Ultimate Spider-Man #101
By Brian Michael Bendis and Mark Bagley (artist)
MARVEL COMICS
I dread the day that Mark Bagley leaves “Ultimate
Spider-Man.” Bagley’s pencils along with Brian Michael
Bendis’ words have, for 101 issues, served up some of the
most consistent, exciting and unique storytelling on the racks
today.
Retelling the story of how Peter Parker became Spider-Man and
detailing the romantic troubles and conflicts that are so familiar
to fans should have been a difficult task. The story has been told
a hundred times over in comics, film and television. The series
certainly shouldn’t have been as good as it turned out, nor
lasted this long.
Thank God it did.
Luckily, Mark Bagley was along for the ride. A break-out artist
on “Thunderbolts” and before that, “Amazing
Spider-Man,” his art had a loose, manga-like style that has
become polished and nuanced during his tenure on Ultimate
Spider-Man. Bagley conveys both action and emotion with deft style
that never short-changes Bendis’ script, and this consistency
over 100 issues is welcome.
“Ultimate Spider-Man” reads like a weekly television
series, and a good one at that. Each issue not only moves the plot
along, but the character arcs as well. The Peter Parker in issue
101 isn’t the same Peter Parker from issue 100, just as he
bares little resemblance the Peter Parker from the very first
issue. Bendis makes sure that Peter and his friends grow with each
issue, and the growth is at once organic and startling.
Bendis has managed to do what various other Ultimates titles
have failed at: He made the material fresh again. Instead of
slavishly devoting himself to the original plot, Bendis seems to
enjoy confounding expectations. Issue 101 is a perfect example of
Bendis warping old continuity with something fresh and interesting,
and he revels in looking at the absurd superhero situations with a
humanistic eye. That Bendis is able to take the unpopular
“Clone Saga” story arc and turn it into something not
only readable, but worth reading, cannot be overlooked.
This issue showcases what the entire series does so well:
change. With a guest appearance by Ultimate Fantastic Four,
revelations are made about Peter’s genetics as well as a
shocking transformation of Mary Jane that sets the stage for a
climactic conclusion to the storyline.
If you aren’t reading this series, you’d better
start ““ there is no finer monthly comic that delivers such a
consistently good read on the shelves now. There are nine volumes
waiting for you at your local comic store (and bookstore!).
Don’t keep them waiting.