Bendis gets a double-sized issue–almost–and what does he with it? Well, he uses about the first part, twenty or so pages, to write a full comic book. Then he uses the second half to do some more of his speed storytelling.

The whole Bendis “decompressed storytelling” term is so wrong–if it’s decompressed, it should take me longer to read it, not less time.

The issue has a bunch of great stuff on it (terrible cliffhanger), including some high school stuff, with Peter, Mary, Harry and Gwen forming this fantastic group and I hope Bendis continues with that one–though I’m very worried for Ultimate Harry Osborn.

Speaking of Ultimate Osborns, Norman is back and is he ever a killjoy. Bendis overdoes it on the ominous, especially when Norman comes off more like a creepy jerk than a monster.

So much good stuff, such a weak cliffhanger.

I can’t believe I forgot the Kraven outcome. I also forgot about Doc Ock remembering Peter is Spider-Man. But I did remember, somewhat, the argument with Aunt May.

Aunt May’s been something of a cursory character these last issues I’ve been reading, so it’s nice to see Bendis give her the attention she deserves.

He also lets Peter feel good, for a second, about the heroics, as the news crews talk Spidey into an interview. Again, very funny, very solid Bendis dialogue.

The only problem with the issue is Bagley. He does an adequate job, but the talking heads scene between Peter and Aunt May shows off his deficiencies. Especially when compared to his action scene between Spider-Man and Kraven.

And that last page, with a full panel of Doc Ock, ouch. Bagley’s not ready for full page closeups. It plays counter to the very mature, reasoned writing.

Oh, if only Stan Lee had thought of Spidey pulling down Doctor Octopus’s pants.

Bendis doesn’t do a lot this issue. About half is dedicated to Spider-Man fighting Doc Ock–I can’t remember if his victory in any way resembles the one in Amazing–while the other half goes to Kraven getting ready for the hunt.

Bendis is filling here. He even wastes pages with someone doing an intro to Kraven and then having to redo it. The dialogue’s amusing, but it’s all just filler.

The story starts with Spidey and Doc Ock, even if it is all just a big long fight scene. It’s an amusing fight scene (and maybe the first time anyone–in this case the television news crews–comes out in support of Spider-Man).

Even with all the pacing and plotting shortcuts, it’s hard not to like the issue. Bendis makes it very likable.

Well, I finally get my Mary responding to Gwen this issue and it’s… incomplete. Bendis cuts it off for dramatic effect, which feels wrong. It feels out of character for Mary Jane to sulk off on Peter here.

This issue features more of the Ultimate Spider-Man than Bendis has shown lately. I just say Spider-Man when he’s doing regular Spidey stuff. He’s Ultimate Spider-Man when he’s using modern information technology to inform his interactions. So when Spider-Man stands off with Justin Hammer this issue… great stuff.

What’s not so great this issue is the faces. Bendis has a ton of stuff going on, lots and lots of characters–and Bagley draws the same faces on half of them.

It’s incredibly confusing. Especially with Betty Bryant looking exactly like Kraven’s assistant.

Then Bendis ends the issue with a great cliffhanger.

When this comic’s good, it’s real good.

This issue might be the most content-filled one so far. Bendis has a bunch of scenes in it–he’s got the classroom scene where Gwen comes back and Mary Jane gives Peter a somewhat inexplicable dirty look then Liz Allen goes nuts. But before that scene, he has one establishing Ultimate Kraven. Then there’s a scene with Justin Hammer, then another school scene, then one with Doc Ock attacking Hammer’s press conference.

It’s incredible. Even though all these scenes probably take place over two hours, Bendis really spends time on them (but never too much).

Then he has a Spider-Man scene. A long, funny Spider-Man scene… with action (but no fighting yet).

In a lot of ways, except in terms of the story–it’s good and all, but it’s just setting up material for Bendis to expand later–this issue is the perfect Ultimate Spider-Man issue.

Recasting Kraven as a reality TV boob might have been one of Bendis’s greatest achievements (so far) in Ultimate Spider-Man. It just works perfectly.

But this issue really isn’t about Kraven, it’s about some lead-up to stuff. The time Bendis takes to create “cinematic” scenes… it sort of wastes pages, yes, but it also makes the characters a lot more endearing. And as one who’s never been wholly impressed with Mark Bagley… it says a lot Bendis’s dialogue can pull off the scene, for example, between Gwen and her father. Gwen who looks, under Bagley’s pencil, about as old as her father.

Peter’s short, so Peter seems younger.

Speaking of Peter, Bendis addresses the Gwen thing here… a little. Peter isn’t taken with her–he describes her as weird here or something along those lines.

Too bad he didn’t look at her, in the previous issues, that way.

This issue has some Spider-Man, even has some Spidey messing with Jonah, but it’s a really light read.

Peter convinces Kong he’s not Spider-Man by taking a kick in the rear–I like how Superman always had to go through great lengths, while Kong is easily convinced.

Gwen is revealed as a troubled youth–probably because her father is too busy to go to school when she’s pulling knifes (still no Mary Jane response to her yet).

Doctor Octopus menaces from afar… and what else… oh, Ben Ulrich has a big scene where he convinces Jonah to let him investigate Doc Ock.

The issue, while not bad, fits into one of series’s problem categories–it’s not like Bendis is doing a one scene issue, time does pass…but nothing important happens.

The Kong suspicion was just an easily resolvable excuse for a cliffhanger the issue before.

It’s lazy.

There’s a scene missing from this issue, the one where Mary Jane and Liz react to Gwen Stacy. Bendis gets in the boys’ reaction, but not the girls. Maybe, as I did, they were admiring her manly physique. Whatever Bagley was trying, he fails on her brief appearance. She looks like an Aryan She-Hulk.

Actually, it’s a fine enough introduction, but Bendis does a lot of other good stuff this issue so Gwen gets lost. Doctor Octopus has his first appearance post-accident here and, wow, do Bendis and Bagley do a good job with it. They make him tragic without having to make him sympathetic–SHIELD has let him suffer as a test subject. Just great stuff.

There’s also a cliffhanger with Kong figuring out Peter is Spider-Man.

Speaking of Spider-Man, Peter doesn’t appear in costume this issue. I hadn’t even realized until typing this response.