Ultimate Spider-Man Annual 2 (October 2006)

284352 Why doesn’t Ultimate Punisher just kill Ultimate Kingpin? I’m so confused. I’m additionally confused over Ultimate Daredevil. He’s just rude? Is there any other difference between him and regular Daredevil?

Mark Brooks is the wrong penciller for this comic, just dreadfully wrong. Bendis is doing–as much as he can in Ultimate Spider-Man–a serious superhero crime book and Brooks draws everything like a cartoon. Maybe it’d work if he were better and his style directly engaged the material and the contraction, but he isn’t better and it doesn’t work.

There’s not a lot going on besides Bendis’s plot construction. He shows the four guys coming together, the villain, the dirty cop. It’s actually the Ultimate version of a famous Spider-Man story but without any of the gravitas. Brooks’s art is incapable of gravitas I’m pretty sure.

The issue reads pretty well, I suppose, but it’s completely disposable.

CREDITS

The Death of Captain Jeanne DeWolfe; writer, Brian Michael Bendis; penciller, Mark Brooks; inker, Jaime Mendoza, Mark Morales, Victor Olazaba and Brooks; colorists, Laura Martin and Larry Molinar; letterer, Cory Petit; editors, John Barber and Ralph Macchio; publisher, Marvel Comics.

Ultimate Spider-Man Annual 1 (October 2005)

284351 So if Peter can’t date Mary Jane, who can he date? Kitty Pryde, of course. Kitty Pryde? Why Kitty Pryde? Presumably because she’s age appropriate and is a superhero too.

Bendis opens the issue juxtaposing Kitty and Peter, showing how alone they are… and establishing Kitty has always had a crush on Spider-Man.

It’s silly and forced.

Then they go on a very cute date. Bendis overwrites it. Lots and lots of dialogue and nothing of consequence said. There are a few superfluous action scenes too; Bendis just doesn’t seem to know what to do with so much space.

Mary Jane doesn’t make an appearance, neither does Aunt May or anyone to play off Peter. With the Mark Brooks pencils, it barely even feels like Ultimate Spider-Man. The Flash and Kong cameo isn’t enough.

Bendis had an idea and, after this issue, it seems like a bad one.

CREDITS

The Date; writer, Brian Michael Bendis; penciller, Mark Brooks; inkers, Jaime Mendoza and Scott Hanna; colorist, Dave Stewart; letterer, Chris Eliopoulos; editors, John Barber, Nicole Wiley and Ralph Macchio; publisher, Marvel Comics.

Spider-Man: Back in Quack 1 (November 2010)

This issue, one of Marvel’s smorgasbord of one shots, is actually a Steve Gerber tribute issue. The feature is Howard the Duck (meets Spider-Man) and the backup is Man-Thing. Not sure why Marvel didn’t advertise it better, other than they missed a good memorial period by two years.

Stuart Moore does a fine job on the feature, with Spider-Man discovering Howard and Bev have been brainwashed by these corporate bad guys. It’s all very anti-establishment, but in a broad way. Moore’s not being a rebel, he’s just posing as one. I wouldn’t even mention it if it weren’t for the Man-Thing backup. In it, Moore discusses the problems with deranged veterans coming home from overseas. The solution? Getting zapped by Man-Thing.

The pencils on the feature are split between Mark Brooks and Ray Height. Brooks is better. Joe Suitor does the backup; he’s bad.

CREDITS

Human Slavery for Beginners; writer, Stuart Moore; pencillers, Mark Brooks and Ray Height; inker, Walden Wong; colorist, Andres Mossa; letterer, Clayton Cowles. Fear and Mister Dayton; writer, Stuart Moore; artist and colorist, Joe Suitor; letterer, Dave Lanphear. Editors, Tom Brennan, Stephen Wacker and Tom Brevoort; publisher, Marvel Comics.