Rating:  -
I was a bit disappointed in the two story arcs in this volume. In the first story arc, the president of Roxxon Industries hires the mercenary Silver Sable to find out why Spider-man always seems to be saving his company from masked weirdos and villains. The story itself isn't so bad, but Silver Sable prances around in some kind of suit that looks like it was developed as the next stage in sumo gear. That takes a lot of the enjoyment out of reading the story.
The second story arc features the X-men. Spider-man is along for the ride when the X-men are drawn to a deserted island and then hunted by Deadpool and his team of mutilated mercenaries. I guess the Silver Sable arc didn't quench the writer's thirst for mercenary stories. To make it worse, we have to put up with Deadpool slinging insults about mutants. I guess some people find Deadpool to be funny, but I don't, so this was a painful story to read. I'd really recommend passing on this volume of Ultimate Spider-man.
Rating:  -
Continuing the high quality that this series has seen, volume 8 covers issues 86-96 and annuals 1-2. This means we start with a story about dating Kitty Pride, run through the silver sable storyline, an adventure with the X-Men and vampires. On the way, we pick up ultimate versions of all kinds of classic villains like the Rhino and Vulture.
It's an excellent read. The ultimate stories have, as a general course, included much stronger plotlines, deeper characters, and overall higher sophistication than we saw the first time Spider-Man ran up against these folks. The artwork is great cover to cover.
Annual 2 was not as strong as annual 1 was - bringing Daredevil, the Punisher, Spider-Man, and Moon Knight together ... well, it's been done before and it's been done more effectively. Additionally, I would have preferred seeing Ultimate Spiral or some other Mojo choice rather than Ultimate Deadpool. Those are minor quibbles overall. I would recommend this to literally everyone. It's as much fun for those who have steeped themselves in the marvel mythology of the last 40 years as it is for the folks who are completely new to the story.
Rating: -
I really like the Ultimate line, It's excellent writing. Not Watchmen or Dark Knight Returns good. But some of the best stuff Marvels put out in quite awhile.
Rating: -
Like the above post, this is probably the worst of all the collected volumes. Neither of the main stories are really riveting, and they really lack a lot of the characterization and good writing of previous stories. In particular, the "Deadpool" arc is not done well. While a decent crossover, it lacks the development and character depth of previous stories.
The only good part is probably that the annuals are really, really good one-off stories. To me, the real star is Annual #2, which features Daredevil, Kingpin, Captain Jean DeWolfe, Moon Knight, the Punisher, and the Ultimate Kangaroo. The pacing and multiple plots are weaved well, and it gets away from the "OMG CYBERNETIC KILLERS ON MUTANTPHOBIC ISLAND!!" and goes back to the 'Street-pounding' roots of the Spider-Man character. In the end, there is a semi-major event in the Ultimate Spider-Man Universe (At least, I felt it was a revelation).
But, probably the best part of this book is that it is the lowest part of the Ultimate Spider-man series, and it's followed by the absolutely amazing Clone Saga and the (still-ongoing) equally-awesome Ultimate Knights Saga. So for those of you who are worried that Ultimate Spider-Man is going downhill, this will only spark its revival.
Overall, I'd buy it if you're a completist, a fan of crossovers, or just looking for some mindless action. If you are just getting into Ultimate Spider-Man, this is not.
Rating: -
I am a huge fan of Ultimate Spider-Man, but this volume is perhaps the worst to date. It really focuses on the relationship Spider-Man has with Kitty Pride, and I found that realtionship to feel very forced upon the reader. The development is not very natural, and this fact is very distracting. It is true that some elements are nice, and the two of them seem like they could be interesting together, but the development was rushed, and the romance seemed contrived. The X-Men crossover was nice, but the Silver Sable story just didn't seem all that entrancing. Not a bad book mind you, and it is good by itself, but in light of the whole Ultimate Spider-Man legacy, this one falls short.
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