Ultimate Spider-Man Vol. 13: Hobgoblin [Paperback]

Brian Michael Bendis (Author), Mark Bagley (Illustrator)

Book Description

Grade Level: P and up | Series: Ultimate Spider-Man (Graphic Novels)

It's the terrifying debut of the Ultimate Hobgoblin as Harry Osborn returns to Midtown High harboring a dark secret that will affect the lives of all those around him - especially his best friend, Peter Parker. And where does Harry's father - Norman Osborn, a.k.a. the Green Goblin - fit into all this? Collects Ultimate Spider-Man #72-78.

Product Details

• Paperback: 168 pages
• Publisher: Marvel; Direct Ed edition (August 15, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0785116478
• ISBN-13: 978-0785116479
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 0.4 x 10.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #109,404 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Harry is back and he does not like Peter dating his ex-girlfriend Mary Jane, August 20, 2005

By 

Lawrance M. Bernabo (The Zenith City, Duluth, Minnesota) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Ultimate Spider-Man Vol. 13: Hobgoblin (Paperback)

"Ultimate Spider-Man, Volume 13: Hobgoblin" collects issues #72-78 of the comic book, which includes the 6-part Hobgoblin storyline and the "Dumped" coda. The saga begins what we are told is nine months ago, when the radioactive spider bit Peter Parker when his high school class was visiting Oscorp. However, this time we learn an additional detail: Harry Osborn and Mary Jane Watson were dating. Of course, this was before she learned that Peter was Spider-Man and they became a couple. We then jump to "today" as Spider-Man is doing another thankless good deed. But in the interim a lot has happened. Most recently Carnage killed Gwen Stacy at the Parker's house and Nightmare put Peter through the ringer. Before that Harry witnessed his father as the Green Goblin, trying to coerce Spider-Man to be part of an attack on the White House. Harry was used by Nick Fury and the Ultimates to defeat Osborn and when Peter tried to comfort his friend all Harry has to say is, "I'll kill you all."

So when Harry shows back up at school, Peter knows this is not good. He warns MJ to stay away from Harry, but wants to know why and he does not want to play that game. As he pointedly reminds her, "every time you DON'T listen to me you get thrown off a bridge." The Parkers are moving to a new house in the neighborhood and when Harry shows up Peter becomes the last person to know that he is now dating Harry's girlfriend. We then go back a week to see what happened to Harry before he showed back on the scene, when he was finally released from S.H.I.E.L.D. custody and was approached by Mr. Shaw, an associate of Norman Osborn, who restores Harry's repressed memories of his father's life as the Green Goblin and shows him a bunker where the senior Osborn set up a mini-Oscorp. There is everything Harry needs to become a second Green Goblin.

The inevitable battle between Spider-Man and the Hobgoblin is problematic for our hero because Harry is not a villain and not his father, but a friend who is hurting. But the story becomes even more tragic because ultimately writer Brian Michael Bendis, penciler Mark Bagley, and inker Scott Hanna coming back to the love triangle that is creating as much tension as Harry's transformation into a movie. When MJ shows up in the middle of the battle she has obviously made a mistake, but not as big as the one that she keeps asking questions when listening would be a better idea. Nick Fury has his own idea of how to deal with Harry as the Hobgoblin, which complicates things as well. Plus, he does not take having his eye patch knocked off of his face well. However his threats seem rather trivial given what Peter has to say to MJ at the end of issue #77.

I really like "Ultimate Spider-Man," not only because I like the way it plays off of what happened in the original run of "The Amazing Spider-Man" but also because I really like the web-head as a teenager, more so than I did the first time around with Stan Lee and Steve Ditko. Taking the hint from the "Spider-Man" movie to have Mary Jane be the girl next door from the start is proving to be a masterstroke and knowing that their ending up together is inevitable makes what is happening poignant rather than predictable, as the last page of issue #78 that concludes this trade paperback collection amply proves and does not allow Bendis et al. to run in new directions as the "Ultimate Spider-Man" annual #1 that just come out evidences as well. I also think that doing fewer and longer storylines not only makes economic sense in terms of setting up this reprint collections, but also because it allows for considerable more depth than we had in the early 1960s with the revolving supervillains every month. I have not been overly enamored of the other Ultimate titles from Marvel, but then I think they all pale compared to this one, which is as much of a testimony to the inherent popularity of the character as to the talents of the creative forces behind this comic book.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Some Bumps Along the Way, July 7, 2009

By 

Tyler S. "Super-Review" (Brentwood, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ultimate Spider-Man Vol. 13: Hobgoblin (Paperback)

Hobgoblin had to be one of my least favorite trades out of the Ultimate Spider-man series. It's not that it's bad in any way, it just didn't bring anything new and enjoyable to the table. I like the overall concept of the series and the written script is fantastic, but there are things within this volume that were hard to digest.

First of all (Mild Spoiler) Peter goes on a real verbal rampage with M.J. This is somewhat justified, but he really threw everything he had into her face. If he were to feel some remorse for his actions, it might be more valid, but M.J. just was a huge victim in this book, and it was hard to see her cry.

I said it before and I'll say it again. I'm having trouble with the new Goblin concept. I understand it's more realistic to make him a hulk-like villain, but it's really not as interesting. The Goblins are really dumbed down and look silly in some panels. I love the intelligence that the villains bring, after all they can't just be beefy thugs. The Goblins however lack any real personality, much similar to Carnage. If these characters evolve into villains with a better motivation and control, then I would love to see them duke it out. However, the introduction to Hobgoblin is not only forced upon Harry, but it feels like it's forced upon us as readers.


Don't get me wrong, nothing jumped out at me throughout this book and disgusted me. In order to realistically criticize something, one must analyze the content for problems within the product. I see this volume as a team-player in the series, but it is in no way a highlight or "favorite scene." The second half of the book is very interesting and it bugged me in a good way, if that makes any sense. (It poked and prodded me with a shocking concept that turned out to be very relevant and well-thought).

If you love the series, I wouldn't stop you at all from buying the book. If somehow you haven't read much up till now....somehow? There's plenty of better volumes to choose from. This just happened to be a "bump in the road."

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars There you go, Bendis, December 29, 2005

By 

Mr. Bill - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ultimate Spider-Man Vol. 13: Hobgoblin (Paperback)

I absolutely loved Volume 10. However, volume 11 was... disappointing to say the least, and most of the issues in volume 12 were basically trow-away stories. Luckily, this volume redeems the series, in my opinion.
The thing that I really liked about this volume was the great dialogue and character moments. There were just so many great moments between Peter and Harry, Harry and MJ, and especially MJ and Peter. You really care about these characters. Because of this (spoiler) when Peter and MJ break up, it doesn't feel forced, but rather understandable, even though you feel sorry for them and know they should eventually be able to find their way back to each other. Plus Bagley does a great job with facial expressions. Oh, and if what you want is beat-em-up action, that's in here too. So if you've enjoyed any of the past USM books, or if you would like a jumping-on point (since the backstory isn't too muddled), I would recommend this book.