Bendis is really building up the Roxxon thing. Just on and on with Roxxon. I’m getting kind of sick of it. It’s his new Green Goblin.

Well, maybe not, but kind of close. It’s way too convenient to have this evil company out there. Bendis is a writer who gets lazy easy and it’s just another crutch.

Worse, he misses the best parts of this issue. The Shocker kidnaps Spider-Man and tortures him. Bendis sticks with the sad Shocker story and not with Mary Jane and Kitty teaming up to save Peter. Oh, he does get some scenes in with them, but Mary Jane disappears all of a sudden once Kitty takes over.

I guess Bendis is trying to do something different, with the sympathetic focus on the villain he’s been mocking for almost the entire series. It’s sort of successful, but not really. It just doesn’t work out.

CREDITS

Writer, Brian Michael Bendis; penciller, Stuart Immonen; inker, Wade von Grawbadger; colorist, Justin Ponsor; letterer, Cory Petit; editors, Lauren Sankovitch, Bill Rosemann and Ralph Macchio; publisher, Marvel Comics.

Except for the panel where Immonen draws Peter with so much of a girl face I thought Mary Jane and Kitty were friends–speaking of… I think Immonen even puts Peter in a Hello Kitty t-shirt–it’s a good issue. There’s some great comedy stuff with Flash protesting (without anyone accusing) he isn’t Spider-Man, then a joyous finale for Kitty getting a good grade.

Bendis structures it in flashback. Kitty and Peter’s “take home a baby doll for a while” assignment is due and Peter messed it up. The flashbacks reveal how things all went wrong.

In other words, it’s a done-in-one from Brian Michael Bendis. I didn’t even know he could do these things, certainly not with such grace. Maybe Immonen helped a lot (I do know Bendis can do them, I’m just being hyperbolic).

Great Bugle stuff too.

It’s another good issue of Ultimate.

CREDITS

Writer, Brian Michael Bendis; penciller, Stuart Immonen; inker, Wade von Grawbadger; colorist, Justin Ponsor; letterer, Cory Petit; editors, Lauren Sankovitch, Bill Rosemann and Ralph Macchio; publisher, Marvel Comics.

So the Blob is Liz Allen’s dad. There, I spoiled it for you. Now you won’t have Bendis’s sensational tacked on last page about it. Just a terrible, terrible page.

But the rest of the comic is all right. He has a couple false endings, which are definitely annoying, but the whole “mutant hater” Liz turning out to be mutant story does work pretty well.

Not sure why Bendis couldn’t have given Kenny and Kitty a page or two though.

And there’s also the whole bit with Peter and Liz talking about how they’ve known each other forever. Bendis uses that one a lot–he used it last issue with Kenny–but he ever bothers having anyone acknowledge they used to bully Peter mercilessly or stood by while someone did.

It’s a big disconnect.

The X-Men get too much play, but otherwise it’s a fine issue. Problematic but fine.

CREDITS

Writer, Brian Michael Bendis; penciller, Stuart Immonen; inker, Wade von Grawbadger; colorist, Justin Ponsor; letterer, Cory Petit; editors, Lauren Sankovitch, Bill Rosemann and Ralph Macchio; publisher, Marvel Comics.

I don’t think I’d ever realized how big Immonen makes Spider-Man’s eyes. It’s kind of annoying. Especially since this issue is a couple big talking heads scenes amid some superhero chase action.

I guess no one wanted to bother with an Ultimate Angelica Jones so Bendis just turned Liz into Firestar. It’s a good issue–great moment with Kenny revealing he knows Peter’s secret identity; actually, Bendis doesn’t have a chance to really let that one sink in. Hopefully it’ll have a nice echo later.

The stuff with Bobby Drake and Liz Allen is really good. Bendis takes too long establishing Peter’s part of the conversation and he heads to a cliffhanger with Magneto just after it becomes about Peter.

The title definitely appears to be changing–and for the better–but it’s hard to tell if Bendis is committed to this change or if he’s treating water again.

CREDITS

Writer, Brian Michael Bendis; penciller, Stuart Immonen; inker, Wade von Grawbadger; colorist, Justin Ponsor; letterer, Cory Petit; editors, Lauren Sankovitch, Bill Rosemann and Ralph Macchio; publisher, Marvel Comics.

Seriously, Kenny can’t get a kiss? He gets a hand squeeze from Kitty, but no kiss. Kid deserves some smooching.

As I hoped, being rid of the Osborns has done nothing but help Bendis refocus his efforts. He opens the issue with one page internal monologues from Peter, Mary Jane, Kitty, Liz, Kenny and Johnny Storm (not sure if he’s setting up the new cast or just this arc). Lovely art from Immonen on these pages. He’s really working out.

But then Bendis kicks off this entire high school drama thing with Ice Man showing up to talk to Kitty. They’re these double page layouts of all the characters’ reactions (Peter freaking out, Kenny sulking). It’s beautiful stuff. Bendis really does excel.

And then there’s some nice superhero bonding time for Johnny, Peter and Bobby Drake. It segues into a nighttime beach campfire. Then a big surprise.

Truly excellent issue.

CREDITS

Writer, Brian Michael Bendis; penciller, Stuart Immonen; inker, Wade von Grawbadger; colorist, Justin Ponsor; letterer, Cory Petit; editors, Lauren Sankovitch, Bill Rosemann and Ralph Macchio; publisher, Marvel Comics.

Wow. Bendis does half one of his big action issues with Norman going after Harry and there being a big Goblin battle. Peter and SHIELD are there too, with Peter jumping in and out of the action. There’s enough time for him to have a decent moment with Harry too.

But then the issue changes it up. The last four or five pages deal with fallout Bendis has been building since the first arc of the series. It’s strange Bagley didn’t stick around to finish it, but maybe they saw it as a way to establish Immonen as the artist on the series.

Immonen really proves himself in the last, short scene. He’s got a bunch of recognizable people reacting in master shots and he makes it all memorable–Liz, Flash, Kong, Mary Jane, even Kitty in her confusion.

Bendis writes some screwy issues for Ultimate but he excels sometimes.

CREDITS

Death of a Goblin, Part Six; writer, Brian Michael Bendis; penciller, Stuart Immonen; inker, Wade von Grawbadger; colorist, Justin Ponsor; letterer, Cory Petit; editors, Lauren Sankovitch, Bill Rosemann and Ralph Macchio; publisher, Marvel Comics.

Bendis continues his streak–two issues in a row at least–and Immonen is really settling in. There’s a lot of double page action spreads, lots of panels, with Kitty saving Peter from a fall with Norman. That sequence opens the issue and it’s fantastic.

Even Bendis seems to get Kitty and Peter make a good superhero pair; shame he had to put them through dating. I suppose it does add some texture to their relationship, but not enough for it to matter. He also clarifies some things about Kong, which is nice.

The big surprise is how Bendis handles Norman at the end. He comes in for a great, villainous finale. Except he wants Peter just to point out Norman’s capable of doing good things–creating Spider-Man, for example. It’s strange and unexpected and seeming sincere.

Immonen’s art for that scene is excellent.

It’s a pretty good issue.

CREDITS

Death of a Goblin, Part Five; writer, Brian Michael Bendis; penciller, Stuart Immonen; inker, Wade von Grawbadger; colorist, Justin Ponsor; letterer, Cory Petit; editors, Lauren Sankovitch, Bill Rosemann and Ralph Macchio; publisher, Marvel Comics.

Peter’s not very smart this issue. I figured out mean old Ultimate Carol Danvers was using him as bait in the first scene. He needed for Kitty to rescue him and for Danvers to explain it all.

Still, good enough issue. Kitty and Peter make a far more amusing superhero partners than they ever did a couple. Danvers is one note, but Bendis gets to write a bunch of good Peter explaining himself to adults dialogue, which always goes over well.

The stuff with Norman terrorizing people isn’t bad either. No thought balloons for Norman on it either–another plus–and Immonen does a great job with the action sequence at the end.

The only bad scene is probably Kong crushing on a totally unaware Kitty. It feels way too forced.

Also forced is the absence of Nick Fury. If it’s such an important plot point, Bendis should’ve established it.

CREDITS

Death of a Goblin, Part Four; writer, Brian Michael Bendis; penciller, Stuart Immonen; inker, Wade von Grawbadger; colorist, Justin Ponsor; letterer, Cory Petit; editors, Lauren Sankovitch, Bill Rosemann and Ralph Macchio; publisher, Marvel Comics.

As usual, Bendis redeems himself an issue later. He sticks to Peter–Norman doesn’t even get a live appearance; the villain turns out to be Electro (who seems real powerful in his Ultimate version). Sticking to Peter works wonders, as he gets to interact with both Mary Jane and May.

Immonen is a slick artist, but I really do like how he handles Mary Jane’s panic attack. He lets himself get loose to show her utter terror. Then there’s the suburban scene with her mom, which works quite well too.

The stuff with Aunt May’s good, but her man is way too suspicious. He’s Norman’s shrink maybe? Doesn’t matter.

The fight’s good, the cliffhanger’s good. It’s just a good, solid issue, which Bendis has way too much trouble writing. It even manages to overcome being the stalest plot (Norman convincing people he’s the good guy) in Bendis’s bag of tricks.

CREDITS

Death of a Goblin, Part Three; writer, Brian Michael Bendis; penciller, Stuart Immonen; inker, Wade von Grawbadger; colorist, Justin Ponsor; letterer, Cory Petit; editors, Lauren Sankovitch, Bill Rosemann and Ralph Macchio; publisher, Marvel Comics.

Finally, the Norman Osborn narrated issue no one’s been waiting for….

Someone really should have told Bendis Ultimate Norman is not one of his finest creations, much less an interesting narrator. Especially not with Immonen on the art.

Bagley always drew his stuff in some kind of a vacuum, like there wasn’t other modern comic making going on at the same time. Bagley did what he did. Immonen, intentionally or not, has turned Norman into Dark Knight Returns Joker. And Bendis’s narration fits it too.

It doesn’t work, especially not since lengthy periods go without action. The action Immonen does draw is in little panels, even though they’re big events. He and Bendis are making it as personal and quiet as possible and who wants to read that comic starring Norman.

The arc’s premise–Norman versus Fury–would be far more compelling if Bendis hadn’t just done it with Otto.

CREDITS

Death of a Goblin, Part Two; writer, Brian Michael Bendis; penciller, Stuart Immonen; inker, Wade von Grawbadger; colorist, Justin Ponsor; letterer, Cory Petit; editors, John Barber, Bill Rosemann and Ralph Macchio; publisher, Marvel Comics.