Comics Review: Ultimate Spider-Man Vol. 11 [Hardcover]

Ultimate Spider-Man Vol. 11 [Hardcover]
Premiered 2008-2009
Creative Team: Brian Michael Bendis (Writer), Stuart Immonen (Art)
Collecting Ultimate Spider-Man 123-133, Annual 3, Ultimatum Spider Man: Requiem 1-2

Ultimate Spider-Man got me into comic books way back in 2000. This was before the Sam Raimi movie had come out, before Spider-Man was a big property, and Marvel re-launched the Spidey title with this brand spankin' new iteration of the origin story. I recall first and foremost being stunned by the art from artist Mark Bagley, drawing characters on paper that looked so real, so richly detailed and defined, it was amazing. The art pulled me in, but the dialogue captivated me. Prior to this (well, I was at the age of 10, so, not like I knew a lot of this info back then) I hadn't heard of writer Brian Michael Bendis, so I wasn't familiar with his collective impressive resume. Starting from the first issue, I was hooked. Brian's characters were as complex as Bagley's artistry, and the storylines never failed to grab me completely. 15-year old Peter Parker living in Queens, New York, facing off against Norman Osborn, Doc Ock, Eddie Brock and the genetically-engineered symbiotic that turned into Venom, and the ruthless Kraven who hunted Spider-Man for publicity. Let's not forget the on again/off again relationship between Peter and Mary Jane Watson that in the span of a year had more break-ups and get-back-togethers than a quarter-aged soap opera. I loved every issue, every story. Wonderful, wonderful work. Sure, the drawing by Bagley disappeared in favor for hideous, indescribable fashions, but here, collected in Volume 11, Bendis reunites with Bagley (together with Immonen) to craft a closing chapter to the original Ultimate Spider-Man line.

Volume 11 collects such stories as Eddie Brock's return as the ravenous Venom, the reappearance of Gwen Stacey since her resurrection in the Clone Saga, the Ultimates [aka Avengers] intervening on Spider-Man's behalf to finish out a battle between two Symbiotes and a pesky Wasp, the return of Norman Osborn and several others of Spidey's own 'Rogues Gallery', the arrest of Aunt May, and finishing the narrative, the Ultimatum Wave, an enormous wave caused by Magneto that engulfs most of Manhattan. It's not usually easy being Peter Parker, but hell if that kid isn't put through the ringer this time around. And when he's not busy dueling bad guys, there's the intimate Annual #3 that shines the spotlight on Peter and Mary Jane's relationship.

First, the Eddie story. Basically, Eddie wants Peter dead. Bounty hunters want the alien symbiote that makes Eddie Brock into Venom. Peter just wants to have a good time with his dear galfriend Mary Jane. And Gwen Stacey just wants to return to some sort of normalcy. Unfortunately, everyone pretty much gets screwed over in this War of the Symbiotes arc. It's my least favorite of the stories told throughout the comic series run, but I can't deny that the action scenes are nevertheless entertaining and wonderfully drawn. Venom becomes such a menacing, seemingly unstoppable force, and when Carnage comes about and the two get their war on - it's breathtaking. But the end result is what makes me happy enough with the story: re-establishing Gwen into Peter's world. Plus, there's some fantastic interaction between Spidey and the Ultimates [plus Nick Fury] that is all kinds of fun.

The Ultimate Spider-Man Annual #3 examines Peter and Mary Jane's relationship. At only age 15, the pair of them have gone through more troubles and growing up in the last several months than most undergo their entire lives. And with how frequently their relationship hits speed bumps and the very real possibility any day could be Peter's last, naturally the conversation about entering a new, mature relationship comes to light. The artistic work here isn't my favorite, but the script picks up the slack with some smart dialogue that sells the relationship really well - makes it honest and realistic. Despite the soap opera nature of Peter/M.J., I feel that the Ultimate line presents one of the best examples of these two as a couple, and if the feature films can even halfway live up to the level of maturity and realism that is on display here - well, all I can say is that it would be damn good.

And with the end of the Annual, we enter Ultimatum, the beginning of an end...

Ultimatum, as I understand it, was a plot device that would allow the creative team at Marvel to refresh the story for their entire Ultimate book lines. They were apparently becoming too convoluted for their own good, or resembling other titles too closely that a change had to happen. Regardless, this is quite the mega event. Lives are lost in the millions (including those of fellow superheroes), and in this tragedy, Spider-Man's heroism shines. J. Jonah Jameson has spent all of the series' hundred plus issue run doing everything in his power to spoil the name of Spider-Man to the citizens of New York via the Daily Bugle, and now, under the circumstances of this horrible disaster, Jonah witnesses with his own two eyes how wrong he's been, and from this story onwards, Jonah now does everything in his power to help the web slinger. It's moments like these, these character beats, that really sell Bendis' writing. In the wake of the wave, when Spidey is declared dead to all the world, Jonah sits in front of a computer and takes it upon himself to write Spider-Man's obituary, and it's nothing short of beautiful. If there comes a time when Sony and the creative team behind a Spider-Man live action series decides to emulate Christopher Nolan and bring Peter Parker's journey to a close, mirroring Jonah's lament through some sort of heartbreaking montage would be the way to go.

Everything with Ultimatum feels like one enormous tension-filled emotional extravaganza, where every action Spider-Man takes has a sense of lethal threat that none before have felt. He could seriously die, and there's the very real sense that Bendis will do it. One bad thing after another gets in Peter's way, and how Peter could possibly solve these issues and survive it - well, it's just, y'know, intense. Add that with Aunt May's refusal to leave Peter's side, her cries for her nephew, and some beautifully worded dialogue thanks to Bendis, and this is a recipe for a arc that is sure to hit any reader in the gut. In this volume, only stories pertaining to Spidey's narrative is included, so everything involving Ultimatum, including characters that pop in and out of this hardcover, won't get proper explanations - guess we'll have to check out their solo titles for the full story. Ultimatum is epic and tragic and full of insane action pieces, beautifully realized by Bendis and his artistic team.

Volume 11, collecting all these arcs and the annual, feels like one long walk to the gallows for Peter Parker, with each story getting closer and closer to One Really Long and Really Bad Night. Unfortunately, we have to get through the messy and not-all-that-interesting Venom/Carnage story, but what follows from that, the emotional consequences and the wonderful story beats, make the entire journey well worth it. For fans of the Ultimate Spider-Man brand, this is a worthy addition to the lot, and for newcomers, just trust me on this part: read this series from issue one to present day. You will not be disappointed. 8.5/10

J. Jonah Jameson watches Spider-Man's selfless acts in the wake of the Ultimatum Wave.

The Hunger Games, Left Hand of God

THE HUNGER GAMES
Written by Suzanne Collins

There's been a lot of press about THE HUNGER GAMES as of late, what with the trilogy now complete, its popularity increasing, and (of course) movie deals being struck. The good news is that HUNGER GAMES is quite worth the acclaim and interest, with a writing style that adheres to the young adults but simultaneously boasts complexities similar to, but not to the extent of, Rowling's POTTER franchise. It's no wonder this book, and the series, has gained notoriety these last two or three years: set in a unspecified but not-too-distant post-ruin world where the remnants of America has been transformed into a strict, divided society as Panem, there's a young girl, Katniss, thrown into a game of death with twenty plus other peers, who finds herself competing to stay alive and in the middle of a love triangle between the boy back home and Peeta, a man the rules dictate one will inevitably kill the other. Guns, action, romance, futuristic-like setting: all the ingredients of a interesting and addictive read. Include Suzanne Collins' brisk and nicely detailed style, HUNGER GAMES is most definitely a recommendable book.

Apologies for being one of 'those people', but the best comparison to the story of this book is the novel/feature film BATTLE ROYALE: teenagers thrown into the arena, charged to kill one another until last man standing. Same principle applies here. What Collins is more interested in, however, is the human element, the relationships, hardships, and choices that come out of Katniss being in the Hunger Games. That's not to say Collins refrains from embellishing in some combat and mayhem, as there's plenty of the narrative dedicated to that, enough to make fans of the horror genre quite pleased. First and foremost, Katniss is richly and beautifully developed. She boasts a fantastic personality: head strong, resilient to dying for nothing, independent and resourceful, opinionated, and all around charming at heart, Katniss is a brilliant lead character, and a far more suitable role model for young girls reading this than another hit franchise that is (hopefully) losing steam.

As mentioned, there are two love interests. Gale, a boy back home with whom she has at least entertained the idea, but hasn't seriously considered it, and Peeta, her fellow District 12 teammate who harbors a love for her that she believes is nothing more than a cover for the game. Of course, the role of the men play a important part in the narrative, but points to Collins, the romantic aspect doesn't overshadow the story, nor Katniss, at all. It's Katniss' book through and through. She doesn't stand idly by being pushed around as a result of plot necessity, she's a, as mentioned, assertive girl who does what must be done, and is brilliant to boot.

HUNGER GAMES is a highly recommendable book, and a worthy trilogy to invest in. If there's one complaint I have, it's this: it doesn't feel complete. Now before someone facepalms and exclaims, "Duh! It's the first in a trilogy stupid!", I recognize that, but as a self-contained novel, it has the feeling of being unfinished. Apologies for making yet another cliched comparison, but take Rowling's HARRY POTTER books - there are multiple(s) plot threads weaving through each book, but each and every one feels like one story, one full complete narrative that has a beginning to end that just happens to pick up again at a later point. However, this small glitch in fullness does not dissuade me from enjoying and, frankly, loving what Collins has given us. A brutally honest book of blood, sweat, and emotion with a subject and frankness I was surprised would gain such notoriety. Now, onto the sequel...


THE LEFT HAND OF GOD
Written by Paul Hoffman

Taking a gander at the New Release wall at Barns & Noble a few months ago, the cover grabbed me at once. Even the premise, although highly reliant on the 'young man who doesn't know he he is gifted and has a greater purpose in this world' formula used a hundred times before, sounded interesting, with the introduction of religious overtones and a seemingly fresh take on the whole 'destiny' idea. The good news is that THE LEFT HAND OF GOD is a good book, and highly addictive once you're a good thirty pages in. Paul Hoffman's writing bridges young adult and mature readers quite effortlessly, making a book that would be genuinely pleasurable to all ages. Of course, the teenagers would find themselves more taken in by the protagonist, Cale, a teenager who is both brilliant and naive, defenseless and a weapon, and is above all trying to survive and find his role in the world. He's a interesting character, to be sure. Secretive, playing things rather close to the chest, yet rash and hot headed, he rings similar to Anakin Skywalker, even with the whole destiny thing at the end. Hoffman writes the character just right, and it's the excitement to see what happens to Cale and what is true function is that makes me eager to read the sequel, THE LAST FOUR THINGS (due next year).

A quick look over some of the other books I've reviewed show that I find myself grabbed in by books immersing themselves in religion, where it becomes a prominent aspect of the plot without specifying. Same goes here. The antagonists are the Redeemers finding a war against the Antagonists (gasp! originality name!) and plotting to go against pretty much the entire world. Devoted to their faith messed up in the head, abusive, and blood thirsty, these Redeemers are a great, lethal threat imagined by Hoffman, and the confrontation sure to erupt later in the series will no doubt be juicy.

Although THE LEFT HAND OF GOD is, by all means, a good and entertaining read, I can't honestly say too much about it. The book adheres to a monomyth formula with just a few character tweaks here and there to 'spice' the story up. I do recommend it for anyone; fun read, cool characters, first of a trilogy. Just don't go in expecting much. For a far more detailed review, I recommend you check this out.

The Chronicles of Nick: Infinity

The Chronicles of Nick: Infinity
Written by Sherrilyn Kenyon

Plot: 14-year old Nick Gauiter finds himself stuck in the middle of a battle with zombies, vampires, werewolves, and other really Big Bad creatures that go bump in the night.

Never read a Sherrilyn Kenyon book - a author well known for her Dark-Hunter saga - but after the can't-put-it-down sensation I had rushing through Infinity, I just might become a addict. Due to the popular demand of her readers for a book of hers to be more accessible to the younger demographic, Kenyon responded with this, a fantastic young adult novel. Typically, even if I'm 'into' a book, it takes me a while to read the whole damn thing. Nah, not this time. Read the first 20 pages at a 24-hour Wal-Mart, loved it, and continued to read until page 200 at my local Barns & Noble. Going nearly a day without reading the book, I rushed to the nearest Target to buy it before they closed, and finished the book later that night.

So, yeah, it's addicting, which is a testament to good writing and really interesting characters. Our main protagonist, Nick Gautier, mirrors myself what with the overdose amount of sarcasm he plants on in nearly every conversation. Although he has quite the funny side, Nick's serious when it comes to respect - especially in regards to his mum, just barely paying the bills as a late night dancer. At school, he's bullied for his under-privileged lifestyle and beat up on plenty, which typically gets him in trouble as the teachers intervene just when he's about to defend himself. One particular night Nick makes a choice that gets him shot and badly bruised, and is admitted to the hospital.

A stranger who calls himself Kyrian offers to pay all the expenses, and all Nick has to do is worth for him at his house - doing errands, making phone calls, etc. (nothing "pervy", as Nick goes out of his way to ensure) Right about here, Nick's life is thrown for a loop. It seems the football players at school are acting students and teachers by eating their skin zombie-style, and there just might be some truth to the whole vampire and werewolf thing after all, not to mention miscellaneous other creatures that go bump in the night. The odd thing is that everything seems to be connected to Nick, and although other people who are beginning to figure out there's something not quite right with the kid, he just wants to make sure his mom's A-OK in the midst of this zombie invasion.

There's also a super awesome character in the form of Bubba, a 'I-don't-take-shit-from-no-one' type attitude dude who spends his free time slicin' and dicin' zombies for the joy of it. He has some 'friends' who are part of the hunt - Tabitha (gorgeous Goth girl) and Mark (who's cool enough to douse himself in urine to mask his human 'stink'). Basically, the matter-of-factness to the whole thing is amusing and refreshing. Everyone knows the score instead of Nick, who's just along for the ride and not much believing what the hell is going on half the time.

Basically, the book's just fun. It nicely mixes a light and serious tone - there's a quite funny cultural reference or joke one moment, and the next scene is a deadly serious Evil Demon sequence. The story and creatures may not seem all that original and possibly highly redundant (especially in this day 'n age), but it works (as in, I successfully forgot my dislike of vampire & zombie stories as I read the book). Nick's a very interesting character with a great personality, and I'm very, very excited to see the next installments in the series.

Zombies, vampires, werewolves, and a bunch of organizations that delve into dark magick - The Chronicles of Nick is shaping out to be quite a awesome series, and (obviously) I'm going with the recommendation on this one. There's not a lot of supernatural books that geared for young adults that are halfway good these days - this just happens to be a pleasant exception.

The Bride Collector

The Bride Collector
Written by Ted Dekker
Hachette Book Group, 2010

Plot: A serial killer murders 'perfect' women as offerings to God while FBI Special Agent Brad Rains hones in on the psychopath.

Ted Dekker has penned some phenomenal stories - chief among them the Circle Trilogy - as well as some fodders, like Skin. The Bride Collector falls in-between these two spectrum's. On one hand, it's a rather engaging hunt between Rains and the killer, Quentin Gauld, but on the other hand, it's a decent romance written far too Twilight-esqe for my taste.

I'm not sure how to tackle this review, so I'll head straight first to the topic of the serial killer. Quentin is under the impression that God wants seven of the beautifulest women/brides in the world to return to his heavenly kingdom, and that Quentin's function on earth is to help these women recognize their importance to the Lord and send them up to heaven for the big guy. A sort-of weak foundation for a killer that nicely weaves in Dekker's need for Christian elements into the fray. I wager my biggest disappointment with Quentin, then, is that despite entire chapters dedicated to getting into his mind, he just seems so darn flat, not unlike Agent Rains.

Brad Rains sucks at commitment after a really, really bad split with his last gal, Ruby. This particular storyline is quite intriguing - getting into Brad's mind and experiencing his reactions to the Ruby situation. But after that, he isn't given much to work with. The remainder of his storyline is deliberating between should I? or shouldn't I? He questions a blossoming romance and the consequences of that, he questions his abilities, whether or not he should consult intelligent members of a mental institution for help, etc. Perhaps Brad should have had a few more demons in his closet, or make him reckless. He just felt so...procedural?

A romance blossoms between Agent Rains and Paradise (one of the gals at the institution who isn't actually mentally wacky), which, y'know, I've got no problems about. In fact, it's a rather interesting relationship. Brad and Paradise are almost equals in regards to their intelligence, and they have a mutual attraction which always falls into the good category. Paradise herself is a captivating character, her thoughts and reactions to events and words always a particular interest to read. The only problem that I have with this romance is how it's handled - writing wise. What the reader endures for the next 300 pages is nothing short of the male version of Stephenie Meyers obnoxious multi-paragraph 'OMG, he/she is SO dreamy' essays that are repeated nearly every other page. After the first 10 times their attraction is hinted at and subsequently denied by both of them as vigorously as they can, I get the point. I understand Paradise fully - her mental and physical quirks and all, as I do Brad Rains, bland-ish figure that he is.

The main problem with The Bride Collector that I have concluded is that it doesn't offer enough original material, characters, situations, etc. to make it stand out.

Overall, The Bride Collector was a quick, brisk read that was interesting enough to make it a page-turner, but with further contemplation, it's not one of Dekker's finest works. And I respect the guy, so it's sucky for me to say that. Nevertheless, I'm still on the lookout for new Dekker books, and I highly recommend his work to any newcomer.

The Ninth Circle

THE NINTH CIRCLE
Written by Alex Bell
Golancz, 2008, 262 pgs.

The 2008-2009 season on The CW featured a little known show (at the time) called Supernatural. That program, which typically followed the Freak of the Week formula, suddenly uped the ante when it introduced Angels into the mix, and furthermore, a impending Apocalypse. Instantly, I fell in love with the idea. As the fantastic story progressed, the writers created such rich, interesting characters: these Angels were fierce warriors who took no bullshit; and repeatedly, the character of Lucifer was cast in a tragic, human-esque light, something I hadn't encountered before (but has since been duplicated, like, a lot). Completely new and original to me, this superb tale of a army of Angels fighting to stop Lucifer rising - man, it was invigorating. Every new episode that furthered the mythology was extraordinary - a awesome piece of writing.

Supernatural is now concluding its fifth season, and furthermore, concluding the Apocalypse storyline. My thirst for storylines similar to this - of warrior Angels and a tragic fallen power from grace all grounded in relatable reality - was and still is pretty damn big. The first book that I was referred to was Demon: A Memoir by Tosca Lee. A very well written book, it delved head-long into pre-creation days to post-Adam and Eve, all told from the perspective of a demon telling his tale to a publication agent. Hearing the demon's interpretation of events, hearing about the event of their fall from grace and Lucifer's subsequent feeling of betrayal by God...brilliant.

The second book in my Que was The Ninth Circle, the first book written by a young Alex Bell, who is becoming quite the up-and-coming UK author. She already has two other book written and published (Jasmyn, Lex Trent versus the Gods) to great success. Reading the back synopsis, seemingly about a Angel named Gabriel Antaeus and some stuff about a lot of Evil, it was a sure bet read. Two for two, it is. Both Demon: A Memoir and The Ninth Circle are 100% recommended books, but enough of my backstory giving, onto my Ninth Circle gushing:

Gabriel Antaeus wakes up in a Budapest flat bloodied and struck with a really bad case of amnesia. There's a good million(s) dollar on a nearby table, a lot of religious books, and no hint whatsoever to who he is or what the life he leads is. To make matters weirder, he has strange dreams, sees a burning man in the mirror every once and a while, and receives strange packages with biblical writings by some unknown party. Gabriel begins to unravel his many mysterious one question at a time, but at the end, the truth is horrifying beyond his grasp, and I'm pretty sure he wouldn't have minded staying amnesic.

For a first timer, Alex Bell definitely displays a firm grasp of language, pace, and utter brilliance that would have fooled me. The Ninth Circle is truly a engaging book; the narrative structure used - journal entries, not too dissimilar to Dracula - creates such a energy to the reading, it's contagious. I read, my tummy goes gurgle, I need food, and I energetically consume some food, zooming around the kitchen, and then run back to this freakin' awesome book. See? Contagious. Alright, bad example. Moving on. Not only does the structure of the book make it seem like no time has passed at all from when you opened its pages to the concluding words, but the characters introduced as so rich, so three-dimensional (even in journal entries!) that I was turning page after page anxious to find out what they'd say or do next.

The book doesn't get bogged down by needless exposition scenes or completely unnecessary scenery descriptions (I'm looking at you, Stephen King), it gets right down to the nitty gritty; it has a tale to tell, and damnit, it's gonna be told!

The big revelation happens 40 pages before the climax, and I can confidently say I didn't see that one coming. At first, I was sort of taken aback; this wasn't what I signed up for, but as the story progressed and Gabriel's role in events were explained, I became a little laxed about it.

A final note, because I don't want to give too much away, I applaud Ms. Bell on her rich characters. Specifically, a particular big-name demon. The personality attributed to this demon was phenomenal, and I'm sorry to say, but I sometimes found myself rooting for him moreso than the Angels. By the end, Gabriel has found himself in one hell of a pickle, and boy wiz is it exciting. It's a familiar plot point reached at many supernatural stories, but there's a renewed sense of freshness to it, I felt like I was reading this storyline for the very first time, as surprised as a kid getting his first happy meal or check or something...

The final journal entry leaves me hope that a future installment will be forthcoming. Gabriel Antaeus and his religious plight has sucked me in, and I want more. I want to know about the choice this one particular character has to make, and what their final path will be. I want to know about these Angels and Demons and their absolutely brilliant personalities.

In conclusion, don't pass The Ninth Circle up. It's a fast, entertaining read with plenty of twists. Furthermore, Alex Bell is a new talent to be on the look-out for. Although her sophomore effort, Jasmyn, doesn't exactly float my boat, I'll give it a read anyway. Lex Trent sounds a little more my field, but a little hoaky at the same time. One way or another, I just read a really good book. Share the awesomeness.