Ultimate Spider-Man: Ultimate Collection Vol. 3

Ultimate Spider-Man (Collected Editions) #5-6

by Brian Michael Bendis

Collects Ultimate Spider-Man (2000) #1/2 & #28-39.

Collecting the groundbreaking third year of ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN in one colossal collection! Spider-Man beat Kraven. He defeated Dr. Octopus. He even survived a serious scrap with an artificially enhanced Green Goblin. As it turns out, though, his worst enemy is a simple crook in a Spider-Man suit. That's all it takes to ruin Spider-Man's reputation, suddenly painting Peter Parker's alter ego as Public Enemy No. 1...and changing his life forever. Then: Spider-Man's ultimate villain gets the Ultimate treatment! After reuniting with his childhood friend Eddie Brock, Peter discovers a secret about their fathers' pasts...a black liquid that can transform into a protoplasmic bodysuit, curing any illness and enhancing the wearer's strength and abilities. But when Peter tries to continue his father's work, he accidentally becomes encased in the murky liquid and becomes nearly unstoppable...but at a terrible price.

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

304 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 1, 2003

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]

Ultimate Spider-Man, Volume 5: Public Scrutiny sees some hard-case gets his own Spider-Man suit and goes on a crime with heavy violence spree, and obviously this tears Spider-Man's standing in the city and his life apart! Meanwhile both Gwen and MJ are having significant personal crisis. This is Stan Lee-Steve Dikto inspired storytelling with 'it's a tough life for a teenager being a hero' taken to the max, and it works so well. I was completely enmeshed in this story, as it really brought home the multiple risks of being an unregulated vigilante with super powers. 9 out of 12.

The second half of this books collects Ultimate Spider-Man, Volume 6: Venom which brings us the Ultimate Venom with a far superior origin, which incorporates the Parker legacy! Despite yet another scene stealing Nick Fury interlude, more relationship drama with MJ, and all the manic Venom hoo hah, it still feels like a come down after the previous superb volume. 7 out of 12.

2022 read, 2017 read, 2011 read

[Richard · Rating 4 out of 5]

All of the fun and games are over as Peter starts to really feel the pressure that being Spider-Man is putting on his young life. Things get really dangerous when Peter has to contend with a villainous doppelgänger but then he has to face one of the most dangerous opponents when an old childhood friend reveals an old experiment featuring a mysterious black slime, a experiment known only as the Venom project.

This is still some of the best superhero writing I've been reading of late and so far I love how Bendis grounds most of Peter's adventures and adversaries in personal conflict. A must-read if you're interested in Spider-Man.

[Rory Wilding · Rating 4 out of 5]

Life as a teenager is a complicated process, but what happens when you start to feel unfocused at high school, trying to commit to a serious relationship despite the presence of another girl and on top of that, you're a superhero who gets media coverage, mostly for being Public Enemy No. 1? That is Peter Parker's life, in a nutshell.

Beginning the third year of Brian Michael Bendis' Ultimate Spider-Man, is a hilarious issue as Peter tries to escape the obstacles of Midtown High School as the Rhino is attacking New York. What's great about this little tale is how we never get to that fight as Peter's battle is about avoiding the personal troubles with Aunt May and Gwen Stacy, whilst Mary Jane is telling him to save the day.

Following a humorous opening, Bendis takes a turn to the tragic with the two central storylines of this volume. When a simple crook dressed up as Spider-Man is robbing banks, Peter's life takes a turn for the worst when personal tragedy once again strikes him, as well as the people around him. Although we have seen the Spidey imposter story many times over the decades of this character, Bendis is less interested in the mystery of who the fake Spider-Man is (and it isn’t someone known like Mysterio or the Chameleon) and more about how the actions of this criminal takes a toll on Peter as he starts to question his superhero identity that can be considered as a reckless vigilante, as well as his rocky relationship with Mary Jane who starts to feel uncomfortable with Gwen's ever growing involvement with Peter.

Things get even darker when we get to the Venom arc. For many people, Eddie Brock/Venom is THE villain when it comes to Spider-Man as the symbiote has had a long history of starting out as a replacement costume for Spidey (when he took part in the original Secret Wars) to then turn into one of the web-slinger's greatest enemies. Going through the Ultimate treatment, Bendis creates a whole new backstory for Eddie Brock Jr. who is Peter's childhood friend, whilst the symbiote is not extraterrestrial but is the second stage of a genetically created "suit" designed by Peter's father Richard Parker and Eddie Brock Sr. as a cure for cancer.

Although this depiction of daddy issues clearly influenced the least interesting aspect of Marc Webb's The Amazing Spider-Man films, Bendis never falls into the conventional trappings of said issues as Peter's reckless motivations in initially stealing the suit to then bonding with, it is built upon the idea of Peter as a teenager whose emotions get the better of him and much like how his selfishness led to the death of Uncle Ben, it will also lead into Eddie – a shady guy to begin with – to becoming full fledged evil as the symbiotic Venom (monstrously illustrated by Mark Bagley).

Despite the occasional tumble such as the sudden appearance of Dr Curt Connors (as this volume is lacking any lizard-featured issues) and granted that Bendis is revisiting aspects of the Spidey mythos over the years and reinterpreting them for the present day, the writer manages to add a breath of fresh air in shaping up where Peter Parker can go, whether he still has a future as everyone's favorite wall-crawler.

[Sesana · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are essentially two storyline connected here. One is the nearly obligatory superhero-being-impersonated-by-criminals story. Easy enough for somebody to do with Spider-Man, especially since his reputation is already shaky. I've seen and read a lot of different versions of this story, and this one doesn't bring much new to the table. It does, however, feature some really great scenes with Peter and Mary Jane. I've said before that Bendis really shines in the scenes with his characters interacting like human beings, and this is some of his best work so far. Mary Jane's reactions to and fears for Peter ring so true here, and so does his inability to deal with them. Mary Jane's worry about Peter dying in the Spider-Man costume is way, way harsher in hindsight, isn't it?

The second storyline is the Ultimate universe's version of Venom. Now this is where the Spider-Man half of the story gets really interesting. Here, Eddie Brock and Peter share a history: their fathers were both scientists, working on the same project, their families had been very close, and Eddie's parents died in the same plane crash that killed Peter's. This previous connection adds an extra layer to the Venom story (which will have barely started by the end of this volume) which I personally feel is lacking in the main Marvel universe. This might be the best bit of reinvention that Bendis has introduced so far.

I am really, really enjoying what Bendis has done to this point with Ultimate Spider-Man. I like how he handles his characters, and I (mostly) like the way he's reinvented storylines for the Ultimate universe. Still not a fan of the art, probably less so as I see more of it, but the art is worth slogging through for the story.

[Chris Greensmith · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Whats that?
This is our inheritance."

[Neil R. Coulter · Rating 3 out of 5]

This third collection of the Ultimate Spider-Man series feels very sloppy. I admit, of course, that none of the previous volumes were high art, but they have a kind of goofy coherence that works. This volume--the Venom story--feels off in many aspects. The extra material in the back of the book shows that Brian Michael Bendis was not initially interested at all in bringing Venom into the Ultimate mythology, and though he came around to the idea it still shows that he wasn't fully committed to this story arc. That extra material also shows some of the bizarre ideas that Marvel President Bill Jemas was pushing on Bendis; we can be grateful that many of those ideas--including having the Venom suit related to the web fluid formula--were scrapped.

In the Ultimate retelling, Venom is not a substance that fell from space. It is an experiment related to Peter Parker's father's work. Peter's dad was working with Eddie Brock, Sr., and so in this version of the story there is a history between Peter and Eddie Jr. that brings them together for this story. I understand what Bendis was trying to get at, but it just doesn't work for me. Jemas scoffs at the idea of the Venom suit being a cancer-curing bodysuit that could also be used as a war machine, and I agree. It's fine with me to bring Peter's dad into a bigger conspiracy subplot, but this way of going about it seems to me ill-conceived and unsatisfying. It's also a disappointment that it was at just this moment that Marvel decided to shorten the story arcs and make them independent of one another, rather than interconnecting and building on the previous stories. Throughout this volume there is a tension between wanting the Venom story to be really significant, and trying to hit all the necessary plot points as quickly as possible. For me it didn't work. Eddie Brock is the kind of character he will always be, but his friendship with Peter doesn't have time to develop. Peter latches onto him too quickly, and Eddie's true colors are revealed too quickly. And then it's over. The black-suit Spider-Man episode, which has so much potential for interest, lasts only about 20 pages. It's a shame, because the back cover illustration of the black suit is one of my favorite Ultimate Spider-Man pictures.

The first half of this volume is mostly setup for Venom, but it also contains some development of Peter that seems very similar to issues he faced in the Ultimate Marvel Team-Up collection. He deals with a Spider-Man copycat, a story that doesn't feel as weighty as it should. The inevitable event involving Captain Stacy also feels too rushed and not set up well enough. And then where Gwen ends up afterward displays a laughable, unbelievable lack of wisdom from Aunt May.

In all, Ultimate Spider-Man, Vol. 3 is kind of a confusing jumble which ought to have been much more. It's a quick read that lacks the emotional and mythological weight the stories deserve.

[Marcin Wichowski · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kreska - epic
Historia - epic
Tempo - nie ma nudy
Epickie Plansze - Ołjeee 😅
⭐️🌟⭐️🌟⭐️

[maya · Rating 3 out of 5]

he does whatever a spider can!!!

[Brandt · Rating 4 out of 5]

So, if there is one member of the Spider-Man rogues gallery that I am certainly not a fan of, it's Venom. I remember when Venom made his first appearance in the pages of Amazing Spider-Man drawn by Todd MacFarlane, back in those days when I considered the art in the comic more important than the storytelling. (This would explain why I very rarely discuss the art in a collection--most comic artists more than deserve to be where they are and are very good at accentuating a writer's strengths. But the story is always what drives a good comic story or story arc for me.) The origins of Venom in the Marvel 616 universe are silly to begin with--a being called the Beyonder transported a bunch of heroes and villains to "Battleworld" to engage in the first Secret Wars (and ostensibly for Marvel to license their characters for sale as action figures) and somehow this black goo ended up becoming a new costume for Spider-Man, who apparently needed a makeover (he didn't.) Eventually Peter figures out post-Secret Wars that the costume was making him act out of character and was in fact corrupting him, which lead to him breaking the symbiotic bond. The symbiote, pissed at this development, decides to bond with someone who hates Spider-Man as much it does--and thus Venom is born. Since McFarlane was popular at the time of this arc and since Venom was essentially an evil Spider-Man, he took off with the fans which lead to even more ridiculous shit like Carnage. When you take all of that into account, it just ruins it for me, and so, I'm not a fan.

However, since Ultimate Spider-Man was a way for Marvel to start the Spider-Man mythos from square one, it was likely inevitable that Venom was going to make an appearance. The previous volumes focused mainly on the Green Goblin, Kingpin, Doctor Octopus, Kraven (kind of) and Green Goblin (again) before getting to Venom, which only encompasses the second half of this volume. This is not to discount the first half of the collection, which finds Peter struggling with Spider-Man's public image in the wake of someone impersonating him while committing crimes. If anything this arc is enjoyable because the focus is on Peter and his personal relationships and how the shadow of Spider-Man falls upon all of them and serves as a good set-up for when the Venom arc begins. Since Bendis doesn't have the Secret Wars setup to introduce the symbiote, he has to come up with something else, and as most of Bendis' interpretation of Spider-Man to this point, he is able to come up with a better explanation for the symbiote's existence that feeds both into Peter's eventual confrontation with Venom and with his past (the explanation of Eddie Brock's relationship to Peter Parker is more satisfying here as well--it makes Brock's decision to become Venom make more sense than it did in the pages of The Amazing Spider-Man.) This is what I have come to like about Bendis' work on Ultimate Spider-Man--he is able to walk the fine line of being able to remain true to what most of us like about Spider-Man, and yet still is able to improve upon it when need be. As I have stated, teen white boys like Peter Parker don't need their stories told, but when it is done well, it's still a good read.

Unlike Mark Millar's uneven recasting of the X-Men, most of Bendis' work on Spider-Man in the Ultimate Universe is spot on. I started reading these Ultimate Collections to eventually get to the Miles Morales Spider-Man and to date, I have not yet been disappointed. This is "good" Bendis on display here and is well worth the read, even if it will make you disappointed in some of his later stuff.

[Kate Curtis-Hawkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

My quest to read the entirety of the series that got me interested in comic books as a kid has now brought me to book three, or year three, of its run. Up to this point in Ultimate Spider-Man I’ve praised the ingenuity of the writing in how it has recrafted the character and his villains for a new generation, but it was here in book three where Mr. Bendis really kicked his writing up a notch. Now, part of my love of this particular volume could very well have to do with the fact that Venom was my favorite Spider-Man villain when I was young, but I also think that was Mr. Bendis was able to do with the character, and more importantly how he tied it in with subplots that were already going on, is something to be praised.

Up until this point in the series, Peter has had a fairly good go of things, he has a girlfriend who loves him, his relationship with Aunt May is looking up, and he’s finally being recognized as a genuine asset to the city rather than a pest who needs to be arrested. Mr. Bendis uses this year of the comics to tear all of that apart, and it makes for some of the best writing that I’ve seen in comics. First, he makes Peter miss out on comforting his friend to try and get to a crime scene, but he’s too late to help. Second, he writes in a villain pretending to be Spider-Man in order to rob banks. Third, the fake Spider-Man kills Gwen Stacy’s dad. Fourth, his girlfriend breaks up with him.

That’s all it takes, his well-constructed life gone in four easy steps. Mr. Bendis uses this rock bottom point to reintroduce Peter’s father, and through that Peter finds his childhood best friend, whose father died in the same crash as his own and gets re-introduced to his father’s work. Venom is born out of his father’s work, and so just as Peter probably doesn’t think that things can get any worse, the last manifestation of his father on this earth attacks him. It’s an amazing character arc because of where Mr. Bendis decides to place his protagonist, and Peter’s desire to simply finish what his father started is what causes the birth of what is arguably his most violent antagonist yet.

There is one part of the story in particular that I want to highlight for its genius from the standpoint of the writer and artist working together in tandem. It’s the moment towards the end of the book where Peter is facing off against his childhood friend encased in the biological “suit” that his father made. As the two of them fight, and Peter tries to persuade his friend to come to his senses the scene is overlaid with speech bubbles that are coming from a VHS tape recorded by his father for him to watch someday. Peter’s father speaks about his mistakes in life, mistakes that mirror the exact same ones that Peter has no made, thus completing the cycle of a son becoming like his father. No other dialogue is needed during these moments because it accentuates what has gone on between Peter and Eddie, and how it mirrors what had happened so long ago to their fathers. We as the reader understand, however, that it won't end in tragedy this time because Peter will live to see another day, and the emotion that befalls Peter when we finally see him complete his watch-through of the tape suggests that he understands that he must not end up the same way as his father, and we see him grow thusly.

Ultimate Spider-Man book three is the nadir of the series to this point, our hero has never been lower than he is halfway through the years worth of comics that this collection represents. It’s an incredibly maturely written tale about the need for growth and the inexplicable connection between fathers and sons. I’ve heard people say that they didn’t like Bendis’ take on the character in this series, but for the life of me, I can't understand why. Maybe its because they never got this far into the series.

[Cathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Picking up where I left off nearly 20 years ago (damn that makes me feel reeeaaally old) with this series. Bendis’ Ultimate Spider-Man is packed with nostalgia for me and is one of the runs that I shared with my mom- making it special on a personal level. But, man- things do read differently in 2020. There were several cringe worthy, problematic scenes- from a 20 something year old Eddie putting the moves on a 15 year old Gwen, to Peter so easily dismissing that non-sense, to having all petty criminals be POC, and other such details that make the volume not exactly hold up when read today. Also, I remember loving Bagley’s pencils as a young adult, but with this read, I kept getting caught up in the glaring misproportions, misshapen heads, and sloppy renderings. Feminine bodies are overly sexualized- and nobody but Pete actually looks like a teenager. However- he does nail dramatic close ups of anguished facial expressions— and believe you me, with all the teen angst flying around these pages, Bagley gets his chance to shine in that arena.
I must confess, I have never read the original first appearance of Venom, but have become familiar with the symbiote storyline— so, it was interesting to see the Ultimate version of the story play out and to have this volume leave things on somewhat of a cliffhanger. That last panel of Pete standing dejectedly alone on the top of a darkened skyscraper was so iconically 2000’s feeling that the only thing missing were to have the visual be accompanied by a soul rending screamo ballad from The Used or Coheed and Cambria or something. Heh. Man, I miss my youth. Someone get me Ultimate Spider-Man volume 4, please.

[Corentin Gastalle · Rating 3 out of 5]

2 arcs narratifs : le premier porte sur un imposteur qui commet des braquages avec le costume de Spidey. Le 2e sur l'arrivée de Venom, une des nemesis emblématiques de Peter.

Les 2 explorent certaines thématiques similaires : la gestion des émotions de Peter, le poids du costume sur ses relations et son entourage, sa réputation et son héritage familial à travers May et son père. L'origine du symbiote est plus ancrée dans une certaine réalité (bien qu'un peu cliché) et j'ai toujours un soft spot pour Venom qui était mon méchant préféré dans ma jeunesse (trauma Spider-Man sur PS1). Par contre je ne peux m'empêcher de trouver que cet arc est rushé (ok le lézard, résumé en 1 case). Quelques chapitres de plus n'auraient pas été de refus. J'espère qu'il réapparaîtra en bonne et due forme.

Par ailleurs, on sent que le récit a 25 ans sur ces chapitres (en tout cas je le remarque maintenant), certains personnages sont vu de manière euh... Un peu arriérée (tante May est une bonne conservatrice d'ailleurs mdr), et le comics a le même problème que les films à cette époque : on est sensé voir des gamins de 15 ans mais ils font 25 piges.



Toujours pas fan du dessin, sauf dans la partie super-héros où les mouvements sont sympas.

[C.T. Eldridge · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book collection covers the third year (volumes 5 and 6, issues 28-39) of Ultimate Spider-Man. Even well into this run, I think it’s really strong. Bendis and Bagley seem to work really well together. At moments, Bagley’s art can get a little sloppy (especially faces), but not distractingly slow. And it’s to be expected considering the output necessary for a book like this, especially when you consider that he was the only artist for all of the issues.

The quality of Bendis’ work makes me wonder if he specializes in dialogue instead of storytelling. I think this because with a project like Ultimate Spider-Man he’s not creating a story, rather he’s simply retelling Spider-Man’s story(s) with fresh dialogue. And he does an excellent job with it. However, when I’ve read a lot of his original narratives, I don’t think he’s nearly as good.

I really appreciate that with this re-telling of the story, Bendis maintains the core of who Spider-Man/Peter Parker is, an ultimately tragic character. Sure he’s got awesome powers and has a cool costume, but it’s the big losses and everyday struggles that make him relatable.

[Tim Galbraith · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Ultimate Universe (at it's peak) was always a place to find darker, more realistic/modern versions of classic Marvel stories. This spin on the Venom costume and Eddie Brock is an interesting take. I don't know how much I like it, maybe Im just a mark for the Brock Lesnar looking Todd Macfarlane Venom.

[Emma]

This collection was probably my favorite of the 3 I've read so far. I love the way they brought "venom" based content to the picture and felt like it was written very well. The relationship between Peter and all of his companions throughout this collection was my favorite so far. I really enjoyed this one.

[Sheldon · Rating 2 out of 5]

I loved the first two volumes, but this one was irritating. I felt that some of Peter's actions were very out of character, and the drama was misplaced. The supplemental content at the back of the book tries to paint Peter as something he's not meant to be, and I'm glad that it didn't go any further than that.

Edit: The first half was great. Second half is where it went downhill.

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

both volumes 5 and 6 5 stars each. the former demonstrates how compelling Bendis writes Parker when he has no major foe (except as the true convention goes oneself) and everything with MJ works like gangbusters leading to the breakup. the latter made me give a shit about Eddie Brock.

[Robert Timmons · Rating 4 out of 5]

This volume of Ultimate Spider-Man, has the introduction of Venom (who is getting a lot of attention this week with the trailer for the movie). Still enjoying this take of the famous Spider-Man stories 4 stars ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

[Nate Deprey · Rating 3 out of 5]

The series takes a bit of a dip in this volume. It feels a little early to add the Venom story line to this re imagining.

[W.B. · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 Stars

[aCupcakeBlonde · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was just okay. I am not a fan of the Venom storyline of it being created in a lab by Peter's father. I prefer the alien symbiote version.

[elliot · Rating 4 out of 5]

*screams*

[Przemysław Skoczyński · Rating 3 out of 5]

Trzeba sprawiedliwie oddać tej serii, że jest cholernie równa

[Andy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have all these in singles but I'm gradually going back through and picking up the hardcover collections. I'd forgotten simply how enjoyable Ultimate Spider-Man is and how great Bendis and Bagley were.

This collects two main arcs plus the limited #1/2.

The first arc comprises of a lot of character work and good old fashioned dumping on Peter as a common thug dresses up in his costume and causes trouble. It's well handled and there are some really nice moments between Pete and MJ and Gwen. Relationship issues abound. Plus the extra 1/2 epsiode sums up perfectly what it must be like being Spider-Man.

Then comes the Venom arc. I hold the (seemingly quite common) view that Venom is a great costume but a rather dull character (though this has recently changed in 616 continuity). Bendis does a great job of reinventing the character and ties it all in with a powerful backstory linking to Peter and his parents. It works and the relationship between Peter and Eddie is nicely handled.

What's really interesting though is the extra features detailing the conversations between Bendis and Bill Jemas and their conflicting views on how the story should unfold. It makes you trust in Bendis even more to think what it might have been.

[Jedhua · Rating 3 out of 5]

Book Info: This collection contains Ultimate Spider-Man volumes five though six (which collect issues #28-39) and issue #1/2.


OVERALL RATING:

ABSOLUTE RATING: {3/5 stars}

STANDARDIZED RATING: <3/5 stars>

------------------------------------------------

ABSOLUTE RATING: {3/5 stars}

STANDARDIZED RATING: <3/5 stars>


Review for Ultimate Spider-Man, Vol. 5: Public Scrutiny not available

ABSOLUTE RATING: {2.5+/5 stars}

STANDARDIZED RATING: <3/5 stars>


Review for Ultimate Spider-Man, Vol. 6: Venom

[Talk Comix · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ultimate Spider-man volume 3, long way to go but i'm finally scratching that ultimate Spider-man itch i have had for so long. This is by far the best Spidey outing BMB had given to us from the ultimates so far. The narative flows so well and i really enjoyed the pacing of the book. The art remains consistant with only the colouring for a sleep scene really letting it down. BMB is always a tour de force of comic book script writing and this book is a solid expression of his abilities. I'm not sure i like the angle he approched venom from. There are some minor inconsistencies in the storyline such as how a seperate sample of the venom goo could have remembered spideys powers!?!? Still enjoyed this spidey outing and looking forward to reading book 4.

[Shaun · Rating 4 out of 5]

This volume is literally wading in the drama. Captain Stacy and Venom storylines back to back. I really enjoyed the re-interpretation of Eddie Brock here, but I felt the black costume storyline was far too short. One evening with the black costume and Peter discovers it's evil? That's, uhm... abrupt. I would have preferred they hung onto that plotline a little longer than they did. But that may be because I loved Venom as a bad guy when I was reading Spider-Man as a teen. Overall, this volume is emotionally intense and a little dark, but all good stuff.

[Moe · Rating 3 out of 5]

I realize that I'm probably in the minority here but the Venom arc was the worst of the Ultimate Spider-Man series so far. Maybe it's because I grew up on the classic 70s and 80s Spidy and never actually read any of the Venom stuff when it happened (to me the black suit was something he got during Secret War and that's it). This just didn't do it for me for some reason. It was a bit too twisted, threw in new characters just to make a new villian and didn't really follow the feel of the earlier books.

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

Don't get me wrong, I liked this part of the Ultimate Spidey series. But, well, I thought the Venom story didn't have a satisfying climax. Peter wasn't in the suit long enough, and neither was Eddie when he became Venom. Their fight wasn't as great as the build-up indicated, although I loved the monologue voiceover of Peter's father, Richard "Ray" Parker, during the battle. Seriously, this is just waiting to become a movie.

[Nicolas · Rating 3 out of 5]

Entertaining story, but I really hate the art.

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