What You Need To Know:

• Ultimate Spider-Man is an alternate continuity of Spider-Man stories that take place in the Ultimate Marvel Comics universe.

• This new omnibus collection, reprinted in 2022, collects issues 1-39 in massive hardback form.

• Written exclusively by Brian Michael Bendis, this collection contains some of the most influential and important modern Spider-Man stories.

• Amazing art by Mark Bagley will have the eyes concentrated on the book throughout every story.

In the minds of younger readers, an older story can be intimidating or wearisome to read. In the minds of older readers, an older story can be disappointing to revisit without wearing the rose-colored glasses of nostalgia. The creation of the Ultimate Comics universe, a separate continuity of the central Marvel Comics universe, led to new interpretations of classic characters for a new generation of comic book readers. The Ultimate canon would last from 2000 to 2015, and one of the most critically acclaimed and financially successful titles was Ultimate Spider-Man. The flagship book for the line, writer Brian Michael Bendis, and artists Mark Bagley and Stuart Immonen had a run of 160 issues for 11 years. Working on a single comic for longer than a decade is an achievement for any creative team, and it should speak for the quality of their work. This review is covering the first omnibus, a collection of issues 1-39, which was released earlier this year (coincidentally less than a month after the theatrical release of Spider-Man: No Way Home). It is a nice hardcover collection that is typical of the quality of Marvel comics releases. 

Expanding on Peter Parker’s origin story, this collection includes a 180-page revision of the creation of Spider-Man and the death of Uncle Ben. Villains of major storylines include the Kingpin, Doctor Octopus, Green Goblin, and Venom. Minor villains show up throughout the omnibus as well, with appearances from Rhino, Shocker, Kraven the Hunter, an imposter Spider-Man, and Electro. Peter Parker’s relationships with Mary Jane Watson, Gwen Stacy, Aunt May, Harry Osborn, and Eddie Brock are explored with changes from their original universe counterparts. Bendis’ long-term storytelling is masterful in setting up character arcs that develop naturally. His character writing is realistic for his target audience to enjoy, while older adult fans can enjoy the touches he puts into the dialogue. While there are more than outdated pop culture references sprinkled throughout, the writing of Ultimate Spider-Man, along with the amazing artwork, will continue to stand the test of time. 

Peter Parker’s character development is wonderful throughout this omnibus. Even though his haircut makes him look like he’s a member of the Backstreet Boys (which oddly has come back in style) the inner monologuing of his thoughts is relatable to anyone who’s been a teenager. Regardless of his superpowers, Parker is just a teenager at heart. Nick Fury repeatedly says to “enjoy your youth” anytime he crosses paths with both personas. While I am still a young buck in his university years, hearing that might have made me do more self-reflection, which Peter does many times after major events. His conversations with childhood friend Eddie Brock (whose design is also one of the most outdated, including a blonde soul patch) are conversations that I could have right now in the modern-day. His relationship with Mary Jane Watson, while very much a teenager relationship, is very well written, and the reader can tell that they’re very mature for their age.

I think the most compelling change made to the original source material is Peter’s aforementioned relationship with Eddie Brock and the creation of the Venom suit. Brock being a childhood friend instead of being a journalist leads to a better connection between the characters. Brock and Parker have a big brother, little brother dynamic, which is fitting since Brock is in college and Parker is still in high school. Their conversations are intriguing to listen to, and Brock’s motivations for doing what he did is justified. I find their friendship to be more interesting than Parker’s and Harry Osborn's. Osborn is a friend of Parker in this omnibus, but he comes and goes throughout the course of each story arc. Even though Osborn has always been portrayed as his best friend in various types of media, Brock and Parker’s history in this story is much more extensive.

Rather than being an alien from an unknown planet, in this arc, it’s a suit that was created to help cure cancer. The suit was created by Parker’s and Brock’s parents, and the suit is the last remnant of their work. The suit is unknown to the corporation they created it for. When Brock first showed Parker the high-security storage containing the suit, Brock described it as “our inheritance”. Using science in bad taste isn’t something new, but the commentary on big pharma and manipulative science holds up. The search for the cure for cancer is still ongoing, but Ultimate Spider-Man brings to light the hiding of a cure for sake of profit. If I were reading this as a child, I likely would have never caught the commentary, which is why I’m glad when I revisit childhood media as an adult. 

Mark Bagley did the artwork for Ultimate Spider-Man consistently until issue 111. It still is the longest collaboration between a writer and artist for any Marvel comic book. His artwork is among some of the best I’ve had the pleasure of viewing. I don’t think his work can compare to the grandiose and museum-worthy work of someone such as Alex Ross, but his art isn’t in that style. His updates and redesigns of these classic characters are admirable at best and passable at worst. Spider-Man’s costume is an excellent update to the original design while keeping the aspects of what made the original iconic. Venom, Doctor Octopus, Kraven, and the Kingpin all have updated designs, but are similar to their original counterparts. More radical redesigns such as Rhino and Green Goblin have new backstories to go along with them. Green Goblin is portrayed more as a Hulk-like monster, but the radical shift in presentation helped create a more intimidating foe for Spider-Man. I found Shocker and Electro to be among the more corny designs, but I have a soft spot for that Shocker design because the Ultimate Spider-Man video game makes him look like a complete joke. The backgrounds, along with the colors, exhibit bright primaries and dark shadows, and it’s a wonderful contrasty look. 

The largest hesitancy I had when revisiting and rediscovering Ultimate Spider-Man was the worry of the stories and characters being outdated. To my surprise, those stories and characters were timeless in the execution. The amazing art only elevated the engaging storytelling. There are a lot of people that hold Ultimate Spider-Man in high regard, and I am now one of these people. I’m glad that Marvel has started to release these omnibus collections of this series again. The second omnibus is due for release later this year, along with the third coming early next year. There are a ton of great stories to get your hands on with this collection, and you will likely enjoy every minute of it. There is not a bad story that stands out, and the consistency of quality is outstanding. Be sure to pick up this omnibus if it’s on sale and before they go out of print.