Ultimate Spider-Man, Volume 21: War of the Symbiotes

Ultimate Spider-Man (2000) (Collected Editions)

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

Venom returns for the war of the Symbiotes. When Spidey's most fearsome foe strikes, it looks bad for the outmatched web-slinger, but Silver Sable and her Wild Pack may turn the tide. Have they come to save Spider-Man or is their motive something more sinister?

Collecting: Ultimate Spider-Man 123-128

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

144 pages, Paperback

First published February 11, 2009

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

[Sud666 · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the Ultimates universe's take on the Venom story arc. It is good, but nothing special. The artwork was, at best, decent.

In this Ultimate's universe- Eddie Brock is Venom and is hunting Peter Parker. Eventually the story does its version of Parker being possessed by the symbiote and having to fight the Ultimates (The Avengers). Also Gwen Stacy, or her clone (?), is Carnage..or maybe not? I'd say more but that'd be spoilers.

Having read the original Venom arc, I don't know if the Ultimate's version is better. In fact I am pretty sure it isn't. But it is a good story and I didn't mind the Ultimate's version. A cannibalistic Venom is cool though.

So expect nothing great, but nothing terrible, in this Ulimate's version of the Venom saga. Shame the art wasn't a better quality.

[Subham · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was so fun to read like we check in with what Eddie has been upto and wow its brutal the way he is narrating stuff, then Pete going against Beetle and his mysterious origins and whatever Roxxon is upto with capturing Eddie and then how he gets free and targets Peter and attacks him and all that and what happens to him when the symbiote takes over but I love the twist thrown there and then the inclusion of the Ultimates too and something with Gwen and the big war of the symbiotes like the title says and I loved every second of reading it, its awesome fun and I love seeing what it means for Pete and the art is great here again and it makes for a fun read! So yeah another recommendation from me lol, this series is awesome!!

[Bookwraiths · Rating 4 out of 5]

Venom and Carnage. The Ultimates. Silver Sable. Peter Parker and MJ at school. These and more people and plots show up in yet another great Spidey story. And the artwork is damn good too.

[Matthew Ward · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting things are going on with the symbioses and Peter’s relationships to those who the symbiotes are attached to. The way this one ended has me curious what will be next for them, though. I suspect the Fantastic Four will begin to play a bigger part if that storyline is continued.

[Amory · Rating 5 out of 5]

This entire volume was perfect! I usually really like Venom arcs, but this one was especially great. The idea of a symbiote that can take control of your body and mind is terrifying, and this arc really highlighted that properly. I tend to prefer Peter Parker's civilian plotlines to the Spider-Man ones, but I was equally into the action packed fight scenes and the conversations he was having with Mary-Jane and Aunt May.
And of course, I have to mention that they brought back my favorite, Gwen Stacy! I adore her, and love the sibling-type dynamic between her and Peter in this series. I'm so glad they brought her back in this volume particularly, as it made sense for her character to come back during an Eddie Brock arc and it took long enough to get to that her return was actually surprising.

[Wing Kee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Happy she's back but man it was janky.

World: I love the art. I love Immonen's style and framing and character designs it's just wonderful. The world building here is a ducking and weaving affair that does work but it is janky as hell and not smooth. It's an interesting arc and the pieces are there for greatness but the pieces are jumbled, which I'll get into in the story section.

Story: It's a good story when you look at the core. However, the pieces are not in the right place. It's not that I don't like non linear stories, they are amazing when done right and it all clicks and the readers is at awe in the end. Here, it's not the case. It feels more like trying to tell a story between the time gaps from other arcs and it's not quite right. It loses the heart and emotional core giving it not the punch it intended to give. It's good, just could be way better.

Characters: No one stays dead in comics and this the case. I wish there was more time on her and more time on her journey so we can feel something. The dynamic between Eddie and Peter should have been so much more but the janky story structure hurt that a lot. I wanted to feel when these two brothers fight, much like I felt when Osborn fought Osborn, not here.

It was okay but could have been so much better.

Onward to the next book!

[Lloyd · Rating 4 out of 5]

Eddie Brock is back... and that means Venom is, too.

This book was a fun one. I really think the concept of the Venom symbiote being a creation of Peter Parker and Eddie Brock's fathers works better than it being an alien life form... At least for this universe (which, if anyone didn't know, is a separate one from regular Marvel continuity).

I had said in a review of a prior volume that I didn't think Stuart Immonen's pencils worked as well as Mark Bagley's (who drew the first eighteen volumes of the series). I would still hold to that, but Immonen is a true talent. The artwork of the team here is really good.

As I've also said before, I've enjoyed this series to the utmost thus far. All these volumes in and I'm not the slightest bit tired of reading it. Truly highly recommended.

[Shannon Appelcline · Rating 4 out of 5]

War of the Symbiotes (123-128). What a muddy yet important story. The muddiness is due to the chronology, which is all over the place. Bendis wants to cleverly interweave events at the Triskelion and so he pushes much of this story into the past, and it's just confusing. The important part is that we get the continued story of the symbiote and Eddie Brock and most importantly the return of one of the most beloved characters in the series. Overall, a poignant story, even if it has a bit of an annoying non-ending [4/5].

[Logan Harrington · Rating 4 out of 5]

7/10:
As usual when it comes to the Symbiotes, this story is really confusing and lacks any personality/individuality for the Symbiotes. Sure, we see Venom bound with both Eddie Brock and Peter Parker and Carnage bound to Gwen Stacy (specifically her clone), but we never really see Venom or Carnage shine through.

Both of the Symbiotes are just treated as plot devices and nothing more, when in all reality, we know that each Symbiote is an intelligent living organism.

[Rix · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ohhh this was so good. At the end of the day, Venom really does make everything better. Meanwhile everything seems to be falling into place for what I'm hoping will be a really spectacular final volume

[Stacey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another Ultimate Spider-Man, another story about clones. Ho hum. I liked War of the Symbiotes but there seemed to be something missing. Or maybe there was just too much plot stuffed into too small a package. I absolutely loved the bits with Eddie talking to people on the park bench. You knew where it was going but the anticipation was built up fabulously. The inner monologue of Peter when he was swallowed by the Venom suit was also fantastic. It gave a great sense that he wasn't in control.

Unfortunately, I think the Gwen Stacy moments and the Ultimates and Carnage were just a bit too much to cram into the one volume. The story didn't really seem developed and felt like it was in a rush to get somewhere. I'm also not that fond of Silver Sable and her Syndicate. They were almost as unnecessary as the Beetle. This volume suffered from too many villains syndrome.

[Sesana · Rating 3 out of 5]

It seems that this storyline was essentially Bendis adapting the Ultimate Spider-Man video game into comics form. That may be why this felt rushed, overfull, and with too many unnecessary outside characters. Not without good bits, of course. Eddie talking to passersby on the park bench is a great bit. You know essentially what's happened to these poor people, but not exactly how. Nice build up there. Still not sure how I feel about the Gwen storyline, but I guess it's essentially settled.

[Henry Blackwood · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is mostly decent but I have to say I’m a little underwhelmed. I thought this was going to be the culmination of carnage and venom, which I guess it sort of was, but I feel like it sort of fizzled. The confrontation of Gwen and Eddie was at first alarming but then the resolve of it which left no consequence and just retconned Gwen’s death (EVEN THOUGH SPIDER MAN MAKES A MASSIVE MISTAKE BY TELLING GWEN TO GO CARNAGE STYLES IN FRONT OF EDDIE AND GETS INEXPLICABLY REWARDED FOR SUCH A BAD MISTAKE?) like I don’t like that at all. I feel like it was a little disappointing. And also it was sloppy in the fact that Fury comes back for an issue and then the next issue he’s apparently gone again? Idk that doesn’t make sense unless I read it wrong and it was a flashback but I don’t think it was supposed to be.

But the story was pretty tidy. Other than those two gripes. It was tight and every issue was interesting I just want to see where this Roxxon/Trask thing is going to payoff at.

[Adam Stone · Rating 2 out of 5]

It is difficult to write a good Venom story. The original reveal back in the 80s that the black suit was actually an alien parasite was great. But then clones, then Carnage, then Anti-Venom, then anti-Carnage, then The Red Goblin, and a billion things inbetween. It's just such a dull idea after the first reveal. And don't think I've ever enjoyed Carnage (aka Red Venom) as a character. He's like Venom, but Venomier!

Bendis's Ultimate version, where Venom is actually a symbiote that Peter Parker and Eddie Brock's parents were working on was cool. But, again, the Carnage stuff was just nonsense. I didn't care about any of the reveals in this volume, and I think they heavily dilute Bendis's mainly wonderful long-running storylines.

If you're a Carnage fan, this might be your thing. Or if you loved the Ultimate Spider-Man video game that this book essentially condenses into a story. It wasn't for me.

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

Eddie was dead, isn't dead. Gwen was dead, isn't dead. It's like the marvel/DC trope of never really killing anyone all wrapped up in one issue. Then you have Fury who is/isn't here... All about confusing. I know there is a wider Ultimate universe but ok not reading all the books just to understand a few tie ins.

The actual Venom/Carnage stuff was pretty solid, wrapped up too quickly but still pretty good

[Greg Callahan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was pretty excited to have the symbiotes back. Less excited as the story dragged on, getting lost in converging timelines, jumping back and forth, never confusingly so but far too often to feel entertained. And the overall interaction between Carnage and Venom is so terribly lackluster as to leave me sad. The overall story of the entire run is yet again dwindling. Long overdo for a wrap up.

[Bryan Fischer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mixed feelings about this one. While I like that they tried a more unique timeline for this book, it did become a little confusing at times. Also it all seemed to be leading to something bigger just to continue to tease and cliffhang.
I thought the second half of the book was better than the first, but it was still a good read nonetheless.

[Jesús · Rating 3 out of 5]

En la media, ni increíble ni aburrido. Me voy acostumbrando a los dibujos, pero sigo prefiriendo los anteriores.
Y la revelación de los últimos dos tomos es un poco loca.
Ya solo me queda el último volumen de Spider-Man: Ultimate, que apunta a que va a ser otra vez con Venom. Veremos qué tal hace el "gran final".

[Sina Tavousi Masrour · Rating 3 out of 5]

Would be a 2 stars if not for the twist at the end. Bendis really loses his way along this series, almost each time he tries to include Shield/Ultimates/X-Men/FF, the quality drops several levels. And this story was just a lame excuse to get two symbiotes to fight each other, which is not all that exciting to begin with.

[Deshawn Vasquez · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's more or less adapting elements from the Ultimate Spider-Man game, so it effectively writes that out of the canon (as ambiguous as that status was). It doesn't have the same punch as the game's story did, but we're also talking about two different mediums.

[Alfred Leroux · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty cool one, very gruesome with Venom, but the title is a bit misleading as venom and carnage’s fight is over in mere seconds. Still it’s cool to have Gwen back and Tony Stark was weirdly cool in this one…

[Rocky Sunico · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Ultimates take on the symbiote side of thing has always been rather interesting as they more strongly tied them to Peter Parker - on the DNA-level even. I've had mixed feelings about it but at the very least it has opened the door to some very interesting stories. This book takes us further down the rabbit hole of what's happened to the likes of Eddie Brock and even the still-alive clone of Gwen Stacy.

It's not a full resolution to things, but it is an interesting step forward.

[Justin Biondo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Better late than never for a new Symbiote arc here. Was another solid one, what can I say. Onto to Ultimatium Tie-in I guess. Here goes nothing, can’t believe the end of the original series is in five issues.

[Sonja P. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quippy fun Spider-Man is the best Spider-Man

[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]

Spider-man has to stop Venom as well as Carnage at the same time.

[Frans Kempe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Venom is back and Carnage escapes. A symbiote showdown is coming

[Dylan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love the last part with the symbiote going back to spider-man

[noah · Rating 3 out of 5]

no les voy a mentir mis panas estoy un poco confuso

[Michael]

Can anyone answer my question please ?. What happens to venom and Eddie after Beatle sucks him up at the end of the story ? Do you ever see them again ?