Ultimate Spider-Man, Volume 7

Ultimate Spider-Man (Collected Editions) #13-14

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

In Hobgoblin, it's the terrifying debut of the Ultimate Hobgoblin as Harry Osborn returns to Midtown High harboring a dark secret that will affect the lives of all those around him - especially his best friend, Peter Parker. And where does Harry's father - Norman Osborn, a.k.a. the Green Goblin - fit into all this? And in Warriors, the Gang War to end all Gang Wars begins The Kingpin is in retreat, and that kind of a power vacuum won't last long. It's about to be filled by a figure of unabashed dread in the underworld: Hammerhead Plus: the Ultimate debuts of several Marvel characters, including Moon Knight And Spidey thinks he's had trouble before... but nothing has ever made him declare, "Peter Parker no more".

Collecting: Ultimate Spider-Man 72-85

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Marvel, Spider Man, Superheroes, Sequential Art, Graphic Novels Comics

344 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2006

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

[Baba · Rating 4 out of 5]

This Ultimate Spider-Man Ultimate Collection of two volumes, starts with Ultimate Spider-Man, Volume 13: Hobgoblin, which was never going to match the sensational debut of Hobgoblin in the mainstream Marvel universe (The Amazing Spider-Man: Origin of the Hobgoblin), but has a very good go at, focusing much more on the human side of the Ultimate Hobgoblin and Peter Parker's continual real struggles being a 15 year old undergoing near-death and actual death experiences. Guests including Nick Fury and SHIELD. 8 out of 12.

Ne'er was a volume better named as Ultimate Spider-Man, Volume 14: Warriors, as somehow Brian Michael Bendis and Mark Bagley make a compelling story featuring Spidey, Kingpin, Hammerhead, Shang Chi, Iron Fist, Elektra, the Enforcers and Moon Knight; and all this to the background of Peter breaking up with the love of his love. So much real jeopardy in this series just makes it so superior overall to the mainstream series, that, and its consistency. 8 out of 12.

2022 read; 2017 read; 2011 read

[Rory Wilding · Rating 4 out of 5]

Everyone should know the words, "with great power comes responsibility", including Peter Parker himself, who was taught these words from his late uncle, moments before his death. Even with this lifelong, Peter struggles to maintain that dual life as both high-schooler and superhero, especially when the dangers of being Spider-Man can greatly affect his personal life. With the return of Peter's former best friend Harry Osborn, that dual life truly clashes.

Returning to Queens from SHIELD custody, Harry – under the questionable hallucinogenic guidance of his father's old associate Shaw (which is never explained) – has vengeful plans against Peter, of whom Harry knows he's Spider-Man and accuses him of stealing Mary Jane, when it is revealed that Harry and MJ were briefly dating before his father turned into the Goblin. It seems very apparent that any incarnation that introduces the Osborns, the fight between the two best friends is going to happen and Bendis pumps upon the dramatic tension that builds to that moment.

In terms of build-up, we see Peter's fear towards Harry gets in the way of everyone else he loves and cares for, including Mary Jane who doesn’t always make the best decisions when it comes to stepping into the danger despite being specifically told not to by her boyfriend, who was not aware of her brief fling with Harry. As for Harry, he has been repressing memories concerning his father and Peter's Spider-identity and they come back to haunt them in the worst way possible by following his father's footsteps into transforming into a hulking goblin. I have never been a fan of most of the Ultimate redesigns of the rogues gallery including the Goblins, but Bendis' writing is so strong towards the characterisation that when the repercussions happen, hearts do break.

With Ultimate Spider-Man, the series works best when it takes a break from the superhero action and just focuses on the teenage soap opera and on issue #78, Mary Jane Watson takes centre stage after being dumped by Peter. Although she's not as mopey as Bella when she dumped in Twilight, the end of her romance with Peter has somewhat shaken her and how she's coping with it by trying to socialise with friends and seeing a rock band playing the song "Molten Man".

In the later issues, which involves an impending gang war between the Kingpin and Hammerhead as well as the return of Black Cat who is in conflict with her feelings with Spidey, the story is really about how Peter is negating his own life as Peter Parker (including his high school) and is using the Spider-Man persona to escape his personal problems. Although this arc does cram in too much such as the multiple heroes from Iron Fist and Shang-Chi to Moon Knight, Bendis really shines with his humour with Spidey literally resolving all problems with webbing, whilst Mark Bagley does some of his best work here with panel layouts ranging from small boxes to large ones that spread through double pages, with many characters fighting in giant single images.

Despite its flaws, Ultimate Spider-Man continues to shine in exploring Peter's double trouble through a mixture of action, humour and drama, along with some cliffhangers to keep you excited about where the story could go next.

[Craig Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's been awhile since I last read Ultimate Spider-man, but as always, I was very pleased with it! Bendis has really crafted a masterpiece, as far as creating his own, personal Spidey-verse. Quite frankly, I'm enjoying Ultimate Spider-man more than, well... I ever enjoyed Marvelverse Spider-man. The writing is so sharp, and the characters so well developed, all of which is the benefit of having one, AND ONLY ONE, writer solely responsible for the direction the series goes. I feel like the disadvantage of superhero comic series are how they are passed on from writer-to-writer, each of whom have their own vision for the character; sometimes this direction is good (Garth Ennis' The Punisher), and sometimes it's bad, to downright retarded (Grant Morrison's run on Batman). This creates so much imbalance, in terms of quality control, comic publishers end up having to scrap a series entirely, and reboot it (such as the recent reboot of Justice League). It's all very... Hollywoodish. Then you have guys like Brian Michael Bendis, or Geoff Johns, who plant a flag and claim dominion over a particular title. I can't imagine Bendis leaving Ultimate Spider-man until he ends the series for good, one way or another (bare in mind that I have NO clue if he's still currently writing it by this point - I'm avoiding fact checking for fear of being exposed to spoilers).

Anyway, the consistency of the quality in Ultimate Spider-man stands as proof for what I say. Bendis has this thing figured out, and seems to know exactly where he's going with the series - and I will be there, along for the ride.

As for this particular volume, naturally, I enjoyed it immensely. I am slightly annoyed with Peter Parker's teenage angsty, emotionally driven teenage rampage, but what else can I expect from a guy who's good friend was horrifically murdered in his own backyard? Nevertheless, the sanctimonious and selfish behavior, while certainly not at all uncharacteristic of Parker's character, is still irritating to read through, and I found myself rolling my eyes at some of his tirades. Still, it makes for engaging reading, and I can't wait to get my hands on some more!

[Chris Greensmith · Rating 2 out of 5]

"You guys are freaking crazy! Yeah, and this's coming from a weirdo in red and blue spandex! I resemble that!"

[Andy · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first story collected is the return of Harry and the aftermath of all the crap he's been through. When it came out I found this story a little disappointing, not living up to expectation. On reflection it's a good story when dealing with Pete's emotional turmoil from recent events but I still think Harry's story is rushed. It flies by so quickly and at the end doesn't feel like much has been learnt.

I really enjoyed the Warriors storyline though as Hammerhead tries to muscle in on Kingpin's territory. Pretty much every independent hero is here and there are some fantastic splash pages, particularly during the huge fight at the end. Spidey's method of stopping it is pretty funny though not as much as Black Cat's reaction to Pete's unmasking. That still cracks me up.

Enjoyable and building the mythos nicely.

[Oak Lawn Public Library - Youth Services · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ultimate Spiderman: Collection Vol. 7
By: Brian Michaels Bendis
Illustrated by: Mark Bagley
344 pages
5 out of 5 stars
Reviewed By: Salimah Boufath

Spiderman is back, and he’s facing new villains and new problems. After the battle with Norman Osborn, also known as the Green Goblin, Peter Parker’s life goes back to normal – well, only for a short while. When Norman’s son, Harry Osborn, suddenly appears, Peter has his suspension about him since he witnesses the fight with his father, and finds him untrustworthy. Secrets of the past begin to unravel, unleashing Harry’s inner demon, the Hobgoblin. After a chaotic battle with the new goblin, Peter is devastated and emotionally traumatized after losing another loved one. But the trouble is far from over. In the next chapter, Peter finds himself tangled in a web of crime. When a mafia named Silvermane is killed by the gangster Hammerhead, crime lord Kingpin makes a deal with Spiderman to track him down and destroy him. Spiderman has no other choice but to take this job. Along with the notorious thief Black Cat, Spiderman must defeat Hammerhead before the police get too involved in their chaotic frenzy. This collection of Ultimate Spiderman Vol. 13: Hobgoblin and Ultimate Spiderman Vol. 14: Warriors is an action-packed rollercoaster. Since I was a kid, I always loved this book because it is high in action and plot twists. There was so much going on that makes you want to empathize with Peter. From making difficult choices as a hero to dealing with personal relationship issues, Peter slowly learns who he must be and how to manage in being both a teenager and a superhero. Readers who love superhero comic books featuring action and emotional drama will love this book. If you are especially a Spiderman fan, you will love this book because it was thrilling, loaded with action, and the illustrations are amazing. If you’re having trouble finding a new comic book to read, this one will spark your interest and will make you want to read the next volumes.

[Krzysztof Grabowski · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tytuł zawiera numery z zakresu Ultimate Spider-Man #13-14/Ultimate Spider-Man (#72-85).

Dzieje się w serii całkiem sporo w tym numerze, nawet w pewnym momencie będąc zbyt tłocznym przedsięwzięciem, choć o dziwo i autor i rysownik to ogarniają. A akcją ten tom stoi. Początek jednak należy do powracającego motywu walki z tytułowym Hobgoblinem choć de facto stwór bardziej wygląda na jakieś potomstwo Etrigana...

Niemniej wraca Harry Osborn, który miesza w swoim stylu w życiu Petera i nieco rzutuje na związek chłopaka z Mary Jane. Ma też problemy psychiczne, co zaczyna się objawiać w miarę rozwoju fabuły. Plusik za udział Nicka Fury'iego. Sekwencja walk są dynamiczne i pełne detali, choć to de facto nieco powtórka z tego co było wcześniej w serii. Mięsko zaczyna się zaraz później.

Zaczyna się regularna bitwa o wpływy w mieście. Kingpin patrzy, jak Hammerhead powoli, acz metodycznie zaczyna rozszerzać swoje wpływy na miasto i przejmuje jego biznesy cząstka po cząstce. W walce z nowym oponentem zamierza wyręczyć się... Pajączkiem, którego udaje mu się zręcznie wmanewrować w ten konflikt, gdzie nie wiadomo komu ufać. A w tle całe zatrzęsienie nowych, jak i starych bohaterów m.in. Moon Kinght czy Black Cat, której relacje z chłopakiem są przepełnione seksualną energią. Do czasu. Finał tego wątku jest iście przezabawny.

Nie zapominajmy też o młodzieńczej relacji z Mary Jane, która jest tutaj burzliwa i serce się kraje, jak tym dwojgu nie za bardzo wychodzi. Do tego dochodzi rygorystyczna ciocia i problemy w szkole, z racji ciągłych nieobecności Parkera, który zajmuje się bohaterzeniem.

To nadal ten sam świetny Bandis, któremu towarzyszy wierny Balgey i jego praca trafia w moje gusta, sprawiając że tytuł zestarzał się naprawdę niewiele i mógłby być wydawany dzisiaj, spokojnie notując kasowy sukces. Całość czyta się i ogląda tak jakbym miał do czynienia z rasową kreskówką.
Jedna z moich najbardziej cenionych serii ever.

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Despite re-reading Bendis seminal run on Ultimate Spider-man for the fourth time I still find any iteration of Aunt May annoying as all hell and a worthless ass piece of shit character. I said it. I digress, my one bone with this volume was Peter’s handling of MJ. Pure nonsense.

Current marvel sucks so bad I have to keep retreading older stuff.

Make mine Image

Death to aunt may

Okay, I’m done now

[Quinton Baran · Rating 4 out of 5]

This collection is of issues 72-85. There are some flashback and review of previous issues. The art continues to be very good as well as the story. The first half or so is about the Ultimate version of the Hobgoblin. All the issues deal with the Gwen Stacy and how Peter feels about her and Mary Jane. The second half deals with the mob in New York. All in all, pretty good.

[Joakim Ax · Rating 5 out of 5]

This universe take on Hobgoblin makes more sence than what they tried in the 616 universe. I guess that it helps when the writer and editor get´s along also. And not going back and forth on the issue of the real identity. Read it to find out whom!

The roster of Heroes gets expanded somewhat in this volume as well!

[B · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Harry stuff felt like a tragedy resolved too soon. The second story just kept escalating and filling up with secondary characters we had no reason to care about. The build-up was pretty good but it did not have anywhere to go.

[Adsun22 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Druga część tomu, kiedy pojawia się wiele ciekawych postaci, jest zdecydowanie lepsza.

[Przemysław Skoczyński · Rating 4 out of 5]

W sumie trochę mi smutno, że ten run się kiedyś skończy

[mvsophie · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5⭐️

Chaotyczny był ten tom, ale końcowy plot twist—

[Charles Mennerick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Moon Knight

[Neil R. Coulter · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was going to give Volume 7 of Ultimate Spider-Man a low rating, accompanied by a review that laments the slow pacing, the focus on whiny teenagers about whether they're breaking up or not breaking up, the introduction of a truly painfully terrible guy who shows an interest in Mary Jane (and plays guitar in a punk band, and talks like a girl--or, like Brian Michael Bendis writing like a girl), the lack of interesting superhero battles, the disappointing and confusing return of Harry Osborn . . . and then Black Cat returned, and so the rating goes up to 5 stars and I have a hard time remembering all those other complaints. I love Black Cat. I'm sorry she appears so infrequently, and I'm sorry she's stuck in a Kingpin story arc that doesn't require more of her. But I love her. I could be interested in an Ultimate Black Cat series that features an occasional appearance by Spider-Man.

If I were going to complain about something in Volume 7, it would be Bendis's obnoxious tic of beginning sentences with "The hell"--sentences like "The hell is this?!" or "The hell is going on here?!" It is a really annoying gimmick that he uses a lot in this book. No more, please.

The first half of this volume is, as I hinted at, pretty terrible, featuring mostly Peter and Mary Jane breaking up and then whining about it, skipping class, letting their grades slip, lying to Aunt May, and so forth. A little bit of that kind of drama goes a long way when it's Bendis writing the dialogue, and I wasn't drawn into it at all. Black Cat does redeem the second half of the book, and the fight scene full of third-string superhero characters is sort of interesting.

Besides Black Cat, the best thing about Volume 7 is Bagley's artwork, which I thought was really good throughout. He does some very nice low-light and silhouette Spider-Man panels. The coloring is well done, as always. There's quite a bit of Spider-Man's (mask) eyes making different expressions, which I always find amusing.

[Holden Attradies · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although not my favorite volume I think this one had the most "SAY WHAAAAAAAAAAAAT?" moments in it. Who Harry's trainer was, the TOTALLY unexpected reveal on the last page, Black cat's awesomely hysterical reaction to Parker taking his mask off to kiss her.

The Hobgoblin story arc was interesting... Harry really is a mess, and I feel like it left way more questions than it answered (ESPECIALLY Furry's comment about taking Parker's Spider-Man powers away). But I kind of came away feeling that the story wasn't really about Harry, that hobgoblin was the b story line. the A storyline was Peter pushing MJ away because it does seem she can't handle this spider-man thing and that she IS going to get her self killed. She does seem progressively more and more on the flaky side, with her frequent out bursts of physical violence.

Kingpin continues to be a REALLY intriguing antagonist, and continues to seem to feel like the one thing that is just to big for Parker. A straight up fight he can handle, but the head of a criminal empire still seems a little above his league. And although I enjoyed the second story arc, I have to admit I really don't care much for any of the characters used in it aside from Spidy, Kingpin and Black Cat. But the fact that I dislike, or at the least am totally indifferent to ANY incarnation of any of those characters it just shows what an amazing team Bendis and Bagley are in that I really did like this story arc.

[Kai C · Rating 4 out of 5]

Me trying to be productive in life then got my hands on Ultimate Spider-Man 7,8,&9 and then came to realization that nothing else matters. I sat there like " I just need to need to read one and then I will get to work. Yeah it will be a reward system. I will do work then read, then do more work." ----Long story short, I drove the struggle bus and dropped off all my assignments just in the nick of time.

[Ernest · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Hobgoblin storyline is good! The Warriors one is a bit overdone but still fun to see Black Cat's flirtation with Spidey.

[Rob · Rating 4 out of 5]

An especially funny and sad installment, with the same quality exploration of the Spider-Man story.