Ultimate Spider-Man, Volume 20: And His Amazing Friends

Ultimate Spider-Man (2000) (Collected Editions)

by Brian Michael Bendis (Writer), Stuart Immonen (Illustrator)

Things are changing in the young life of Peter Parker: The Fantastic Four's Johnny Storm is now his buddy - and the hot-headed super hero has taken a liking to Peter's classmate, Liz Allen! But something is horribly wrong with Liz - something that will soon affect the life of every student at Midtown High - including Peter's ex-girlfriend, Kitty Pryde! Guest-starring the X-Men and the most malevolent mutant of all; Magneto, Master of Magnetism!
Plus: the return of Omega Red! And the worst day in Peter Parker's life!

Collecting: Ultimate Spider-Man 118-122

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

86 pages, Paperback

First published September 3, 2008

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

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice, little volume of USM that tells a few smaller, more personal stories. I love these kind of tales; they make such a nice change from all the huge, sprawling, usually piss-poor, crossover events.

[Subham · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such a fun collection omg I loved it!

So we have the group hanging out and then Johnny and Bobby come in too and then we see what happens when Liz finds out she is a mutant and how Pete and others help her and a cameo by Magneto and the face off against him and its a fun fight but I really like how Bendis explores Pete helping people here and then the stuff with Omega Red which was lethal and focusing on Pete saving J-cube but him acting like an a-hole again lol but its all fun and finally The shocker gets a spotlight and I love the way Bendis wrote Kitty and MJ there and how they help Pete!

SO yeah a fun volume overall and after the darkness of last volume this was needed. It explores the friend side of Peter and I love the growing cast here and also the art.. I am loving it! So a definite recommendation from me!!

[Sesana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just another great volume of Ultimate Spider-Man, what else is new? I love the reference to the Spider-Man/Iceman/Firestar cartoon in the title, though the story has little enough to do with anything like that. Instead, it's mostly about Peter's schoolmate Liz, and her mutantphobia, and settling her storyline. This volume in particular showcases why I really like Ultimate Spider-Man but mostly stay away from the other Ultimate books. In most of the Ultimate line, it seems like the writers took "modern and edgy" to mean "the main characters must be jackasses". Not so here. Because a teenage boy who devotes his spare time to thanklessly doing all the good he can is going to be a decent guy in the rest of his life. And he is, mostly. Also, there's Magneto. Awesome.

[Adam Stone · Rating 3 out of 5]

The, pardon the pun, slow burn of the origin of Firestar was interesting, and there are some great Easter Eggs (including the Amazing Friends team up of Spider-Man, Firestar, and Iceman) but much of this volume just felt like treading water.

It treads water well. I still like how the characters play off of each other, but the sense of urgency from the previous volumes just deflates here. It's still a perfectly enjoyable Spider-Man book, it just doesn't have the teeth of previous volumes.

[Matthew Ward · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some good Spidey drama and plenty of action in this volume. This one focuses a lot on the X-Men, which I thought they did in a really cool way. The core group of characters in this universe continually have something going on and while this one should probably feel a bit repetitive, it actually doesn’t and feels like a fun read this far in to this run.

[Kemper · Rating 4 out of 5]

The title and cover are a joke for anyone old enough to remember the old Saturday morning cartoon where Spiderman was partners with Iceman and Firestar. Which made me feel old, but this was another solid story in the Ultimate Spidey line.

[Shane Stanis · Rating 5 out of 5]

My Ultimate Year #19

This is the best of what the OG Ultimate Spider-Man can be. It gets back to its roots with teen drama, humor, and emotional punches, AND it puts some actual twists on UU characters.

Read for spidey and his amazing friends, and a shockingly good Shocker story.

[Logan · Rating 4 out of 5]

8/10:
This is a really well crafted story, even with so many characters scattered throughout. We see the manifestation of Firestar’s powers while she’s hanging out with Human Torch, Spider-Man, Iceman, MJ, Kitty Pryde, and Kenny on the beach. I love that this entire group knows each other’s secrets (yes, that moment of maturity with Kenny and Peter was awesome).

[Wing Kee · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is exactly how you follow a heavy arc!

World: I am absolutely in love with Immonen art. It's dense, it's kinetic and most of all the characters designs and emotions are absolutely wonderful. The world building here is also fantastic. After the really heavy first arc I wanted something bright and what we got was a bright and beautiful world. The fun was there and the world building supported it.

Story: Fantastic! After the sad and heavy arc this first arc was wonderful, light and so very character driven. It's good to have a rest sometimes from all the world ending doom and gloom and just focus on life. This is a high school kid and this group is young and having them be young is great. It's was a breath of fresh air. It also gave us a breath before the next huge one. It was fun but not stupid and dopey and it was as I said character based.

Characters : The star this time around. It was great. Just experience it. A lot of great interactions.

Onward to the next book!

[Henry Blackwood · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is kind of a patchwork collection of one shots. They’re still really interesting though - especially the one with Shocker.

You know what I really love about this run, though? The little things. Like for example, that shocker issue foreshadows the Roxxon corporation again something that has been teased for like 10 trades or something.
Another thing that’s very cool was Liz turning into a mutant which ends her little mutantphobia arc very nicely to be honest. Bendis could be lazy here and just write one shots that don’t have anything to do with prior or future issues but he still weaves stuff into them that makes every issue of ultimate Spider-Man essential. It’s beautiful.

[Mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

The reference to that crappy 70s cartoon is funny, but I love that it's actually a real story that affects real characters. This is another great Kitty Pryde volume and even ends with a great Kitty/Peter moment. The Firestar story is good, Omega Red is filler but still good, but the Shocker one-off is great. Has that great Kitty/Peter moment, MJ is getting serious about reporting, the backroom deals between superheroes and NYPD, but everything about the Shocker is great. It continues the little hints about Roxxon, it shows how corporations drain their employees for their creativity, it shows how desperate people - Shocker in particular - are driven not out of greed but out of desperation, and importantly it still shows that even then, our choices still matter because it wouldn't be a Spider-Man story without that.

[Shannon Appelcline · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amazing Friends (118-120). A great excuse to bring together Peter, Bobby, and "Firestar". Also, a nice story for Liz and a nice crossover with the X-Men. (I'm confused that Magneto is out and about when he was still described as being imprisoned in the Death of a Goblin storyline, but so it goes in an interconnected universe.) [4/5].

Omega Red (121). A cute little coda to Amazing Friends that focuses on school & Bugle characters, which is to say: Peter's Amazing Cast. There's nothing deep here, but it's a fun read [3+/5].

Shocker (122). One of the strengths of Bendis' USM was the possibility for real repercussions in a slightly more realistic world. This is one of those issues [4/5].

[Hasan Yazgül · Rating 4 out of 5]

The character interactions in this volume are very fun, and I like the storytelling. The dialogues are fun, and having so many characters around leads to a lot of fun moments. The story arc involving Liz takes up most of the volume, and I think it does a lot to develop her character. I like the issues that take place at school and on the beach a lot.

The rest of the volume has 2 nice stories. The issue with Omega Red is very fun, and the shocker issue is pretty interesting too. It's interesting to see the character who's been a joke for the longest time get so much screentime.

Overall, this volume is very fun. I think it's one of the most character-focused ones, and I think it works well

[Greg Callahan · Rating 3 out of 5]

(3.5) I've officially accepted the artist change. It was never bad, but the switch up from Bagley took a short spell, but I'm all good now.

The story, however, is the same as before: fine and moderately entertaining, but feels like nothing but a rehash of previous events. Maybe Bendis is trying for that good ol' circular storytelling, but it really falls flat. Many events feel the same as before, characters make similar jokes or statements. It's fine, I'm still laughing and enjoying, but feels like there's no proper end in sight, even though there's only a few volumes left.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

This wasn't great, about a 3.5 but I err'ed higher as they have stepped away from crazy Kitty and made her a real, nuanced character who has a part in the series and it's fun.

The first story about Liz was lightweight but nice, a crossover of the two lives Peter/Spidey.

The two one shots were pretty boring if I'm honest, tolerable but not particularly enjoyable, though it was rather fun to see Omega Red get wailed upon again.

I still dislike the art direction, but it's here to stay for the last few volumes I guess.

[Rick Ray · Rating 2 out of 5]

Liz Allen becomes a mutant and Omega Red attacks the Bugle, and Peter must lean on some his superpals like the Human Torch and the X-Men to deal with the various issues. The superhero stuff here is pretty forgettable, but the awkward energy between Kitty and Peter continues to be funny. "And His Amazing Friends" is meant to be a light-hearted follow up to the heavier stories from the previous two volumes, but aside from some funny beats the majority of this arc is pretty forgettable stuff.

[Kirilov Katsura · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lo mejor de Bendis es esa capacidad para abordar tanto la épica como, en este caso, el relato sentimental e íntimo.
El título de este volumen sugiere historias de relleno y poco relevantes, sobretodo luego de un arco tan dramático y violento como el del volumen anterior (Death of a Goblin), pero es magnífico; y desarrolla varios personajes secundarios con naturalidad y maestría.

Bendis rocks!

[Jacob Levy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute collection of stories provide a much needed pallet cleanser following Goblin’s arc. Wish we got a touch more of Liz but I guess I gotta read X Men to learn more…:sigh.

Here’s hoping we stop doing the identity reveal. It was effective the first time but the impact is lessened with each subsequent confide. At this point it feels like Jameson and the police are the only ones not in the know.

[Caleb Abel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Now That's What I Call Filler 5

I can't believe that Goblin plot covered in Volume 19 was followed by these issues for the next five months. They aren't BAD (well, one of them is pretty bad), but they aren't very good either.

[Jesús · Rating 3 out of 5]

Meh, este ha estado bastante flojillo. Lo ha salvado algo el tomo final.
El cambio de dibujante le ha sentado fatal, hay veces que no me puedo concentrar en la historia porque los dibujos son horribles, las caras son lo peor de todo.

[Rocky Sunico · Rating 3 out of 5]

I get why they went with this title, especially with the fire and ice cover. How they got to this point was rather different (it's not Firestar, obviously) but it's still a decent amount of fun. But beyond that, this is a book of some cameos from other characters but no big over-arching story.

[Justin Biondo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Was the definition of a filler arc but not a bad one by any means. It was honestly a ton of fun beginning to end and I’m enjoying the flow of these around the larger plots. Can’t believe I’m near the end, shits coming fast

[Zelly B. · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favourite Spidey series of all time. This is actually a (2x) re-read of the entire series.

[Kenneth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Peter and the X-men.

[Frans Kempe · Rating 3 out of 5]

Spider-man and his school friends and mutant friends faces Magneto and a new mutant

[Josh Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

A more down to earth volume centering around the strange lives of high school superheroes

[Nate Deprey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Solid story but Immonen's art is at times jarringly bad in this collection,

[Rix · Rating 3 out of 5]

A LOT happens in this one. But it's interesting how much tighter the storytelling seems to be getting now we're past the obvious 'end point' for this run

[Cyril · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nothing really special
3.2 stars

[Tim · Rating 3 out of 5]

Disappointed by the change in artist for the series but the stories were fun and it’s nice to have a few xmen alumni popping in to spice things up.