Customer Reviews

Ultimate Spider-Man: Clone Saga

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Patience, fanboys! Just because this is a $30 hardcover doesn't mean it's the one people are needing to continue their collection. For one thing it is unnumbered. For another it is 1/2 inch shorter and 1/2 inch less wide and 50 to 100 pages thinner than the other USM hardcovers! In my opinion, this was pushed out to stores so it would be on the shelves once Spider-Man 3 hit theatres. Which it is, and it's selling.

BUT WAIT ... I am pretty sure that this is one of the releases that are often referred to as a "Marvel Premiere" Hardcover, which is an early-bird edition of an upcoming trade, in this case the Vol. 17 Clone Saga trade.

In my opinion, the Volume 9 oversized hardcover will come out, late summer or fall, and will of course contain these issues as well as the final Mark Bagley issues, of which there will only be 5 1/2 more (he will leave after pencilling part of #111). In this way the first 9 oversized hardcovers, or the first 18 TPBs, will give collectors the complete Brian Bendis / Mark Bagley run on Ultimate Spider-Man! But you have to wait another few months!

Buy this if you really need to immediately read a Bendis version of the storyline that almost ruined Marvel a decade ago. But it is not "Volume 9" folks, or they'd have slapped a 9 on the dust jacket somewhere.

Some people asked whether this clone series is ultimate spider-man vol 9, and the answer seems to be no. However, this clone series does covers the Ultimate Spider-Man paperback edition #97-105. I'm guessing it's probably Ultimate Spider-Man Vol 8.5 if you want to give it a label.

Now about the content. The clone series is very much a continuation of the story and it picks off from where the last part ends. The story line is nothing less than spectacular and drama intense. Defiantly should purchase this edition even though it's shorter than than regular volumes. I highly recommend this book if you're avid fan of this series.

ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN
CLONE SAGA

Now I know that some of you are reading that tile and thinking "here we go, the Clone Saga again", you read that right but don't be afraid. This is not the first Clone Saga all over again or even the one that introduced the EXCELLENT Scarlet Spider. No this is the Clone Saga in the Ultimate Spideyverse that takes things from those other two and adds all kinds of crazy details. Sure this isn't the Saga I fell in love with [that is right I LOVE the Clone Saga with Scarlet Spider, all of it] but it is actually a very entertaining and dramatic read.

This TPB collects "Ultimate Spider-Man 97-105", that is nine issues that tries to recreate one of the best stories ever in a new and exciting way. The writer who was put to task here was Brian Michael Bendis who does a great job alongside illustrator Mark Bagley. The writing and drawings here both give off that young and fresh vibe that USM is known for. Plus there are all kinds of cameos here from Kaine, Doc Ock, FF, Venom, Carnage, clones, Spider Woman, Scorpion, X-Men, Nick Fury, Shield, Cap America, Iron Man and well more. This is a star studded event and it somehow works.

Things are going pretty good thus far for young Peter Parker as he has a new girlfriend in the X-men's Kitty Pryde. At the same time he is on good terms it seems with ex Mary Jane, in fact he is hanging out with her at the mall when Scorpion busts in going on a serious rampage. So Peter jumps into action as Spider-Man and takes it to the old stinger, or should I say young. It is at this point that something goes wrong; the Scorpion may be a little more familiar with peter than he thinks. After discovering that there may be more of him out there, or clones, Peter seeks the help of The Fantastic Four. As they start to research what is going on things heat up on Peter's block as MJ goes missing and Aunt May is in for the ride of her life.

I wish I could go into detail about this book but I really don't want to ruin anything for a new reader. Just know that favorites like Venom and Carnage are here along with so many other characters. It would seem like with the over haul of characters the story would feel cluttered like Peter's house at one point but it doesn't. I would go in to detail about how but I will leave that up to you to read. I do love how this story plays out; Peter's dad may even still be alive.

The big thing about this story more so than the cameos is the drama that is involved and the story telling. The stuff that Peter has to deal with here is truly overbearing and reading it makes you feel his pain. Also another great aspect of this book at least in my opinion is the Spider-Woman angle. I absolutely enjoyed her in these pages and could not wait to see more of her as the story went on. The dialogue in this story flows rather smooth for a story with so much in nine issues. Speaking of that the pacing is great and moves right along never getting boring. Of course Kitty and her love for Peter really makes a lot of what goes on even more interesting.

This TPB is a really good one that at times touches on the other Clone Saga's but at the same time makes the story its own. Sure this may not be for everybody but it honestly is a fun read. As a person who absolutely LOVED the other Clone Sagas I can safely say I really enjoyed this one as well. The Ultimate Spideyverse actually is a really fun read that kinda plays around with stuff we know from past Spidey books. Well at least it does that here and I thought it was a cool story, Scarlet Spider form the other is still the greatest ever but I liked this story as well.

The worst part about this story was that it took years to put together. The Venom story, the Carnage story, it all ties together in a master stroke of comic-book writing.
Brian Michael Bendis truly frightened fandom by calling this one "The Clone Saga," invoking the most talked about (mostly jeers) Spidey story in 30 years. Rest assured, this isn't your daddy's Clone Saga.

This collection is action packed, filled with Mark Bagley's beautiful artwork (one of the few artists out there born to draw Spider-Man) and BMB's fanstastic pacing, plotting and dialogue. The climax is heart stopping, seat-of-your-pants reading that left me weeping and cheering, just pages apart.

And this story IS important, it DOES count. Sweeping changes come by the end of this, including and especially changes in all of Peter's relationships.

"The Clone Saga" is exactly the kind of story every Spider-Man Fan looks for in their lifetime.

There is nothing more reviled, nothing more revolting, to a comic fan's ears then the term "Clone Saga." The storyline that ran through the mainstream Spider-man's comcis during the mid to late 90s (never read the original clone saga, but I'm led to believe that it is not vomit-inducing like the 90s one) was such a mess. It was confusing, aggravating, and completely silly. The plot just seemed to go from outlandish to mind-numbing. Indeed, the Cone Saga is widely regarded as one of the worst storylines in comic history. So much so that even Spider-man himself makes fun of the Clone Saga (don't have any issue numbers, but Spidey fans know I speak the truth).

Which brings me to the Ultimate Clone Saga. Bendis, as always, delivers and makes even asinine sotrylines completely enthralling. While not exactly his best work, it is certainly not among his worst. Plenty of laughs, great dialogue, and surprising revelations make this a must-read for Spider-man fans.

I won't tell you anything, as that would spoil the fun, but Ultimate Spider-Man: Clone Saga is full of action, drama and much more! A must-read!

The original Spider-Man Clone Saga was one of the most fan-hated story arcs in the history of Spider-Man. So attempting to do an Ultimate version of this would be tricky at best. But they pull it off wonderfully. This was a spectacular story arc, filled with twists.
I don't want to go into the story too much, because the element of surprise is this collection's greatest strength.
Suffice it to say, if you enjoy Ultimate Spider-Man, this is definately something you want to buy.

This is the best ultimate spiderman book to date. Better than venom or carnage. It took me 4 hours to finish it. Its at least 200 pages. If you are a ultimate universe fan BUY THIS BOOK

I bought this book hoping to understand what the original clone saga was all about. I realize it would be hard to squeeze 2 years into a 9 issue compilation, but I hoped. I also realize that Ultimate series is in its own right, a completely new marvel universe. But, a little respect for the original would have earned this book a better rating.

First, THERE IS NO Jackal (Miles Warren), Ben Reilly (Scarlet Spider) or Kaine here. Instead, we get 4 clones that are roughly a month old, created by Dr. Octopus (WTF?). 1 of the clones is biographted to be the scorpion (No Mac Gargan in this story)and another, female clone, becomes Spider woman (Jessica Drew)completely destroying the her character's origins and replacing Spider-Girl MayDay Parker.
At least there is a Gwen Stacy clone -who becomes Carnage (again, WTF?)
The presence of Nick Fury and the Fantastic Four distanced the story even further from the original. Peter is supposed to feel alone, depressed, confused, and traumatized, wondering if he is the clone or not, wondering who is really the imposter. The original grand revelation uncovers Green Goblin Norman Osborne as the supreme manipulator of the saga. He is only mentioned in the Ultimate Clone Saga.
On the positive side, I loved the artwork! I am a big fan of Bendi and Bagley and have largely enjoyed the majority of Ultimate spider-man.
However, even the dialogue in this book seemed a little elementary (Can we scream OMG one more time?)So, on an end note, read this book if you enjoy the Ultmiate Universe, but avoid this if you are an original spider-man fan.

Content: 4 stars.
BS Format & Price: Negative One Star.

What a ripoff.

Okay, so even if this isn't USM Hardcover Volume 9 (no number on the spine), it's half the size of USM HC V8 (9 issues vs 13 [two double-sized]), a smaller format, doesn't match the rest of the HC designs --- but it's the SAME PRICE.