Customer Reviews

Ultimate Spider-Man Vol. 14: Warriors

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4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
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Initial note of regret: I only wish that they had included the first "Ultimate Spider-Man" annual in the Volume 14 trade paperback collection, because there is a wonderful counterpart to "Dumped" (issue #78) when Peter Parker hooks up with Kitty Pryde of the X-Men. After all, if your complaint is that Spider-Man cannot have a girlfriend because she is going to get killed, then there is something to be said for a mutant who can phase through objects and let objects pass through her body. We still love MJ, but if you think Kitty is cute by herself, then you have to see here on a date with Peter. Unfortunately, that wonderful little story is being omitted from these reprints at this point, but surely at some point they will work it into a future volume (hint, hint, hint).

"Ultimate Spider-Man Volume 14: Warriors" lives up to its name by bringing together Moonknight, Iron Fist, Shang-Chi, and the Black Cat (and that is just the good guys). The situation is that New York City's underworld is in shambles because with Wilson Fisk, the Kingpin, in hiding other players are moving in on his territory, most notably Allan Silvermane and Hammerhead (who is working with the Enforcers). Of course, the Kingpin still has agents on the payroll, namely Elektra, who brings Spider-Man for a meeting with her boss. Fisk wants Spider-Man to fight Hammerhead, and while our hero does not want to do anything to help the Kingpin, heroes are supposed to go after the villains. Even worse, Jean De Wolfe thinks Spider-Man should go after Hammerhead too. What is the world coming to?

Although we start off in #79 covering the same moment when Peter storms out of science class that we saw in #78, obviously this time we follow Peter instead of the dumped Mary Jane. The pair do not even talk until #83, and it is not exactly a pleasant conversation, but then nothing has changed in terms of his reasoning for dumping her. That does not mean that the Black Cat is getting anywhere with our young hero either. Now, on the one hand it is fair to say there are too many super characters running around for a story that is not taking place in the "Ultimates," but Brian Michael Bendis (writer), Mark Bagley (penciler), and Scott Hanna (inker), manage to throw them into one room, start a giant fight, and have Spidey stop it to make a phone call for a second opinion. Plus, from that point on there are a lot of bodies flying out of windows and landing on cars below (or darn close), so I have to round up on the slapstick, which includes a nice twist when the Black Cat finally gets Spider-Man's mask off and an ugly twist on the final full-page reveal.

Overall, the series seems to be in cruise control by this point. The moral dilemma that Spider-Man faces with the Kingpin's offer is interesting, but not overly significant. Peter's personal life are forced into the background for this storyline, giving Mary Jane and Aunt May little to do. Peter has been skipping school, but Aunt May is out of the loop until the very end, so it might portend something, but what (will she learn of Peter's secret identity?) it is too early to say. Spider-Man's problems with the opposite sex continue in the next volume, where he tangles with Silver Sable, which basically means we are going an entire year of the comic book without a story line being devoted to a major supervillain from the extant canon. Still, "Ultimate Spider-Man" remains my favorite comic book, even when there is really nothing going on.

This seven-issue story arc (Ultimate Spidey 79-85) tracks the carnage that ensues when The Kingpin's crime cartel comes up for grabs... The prime contender for the throne is the super-gangster Hammerhead, who in his "Ultimate" incarnation is actually one scary dude, ruthlessly violent and coldly calculating, one of the more convincing gang bosses in comicbook history. Hammerhead's gnarly new persona almost -- but not entirely -- makes up for the flat, flimsy characterizations of '70s martial arts heros Shang Chi and Iron Fist, who also appear here, along with Moon Knight, Black Cat and Elektra. It's a major slugfest, with lots of slicing and dicing at the end, a consistently entertaining read, though not quite up to the high standards set by Brian Michael Bendis earlier in the series. If you just want to read a good, fun superhero story, this volume does the job.

I don't read USM on a monthly basis but only made the exception with the Venom arc and this latest one "Warriors".

Anyone who reads Bendis' DD will definitely dig this.In fact,anybody who enjoys a rich crime story with super-heroics,grittyness,and fast paced action will really enjoy this.It's regarded as arguably the darkest and grittiest USM tale to date,which isn't a bad thing for book that usually spends 4 to 5 pages showing teens wimper about how they miss each other.But anyways.....

Hammerhead,mutant crime boss,feels this is the time to step up as Kingpin in NYC.A title usually given to Wilson Fisk.But since he's been laying low,Hammerhead sees this as an oppurtunity to turn the tables.Elektra,mercenary for Fisk,looks into things on Fisk's side.Hammerhead now leads Kingpin's Enforcers as his own.Throwback Marvel heroes like Moon Knight,Iron Fist,and Shang Chi along with Spider-Man and Black Cat,try to stop this war from even occuring.But when push comes to shove,Fisk forces his hand and unleashes Elektra to enforce that his title as Kingpin isn't up for grabs.But when you get all the major players into one room,all hell breaks loose like never before in this book.

If you're going to get one USM book,get this one.

This title is an ode to how Bendis can create an amazing story, amazing dialogue, and wonderfully subtle humor (albeit the barfing scene in the end was anything but subtle). Half way through, I wasn't sure where it was going, but then there is just a huge pay off near the end. Brian Michael Bendis has created a consistently brilliant comic book. Please Keep It Up!

Bendis did a lot of new things with this volume that I think everyone enjoyed. First off he introduced the idea that Spider-man is tired of being Peter Parker and he wishes to only lead the superhero life. This was interesting to watch, because usually heroes want to give up their super-hero life instead of their normal life. Second, Spidey had to decide whether to actually help the Kingpin, or ignore another villain in the city. I have yet to see a story quite like this where Spider-man is actually debating whether to help a long hated villain. And lastly, Bendis brought back a lot of characters and introduced some new ones. Then he took all of the above and meshed them together so you couldn't tell whose a villain from a hero. I believe that is why this book is title Warriors, because that's all we can label them all through all the confusion.

This is what Bendis does best. He can create fresh plots with twists and turns so that we can refuse calling his work predictable. He can create characters with unique personalities that have legitimate reasons for being heroes or villains. I liked these stories more than the Goblin/Symbiote stories because their villains were brainless. Bendis does really well when his characters have motivation and dialogue. The villains in this book are very multi-dimensional, and it makes reading it a lot more enjoyable. His interactions between the characters are flawless and real. For instance, Peter heats it up with Black Cat, which I think is very appropriate because I don't think a lot of young kids are reading about this. Lets get real, even superheroes have sexuality.

Get ready for another good episode. Warriors is a lot better than your usual Ultimate Spidey volume, because there's more than enough good heroes/villains, action, mystery, and suspense to feed an army.

Spidey, Moonlight, Shang, Iron Fist, Elektra, Hammerhead, Black Cat, whole gang is here in first epic battle of the series. I really enjoy the Black Cat character and it is unfortunate that Spidey never had relationship with her, but this book will explain why! The fight is quite chaotic but one of the better fights involving so many superheroes and supervillains. I never understand why Elektra is so powerful and everytime she meets Spidey, he gets his butt kicked. This is a book you don't want to miss and is also last we see of Black Cat.

A kitchen sink low-level superhero and villain brawl. Silverman, Hammerhead, Kingpin, Spider-Man, Elektra, Iron Fist, Shang-Chi and Moon Knight, plus the Enforcers.

Much bashage and breakage and defenestration. Throw in the Black Cat and her cradle snatching ways, and a dirty cop for good measure.

A fair bit of fun, in other words.

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.
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.

This collects issues #79-85 of the long-running Bendis/Bagley series and includes appearances from Moon Knight, Elektra and the Black Cat. With Kingpin absent, Hammerhead hopes to fill the void left in the city's organized crime structure, forcing villians to choose sides and heroes to evaluate which is the lesser of two evils.

Having read the whole series up until this point, I have to say that I really enjoyed this chapter. The writing is spot on for the teen-angst pain of a reluctant superhero. The art is crisp, clean and fun. If you've enjoyed the earlier books, this continues the fun.