World Famous Comics: Ultimate Spider-Man Vol. 1: Power and Responsibility
Ultimate Spider-Man Vol. 1: Power and Responsibility
By: Brian Michael Bendis Publisher: Marvel Comics Average Rating: Binding: Paperback Label: Marvel Comics Number of Items: 1 Number of Pages: 184 Publication Date: June 01, 2002 Reading Level: Young Adult
Book Description: The comic book publishing event of 2000 is coming to your bookstore.
Ultimate Spider-Man received extensive press coverage and was the highest selling comics launch of the year. It is the reinterpretation of Spider-Man's origin, updated for today's tweens and teens. Starting over at the beginning, the story of how a tortured teen is imbued with startling powers, has been completely re-imagined to appeal to the hi-tech, media savvy youth of today.
In the process, great steps were taken to make the unfolding saga reader-friendly to the non-comics reader. "Our characters have been around for almost 40 years," explained Bill Jemas, Marvel`s President of Publishing and New Media, explaining the reasoning behind Ultimate Spider-Man. "It's great that our comics are so rich that storylines run forever, but we want the Ultimate books to be accessible to the first-time reader. Someone will be able to pick up an issue of Ultimate Spider-Man and have enough information to understand and appreciate it."
An outsider even amongst his own peers, high school student Peter Parker is a young man at the crossroads of destiny. Orphaned as a youth and raised by his Uncle Ben and Aunt May, Peter finds himself the target of a constant barrage of pranks perpetrated by school jock Flash Thompson and his burly bud, nicknamed Kong. After Peter is bitten by an experimental spider from the laboratory of Osborn Industries, industrialist Norman Osborn takes a deadly interest in this development. Will Peter be able to avoid a violent case of corporate downsizing? When backed into a corner, will our hero learn that with great power there must come great responsibility?
This Spider-man rocks! I'm not really very knowledgeable about the Spider-man mythos or comic books in general. I do, however, know what I like--and I loved this.
The medium might be two-dimensional, but the story is anything but flat. Peter Parker's metamorphosis from high school nerd into wise-cracking webslinger is an emotional as well as physical transformation, and Bendis does a find job relating for the angst and exhilaration.
The artwork is vivid, but not garish. Action sequences are full of energy--a few panels seem to literally jump off the page. There is also a wonderful nuance of facial expressions that give the story a real heart.
All in all, this is a great introduction to Spidey's updated world.
Ultimate Spider-Man is great!!! Ultimate Spider-Man is great because it tells about Peter when he's only fifteen and still hasn't mastered his super-powers. There are interesting twists and the book does a great job in capturing the spirit of the original comic books but still has more content in the story and a new Peter (who actualy acts more like a teenager) that makes the story of Ultimate Spider-man worth reading for the biggest of web-heads and comic book fans. The pictures are also beautiful. The drawings are well colored and the expresions on every page from a character look great. There is mild blood in the pictures but not much. Going back to the story itself is that there are cuss words on some pages, but still young readers who like comic books will love Ultimate Spider-Man. My recomendation is you should by Vol. 1 Power and Responsibility. I'll also try to do a review on other Ultimate Spider-Man comic books, Spider-Man games, and on all three movies tv shows, action figures, and more. Overall rating of Vol. 1, 5 out of 5!!!!
Graphic SF Reader A Spider-Man reboot. A young Spidey gains his powers by being bitten by an enhanced Spider on a tour of Osborn Industries.
Otherwise, this is mostly the same, except for Peter has a girlfriend to start with who thinks he is hot, and Norman Osborn, trying the process that made Peter Spider-Man, turns himself into a monster.
Ultimate Spider-Man This is great book. I recently got interested in comics, and I thought I might give this one a try. I read through it and by the end I knew I needed to get vol. 2 Learning Curve. Although it's not my favorite Ultimate Spider-Man, it's definitely a ggreat start. I would reccemend this book to new comic book readers who are looking for a place to start.
fun, diverting update of the story: nothing revolutionary This isn't exactly your parents' Spider-man: no radioactive spider, yes internet, Uncle Ben has a ponytail. But in general, it's the basic Spider-man origin story: bitten by Mr. Osborne's experimental spider, Peter Parker develops the skills. Mr. Osborne injects himself with something and turns into a Goblin. Fight.
Even though this isn't going to turn your ideas of Spider-man upside down (like Batman: The Dark Knight Returns did), the art is good and the story is engaging. I haven't read the original Spider-man, but the story here largely parallels that of the Tobey Maguire movie. I totally look forward to reading Volume 2.
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