bendis is at the top of his game here, having a book set in a whole different universe that doesn’t have to involve registration, skrulls, or deals with the devil, and Immonen is quickly making this book his own. For anyone sick of how the mainstream Spider-man is being used, allow me to offer Ultimate Spider-man as a means of escape from editorial mandates and universe-shaking crossovers.
8 out of 10.
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Iron Man: Legacy of Doom #1 |
