Customer Reviews

Ultimate Spider-Man Vol. 13: Hobgoblin

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"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.

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."

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.

Why is he coming back? That guy is just plain weird and crazy even before his dad became Green Goblin. So what do they do to an already weird and crazy character? Why make him into another Goblin, of course! Not really a spoiler since if you don't get all the goblins are Osbornes by now, then not sure what you're reading. But the highlights of this book is not goblins but Peter and MJ. Nuff said.

This issue deals with Harry Osborne coming back into Peter's life. After he stabs his father (fighting Spidey) previously, Harry is kept away in a secret SHIELD location, getting therapy and having his blood analysed for any Globin DNA. Nick Fury eventually gives him the all clear and Harry re-enters high school which causes all sorts of problems for Peter and MJ's relationship. Harry still is seriously screwed up and is shown by a mysterious figure from his father's past, a secret bunker full of Oz formulas, Globin weaponary and other nasty stuff. Suffice to say Harry eventually transforms into Hobgoblin and dukes it out with Spidey as well as Nick Fury's SHIELD. This story really shows the ulterior motive of SHIELD and causes a lot of internal and emotional conflict for Peter. The ending is big, with Peter breaking it off with MJ, who is in this issue, is not the smartest cookie around. She ignores Peter's advice (even after being thrown off a bridge by the Green Goblin previously) to stay away from Harry. Overall, a great read!

The Osborn family is fruitloopy enough to fill a pallet of breakfast cereal.

Mary Jane Watson is not the sharpest knife in the drawer. When a superhero gives you personal safety advice, it is a good idea to listen.

Hobgoblin gets taken down by Nick Fury and a hulkbuster unit, which makes sense to me, because both he and the Green Goblin in the Ultimate universe look pretty much Abominationish.

This book was amazing, and I very much so suggest all Ultmate Spider-Man fans read it.

They bring back Harry, who can barely remeber anything about his Dad and the Goblin. Also, Peter is all mad at MJ for never telling him that her and Harry had been boyfriend and girlfriend, and also because she never listens and just always asks questions when Peter asks her to do something.

When Harry becomes the Goblin, he is asking Peter to kill him. and it also brings back that Shaw character, sorta.

Over all, it was an Amazing book.

Ultimate Spider-Man was a great idea and in many ways it lives up to the hype as a whole. Unfortunately it really misses some of the essential spirit of the originals which were much more organic. The series tries to go in directions the original series wouldn't but ultimately it feels like a lot of the superficial memorable elements of the old series are pasted on top and then distorted. The old Peter Parker was never really interested in being cool. He was a nerd and he wanted to be liked, but he was busy with his own issues, he didn't try so hard to fit in. This Peter Parker is a pretty boy wannabe straight off the WB (ahem, CW I guess...). Bendis is a good storyteller but sometimes it seems like he's trying to make his mark more than tell a sincere story.

This particular edition misses the mark more than most of the series. It takes the element that the Ultimate Series missed the mark on the most (The Green Goblin) and pastes it onto the character that could have been the chance to get it right, The Hobgoblin. Gone is the mystery that was the genesis for both characters, in it's place is the same overplayed family melodrama that has misunderstood the role of the Osborns in the original Spider-Man books. The Goblins don't have that evil goblin-esque presence that was so great in both of the characters, they've been reduced to second rate Hulk like Gargoyles. And Harry Osborn, the most misunderstood character in the Marvel Universe since the 1990s, has been torn further from the core of what that character originated.

Ultimate Hobgoblin had the opportunity to get right what Ultimate Green Goblin missed, but instead it sinks deeper in the same tired interpretation of these characters we've gotten the last fifteen years. It might be surprising to a lot of readers that these interpetations were not always so universal. Both the Goblins and the Osborns deserve different interpretations. I doubt it will ever happen for them again unless they can make a break from each other.

The writing is competent, the art is good, but there are better Ultimate Stories than this and there are better Spider-Man stories than anything produced this decade.

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.

Great read and unpredictable plot line. Bendis still keeps this line fresh.