Ultimate Spider-Man Vol.5: Public Scrutiny

Ultimate Spider-Man (Collected Editions)

by Brian Michael Bendis, Mark Bagley (Penciller)

Collects Ultimate Spider-Man (2000) #28-32. What's it take to ruin Spider-Man's reputation and turn him into Public Enemy #1? Someone dressed up like Spider-Man commiting crimes! And it's up to the real Spidey to take this criminal down.

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

115 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 6, 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

[Robert · Rating 5 out of 5]

A series that keeps on living up to its hype! I will definitely continue reading.


I enjoyed the cheeky alternative take on the Rhino, definite foreshadowing of Giamatti.

[Chrissie Whitley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Collects Ultimate Spider-Man #28–32

This story arc was fantastic — great pacing, nice surprises, and really wonderful artwork. The whole collection is incredibly cinematic, and it’s easy to see the influence the two mediums have on each other during this time. With interesting villains, cameos from other known superheroes (the Avengers group here is dubbed the Ultimates), and pumped-up pacing, I’m looking forward to the next set.

[Subham · Rating 3 out of 5]

Peter has to first fight the Rhino and deal with personal troubles but then he sees the ultimates handle it and then its the Chameleon conspiracy as see his former foe targeting banks and all that and while his name is WANTED, being shit at, public scrutiny and then when someone close to him dies, all he sees is red and its a final war between Spider-man and his first villain Chameleon and its epic the way it ends and so many plots with Gwen and MJ and that ending with the latter wow! This volume had so much drama and tension and high octane energy like watching a thriller and I love that about it and the art is awesome all the way through!

[James DeSantis · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the best volume yet!

This gets to have Peter deal with bigger consequences than before. First off someone is pretending to be Spider-man. In doing so it tarnishes Spider-man's name and in a bloody result Peter is shot by the police. On top of that Gwen is not doing good and her family is breaking apart and so she begins to live with the Parkers. On top of that some fetal encounters, messy relationships, and a very angry teenager all come to a explosive result.

I loved the hell out of all the interactions. I also think the big plot points really helped build characters for everyone. MJ you feel for her, Peter? You feel for him. Gwen? You feel for her. Hard to balance so many characters but they do it. I also think some major shifts work well. One death came a bit sooner than I expected but the rest was great.

A 4.5 out of 5.

[Nicky · Rating 3 out of 5]

More development with Gwen Stacy, wooo. Bendis doesn't seem to be doing that well at portraying the emotional life of the female characters surrounding Peter, though. The problems Mary Jane was having weren't exactly a surprise to me, but I didn't feel that they came off quite right, either; and Gwen Stacy felt melodramatic even though she has perfectly good reasons to feel terrible. Aunt May was... I don't really know what's going on with her, either.

He does very well at pretty much everything else to do with Peter, though: Peter's emotions, the problems he faces, etc.

[Chris · Rating 2 out of 5]

I gave this two stars the first time I read it, and while I feel like that's a little harsh, I don't think it's a three star book for me either. So let's say it's 2.5 stars.

I don't love the main plot involving an imposter Spider-Man or the one that revolves around Mary Jane getting angry at Peter because of Gwen, despite the fact Peter has been nothing but devoted to MJ the whole time.

Some might find the relationship realistic but I felt like it was a disservice to the characters we've come to know over the past few books.

Looking at the other reviews I'm clearly in the minority, and I did read the whole series back in the day so I'm looking forward to the future volumes.

[Charly Troff (JustaReadingMama) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really loved this volume and couldn't put it down!

[Lloyd · Rating 4 out of 5]

This fifth volume, continuing what was the flagship title of Marvel's Ultimate line, carries on with modernizing nuances of classic Spider-Man stories.

In this one, a crook in a Spider-Man costume is dragging the real Spider-Man's name through the mud by committing robberies and other heinous crimes around town. Could he be Peter's biggest threat yet since becoming Spider-Man?

This one also (while I can't say how well, since I've not read the original) adapts the death of Captain Stacy, Gwen Stacy's father.

The art remains the perfect style for the action packed, fun style of the story. Again, as with past volumes I've taken the time to review, not my favorite comic book art ever, but still damn solid.
I'd recommend this one to fans of Spidey and those wanting a great superhero read.

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm impressed with the writing in this series and the way Bendis handles the emotional aspects of the situations.

[Shane Stanis · Rating 3 out of 5]

My Ultimate Year #5

This contains a one shot and then a 4 part series. Issue #28, a day in the life of peter was my favorite in this set, and really one of my fav ultimate stories overall - it’s short and silky but very “real” superhero in high school.

Read for #28 and the spidey-imposter arc, as well as more Parker’s Creek (aka early 2k teen drama).

[Joe Bogue · Rating 2 out of 5]

So much happens and none of it is fully developed or explored. I could barely keep up with all the emotional beats needed to track character (and in some cases story) development

[Mr. Derek Dietz · Rating 4 out of 5]

The melodramatic love triangle between Peter, Gwen, and MJ is definitely emphasized through these issues. It's not my favorite element of this run, but it's more compelling than the drama of the man who's pretending to be Spider-Man. If nothing else, it helps keep the story firmly grounded in high school. I imagine a certain population of teenagers would love this portion of the story.

[mjflowerchild · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love comic books I can read in one go :)
Guys spiderman is the best ✨️ favorite superhero

[isabel]

mj W best character in ultimates low diff

[David Sarkies · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not to be confused with 'The Amazing Spiderman'
14 December 2013

As I was wondering through my local lending libraries I discovered that there was quite a large collection of graphic novels, including not just the multitude of Manga but also a collection of superhero graphic novels as well. Now, I have never really been a fan of the super hero comics, and I generally don't read many graphic novels anyway (unless of course they are Tintin or Asterix) but I decided that I would grab a Spiderman one and read it to see what it was like. Well, I have read a couple in the past, one being an X-men graphic novel and another being a Wolverine Graphic novel, however I simply found them to be rather ordinary (and that yellow spandex uniform that they wear is rather laqme). I have since grabbed some more from the library (after returning Spiderman) if only to bump up the number of books that I have read, and also since they are pretty quick to read as well.

The problem with these comics though is that they do have some form of order in which things begin to unfold, and then there are multiple universes which can be considered to be some form of reboot, though the multiple universes do end up running side by side. This particular comic is set in what they call the Ultimate Universe (which is why it is called The Ultimate Spiderman, as opposed to The Amazing Spiderman, which I suspect is also a different universe from the comic series simply titled Spiderman).

In a way I find Spiderman to be kind of cool, but maybe that is because I liked the Sam Rami trilogy (and now they have rebooted it by calling it The Amazing Spiderman, and I wonder if sometime in the future there will be another reboot called the Ultimate Spiderman). Anyway, this particular comic has Spiderman come up against, well, nothing in particular. The first part of it has him trying to get away from school (including darting away from a parent-teacher interview, dodging the principle, and then escaping some bullies) only to discover that the monster that is rampaging through New York has been stopped by none other than Iron Man (though I suspect that he looks nothing like Robert Downey Jnr).

Then somebody decides to put on a Spiderman costume and start robbing banks and jewellery stores, and in the meantime Gwen Stacey's father is unceremoniously blown to bits (saving a little boy) the day after her mother walked out on her. Also, Peter Parker's relationship with MJ is once again on the rocks (if the movies are anything to go by) and despite her knowing that he is Spiderman, decides that the stress of having him risk his life and worrying whether he will ever come home, comes to the conclusion that she has to break up with him (as if that will actually stop anything, because it is not as if she had decided that he is a jerk, she still loves him, she does doesn't want to worry about him anymore, but the problem is that she will no doubt continue to worry about him, so breaking up won't stop anything – apparently that is why there is such a high divorce rate among police officers in the United States).

Well, I seem to have rambled on a bit on this comic, so I guess it is now time to turn my attention elsewhere, though I do have a Nightwing Graphic Novel, and X-men graphic novel, and an Amazing Spiderman graphic novel to read and comment on now. That is the thing that I like about lending libraries is that you can get your hands of books and read them, and you can dump them back on them afterwards without having to pay a cent. However the problem is that you are severely limited by their collection, and as can be suspected, people probably borrow them with no intention of ever returning them.

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

Now how is it supposed to work when there is no real major foe against Spider-Man? The Rhino is in the first issue of this, but, in a brilliant stroke of creativity in this NYC Marvel world, gets taken out by Iron Man while Parker isnt looking. In a sense the thesis is laid out for Peter but it also comes with complications: he has this power, he has this responsibility, but has he really RECKONED with that yet? The irony of another hero saving the day is one part of it - if he never put on the suit to begin with, couldn't others have picked up the slack - but theres also the main meat of the story, where the entire image of Spider-Man gets (momentarily but irrevocably) corrupted due to the very act of what he does.

Sometimes the whole "theres a double oh no" thing can get old, but Bendis's idea here is to use the image against everyone. And at the end of it all (spoiler?) the guy impersonating Spidey isnt some arch criminal mastermind or someone under control from one of the bigger-bads, he's... just an average shlub who (like many a Spiderman villain before - not least of which the Rhino) just wants to rob banks. It's the criminals fault that Stacy dies, but what fault is there for Parker, by proxy? And then theres Mary Jane, oh boy there.

This is where I think Bendis gets the drama and (dark?) humor so damn well. It *is* a high school trials and tribulations story, but not one character is written falsely, and when it comes time for Mary Jane to unload everything inside of her near the end, it's totally heartbreaking because of what she's had to go through and how the lines of communication between them are *not* equal, not really. I'm not sure if ive read or heard anyone talk about if Ultimate Spider-Man is a feminist text, but the case could be made as far as how Bendis draws out MJ and Gwen as people who are defined well but the commentary is also, shit, how much am I supposed to be or should I be defined by men? Gwen gets tragically robbed of that (and this comes with a father she may or may not have taken for granted), but MJ already has for many years.

Where is this series going to go? I have a few ideas. For now ill sleep on having powered thru the better part of three of these volumes in a night and know I'm reading some of Bendis's sharpest work. He really loves these characters and this world and it shows, and his storytelling is so fucking fantastic: those panels showing Peter, MJ and Gwen going up to and then Gwen getting the bad news - really anything with Gwen actually - is heartbreaking in a quiet way. This is much more grown-up at times than I have to wonder if kids will get all the subtleties; id like to think they will, or already have.

[Doctorjimmy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Διάβασε όλο το review εδώ


Στην ουσία, το Public Scrutiny αποτελεί μια αναβάθμιση δύο πρώιμων ιστοριών του Spidey: το πρώτο μόλις τεύχος του Amazing Spider-Man, καθώς και το arc που αφορούσε τον θάνατο του Captain Stacy. Αξιζει τον χρόνο σου, όμως;

Υποθέτω πως ναι, αλλά είναι αισθητά κατώτερο από τα arc που προηγήθηκαν. Το βασικό πρόβλημα είναι πως ο Bendis δεν ξέρει που να δώσει την περισσότερη έμφαση: στο τρίγωνο Gwen-Peter-MJ ή στην μάχη του Spidey με την κοινή γνώμη; Το αποτέλεσμα είναι μια κάπως προβληματική εκτέλεση και των δύο υπο-πλοκών. Μπορεί η Gwen (και η σχέση της με τους άλλους δύο) να αναπτύσσεται ενδελεχώς, αλλά οι τετριμμένες ζήλειες της MJ έχουν αρχίσει να κουράζουν λίγο. Ακόμη, ο θάνατος του John Stacy έρχεται κάπως νωρίς και χωρίς impact: δεν είναι πως δεν τον έχουμε δει καθόλου στα προηγούμενα arc, αλλά θα ήθελα παραπάνω χρόνο με το cast πριν πεθάνει. Πιο αδύναμος με διαφορά όμως, είναι ο αγώνας του Spidey έναντια στο μίσος του κόσμου για το πρόσωπο του: θα έπρεπε να είναι φανταστικός, αλλά τα πρώτα arc του τίτλου εξερεύνησαν αυτή την πτυχή πολύ καλύτερα (και δεν ήταν καν κεντρικός θεματικός τους άξονας).

Αντί να δώσει στους αναγνώστες την απόλυτη “spidey vs public” ιστορία, ο Bendis αποφάσισε να βγάλει τον Chameleon από την εξίσωση (στην αρχική ιστορία, αυτός ήταν ο μιμητής) και να κάνει τον spidey-copycat…απλά έναν τύπο. Απλά έναν τύπο! Ακόμη και ο ίδιος ο Spider-Man αναρωτιέται για αυτήν την εξέλιξη! Η λίγη ένταση που είχε χτιστεί πριν χάνεται με μιας όταν ανακαλύπτεις πως ο κεντρικός αντίπαλος είναι απλά…ένας τύπος που μόλις τώρα γνωρίζουμε, ο οποίος αποφάσισε να φορέσει τη στολή του Spidey για να κλέψει επειδή απλά του φάνηκε σαν καλή ιδέα. Οκ, νομίζω πως δεν χρειάζεται να εξηγήσω περαιτέρω την προχειρότητα του γραψίματος του Bendis. Τουλάχιστον έχουμε μερικές αρκετά ενδιαφέρουσες σκηνές (ο Pete πυροβολείται, ο Jameson βρίσκει ευκαιρία να κράξει τον Spidey και ο Norman κάνει κι αυτός την ύπουλη επίθεση του από τα Μ.Μ.Ε.), αλλά δεν αρκούν για να δώσουν το απαραίτητο βάρος στην ιστορία.

[Patrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was an incredibly nice, well done, well contained touch having Peter run through his school trying his damnedest to get out and into his Spider-Man suit. It shows how great the Parker character is, that there are so many things keeping him in his real life, that he can barely deal with the whole other Spider-man life. And more than that, that his character is so strong, that we can live inside his world, without yearning for the action and the Spider-Man. Take that, Clark Kent.

This series has really grown on me. And with my own biases, if I don't love the artwork, I'm almost destined to not give something a shot (as if I've read that many comics lol). But there's something so sincere and earnest about this series. From MJ's jealousy over Gwen, to Harry, to Aunt May. That when the impostor Spider-man, shows up, there's just a host of tugs from all these characters that feel real. The gunshot. The wait, what did you guys just f*$&ing do nature of it.

To the ending that really did pull at my tin heart. Very impressed.
Brian Michael Bendis, you say.

[carol · Rating 4 out of 5]

This volume was a bit slower and didn't have a major supervillian but a threat still since we have some guy posing as Spider-man, which is kind of annoying considering Peter had just finally gotten the people seeing him as the hero he is and not a some criminal hiding behind a mask.
The only thing I'm not particularly enjoying is the way Gwen is being thrown into Peter's life. It's like the writers are forcing her to get in the way of him and Mary's relationship. I don't know how the original story went, but this one feels like a big cliché. Not that Gwen is the only reason Mary has had seconds thoughts about dating Peter, of course. I really liked the way that last part went, the way she spoke out what she felt.

[Adam Stone · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another delicious popcorn Spider-Man story by Bendis. It's a fast, easy read, with some fun tweaks on the Spider-Man mythos. The story itself isn't particularly memorable, but it's a fun little adventure on Peter's path to adulthood (should he make it to adulthood). Hormonal teenagers are melodramatic and hormonal, regardless of gender. Villains are pretty forgettable, but each of the characters gets pushed in a new direction.

The whole run of Ultimate Spider-Man is totally worth the read, if you're in the mood for a breezy, superhero read with excellent art.

[Matthew Ledrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lot of people harp on this one, but i personally enjoy it as one of the better volumes of USM. Is it slow? Yes. Bendis loves giving us a slow arc then a fast one, then a slow one, yadda yadda yadda. But as the slow arcs go, this is one of the best.

[Fellipe Moscardini · Rating 5 out of 5]

So far, this has been the best arc. Absolutely amazing. Great writing, lots of conflict and some great twists. I had read this years ago, but the second time was even better. These comics have aged rather well. 4.5/5 stars

[Jeff Raymond · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m shocked I’m enjoying Spider-Man as much as I am. Absolutely shocked.

[Lindsey.parks · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's a rough week for everyone.

[Hafeji A.D · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a story!

[Krzysztof Grabowski · Rating 5 out of 5]

Myślał indyk o niedzieli, a w sobotę łeb mu ścieli. Popularne w Polsce przysłowie idealnie pasuje do realiów piątego już tomu przygód Pajączka w ramach serii Ultimate. Spidey stał się popularny po zamieszaniu z Kravenem i Dr Octopusem, dzięki czemu mógł się poczuć jak prawdziwy bohater. Niestety nic nie trwa wiecznie, zwłaszcza w sytuacji gdy ktoś przebiera się w strój Pająka i dokonuje napadów na bank...

Następuje zwrot o 180 stopni i przyjazna do tej pory policja potrafi otworzyć ogień do bohatera, ale wydaje się, że to nie zszargana reputacja będzie największą boleścią Parkera, a związek. Mary to bardzo kapryśne dziewczę, choć jej argumentacja była trafna, zwłaszcza po traumie, jaką dziewczyna przeżywa po porwaniu przez Green Goblina. Tutaj jednak oś niezgodny wiąże się z Gwen, która w wyniku działalności przestępcy noszącego szaty Pająka traci ojca i ląduje w domu Parkerów.

Na obrót spraw jakie nas czekają nie trzeba było czekać zbyt długo. W ogóle Bendis wreszcie nabrał odpowiedniej wprawy i potrafi prowadzić emocjonalne rozterki bohaterów na najwyższym poziomie. Cały tom czytało mi się jeszcze lepiej niż pozostałe, co uważam za ogromną sztukę przy takim przemiale wątków i pomysłów. Autor wprawdzie dał nam nieco odpocząć od super łotrów i postawił na kameralną historie, ale ta o dziwo mi nie przeszkadzała, a nawet stanowiła o sile tego tutułu. Graficznie bez zarzutu. Czekam na dalszą cześć.

[Jibug · Rating 3 out of 5]

So, I liked the previous volume. This one took a dip for me. Sad face....Volume 4 opens with Peter trying to get past his Aunt May who is at school for a parent-teacher conference, passing Gwen who is crying in a pile of garbage (yup that’s right), and dodging a group of angry teenage boys. All this to escape school so he can save the city from Rhino. But, iron man shows up to save the day instead as the civilians question Spider-Man’s late arrival. What begins is this seed of doubt. This is accentuated by the fact that a Spider-Man doppelgänger is swinging his way from one crime to the next. No longer is Spider-Man trusted. On top of that is MJ, who also has doubts with their relationship which Peter is annoyed by. This bothered me a lot considering that MJ had expressed her fears and exposed her feelings only for Peter to argue his defense....really Peter? I just don’t like that MJ is portrayed as annoying when her reactions/feelings are understandable. Other shit goes down. Peter gets into a fight with the other fraudulent Spider-Man who is causing mayhem and murder. What we get is Peter contemplating whether to kill the guy. So yeah. I probably would’ve dropped this series right here, but I heard that the next venom volume is good so I’m sticking through.

[James Idsardi · Rating 5 out of 5]

For all the complaints I had about the focus of the last couple of volumes, this one goes a long way toward addressing them head-on, to great effect. Shifting away from a focus on big-name supervillains, Bendis manages to intertwine Peter's personal drama and superhero drama perfectly in a manner that feels like it has palpable stakes without having the central conflict circle back towards being completely centered on his own history. Sure, the one-off opening chapter contains the Rhino, but he largely exists as a McGuffin to drive Peter's desperate attempt to evade roadblocks in his school environment to perform superheroics. The remaining issues dealing with a copycat allow for an excellent opportunity to play around with Spider-Man's public image, and the impact that has on Peter's approach to his role. Although the setup for the personal drama in the previous volumes was clumsily handled, the payoff here is fantastic, and all of the emotional beats end up landing. Short and to the point in all respects, this is the high point of the run so far.

[Zach Genhart · Rating 4 out of 5]

Probably the shortest volume of the entire series, but it's actually one of the best.

The first issue stands on its own and is particularly great. It's so simple - Peter needs to go be Spider-Man and save the day but keeps getting held up at school. And by the time he gets there the problem has resolved itself lol.

The rest of the volume involves a random asshole putting on Spidey's outfit to go do crime in. And the real Spidey of course getting all the blame. I always was struck by the cops shooting first and asking questions later in this story, and that is just as relevant now as it was then, unfortunately.

Less successful is the stuff with Mary Jane being jealous of Gwen Stacy. I get that these characters are teens and will therefor not always make the best decisions but it felt like unnecessary drama. It isn't a huge part of this story though, so it doesn't bog down an otherwise great volume.

[Rick Ray · Rating 3 out of 5]

An imposter Spider-Man threatens to undo any goodwill Spidey has built up, leaving Peter struggling to solve the case. Meanwhile Gwen Stacy moves in due to circumstances in her home life, which is much to MJ's dismay. Just as Peter tackles Spidey and relationship issues on multiple fronts, Bendis shows that he really can balance the superheroics and teen drama capably. "Public Scrutiny" is an entertaining time, even if the series doesn't really do much other reinventing the wheel. Bendis does borrow heavily from previous mainline Spidey stories like "The Death of Captain Stacy", but due to the more decompressed nature of the Ultimate Spider-Man series, consequences are better established here. Perhaps that's the strongest aspect about this series - remixing the classic into something modern, but allowing to course correct on narrative beats that could have done with more fleshing out.