Rating:  -
So far I have loved every one of the books in this series! Hard to put down.
Rating:  -
The Human Torch's sister Sue decides he needs to finish his high school diploma. They pick a different school to the one he was at originally, and it just happens to be the one Peter Parker goes to.
The Torch is still having trouble controlling his abilities, so he freaks out a bunch of kids having a bonfire at the beach. He does manage to put out a fire in a rescue, however.
Spidey also talks to the second generation Doctor Strange.
Rating: -
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. plus the issues where the ultimates come in aren't that great, the whole series gets hijacked by them and not a lot of spidey. imo, the ultimates are easily the worst part of the ultimate universe. beyond ultimate spider-man and the ultimate fantastic four the ultimate universe isn't too great.
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:  -
Ultimate Spidey, to me, has been consistently one of the best comics out there for years now, and, in terms of humor, it is unmatched. Set now in contemporary times, we are again priveleged to witness Peter Parker run thru his trials and errors as he juggles adolescence, high school, and superhero life. Past trade paperbacks chronicling this Ultimate version of Peter Parker have been must-have collections, and, while Ultimate Spider-Man, Volume 12: Superstars doesn't offer the same depth, it's still very much worth checking out.
Volume 12 is a team-up TPB, reprinting issues #66-71 and co-starring, respectively, Wolverine, the Human Torch, and Dr. Strange. The first two-part story is really weird and amusingly channels Freaky Friday. It begins with Peter Parker and Wolverine awakening to discover that they had somehow switched bodies. This was a gut-busting funny team-up tale as both parties try to get to the bottom of things, while coping with unfamiliar powers and unfamiliar environments. Peter, stuck in Wolverine's hairy, hygiene-challenged body and persistently losing control of his claws, as he continues to bemoan the grossness of the X-Man's body, made me laugh long and hard, as did the sequence of Wolverine (as the web-slinger) attempting to web swing. Needless to say, Peter and Logan have a great Odd Couple chemistry going on here.
The second two-parter kicks off the traditional unofficial partnership between Spidey and Johnny Storm. The switch is that, in the Ultimate Universe, Spidey debuted before the World's Greatest Team. Thus, going into this story, Johnny is actually star struck with the more experienced webslinger. Spidey giving advice to a downcast Johnny was a nice, quietly effective buddy moment to savor. The Dr. Strange mini-arc, on the other hand, left me cold, and I only even mention it here for the plot-advancing ending of that story.
So, no, this isn't the best of Bendis and Bagley. But after all the heavy, emotionally-wringing stuff they've been churning out, they're allowed a breather every now and then. These six issues are, more or less, fillers, but the first four, at least, are worth dropping your hard-earned dimes on. And, to me, the hilarious Spidey-Wolverine team-up alone is worth the price of this TPB.
Rating:  -
I'm a huge fan of Bendis and Bagley's work on the Ultimate Spider-Man books. Even their weak stories are better than 99.9% of the rest of the comic marketplace.
That said, this is a collection of pretty weak stories.
Each two-issue "chapter" seems to be to simply help promote other titles or characters in the Ultimate Universe. X-Men (mainly Wolverine...OF COURSE), The Fantastic Four (mainly the Torch), and the Ultimates (with a huge cameo by Dr. Strange) all show up in stories that you'll forget faster than your Boss' Birthday.
Save your money and buy other titles in the Ultimate Spider-Man TPB series, you'll have a better time there.
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