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Ultimate Spider-Man, Vol. 16: Deadpool
- It's just OK. Overwrought is the word.OK, I read a ton of comics back in the day, which was mid-70's to early 90's. I picked up this trade paperback because I had about that much Amazon credit to spend, and occasionally I like to check in to see how they look these days. This one got good reviews here.
First of all, I'm not up to speed on what gimmick Marvel pulled so that Peter Parker is school age again, Aunt May is alive and kind of a senior hottie, while Kitty Pride's been allowed to age well past 13. But whoomp, there it is, they did something and we go with it.
Art-wise, I'm all about Neal Adams, so I still can't believe how consistently everyone's style these days is so over the top... like a cross between McFarlane and anime. Mark Bagley's art on Deadpool doesn't do it for me. Plus, I think John Byrne did a good thing when he decided that not all superhero women would have huge racks, and that Kitty Pryde would forever be in the have-not category (he's said this in interviews - it wasn't just because she was 13). Too bad this artist didn't respect that. As far as BMB's writing goes, it also is typical of the current age... heavy on soap-opera moments, quippy dialog, and a big page-burner. The Deadpool story's highlights were decent battle scenes and a spoof of reality TV. Overall, eh, I'd say 2 stars. If that's what's going on, I'm not missing anything.
The Morbius story isn't much more gripping, except seeing the young Spidey start to get what the vampire's all about is a little more interesting.
The story from the Annual is better. I like Mark Brooks' art better. While it is the same style, he's just better at it. The writing (still Bendis) is better here, keeping with the theme of Spidey getting some mature experience, particularly contrasted with Daredevil. I like the idea that these superheroes (and people - like DeWolfe) have personalties with attitudes and moral decisions. You can see everyone's point of view, even as they oppose each other. You see Spidey having doubt over being a tool. You see Daredevil try to take crime fighting to the next level by seeing if he can put together a team, starting with Moon Knight. His reason for it is believeable and practical, unlike the contrived reasons most superhero teams get together for. This story is more like 3 stars. But it's a minority section of the book. I'd rather this whole storyline was collected together.
I always liked Moon Knight... I think he didn't become all he could be. Check out Moon Knight #25 from around 1980 (original run) for one of my favorite comics ever... and I don't think this one was widely recognized for how good it was.
Rating:
- probably the second worst ultimate spidey book, but it's still great...ultimate spider-man by bendis and bagley is one of the best series out there. not as much action and non-stop bad guy fighting, but a good mix of that and a lot of peter parker being a teenager with problems (girls, bullies, being grounded, etc.) along with his spidey life.
the series is great great great. only a few minor things that could be better:
1. i don't like how nick fury comes in and tells spider-man he's going to work his whole life for him and shield. the idea of peter being...trapped in a web? haha...well it isn't too cool. superheroes need to fight the good fight because they want to, not because shield will go and take away their superpowers (as fury has threatened) if they don't comply.
2. bendis needs to cut down on the tuchas talk. seriously if parker grew up in nyc today he'd more likely speak spanglish than yanglish.
3. geldoff.
Rating:
- 16thCollecting issues #91-97, and Annual #2, this collection covers a lot of ground. Introducing Morbius, Blade, Deadpool, and Kangaroo, it also features the X-Men, Daredevil, Moon Knight, Kingpin and everyone's favorite villan The Shocker. Always well written and drawn by the durable team of Bendis and Bagley, there is nothing earth shaking in this collection. It does introduce a very differant Deadpool to the Ultimate universe. The other characters are very similar to the mainstream Marvel Universe. This also covers Peter and Kitty's romance which is funny and very realistic. Most of the trade involves Spider-man rather than Peter trying to be a kid. It is a good read and very enjoyable.
Rating:
- ultimate spider-man 16This volume was allot of fun to read. The humor found inbetween spidy and kitty and hilarious. (and if you haven't read the previous you may want to skip this review and get vol. 15.)The product came in good shape in in good time. I highly recommend this espeically if you have been following the ultimate spider-man thus far.
Rating:
- Continues to ImpressI've been collecting comics for 16+ years. I was introduced to Amazing Spider-Man during the Michelinie/Bagley run, and I wasn't particularly impressed with the character's direction at the time. I returned to the franchise when Straczynski took over, and from there I leapfrogged to Ultimate Spider-Man.
This book continues to be a breath of fresh air every time I read it. It's not particularly complicated; one of the deepest plot twists is that Captain Jean DeWoolf is a dirty cop working for the Kingpin, but that was obvious when it was revealed a couple of graphic novels ago.
Rather, what makes this series enjoyable is how simple it is. Bendis seems to have a solid grasp of what it was like to be a teenager, and the way he writes the super-powered teenager experience is quite compelling. I'm a little irritated with his dialogue and the need to repeat lines back-and-forth between characters, but that's his trademark.
This book combines two storylines: a crossover with Ultimate X-Men, introducing Deadpool and the Mojo reality show to the Spider-Man universe. I personally feel that Peter takes a backseat to the storyline during this arc; USM traditionally features Peter in the spotlight, complete with thought boxes, but this arc lacks that insight into his thinking. Consequently, I felt somewhat unsatisfied with it.
On the other hand, I loved the Morbius storyline. I'm not sure where it's going at the moment, since I'm not familiar with the Morbius character in 'normal' continuity. However, that's the first time this has happened to me in the entire series: I don't have a basis for comparison to the canonical storylines, and so I'm a blank slate for the second half of the book. I definitely enjoy it! It's clearly unfinished, but it's a nice teaser and an excellent way of setting up the story for a future arc. The Blade appearance is quite fun, too.
The last inclusion is Ultimate Spider-Man Annual #2, which features the return of Moon Knight, Punisher, Daredevil, and Captain Jean DeWoolf. The Kingpin indirectly (through DeWoolf) sics Spider-Man on his competition, the Kangaroo, and all the superheroes get involved in a free-for-all. My only complaint about this issue is the one-dimensionality of the Punisher. Frank Castle is pretty one-dimensional even in the normal universe, but here he's just a babbling angry man, and it's kind of a disappointment considering what Ennis has achieved over in the MAX Imprint. In fact, instead of this story, I'd have liked to see another Peter/Kitty dating story like the last one. Since this is a relationship that never existed in the 'normal' series, I am quite eager to see where it goes. But I digress: it's a good, fun issue.
In short: USM vol. 16 contains a self-contained story arc (Deadpool), and it also develops a vampire story with the promise of a future payoff. I feel it's a nice combination: readers will be happy to have a conclusive story arc, but it's carried with a nice teaser that hooks us for a future story. The USM Annual #2 is a nice bonus.
I'm a completist that purchases only the TPBs, and I find the enjoyment of this volume is well worth my money.
Ultimate Spider-Man, Vol. 16: Deadpool
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