Rating:  -
I'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.
Rating: -
In "Ultimate Spider-Man" Annual #1, Kitty Pryde and Peter Parker went out on their first date and took down a (semi) super-villain together. Things are progressing pretty well, but this is Spider-Man so you knew the downside of dating an X-Men was going to show up and in the 4-part "Deadpool" story ("Ultimate Spider-Man #91-94), it does with a vengeance. Written by Brian Michael Bendis, with pencils by Mark Bagley and inks by Danny Miki, the story begins after another crime-fighting date, Peter is settling down for a nice quiet night at home, when the X-Men's jet arrives, hovering over his house. When Spider-Man climbs aboard he discovers there is no one on board and when it flies on autopilot to the X-Mansion, Spider-Man find Kitty waiting for him--with an electric stun-gun that knocks him out. Then "Kitty" changes shape, and if you do not know into who then you are simply not paying attention to the title of this story arc.
By the time Spider-Man is tossed out of an airplane into a jungle, things are getting steadily worse. It seems that Spider-Man and the X-Men have been brought to Krakoa, off the cost of Genosha in the South Pacific. The idea is that Deadpool and his team of cyborgs are going to kill the X-Men, who he calls both "sickening, unholy, genetic freaks who have no business being alive in the first place" and "international mutant terrorist." So the plan is not only to do the world a favor by putting the X-Men down, but they also intend to entertain millions of people while doing it by putting the whole thing on television. Being killed before the eyes of the world is going to really put a damper on the relationship between Peter and Kitty: all he can think about is that Aunt May is going to kill him and all she can think is that Peter is going to break up with her because of this. They are such a cute couple, you almost forget that he belongs with Mary Jane and she belongs with Colossus (at least in the non-Ultimate universe).
The two-part Morbius story (#95-96), written by Bendis, drawn by Bagley, will inks by John Dell and Jimmy Palmiotti, begins with Spider-Man coming between Blade and a vampire, and then dealing with the fact that three million people have downloaded the footage of Spider-Man and Shadowcat on Krakoa (and MJ has seen the cover short of the couple on "People"). However, that goes on the back burner when Peter learns that Ben Urich, investigating vampires, is suddenly missing. By the time Spider-Man runs into Moebius, the idea of a "good" vampire is a rather hard thing to wrap his mind around. Note: There is a reference here to Daredevil telling Spider-Man that he is too young to be doing what he is doing and seeing what he is seeing, which suggests this happens after the events in Annual #2, which strikes a similar theme.
Finally, we have "Ultimate Spider-Man" Annual #2, written by Bendis but with Pencils by Mark Brooks and Jaime Mendoza doing the inking (along with Brooks, Mark Morales, and Victor Olazaba). The story begins with Spider-Man taking down the Shocker and get a lesson in legal vigilantism from Franklin Nelson, attorney-at-law. NYPD Captain Jeanne De Wolfe gives our hero a tip on Frank Oliver, a.k.a. the Kangaroo, not knowing De Wolfe is acting on behalf of the Kingpin. But by the time Spider-Man catches up to the Kangaroo, Daredevil is already there, and hornhead is not happy to see our hero (he considers Spider-Man to be too young and too stupid to be in the world of superheroes). That is when the Punisher shows up with a bazooka and then Moon Knight shows up to join the free for all. Spider-Man has a lesson to learn here, but it is going to come at the expense of someone's life. However, even with all of these problems, that is nothing compared to the series of shocks that are coming as Bendis, Bagley and the gang gear up for issue #100.
Clearly "Ultimate Spider-Man" has a history of having big moments in its annuals, and what happens this year could well have greater significance down the road than the relationship between Peter and Kitty unveiled last year. By the time these trade paperback collections come out we are well into the next story arc, which brings into sharper relief what is happening here. That would be that Peter and MJ are no longer dating but because she knows he is Spider-Man there is no way she cannot support him, and that Peter and Kitty are proving that there are new levels to the complications involved in a relationship between superheroes. But above all that the most important thing here as issue #100 looms large, is that Spider-Man is heading towards a significant crisis of confidence because with great power comes great responsibility, but not much in terms of wisdom and experience. Also, things are going to come to a head with Aunt May (in a most unexpected way). I still have to round up on this one. Spider-Man certainly is interesting the second time around.
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