Learning Curve (#8-13). Bendis really take USM to the next level with his second arc, and that's likely in part because the training wheels come off: we no longer know what's going to happen. But we also really get Bendis at his best, mixing together Peter and a crime narrative. The brutal reality of Ultimate Peter's life as Spider-Man is terrific, and so is his quest to take down the Kingpin. Meanwhile, we get improving characterization of supporting cast as Peter joins the Bugle, and then a terrific entire issue focusing on Peter and Mary [5/5]. This era of Spider-Man is just prime to me, Bendis took years of history and merged it all together to make a modern (of that time) take, use all the good stuff leave out all the bloated and just run with it. Irresponsible (#40-45). A pretty low-key volumes of USM. It's got a great expanding relationship among Peter, Mary, and Gwen. And it's got an interesting look into May's life. The story of a pseudo-mutant gone bad doesn't hold up to the rest until the X-Men join in, and then that becomes pretty delightful too. Not one of the most amazing volumes of USM, but interesting [4/5].

The artwork is terrible (so bad it's on here twice) to the point that they draw Peter Parker posing like a girl in his pants wtf!I will continue to avoid the ultimate marvel universe like the plague. The only thing worse than this is Ultimate X-Men and if you like that there's something wrong with you. Peter's coming of age and learning to live with _responsibility_ (and power) is handled with so much heart and crucially focuses on every aspect of his life, not just when he's in the Spidey suit. Aunt May is a standout character but so are Gwen Stacey and MJ. Both are modernised so that they're not idiot damsels who can't figure shit out for themselves. They challenge Peter.

So, during the course of this you get a speedy origin story, Peter Parker's closely protected home life, a rolling array of villains major and minor, and a gradual and credible interweaving of other Marvel stalwarts. There are a few things however which elevate this above perhaps any of its stablemates. Second, he is a smart kid. The story doesn't shy away from the fact that Parker cherishes his not quite genius-level intellect even though on the surface his powers are basically super-athleticism. And with the smart comes the tragedy of the Spiderman: the recognition of a responsibility to do what you can with the powers available to you. If only there were a snappy aphorism to convey that. Though he started as a writer and artist of independent noir fiction series, he shot to stardom as a writer of Marvel Comics' superhero books, particularly Ultimate Spider-Man.Bei aller Modernisierung hat Bendis an Peter Parkers Charakter festgehalten, der der unsichere Highschool-Schüler bleibt und mindestens soviel mit seinem Privatleben zu kämpfen hat wie als Spider-Man mit den Bösewichten; Ein sympathischer, tragischer Teenager, mit dem sich auch heute noch junge Menschen identifizieren können. Die Schule und die Bullies haben sich natürlich verändert, aber die Stimmungslage ist weitestgehend dieselbe geblieben. MJ und Gwen haben ihre Rollen tauschen müssen und die Kämpfe mit den albernsten Superschurken bleiben Spidey erspart (eine meiner Lieblingsszenen ist die, als Spidey mal wieder viel zu spät auftaucht um einen Superschurken zu stoppen und Iron Man den schon längst verarztet hat). First up a Wolverine and Spider-Man body switch that would be hilarious if it weren't presented right on the heels of the tragic Carnage. Second a Johnny Storm team-up that's really the best of the batch because it uses the High as its foundation and treats Johnny like a person.

And so begins the read of the record-breaking longest collaboration on a run in Marvel comics between a writer/artist duo. And possibly the most famous and acclaimed run on Spider-Man, outside of the original Stan Lee and Steve Ditko. Bendis is one of the premiere architects of Marvel's "Ultimate" line: comics specifically created for the new generation of comic readers. He has written every issue of Ultimate Spider-Man since its best-selling launch, and has also written for Ultimate Fantastic Four and Ultimate X-Men, as well as every issue of Ultimate Marvel Team-Up, Ultimate Origin and Ultimate Six. But Bendis has never been at his best in the big team books. He needs a personal point-of-view to excel, and we lose that here. Worse, the series bloated to be much too large, so it's pretty slow-moving. So, interesting-not-interesting I'd have to say. [3/5] Sorry to everyone who liked this, I really really really wanted to like it, but it just comes across with so little effort put into it.

Success!

The second volume of Bendis’s character revamp on Spider-Man is just as solid as the first, with constant payoff to things built up over the course of several issues, pacing that puts the 60s to shame and changes that work and feel fresh yet familiar, he somehow finds the balance. Fourth, its about youth, and the painful desire to cling to innocence as well as an urge to develop maturity. There are plenty of sexy bodies on display, some absurd and sexist along the way, but perhaps (I can't say) balanced by a fair share of opportunity to ogle the Spiderman physique. The girls in his life are minor roles, but then again so are the boys, and at least the girls fight their own good fights. These initial 6 arcs contained within these 39 issues vary from good (slightly dated) to wonderful. Letztendlich war es Bendis´ Name, der mich zu diesem Omnibus greifen ließ, und ich habe es nicht bereut. L'araignée radioactive? Elle vient D'Osborne Corporation. Plusieurs scientifiques qui formeront la galerie de vilains de Spiderman y sont aussi, mais se retrouvent sans emploi quand Norman Osborne devient le Green Goblin. Bref, on a un beau fil conducteur qui était absent des comics originaux.