Ultimate Spider-Man Vol. 1: Power and Responsibility (Paperback)

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

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal
Spider-Man has been a perpetual favorite of comics fans since his introduction in 1962, and judging by the recent blockbuster film, he's still hot. This excellent series re-boots the character from the beginning, reenacting Spider-Man's origin in the present day. The story is similar to, but not based on, the Spider-Man film. Brainy teenager Peter Parker gains super-powers after being bitten by a spider, loses his likable Uncle Ben to violent crime, and learns once again that "with great power comes great responsibility." The scenario by Marvel president Jemas and Brian Michael Bendis makes some intelligent revisions to the original, and the artwork is realistic, detailed, colorful, and dynamic. Bendis's excellent dialog is true to life-his teenagers sound like teenagers-and his scripting for this and other series won him the 2002 Eisner Award for best writer. An even better choice for most libraries is the hardcover Ultimate Spider-Man edition, which collects the entire contents of this and the second paperback collection, Double Trouble, into one sharp-looking oversized book. With wide crossover appeal to teens and older fans, Ultimate Spider-Man, whether in separate paperback volumes or in hardcover, is an essential purchase for all public libraries.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Description
The comic book publishing event of 2000 is coming to your bookstore.

Ultimate Spider-Man received extensive press coverage and was the highest selling comics launch of the year. It is the reinterpretation of Spider-Man's origin, updated for today's tweens and teens. Starting over at the beginning, the story of how a tortured teen is imbued with startling powers, has been completely re-imagined to appeal to the hi-tech, media savvy youth of today.

In the process, great steps were taken to make the unfolding saga reader-friendly to the non-comics reader. "Our characters have been around for almost 40 years," explained Bill Jemas, Marvel`s President of Publishing and New Media, explaining the reasoning behind Ultimate Spider-Man. "It's great that our comics are so rich that storylines run forever, but we want the Ultimate books to be accessible to the first-time reader. Someone will be able to pick up an issue of Ultimate Spider-Man and have enough information to understand and appreciate it."

An outsider even amongst his own peers, high school student Peter Parker is a young man at the crossroads of destiny. Orphaned as a youth and raised by his Uncle Ben and Aunt May, Peter finds himself the target of a constant barrage of pranks perpetrated by school jock Flash Thompson and his burly bud, nicknamed Kong. After Peter is bitten by an experimental spider from the laboratory of Osborn Industries, industrialist Norman Osborn takes a deadly interest in this development. Will Peter be able to avoid a violent case of corporate downsizing? When backed into a corner, will our hero learn that with great power there must come great responsibility?

Product Details

• Reading level: Young Adult
  
• Paperback: 184 pages
• Publisher: Marvel Comics (June 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 078510786X
• ISBN-13: 978-0785107866
• Product Dimensions: 10 x 6.6 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.1 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (62 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #125,960 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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• This is item 1 in The Ultimate Spider-Man Series.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Retelling the story of Spider-Man for the 21st century, March 9, 2003

By	Lawrance M. Bernabo (The Zenith City, Duluth, Minnesota) - See all my reviews (TOP 10 REVIEWER)    (COMMUNITY FORUM 04)

I started reading "The Amazing Spider-Man" and "Peter Parker: Spider-Man" again when I started doing a unit on comic books for my Popular Culture class and had ignore "Ultimate Spider-Man." Seeing that the first seven issues were collected in "Ultimate Spider-Man: Power and Responsibility" I thought I would check it out and was more than pleasantly surprised. The idea here was to update Spider-Man for the 21st century, specifically by going back and starting over from the beginning, doing so fully cognizant of where Stan Lee and Steve Ditko started off the comic book and where the character would end up in terms of super villains and future bride. There is certainly a sense in which this version is compatible with the blockbuster "Spider-Man" movie, but that is more in terms of having Mary Jane Watson there from the start than anything else. Ultimately, the point here is tighten the original Spider-Man story and give the characters some twists.

"Power and Responsibility" takes its time in developing the origin of Spider-Man. The original story by Lee and Ditko in "Amazing Fantasy" #15 was eleven pages long. Here it takes six issues to get to the same point in the character's history. Of course, since we know where things are going, we can take time to appreciate the journey. At the same time, there is a concerted effort to bring various elements more into the mix. That infamous radioactive spider is the creation of Osborn Industries, the pet project of Norman Osborn and one of his chief scientists, Dr. Otto Octavius. Osborn is extremely interested in why young Peter Parker does not die after the bite and the creation of the Green Goblin becomes a direct consequence of the fateful spider bite. In time I am sure we will see the birth of Doctor Octopus will come from this as well.

The stories here are by Bill Jemas and Brian Michael Bendis (who does the script), with pencils by Mark Bailey and inks by Art Theibert and Dan Panosian. In many ways I am reminded of when John Byrne had the responsibility of restarting Superman; there is a sense to be a bit more realistic. It is not that Peter Parker is an absolute scientific genius; it was his father who did most of the preliminary work on what would become the formula for Spider-Man's web. Once he gains his spider powers, Peter Parker does what just about any persecuted high school nerd would do; he goes out and becomes a super jock. When he starts web slinging he makes a lot of initial mistakes. I even like the way Peter snaps back at Uncle Ben and Aunt May as things start to get to him, both before and after the spider-bite. This jut increases the pathos of the tragedy that unfolds.

I like the fact that "Ultimate Spider-Man" is divorced from the two "real" Spider-Man comic books. Going back to the original stories by Lee and Ditko (later John Romita, Sr.) in either "The Essential Spider-Man" or "Marvel Masterworks" series are not going to be really helpful to younger readers of the character. It was well worthwhile for those of us who started reading "The Amazing Spider-Man" in the Sixties to go through Betty Bryant and the death of Gwen Stacy to eventually get to the day when Mary Jane confronted Peter with the fact she knew he was Spider-Man, but those are hundreds of issues to go through. Starting over again with full knowledge of where the characters are going to end up is a worthwhile approach, especially given how good of a start we see in this first collection (the next three are already out for those who want to continue the journey). Besides, how can you not be happy that Aunt May is alive again? I might have to check out some of these other Ultimate titles from Marvel as well, because this one is pretty impressive.

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Comics for Everyone, August 14, 2001

By	Johnny NYC - See all my reviews

Hats off to Marvel for making comics accessible again. Ultimate Spider-Man is a great comic that anyone can read and relate to. It tells the story of a nerdy high school sophomore who suddenly finds himself in possession of fantastic powers. It's an old story, with a hero that will be familiar to almost anyone. After all, Spider-Man is one of the most recognizable characters in entertainment history.

But what's this "Ultimate" about? Spider-Man is a character who was created in the sixties, and since then he's been dragging forty years of continutity and backstory. Ultimate Spider-Man approaches the character from the ground up, with a contemporary voice and pop culture references that place the book squarely in the 21st century. This Peter Parker isn't married and successful yet; he's barely coming to grips with his powers. The origin is updated, the villains look different, and nothing about the hero's future is set.

Longtime Spider-Man fans may still be more comfortable with the original character that they've grown up with. (The "classic" Spider-Man is still thriving and his ongoing series is currently enjoying the excellent writing of Babylon 5 creator J. Michael Straczynski.) But for those who lost interest in comics years ago, or those who are approaching the medium for the first time, this book is absolutely perfect.

The writing, by comics wunderkind Brian Michael Bendis, is awesome. Dialogue is sharp and sparkling with very authentic voices. The art is attractive and expressive. The stories are easy to follow, even for a first time comics reader. It's a comic that anyone can enjoy, and one which I strongly recommend. I loved it, my girlfriend loved it, and I'm sure that you'll love it.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars POWER, RESPONSIBILITY, AND FUN!, August 17, 2001

By	M. E Grant "MacGyver of the Books" (Clinton Twp., Michigan) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I have been a fan of Spiderman since the early 1970s. In fact I practically grew up alongside Peter Parker. I've seen the character through plenty of ups (The Death of Gwen Stacy, Untold Tales of Spiderman) and downs (Spiderman 2099, the Howard Mackie years). So naturally, it was with great trepidation that I finally decided to read the new "take" on him that was presented in Power and Responsibility. I could not imagine the fun ride that was in store for me.

Writers Bill Jemas and Brian Michael Bendis do an unbelievable job of keeping the beloved characters and elements that fans will know and love. But, at the same time they create just enough of a twist to keep readers intrigued and guessing as to what they will experience next. A perfect example is the character of Uncle Ben who is fully developed and around long enough to establish a strong relationship between himself and Peter. Readers have plenty of time to enjoy Uncle Ben while at the same time dreading the fate that they know will unfold around him. The death of Uncle Ben is the prime motivation for the entire character of Spiderman...and yet I liked Ben so much I hoped that this time around perhaps he'd live.

The Ultimate Spiderman storyline also does a nice job of fleshing out the origin of Spiderman and his nemesis The Green Goblin (who is incredibly different). Interwoven between the characters several familiar faces also fall. I can't wait to see the Ultimate version of Doctor Octopus or to see how the character of Harry Osborn develops do to what occurs in this intial storyarc.

Finally why should you read Ultimate Spiderman: Power and Responsibility? Bottom line - IT IS FUN. You'll have a chance to see a modern take on a classic hero and to watch as he grows, experiences the troubles of being a teenager, the challenges of being a newborn superhero, and as he learns that "with great power comes great responsibility."