Ultimate Spider-Man #97

Written by Brian Michael Bendis

Pencils & Cover by Mark Bagley

 

Everyone take a deep breath, and hold. Bendis is writing the Ultimate version of the ‘Clone Saga.’

 

After a return to form with the last two-parter about vampires, Bendis sets us up for a larger, longer story in the more common decompression style we’re used to from him. The one thing that keeps this book going is the readable, believable teen drama. In a scene that will have readers nodding their heads in understanding, the new girlfriend (Shadowcat of Ultimate X-Men) feels threatened by the old girlfriend (Mary Jane). It was inevitable that they wouldn’t like each other, MJ already expressing her dismay over having to see them together, but now that Peter and MJ have reconciled their differences enough to spend time together, it’s scaring Kitty.

 

Understandably so, Peter loves MJ still. They didn’t break up because they couldn’t get along but because Peter loved her too much to put her in danger. The reality of Kitty’s relationship becomes clear, they aren’t really good friends, and Peter says so himself. The drama! The crying girlfriend who feels overly vulnerable and becomes needy, the old girlfriend who may have already moved on but still wants to be close friends, and the clone who speaks in riddles and—wait, what?

 

In the middle of a heart-to-heart with MJ in the mall, they get attacked by the Ultimate Scorpion. The ensuing battle goes on amidst the fleeing mall-goers and cops, more so than any battle before it. A couple cops get hurt, the crowd shows its displeasure with Spidey, and the clone shows up to throw a monkey into everyone’s day, which unlike throwing a wrench in there causes a lot more noise and cleanup.

 

Bendis has done Spider-Man-esque clones before, once with the imitator, once during the movie shoot, and once with Ultimate Carnage who took on Peter’s persona, so this isn’t untried territory for Bendis. The issue tells us nothing of where this is heading, but like I said, decompression would be a welcome change of pace at this point. (Never thought I’d be saying that with this book.)

 

When did Bagley learn to draw proper noses? Who’s the savior of the snout, the bringer of the beak to Bagley’s repertoire of properly drawn body parts? Because the large bulbous bulges that he used to draw are gone. No longer does every character look the same cause Bagley could only draw one kind of ‘normal’ person nose. He still has problems with consistency, but at least we have a discernable enough difference that when the clone showed up, I knew it was Peter.

 

That said, there are a couple of panels where Bagley lets his standards slip. Maybe he IS going too fast because there are a couple panels in the quiet mall scene that have very bad flaws in them. Fingers don’t have endings and meld into Peter’s forehead, MJ looks the ugliest I’ve ever seen Bagley draw her, and a few other small problems abound in the book, although the rest is his typical competency.

 

This is a good start to a remake of one of the most ill-fated Spider-Man series ever. Keep holding your breath.

 

Rating - 6