Ultimate Spider-Man, Volume 17: Clone Saga

Ultimate Spider-Man (Collected Editions)

by Brian Michael Bendis (Writer), Mark Bagley (Illustrator), John Dell (Illustrator)

As Peter Parker tries to sort out his relationship with the X-Men's Kitty Pryde - and continue his friendship with Mary Jane - a mall-food-court lunch turns into a free-for-all as Peter and MJ are interrupted by the debut of... the Ultimate Scorpion! But who is the Scorpion - and what sinister conspiracy is threatening Spider-Man's very existence? The clues have been laid over the past 96 issues... and it all starts to come together here, as we begin the most shocking, most mind-blowing Spider-Man story ever published!

Collecting: Ultimate Spider-Man 97-104

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Marvel, Spider Man, Comic Book, Superheroes, Graphic Novels Comics

256 pages, Paperback

First published April 18, 2007

About the author

A comic book writer and erstwhile artist. He has won critical acclaim (including five Eisner Awards) and is one of the most successful writers working in mainstream comics. For over eight years Bendis’s books have consistently sat in the top five best sellers on the nationwide comic and graphic novel sales charts.

Though he started as a writer and artist of independent noir fiction series, he shot to stardom as a writer of Marvel Comics' superhero books, particularly Ultimate Spider-Man.

Bendis first entered the comic world with the "Jinx" line of crime comics in 1995. This line has spawned the graphic novels Goldfish, Fire, Jinx, Torso (with Marc Andreyko), and Total Sell Out. Bendis is writing the film version of Jinx for Universal Pictures with Oscar-winner Charlize Theron attached to star and produce.

Bendis’s other projects include the Harvey, Eisner, and Eagle Award-nominated Powers (with Michael Avon Oeming) originally from Image Comics, now published by Marvel's new creator-owned imprint Icon Comics, and the Hollywood tell-all Fortune and Glory from Oni Press, both of which received an "A" from Entertainment Weekly.

Bendis is one of the premiere architects of Marvel's "Ultimate" line: comics specifically created for the new generation of comic readers. He has written every issue of Ultimate Spider-Man since its best-selling launch, and has also written for Ultimate Fantastic Four and Ultimate X-Men, as well as every issue of Ultimate Marvel Team-Up, Ultimate Origin and Ultimate Six.

Brian is currently helming a renaissance for Marvel’s AVENGERS franchise by writing both New Avengers and Mighty Avengers along with the successful ‘event’ projects House Of M, Secret War, and this summer’s Secret Invasion.

He has also previously done work on Daredevil, Alias, and The Pulse.

Reviews

[Subham · Rating 5 out of 5]

THIS WAS SO GOOD WOW!

Its one of those arcs that makes a massive confusing story from the main continuity epic and does it so much better and one of the best story arcs of all time in USM!

So like we have Pete as he is confronted by clone versions of himself and an even lady version of himself and then comes Gwen and how is she there plus then his father too and what happens when Aunt May learns the secret and whatever happened to MJ?? Its like Pete's life crashes infront of him and the drama and all of it is too much and then all stories connect so well and the coming of the FF ad even Fury and Shield and his slayers until we find out who is behind it all and the shock of it is actually quite interesting and I love the way Bendis pulls it all of and it makes for one dramatic read!

Its very big for sure compared to other volumes but it does the job of showing how messed up his life is and in an interesting manner and man the ending was great, so much confusion and by the end you have read an epic and the fallout of it will be interesting to see and I also love the way Fury's feelings towards Spidey changes and its awesome plus the art kicks on another gear here, its so awesome!! I am definitely recommending this one!!

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

SO much better than the original Clone Saga!

Of course, I’ve seen roadkill that read better than the original Clone Saga...

[Robert · Rating 5 out of 5]

Continues to set a fantastically high bar, and resolves the Peter Parker / Kitty Pryde coupleship issue effectively.

I love how the Ultimates Universe Spider-woman is essentially just a gender swapped clone of PP. I look forward to "Jessica Drew" featuring in future storylines!


Gang's all here...

[Wing Kee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dense, wow this was super dense.

World: The art is really starting to grow on me. Yes I know we are getting to the end of Bagley's run but I'm starting to see that he is getting the characters down, facial expressions are not as weird. The world building here was phenomenonal. It was not just building the world but using a lot of pieces in the MUU to tell this story, a lot of moving pieces and handled wonderfully.

Story: Not to spoil anything for readers but wow, this is dense. There is so much going on here it's absolutely nuts. The stuff that gets handled in this one arc is simply the equivalent of 3 arcs. He pacing was great, the stakes wonderful and the emotions were very real, this is what a great Spidey book is suppose to be. The end result is also fair and makes sense and you feel satisfied with where the book is going. You could say the Kitty stuff, which I'll get to below, could have been handled better but hey it's all there for some drama. Great stuff.

Characters: Finally! Characters act logically and relatable to the reader. The MJ stuff this irks me and same with the Kitty stuff but they did have good arcs this book and even though it is Peter based it was a fun read. I still want female characters to step out of the shadows more a bit and be their own thing. The main villain was great as was the tension throughout with all the characters, from the FF to SHIELD to the CIA it was a fun character ride with lots of people to hate and cheer for. Kitty was sadly a throwaway and how she was handled was not good but it does create wonderful drama and I know we will get to it in subsequent books.

A super satisfying arc that was dense as hell. Really really good.

Onward to the next book!

[Logan · Rating 2 out of 5]

A trip down memory lane! So the other day, a friend of mine brought some comics of his, to get my opinion, and some of them were issues of this series, and I read this ten years ago, so I thought, why not re-read! Well, Its not a good memory anyway. So I have never really liked the ultimate universe, and I'm glad its done with, with the events of Secret Wars, and this just reminded me why; the whole mood of this comic is just dark, depressing, which really should not be what a spider man comic is! The word 'Saga'. describes this well, as for example, the book opens with Peter having a fight with his girlfriend, about his 'friendship' with Mary Jane; from there its a wild roller coaster that was Morrisioneitas levels of confusing! I can't really say more, as this is something you have to read for yourself. The artwork was very nice though! But ya overall, not a great read...

[Mateusz Zielonka · Rating 5 out of 5]

That was… AWESOME!!!🕸️🕷️😍

[B. P. Rinehart · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I first started reading Ultimate Comics All-New Spider-Man with Miles Morales, one of the characters that interested me was Jessica Drew/Spider-Woman. (Please note that all refernces and names in this review is from the, as of 2016, defunct Ultimate Marvel Universe an alternate reality of "standard" Marvel.) I became more and more curious about her character as more and more was revealed about her and I decided to go and read about her adventures pre-Miles Morales. It begins with this volume of Ultimate Spider-Man.

This story was very enjoyable and it further wrapped me in the world of comics as I did not think I would enjoy or care for much outside o the Miles Morales storyline. It is, like most Bendis stories, serialized in a very cinematic style which lends itself well to the way in which I read it. It inspired me to go further into BMB's decade-and-a-half adventure writing Ultimate Marvel.

[Christian · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best version of itself. This is a masterpiece of comic silliness, with a myriad of twists and turns both emotional and ridiculous, but all with real human stakes alongside the hammer horror ludicrousness. Peter is finally driven to the breaking point that the comic has been building up since day one, but comes out of it all the stronger. The guest characters are often the weaker part of this comic, but the Fantastic Four, X-men, and Fury are all handled excellently. It's so good it made me wonder if I had misjudged Ultimate Fantastic Four.

Most importantly, it lets Peter self actualize in a way that he has really needed to. By the end of this comic, nothing substantial has changed except that now none of it is a horrible life forced on a boy, and instead a life calling accepted by a hero. Peter Parker is Spider-man not because of a lab accident but because he chooses it.

Not just the unquestionable height of Ultimate spider-man, but quite possibly a peak for Bendis in general.

It almost makes the original clone saga worth it.

[Nicky · Rating 4 out of 5]

This volume is pretty nuts. I liked it, though. Does Jessica Drew get her own comic at all? I love her outfit. And hmm, Gwen Stacy is... sort of back? Interesting. I laughed at the introduction where it said that in Marvel, people stay dead. You know, like Bucky.

Suuuure. Like Bucky.

I'm interested to see what comes out of this as far as Kitty Pryde and Mary Jane go. I'm pessimistically doubting it'll be the way I'd like it to be, but oh well.

[Rix · Rating 4 out of 5]

Do stupid things happen in this comic? Yes, indisputably. As is the way of comic books, this goes to some weird places. But it also makes the weird places this run has been to up till now feel worth it, and allows for some good character moments along the way. Really hoping the loose threads with Kitty will be tied up well in the coming volumes...

[Jordan Lahn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this arc. I was surprised how long it was! Definitely the most complicated arc Bendis has attempted in Ultimate Spider-Man so far. Ultimate Jessica Drew is a very interesting character, and I'm looking forward to seeing more of her in the future.

[James DeSantis · Rating 5 out of 5]

How to fix a poor storyline.

Clone Saga was always labeled as one of the worst times for Spider-Man fans. A overly long event that amounted to pretty much nothing. So Bendis proudly showing off his take on it was scary to say the least...But damn if it didn't work so damn well.

A lot of things happen here, including another important person finding out who Peter is, bringing back a character who was thought to be dead (And in the ultimate universe if you died, you usually stayed dead). We also brought in a new Clone of Peter who's as cool if not cooler than Ben Riley. All this happens while Peter slowly loses his mind on what happening around him.

This is an intense chapter in the Ultimate universe and a lot of changes happen here, including Peter becoming even more loss in his despair. A dark but much needed chapter, and it worked really well to fix the Clone Saga name.

A 4.5 out of 5.

[Marcin Wichowski · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kreska super 🦸‍♂️
Historia w tym tomie przesuwa fabułę mocno do przodu
Tempo tempo nie ma czasu i nudy co najważniejsze
Epickie plansze są 😍😍

[Shane Stanis · Rating 3 out of 5]

My Ultimate Year #16

This is a mixed bag - some good choices, so iffy ones, and runs a bit long…

Read for great Bagley Fantastic Four - what a relief with Land on their title during this period - and lots of clones!

[Sesana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Full disclosure: I have never read the main Marvel U version Clone Saga, neither the 10-issue arc from the 70s nor the massive event that consumed all four (four? God) Spider-Man titles for two full years in the early 90s. So I have no basis of comparison for Bendis's 9-issue version. That may be a good thing. The Clone Saga does not have the best reputation as an ongoing storyline. But it does mean that I have to judge this version on its merits as a story, without comparing it to what came before. So how does it measure up? Well...

Let me just say that this is not, by any means, a bad book. I haven't read a bad Ultimate Spider-Man trade yet. And there are some really fantastic things going on here. The actual clones at the center were, I thought, handled fairly well. I bought into the story as a whole. The clone of Gwen becoming Carnage (or Carnage-like) was odd, and so was... whatever it was that happened to MJ. Which was reversed so quickly that I wondered what the point of it was. There were lasting effects that will, I think, open up some interesting storylines. Aunt May knows Peter is Spider-Man, to take backs. Gwen, or a clone of her, is alive somewhere. Ultimate Spider-Woman exists. And some things between Peter and SHIELD have been cleared up. Not bad for one volume.

[Lloyd · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a fantastic series.

In this volume, writer Brian Michael Bendis and the art team, headed by Mark Bagley bring their unique, updated spin to a story which, according to the introduction, has been spun a number of times... The Clone Saga.

This volume, much like the best of the others of this series includes hilarity, intrigue, substance, and a story that's just amazingly fun to read.

The art continues to be perfect for the style of the story.

This has got to be some of the best Spider-Man out there.

SO recommended.

[Sam Whale · Rating 5 out of 5]

the comic that first got me reading comics and I think to this day still my favourite comic of all time.

Maybe someday I'll write a review that goes into all the details of why this book works so incredibly well but for now I'll just say it's Bagley at his very best, Bendis at his very best and Spider-Man at his very best.

[Deshawn Vasquez · Rating 5 out of 5]

What strikes me about this storyline is not that it's better than its 616 namesake, as most things are. What strikes me is that it goes to places that I would normally hate on paper, and in the hands of most other writers, I would not be swayed otherwise. But here, in this context, with this iteration, built up so well, it knocks it out of the park.

[Henry Blackwood · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh boy, there were so many twists and turns in this that kept me on the edge of my seat. Every single issue ended with an OH MY GOD level of cliffhanger. It’s like Bendis flipped the table with this trade and arc. It was sprawling but felt contained and focused, it was everything the original clone saga should’ve been and was told in a lot less comics with a lot less contrivance. But still, the ending with (SPOILERS): Doc Ock was just the right amount of disappointing to make me feel nostalgic like the original clone saga all over again! I don’t know how I feel about his powers of metal rather than a weird psychic link to his arms or (what I thought was supposed to be a link to hardware/software of things but w/e). That being said, his reasoning for making the clones was very nice and so evilly cruel to Peter that I was actually thinking to myself while reading that Doc Ock has a massive case for being Spidey’s biggest villain - especially with superior spidey, the game and the second movie from years ago. I didn’t think it was disappointing having Doc Ock behind it all I thought that was cool. Idk it just bugged me in my comic geek way that he has magneto’s powers?
Oh and I love how they got MJ and Peter back together but I feel so bad for Kitty. Bendis just wrote her really badly in this trade so we’d remember how cool MJ was, which I always thought MJ was cool and this Kitty thing was a really nice complication. I hope it’s not fully the end of the triangle because even though I feel like I’m a stout Peter and MJ shipper, I found myself really loving the Kitty/Peter dynamic so much that it got me thinking to a point where I’m fairly sure that Kitty Pryde would be one of my favourite X-Men. So, what are ya gonna do! Poor Kitty, your crush was always destined to fail.

This is a little bit better than a four star but not a five? But whatever haha.

[Rick Ray · Rating 3 out of 5]

It may borrow its name from the infamously prolonged stretch of Spider-Man comics that lasted over two years in the 1990s, but Bendis and Bagley find a way to reinvent the original saga into something much simpler and more palatable. It still has plenty of nonsense going for it to be fair, but this Clone Saga is definitely an easier read. It is still one of the longer arcs in the Ultimate Spider-Man title though, spanning issues #97-104 (with a brief epilogue in the following volume). The story follows Spidey uncovering several clones of himself all seeking to fulfill specific actions relating to his own fears and desires. Chief amongst these sentiments is Spidey's desire to keep MJ safe from harm, which one clone takes a little too far. As the clones close in on Spidey, so does his secret identity. In this volume, Aunt May finally learns that Pete has been the Wallcrawler this whole time and with it comes many more toppling dominos. Peter's relationship with Kitty Pryde has also summarily collapsed, leaving the hero's personal life in complete tatters.

Though the main storyline is pretty nonsensical sci-fi stuff, the payoff here really lies in the long form narratives developed over 100+ issues of the title. Aunt May, MJ, Gwen and others all feel like important pieces in Spidey's journey from hesitant teen hero to the fully formed superhero we all know he can be, and that is really where the reward in reading this series lies. Otherwise, it's pretty conventional superhero fare that isn't doing anything particularly novel.

[Jack Herbert Christal Gattanella · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Oh my God."
"Yeah, we'll do our "oh my Gods" later."

Surely one of the high points, both for the highest stakes and among the most consequential turns in this Ultimate Spider-Man run that Bendis had with Parker (and in this case Parker(s)) and most wild when it comes to character designs and crazy sci-fi body horror, Clone Saga has it all. And I know logically there should be too much going on here, but it all feels of a piece.

Bendis is juggling many arcs and characters, not least of which Nick Fury, the Fantastic Four and (mild spoiler) Peter's dad, but it all somehow fits when taking into account what has come so far. It isn't as overall funny as it has been before, but Bendis also handles the gigantic reveals with a delicate hand - and by this he does it by stacking reveals on top of one another, as well as deep dark OMG moments like we get with MJ. This is a volume with... A lot as far as what the Clones mean and what they could portend going forward.

As for Kitty, that stuff is... Fine. Can take it or leave it, but it's not the main meat of the souffle here so to speak. This is just a great Peter Parker story with many strands going that all come back to a single thought: WTF?!

[ANTHONY FLORES · Rating 5 out of 5]

📚 Libro: Ultimate Spider-Man: La saga del clon
✍️ Autor: Brian Michaels Bendis
🗒️ Páginas: 248
🌼 Puntaje: 5

Nombre, que decir sobre el universo Ultimate que no se sepa. Con esto de su nuevo resurgimiento, tengo que ir rápido para saber que pasó en el antiguo.

En estos números de Spider-Man, nos encontramos con varios clones de Peter que tratan de proteger a MJ, que trae de la muerte a Gwen y algunos otros locos que están por ahí.

Saber quien es el "malo" de la pelicula y ver como Fury cambia de parecer me parece bien logrado sabiendo que Spider-Man siempre es el malo de la pelicula.

Me agrada la historia porque supieron darle dinamismo a todo lo que equivale los clones desde su inicio hasta el fin. Encontrar varias versiones de Peter que pensamos están muertos o contenidos. Esperemos que en el futuro no haya nada de esta situación pero que siempre sea fácil de digerir como esta saga.

[Joey Amorim · Rating 5 out of 5]

Full disclosure, I’ve never read the original 616 Clone Saga, but I believe you absolutely don’t need to to enjoy this story. In a lot of ways, this feels like a climax for everything that Peter’s gone through since the series began. Pete is put through the absolute wringer here, and unlike in 616 where Marvel tried to make him look like a total dweeb just for the sake of artificially getting you to like the new hotness Ben Reilly more, he comes out the other side of it all more resolute in his ideals as a hero and his personal relationships are in a healthier place than they’ve been in ages. One of the main highlights of all of Ultimate Spider-Man, and honestly one of Bendis’s best comics overall.

[Greg Callahan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ah, finally! Back to the beauty of Bendis's storytelling. Another volume that's just as fun and exciting as the first few volumes of the Ultimate run. So much that could be easily spoilable, so allow me to simply say that Clones are a thing, obviously, and the mayhem they cause in the life of Peter Parker is absolutely riveting. More riveting is the great display of Peter's character. A genuine comic-book hero and he gets some great and moving moments here. Love, love, love! Great volume, one of the best of the run.

[Noah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Based off of the other reviews, this doesn't seem like a completely original work, but man do I love it. My own personal struggles have enhanced this experience, and I can't believe I haven't read it sooner. I got in such a flow with this volume that I don't remember thinking about anything else. This is one of my favorite Spidey stories right here. It feels like everything so far was a movie which built up to this specific climax. I wish I could erase this from my memory and ready it again.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was really enjoyable, the back stabbing, the double dealing and the ultimate reason things are as they are were all very good and well plotted out. The action just flies off the page and it delivers in a lot of big ways.

My only minor complaint, as I love Kitty, is how they turned her into a crazy bunny boiler, girl goes full psycho then is just ditched at the end. I knew MJ would be back in the picture at some point but she got the short end of the stick with how it all ended.

[Ramón Nogueras Pérez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Una magistral reimaginación de un desastre anterior, que merece aplauso. No tiene cinco estrellas porque el final queda un punto deslavazado para mi gusto, un tanto apresurado, pero magistral el giro al explicar a Doctor Octopus ("no necesito los brazos") y muy bien traído cómo resolver la situación con tía May y SHIELD

En conjunto, un clásico y muy recomendable. Lógico que Zdarsky le diera otra oportunidad en Toda una vida.

[Shannon Appelcline · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ultimate Clone Saga (97-105). Wow. Bendis comes up with a wacky twist on the Clone Saga. He returns multiple characters to us in satisfying ways. He resolves the MJ issues without it being annoying. (Poor Kitty!) He reminds us of the Ultimate military arms race for super heroes. He returns a few more villains of note. He gives us a great new Spider-oOman. Overall, a tremendous anniversary (100th issue) celebration that's one of the best arcs of the run [5/5].

[Braulio Valenzuela · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nunca he leído a profundidad la saga de clones de Amazing Spider-Man, principalmente por pereza. Leí la saga de clones de Miles Morales y me pareció un desastre. Mis expectativas eran muy bajas cuando empecé a leer este volumen, pero me pareció buenísimo. Los giros del argumento son realmente sorprendentes y el involucramiento de X-Men y Fantastic Four es muy orgánico y no satura. Para esto leo cómics.

[Λευτέρης Αναγνωστόπουλος · Rating 5 out of 5]

Out of all the craziness and twists and turns in the Clone Saga Doc Ock having Magneto powers is the laziest and stupidest decision ever. That being said, that's great television, which says a lot since this is a comic book. But why nobody of the big brains in Hollywood hasn't decided yet to adapt Ultimate Spider-man is beyond me... And I'm talking about THIS Ultimate Spider-man not the 2012 Drake Bell Spidey...

Whatever. this is epic! First time readers are gonna have a heart-attack.