Ultimate Spider-Man: Ultimate Collection Book 2

Ultimate Spider-Man (Collected Editions) #3-4

by Brian Michael Bendis, Mark Bagley (Illustrator)

In the last year, teenager Peter Parker's grown more comfortable with his amazing abilities, but that's all about to change with the return of the maniacal Green Goblin. The Goblin has discovered Peter's secret identity -- and with the lives of the teenager's loved ones at stake, will Spider-Man be able to escape the Goblin's clutches?

Collecting: Ultimate Spider-Man 13-27

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

336 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 2002

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]

After rereading the previous(first) book I was beginning to have fears that I might have overrated this series, but have no fear, this is the real deal. The book really begins to further diverge from mainstream Spidey lore, with a wonderful multi-faceted Doc Ock, an endearingly arrogant but benign Kraven and more luscious Osborn lunacy. But it's the supporting cast that takes the Emmys, more of this more sedate MJ, more more ebullient Ben Ulrich, but the killer blow is this universe's version of Gwen Stacey, in your face, knife carrying(!), fighter of bullies and conventions... love it! 8 out of 12

In 2000, with a new management team, Marvel once again tried to create a new universe, but with a difference - this time with their own tried and tested Marvel characters, but in a brand new, more realistic way, the Ultimate Universe. This Brian Michael Bendis and Mark Bagley combination shut-down all the doubters with their Ultimate Spider-Man, with all the pros and cons of being young... but having super spider powers! We get an utterly hardcore iteration of the Green Goblin who already knows who Peter is! And in this very different universe Osborn isn't the only who knows! Collects Ultimate Spider-Man #14-27, 8 out of 12 sees this series humming already!

2022 read; 2017 read; 2011 read(different edition)

[Rory Wilding · Rating 3 out of 5]

SPOILERS

As a way of rebooting Spider-Man for the millennial audience, writer Brian Michael Bendis not only was successful at returning this character to his teenage roots for today’s younger readers, it gave birth to the Ultimate Universe, conceived as an alternative approach to your favourite Marvel heroes in contrast the main 616 continuity. Following a terrific first year, Ultimate Spider-Man enters its sophomore stage and things get complicated as it always is with teenagers.

Following the defeat of the Green Goblin and the Kingpin, Spider-Man faces new threats in the shape of an amnesiac, vengeful Doctor Octopus and reality TV star Kraven the Hunter, as well as the media who seems to vilify Spidey in whatever heroism he commits. Meanwhile, his alter-ego Peter is still wrestling with high school, from the worry of his secret identity being discovered to a potential romance with his best bud Mary Jane who is aware of Peter’s spider-persona.

Considering the first volume did a good job of reinterpreting the origin story with the inclusion of the Green Goblin to then Peter’s self-taught journey as a vigilante when he fought Wilson Fisk, the opening arc of this volume crams in too much story and character to the point that our hero is almost side-lined.

Once again, the Ultimate version of this rogues gallery is an issue, such as Doctor Octopus has a very complicated backstory that associates with evil corporate CEO Justin Hammer, of whom Doc Ock targets, but due to his amnesiac motivations, his revenge comes off as flimsy and not well thought-out. As for Kraven the Hunter, a character conceived during the Steve Ditko era of Spider-Man comics, he was always a silly villain to begin with, despite headlining what is one of the greatest Spider-Man stories ever written with Kraven’s Last Hunt. Reinterpreted here as an Australian reality TV host, Bendis was trying to be funny, but his subplot felt unnecessary as well as lacking any conflict.

Outside of the superhero antics, Peter’s story fares a bit better as his witty interactions with Mary Jane are always a delight, whilst the inclusion of Gwen Stacy – the rebellious daughter of police captain John Stacy – may seem intrusive initially but quickly improves due to Gwen’s support for the Peter/M.J. romance. However, the subplot involving Kong’s determination in revealing Peter’s secret identity never goes anywhere, even though the outing of a superhero is a recurring theme in Bendis’s work (read his amazing run on Daredevil).

Fortunately, the next arc is more streamlined as well as breaking new ground in terms of Peter Parker becoming part of a bigger world as he becomes a possible suspect by SHIELD, as well as how the return of his greatest enemy the Green Goblin hits Peter emotionally and how this conflict will affect those around him. Throughout this volume, Bendis nails the classic Peter Parker-can't-win scenario, whether it is Peter losing the trust of his loving aunt or the ambiguous future of his relationship with Mary Jane.

Being a more action-packed read than the previous volume, Mark Bagley, whose artwork might be rough around the edges, especially toward crowd sequences, does a decent job with the spectacle, given the wordy heaviness of Bendis’ scripts. Whatever faults this volume has, Spider-Man comes out on top as he triumphs as a hero to the public, while his alter-ego faces a personal turmoil that’ll be interesting to see what the future holds for young Peter Parker.

[Richard · Rating 4 out of 5]

The series continues to be solid in this 2nd collection as Peter continues to struggle with balancing his superhero life and his personal one. This features interesting new interpretations of classic Spider-man villains like Kraven and Doctor Octopus, and Peter also has to deal with the return of Green Goblin. Still very fun and well-written. Why couldn't Ultimate X-Men: Ultimate Collection, Book 1 be this good?!

[Jesse A · Rating 4 out of 5]

Still fun stuff.

[Marcin Wichowski · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kreska - mega!!
Historia - klasyk
Ogólne tempo - szybko
Epickie Plansze - 🧐 są 😆

[maya · Rating 3 out of 5]

a great read!! i’m really excited for the things this book set up.

3.5 stars!

[Elinor · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.7 I might even round it up to 5 ? Not the biggest fan of the art, but the story is GOOD.

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an exciting action packed comic as most Spider-man comics will be. I loved reading through this and see what similarities and differences it had from the movies. The humor Spider-man gives off as he fights makes this comic so much more fun to read. The art in this comic fit very well the Green Goblin looked awesome, I liked his character a lot more in this comic than in the movies. I would recommend this comic to people who like action and Spider-man fans.

[Ramón Nogueras Pérez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Como con los Cuatro fantásticos, en segunda lectura ha pasado de correcto a bueno, muy bueno. Bendis realmente está ya al 100% con el personaje y su origen de Octopus, la vuelta del Duende Verde y cómo Spiderman conoce a SHIELD me han gustado mucho. Muy recomendable

[C.T. Eldridge · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bagley and Bendis continue a really solid story through volumes 3 and 4 of their Ultimare SM run. I brought it down to four stars probably only because it’s hard not to compare these issues with the first couple of volumes, which were really, really well done.

If you liked the first Sam Raimee SM movie, then you’ll really enjoy this book. It’s clear that the makers of that film drew heavily on the Green Goblin, Harry Osborne storyline.

A point for me in this book is the development and tension being built into MJ and Peter’s relationship. Bendis does an excellent job laying out the excitement and passion of young romance, while also providing compelling conflict with (1) other potential love interests (i.e., Gwen), (2) Peter’s calling and responsibility as SM, and (3) Peter’s need to honor his Aunt.

I think a weak spot relates to Otto’s motivations. The main thing Bendis leans into is the way Justin Hammer treated him like a science experiment after the tragedy of the explosion. The other motivation is simply the head trauma that occurred from the explosion, making him lose control and be maniacal. I guess it makes sense, but it still felt like something was missing. Norman’s lust for power, control, and legacy is more compelling to me.

I liked the Kraven storyline here as well. It built up nicely, and I loved the way SM deals with him so swiftly. I feel like you rarely see that in comics. Obviously Bendis is setting up a bigger fight later on, plus the main baddie in this story was Otto. But still the way SM so quickly wipes the floor with Kraven was satisfying and felt real to life. Kraven is a hero, but he’s not a super hero and that should show.

[Roman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Обидві арки мають як і хороші так і не дуже моменти. Під не дуже маю на увазі іноді велика кількість непотрібного тексту, який мав би атмосферу підігрівати, натомість я нудьгував моментами. З появою Отто Октавіуса, то початок першої історії слабо розвивався і не зовсім розумів ось ці всі контакти з Джастіном Гамером, але вже потім набирало все оборотів. Ну, все ж таки недосвідчений у нас павучок, тому дещо можна пробачити. Взагалі, кольори стають якіснішими і вже не так помітна різниця, як у першому томі. Дізнався теж, що поляки гейтять малюнки Баґлі і для мене це було дивно, але тепер сам помічаю деякі дивні речі у його стилі, хоча насправді люблю його працю над серією Ultimate, бо тут нема такого, що картинка кожного тому міняється і треба ще десь плюватись від того, що хтось якось вже по-іншому намальований.

[Chris Greensmith · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Do you guys know I fight guys with morphing metal arms and actual electrical power?
I'm A-list, baby."

[Wilma Poverud]

Damn dette er beste comic serie jeg har vært borti ever, håper den fortsetter å være like bra

[Adam Oster · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've typically stayed away from Spider-man's solo books because of my dislike for Peter Parker himself, but after a trip to the library had my son pick up this collection, I figured I might as well make my way through it as well.

I have to say that the Ultimate Spider-man gives Peter Parker a much needed reboot. Obviously there's still the massive human element to the whole thing, which is part of what makes Spider-man so popular, but the amount of whining seems to have almost disappeared, at least during this early part of the series. In fact, Parker almost seems excited by the fact that he has these superpowers, even if they cause him endless troubles. I think it helps to have Mary Jane know about his secret identity right off the bat.

This collection has a great deal of amazing stuff going for it. Enough, even, that I'm thinking I'm going to have to pick up the other collections for a read at some point...but I'm still not going to proclaim my love for Peter Parker...

[Andrew Uys · Rating 5 out of 5]

So, I've actually been reading the SC Ultimate Collections of Ultimate Spider-Man...which is not confusing at all! Collecting 2 regular graphic novels into one volume, this series just keeps getting more exciting. Definitely a must-read for both comic book fans and creators, as Mark Bagley's layouts & body work is superb! Can't believe I waited so long to read Ultimate Spider-Man. A+

[Ellen · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Kate Curtis-Hawkins · Rating 3 out of 5]

In my plans to collect and read all of the series that got me into comics when I was young, I’ve now entered into the long portion of Ultimate Spider-Man that I haven’t ever read before. When the series was first being released, I read the first couple volumes worth of the story but took a long break from it while my interests shifted to Batman and much more of the DC Comics lineup. Interacting with the section of the series for the first time left me just as impressed as I was with the first volume as Mr. Bendis’s writing has remained very solid.

This particular volume covers two new story arcs revolving around Doctor Octopus and Green Goblin and includes the updating and reinvention of Gwen Stacy as well. I want to stress just how good the character reinventions in Ultimate Spider-Man are. Not only do they feel fresh and distinct from their 1960s and 70s counterparts, but they’re also unique interpretations of the characters. Gwen Stacy is no longer a preppy looking sweet girl but a foil to Mary Jane, taking the role of a troubled outcast. Green Goblin, as first shown in volume one, is no longer a crotchety man riding around on a glider, but is a megalomaniac scientist who sees his mutation as the next step in human evolution. Those decisions from Mr. Bendis firmly set this series apart from any of its counterparts in the past, present, or future and it’s why it will always color my impression of the characters and stories surrounding Spider-Man.

That invention and new design doesn’t just stop at the characters, it continues into the content of the issues themselves. For example, there is a whole issue that recaps a conversation between Spider-Man and Green Goblin that the reader has already seen, only now it's from Green Goblin's perspective, and it gives the reader a glimpse into the mind of the villain. That glimpse is not only uniquely terrifying, but its also incredibly interesting, and it was something incredibly new in the medium when it was first published, and it still holds up to this day.

This second book in the Ultimate Spider-Man series does suffer from some of the same problems as the first, the art style is very dated, the characters look and dress older than high schoolers, and there are references to the internet and other cultural things that firmly plant this book in the early 2000s. There is also one particular scene in which several characters make fun of the prospect of another character being gay, that’s just not something that you would see in a modern comic book for better or for worse. I would also say that the story arcs contained here are a little too short for my taste. This run of issues originally took a year to publish, so there is the issue that comes having access to all of them at once rather than monthly, but it still feels like there was potential material left on the table with the Green Goblin arc in particular.

This is series that is much more than its flaws, Peter and his friends certainly feel like real people and Mr. Bendis isn’t afraid to take the time out from action sequences to explore the day to day life of being a teenager, and many of the personal struggles that Peter goes through are explored more in-depth that modern comics would. In the modern state of comic’s personal problems with heroes are certainly brought up, but they are often left largely unexplored with the writer favoring to use them as a segue to the next action set-piece. I can’t stress enough how much Mr. Bendis doesn’t do that in this series, he’s firmly invested in building characters, and it’s incredibly refreshing.

If you’ve never read Spider-Man comics, this is an excellent place to start, but it also just might ruin every other iteration of the character for you. I think that the Ultimate universe of books was probably the best thing that Marvel ever did past the turn of the century and I don’t have to do more than point to the quality of Ultimate Spider-Man to justify that opinion.

[Brandt · Rating 5 out of 5]

For me, the gold standard for teenage superheroism has to be G. Willow Wilson's Ms. Marvel which in my numerous reviews of the book (and which I am on a forced hiatus from, since Wilson left the book and The Magnificent Ms. Marvel isn't in trade paperback yet) I said reminded me of Stan Lee's work on The Amazing Spider-Man but that we didn't need to tell the story of cis teen white boys any more--Holden Caulfield with a mask simply isn't that interesting to me. But just because we don't need something doesn't mean that we shouldn't appreciate it when it happens anyway and it is done well.

I have been engaging the Marvel Ultimate universe for two reasons--one, the characters in the Ultimate universe eventually are brought into the "mainstream" Marvel fold in Hickman's Secret Wars and the other reason is because I was absolutely blown away by Into the Spider-Verse and I am interested in reading more Miles Morales stories (it doesn't hurt that he shows up in Ms. Marvel after Secret Wars) and since the Ultimate universe did not exist for as long as the 616 universe did, and almost everything has been collected in trade paperback, why not just read the whole damned thing?

Of course, Ultimate Spider-Man was the flagship for the Ultimate Universe (along with Mark Millar's Ultimate X-Men ) and I appreciated Brian Michael Bendis' retelling of the Spider-Man origin that has essentially become ubiquitous at this point. I feel that things can be hit or miss with Bendis, but this collection is Bendis at his absolute best. There are essentially two story arcs in this Ultimate Collection--the first concerns Doctor Octopus and Kraven the Hunter and the second is a return of the [Green] Goblin character. I'll not describe much about the Goblin portion of the book--his "death" at the end of the first Ultimate Spider-Man story arc was obviously never going to stick, and this arc is a good follow-up to all the loose plot strings hanging out from Bendis' take on the origin story. The true greatness here is in the Doctor Octopus arc.

I have to admit that before I saw Alfred Molina as Doctor Octopus in Sam Raimi's Spider-Man 2 I never considered him to be really that great of a villain. But then Raimi, combined with Dan Slott's Superior Spider-Man convinced me that not only was Doc Ock a great Spider-Man villain, but the greatest Spider-Man villain. Had I been familiar with Bendis' take on Doc Ock (which saw publication just before Spider-Man 2 had come out, it probably wouldn't have taken Molina's performance to put me on the right track. And then there's Bendis throwing Kraven into the mix--very rarely does life throws its challenges at you in the order you prefer, and while Doctor Octopus takes up Peter's attention during the arc, Kraven also gets involved, because that is more the speed of life. However, in a very clever twist, by the time the arc is over, some things aren't quite as they seem, and Peter's dealings with one of these villains takes a shocking and I would say welcome turn.

After going through two of these Ultimate Collections you can see what Marvel saw when they gave Bendis more and more control over the Marvel Universe. This is really great work and is a really great take on Spider-Man that even though we didn't need, I'm still glad we got it.

[Chaitanya · Rating 5 out of 5]

Way more satisfying than the first book. According to me, this book improved over the first book on pretty much every level, the designs were more bold & vibrant making it a eye-candy & I liked the character choices made in the book. Some of the characters got new arcs compared to the classics which was very relatable to the modern world. It was quite fresh.

Just like the original, the start was serviceable w/ all the setup etc, but this picked really well from the middle of 2nd act and 3rd act was nonstop fun. There was much more emotional impact this time around and bunch of quality heartfelt scenes between Peter-Aunt May, Peter-MJ etc. Doc Ock & Green Goblin were badass. I don't really see the relevance of Kraven the hunter but that was a minor hiccup. Gwen Stacy was a nice addition & I was totally surprised w/ Nick Fury.

The 3rd act was just fantastic. Razor sharp work in all departments & the characters were popping out off the book. Mary Jane saving scene was a delight and GG was even more hulking (if that's possible). I also think the teen-humor & awkwardness was captured extremely well alongside the serious business

A major step-up from the original-4.5/5!

[Carlos B. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Siento que lo tuvieron y luego lo perdieron. Hay cosas muy buenas aquí, el inicio donde habla con M.j. la parte en la que salva el día pero es castigado por tia may; cosas que tienen esa sensibilidad de ser un adolescente pero luego se desvanecen los personajes se vuelven acartonados, los mismos compañeros de Peter se vuelven personas tontas, y los villanos tienden a ser malos, sólo por ser malos.

[M. J. Fabula · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic collection. A great deconstruction of the unique difficulties of Peter Parker's double life as Spider-Man and why he chooses to keep his superhero identity a secret. From his high school troubles to a thrilling conclusion, this comic had me intrigued from beginning to end, reminding me of why Spidey has touched so many people for generations. It's like a comic this fantastic and multifaceted should be adopted into a movie!

[Robert Timmons · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ultimate Spider-Man the Ultimate Collection 2, continues in from where Volume 1 left off. Mark Bagley's artwork and panel layout continues to be stunning. Bendis' style of writing really suits the character too. This was a solid four stars from me and I'll definitely pickup Volume 3 ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

[Clara Therrien-Gros-Louis · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wasn't so hyped about the first half, but boy oh boy, the second half, especially the last third, I devoured in 2 days (when it took me the best of the year for the first half!!!), wow the Goblin stuff was good, and Harry, and Peter and Aunt May, and Peter and MJ wow!!

[Jared Z. · Rating 4 out of 5]

A step-up from the first omnibus, though again it works *despite* Bendis' scriptwriting. The second year of Ultimate Spider-Man further develops the main characters, introduces some new major players (in particular Nick Fury) and lays the ground for some insane storylines to follow.

[Tamam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finally started reading Spider-Man with these ultimate collections. Thanks to my local library for making the series available.

The Ultimate Spider-Man storyline is a bit different from the Bangla translated versions I read as a kid. Enjoying it so far.

[Lucas,Peery · Rating 4 out of 5]

I real love how the action scenes as well as the dialogue between each character but there are many questions I'm still asking myself but other then that I think this book is great highly recommend this to any Spider Man fan

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

vol 3: 5 stars
vol 4: 4 stars

rounding up a 4.5 to this

[aCupcakeBlonde · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this one, especially the appearance of Gwen Stacey!

[Hilary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read the original comics.

[NONO]

I still cannot read the book