Ultimate Spider-Man by Brian Michael Bendis
Author Biography:
Brian Michael Bendis is an award winning comics creator and one of the most successful writers working in mainstream comics. For the last eleven years, Brian's books have consistently sat on the top of the nationwide comic and graphic novel sales charts. Information retrieved from Amazon.com.
Published by: Marvel
ISBN: 0785124926
Genre: Action
Reading Level: Grades 6 and Up
Reader’s Annotation:
Peter Parker is your typical nerd – incredibly smart, fairly awkward, and frequently the butt of the jokes of school bullies. On one fateful day during a school trip, a radioactive spider bites Peter, giving him the strength, speed, agility, and wall-climbing abilities of the arachnid. Peter uses his newfound abilities to great effect, rocketing him up the school’s social ladder. Yet, when Peter refuses to help a shopkeeper who has just been robbed it changes his life forever.
Plot Summary:
When Peter Parker is bitten by a radioactive spider, he gains all of its abilities and is no longer the nerd that can be pushed around with impunity. He makes fools of his tormentors at school, joins the high school basketball team and becomes its star player, and is suddenly highly desired by girls. Things are looking up for him when he suddenly comes across a robbery in progress at a local convenience store. He does nothing, and when the angry shopkeeper asks him why he didn’t do anything, he merely shrugs it off as not being any of his concern.
This is a critical error, however, and the robber later breaks into the house he lives and kills his Uncle Ben. Wracked with guilt and left with his uncle’s famous words, “With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility,” Peter vows to use his abilities to make a difference and never make the same mistake again.
From there, Peter embarks in a series of adventures from battling criminal mastermind Kingpin to fighting the monstrous and former childhood friend Venom. Throughout his battles Peter constantly juggles a job, school, and his romances and break ups with Mary Jane Watson and later Kitty Pryde of the X-Men. As his battles continue, he eventually faces forces far greater than himself, leading him to team up with other super heroes and, near the end of the series, watch helplessly as Manhattan is annihilated by a tremendous tsunami created by the mutant mastermind Magneto of the X-Men series.
Critical Evaluation:
Ultimate Spider-Man is yet another retelling of the classic story of Spider-man, his struggles, his victories, his enemies, and his friends. Written by Brian Michael Bendis, Ultimate Spider-Man changes some of the more unbelievable elements of Peter’s story and makes them more likely to happen in real life. For example, in the original series the Venom symbiote – a mass of goo that grants the wearer incredible powers in exchange for his or her sanity – was from outer space. In the Ultimate universe, however, the symbiote is the creation of Peter’s father who hoped one day the creature could sense the wearer’s diseases and create natural cures for them. Some events have been remixed as well. In the original series, Gwen Stacy was Peter’s girlfriend and was killed when the Green Goblin threw her off of Brooklyn Bridge. Though Peter managed to catch her using his webbing as Spider-Man, the sudden change of force snapped her neck, killing her. This event is replayed in the Ultimate universe, only with Mary Jane being tossed from the bridge. Spider-Man saves her in the same way – and manages not to kill her – but the trauma caused by the event puts a tremendous strain on their relationship.
Bendis does a fantastic job presenting Peter’s struggles throughout the story. Though Peter is no longer quite the nerd he used to be, he still has a number of problems being the boyfriend that Mary Jane needs. The constant fighting, injuries, and uncertainty if the next fight will be Peter’s last also takes a toll on Mary Jane, making their relationship far from a sure thing.
A fantastic writer, Bendis creates highly complex characters as the Ultimate Spider-Man series continues as many of them wrestle with their own internal problems as well as those surrounding them. Spider-Man is also a genuinely funny character, and often distracts his enemies with a string of one liners, goofy banter and, in the case of the rotund Kingpin, a series of fat jokes.
With strong character development, fantastic illustrations, witty dialog, and excellent remixes of famous Spider-Man events, Ultimate Spiderman is a joy to read.
Curriculum Ties:
Challenge Issues:
None
Defensive Maneuvers:
n/a
Book Talk Ideas:
I think we all dream about being powerful at some point. But do we ever think about how that power would change us? What about you? How do you think it would effect you? How about the best case? What about the worst?
Why This Book?
Ultimate Spider-Man is a masterfully crafted retelling of the Spider-Man saga and should not be missed. Fans of super heroes – and of Spider-Man in particular – will likely enjoy this reboot of the series and find the excellent characters and writing to be a reason to continue visiting the library for the next installments of Peter Parker’s adventures.
Brian Michael Bendis is an award winning comics creator and one of the most successful writers working in mainstream comics. For the last eleven years, Brian's books have consistently sat on the top of the nationwide comic and graphic novel sales charts. Information retrieved from Amazon.com.
Published by: Marvel
ISBN: 0785124926
Genre: Action
Reading Level: Grades 6 and Up
Reader’s Annotation:
Peter Parker is your typical nerd – incredibly smart, fairly awkward, and frequently the butt of the jokes of school bullies. On one fateful day during a school trip, a radioactive spider bites Peter, giving him the strength, speed, agility, and wall-climbing abilities of the arachnid. Peter uses his newfound abilities to great effect, rocketing him up the school’s social ladder. Yet, when Peter refuses to help a shopkeeper who has just been robbed it changes his life forever.
Plot Summary:
When Peter Parker is bitten by a radioactive spider, he gains all of its abilities and is no longer the nerd that can be pushed around with impunity. He makes fools of his tormentors at school, joins the high school basketball team and becomes its star player, and is suddenly highly desired by girls. Things are looking up for him when he suddenly comes across a robbery in progress at a local convenience store. He does nothing, and when the angry shopkeeper asks him why he didn’t do anything, he merely shrugs it off as not being any of his concern.
This is a critical error, however, and the robber later breaks into the house he lives and kills his Uncle Ben. Wracked with guilt and left with his uncle’s famous words, “With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility,” Peter vows to use his abilities to make a difference and never make the same mistake again.
From there, Peter embarks in a series of adventures from battling criminal mastermind Kingpin to fighting the monstrous and former childhood friend Venom. Throughout his battles Peter constantly juggles a job, school, and his romances and break ups with Mary Jane Watson and later Kitty Pryde of the X-Men. As his battles continue, he eventually faces forces far greater than himself, leading him to team up with other super heroes and, near the end of the series, watch helplessly as Manhattan is annihilated by a tremendous tsunami created by the mutant mastermind Magneto of the X-Men series.
Critical Evaluation:
Ultimate Spider-Man is yet another retelling of the classic story of Spider-man, his struggles, his victories, his enemies, and his friends. Written by Brian Michael Bendis, Ultimate Spider-Man changes some of the more unbelievable elements of Peter’s story and makes them more likely to happen in real life. For example, in the original series the Venom symbiote – a mass of goo that grants the wearer incredible powers in exchange for his or her sanity – was from outer space. In the Ultimate universe, however, the symbiote is the creation of Peter’s father who hoped one day the creature could sense the wearer’s diseases and create natural cures for them. Some events have been remixed as well. In the original series, Gwen Stacy was Peter’s girlfriend and was killed when the Green Goblin threw her off of Brooklyn Bridge. Though Peter managed to catch her using his webbing as Spider-Man, the sudden change of force snapped her neck, killing her. This event is replayed in the Ultimate universe, only with Mary Jane being tossed from the bridge. Spider-Man saves her in the same way – and manages not to kill her – but the trauma caused by the event puts a tremendous strain on their relationship.
Bendis does a fantastic job presenting Peter’s struggles throughout the story. Though Peter is no longer quite the nerd he used to be, he still has a number of problems being the boyfriend that Mary Jane needs. The constant fighting, injuries, and uncertainty if the next fight will be Peter’s last also takes a toll on Mary Jane, making their relationship far from a sure thing.
A fantastic writer, Bendis creates highly complex characters as the Ultimate Spider-Man series continues as many of them wrestle with their own internal problems as well as those surrounding them. Spider-Man is also a genuinely funny character, and often distracts his enemies with a string of one liners, goofy banter and, in the case of the rotund Kingpin, a series of fat jokes.
With strong character development, fantastic illustrations, witty dialog, and excellent remixes of famous Spider-Man events, Ultimate Spiderman is a joy to read.
Curriculum Ties:
- Bullying
- Civil responsibilities
- The effects of power
Challenge Issues:
None
Defensive Maneuvers:
n/a
Book Talk Ideas:
I think we all dream about being powerful at some point. But do we ever think about how that power would change us? What about you? How do you think it would effect you? How about the best case? What about the worst?
Why This Book?
Ultimate Spider-Man is a masterfully crafted retelling of the Spider-Man saga and should not be missed. Fans of super heroes – and of Spider-Man in particular – will likely enjoy this reboot of the series and find the excellent characters and writing to be a reason to continue visiting the library for the next installments of Peter Parker’s adventures.