Ultimate Spider-Man

'Ultimate Spider-Man'
File:Usmcover1.jpg Cover of Ultimate Spider-Man #1.
Publication information
Publisher	Marvel Comics' "Ultimate" imprint
Schedule	Monthly
Format	Ongoing
Publication date	October 2000
Main character(s)	Peter Parker aka. Spider-man
Creative team
Created by	Brian Michael Bendis Mark Bagley.

Ultimate Spider-Man is a superhero comic book series published by Marvel Comics. The series is a modernized reimagining of Marvel's long-running Spider-Man comic book franchise. Ultimate Spider-Man is set outside the Marvel Universe continuity, in the Ultimate Marvel Universe, which it introduced.

Ultimate Spider-Man first saw print in 2000 under veteran Spider-Man artist Mark Bagley and writer Brian Michael Bendis, who expanded original 11-page origin story into a 180-page story arc. This duo has been collaborating to this day. Upon completion of issue #103, the two will break the record for the longest continuous collaboration between a writer and an artist on one title, a record previously held by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby for Fantastic Four.

History of Ultimate Spider-Man

Beginning

Ultimate Spider-Man was the first series to be published in the Ultimate Marvel line. Publisher Bill Jemas wanted to reinvent the Marvel Universe because he felt that, with over 40 years of backstory, it had become inaccessible to new readers, and he wanted to start with a reinvented Spider-Man. Initially, Marvel Editor-in-Chief Joe Quesada was skeptical because 1998's Spider-Man: Chapter One, a previous attempt at re-envisioning Spider-Man's early adventures that failed both critically and commercially. [1]. Marvel writer David Mack suggested indie writer Brian Michael Bendis, who Jemas and Quesada chose to write the new series[2]. Marvel approached veteran Spider-Man artist Mark Bagley, who initially was not interested in joining the project and turned it down several times before signing [3].

In the first storyline, "Power and Responsibility" (Ultimate Spider-Man #1-7), Bendis presents a revamped version of the Spider-Man origin story first printed in Amazing Fantasy #15. Fifteen-year-old Peter Parker is less lonely than in the original story, but he is bullied. Orphaned as a child, Peter is raised by hipper, more assertive versions of Aunt May and Uncle Ben. Peter is a pupil at Midtown High School, a classmate of of Mary Jane Watson, Liz Allen, and Harry Osborn. Harry protects Peter against bullies Flash Thompson and new character Kenny "Kong" McFarlane. Harry's father Norman Osborn owns the laboratory where Peter is bitten, and in trying to duplicate the drug's effects becomes Spider-Man's villain.

The original Amazing Fantasy #15 story is only 11 pages long, but Bendis retells it as a a 180-page, seven-part story arc in which Peter Parker becomes Spider-Man only after issue #5. Bagley was at first wary of Bendis' notoriously slow pace in advancing plot, describing it as a "real shock" at first [4]. Previously, Jemas intended the comic to feature single-issue arcs only, but Bendis chose his own way [5].

"Power and Responsibility" was greeted with enthusiasm from fans and critics, sold well, and gave Ultimate Marvel a boost in credibility. After the release of Ultimate Spider-Man, Quesada and Jemas broadened the Ultimate Marvel line with Ultimate X-Men, the Ultimates, and the Ultimate Fantastic Four. Ultimate Spider-Man #1 was voted the "ninth-greatest Marvel Comic of All Time" in 2001 by readers of Wizard: The Guide to Comics. In addition to critical success, Ultimate Spider-Man grew to outsell the flagship Spider-Man title, Amazing Spider-Man (reference: Diamond Comics [6]).

Establishing the series

Following "Power and Responsibility" is "Learning Curve" (Ultimate Spider-Man #8-13), in which Spider-Man fights the Kingpin and his henchmen, the Enforcers and Electro. Bendis describes issue #13, in which Peter tells Mary Jane his secret identity, as his favourite issue because it shows the trust the Ultimate Marvel office had in him [7]. In the "Double Trouble" storyline (Ultimate Spider-Man #14-21), Peter meets J. Jonah Jameson and gains employment as a web designer, rather than as a photographer, for The Daily Bugle; fights Doctor Octopus, Justin Hammer, and Kraven The Hunter; and meets a tough, street smart Gwen Stacy. In "Legacy" (Ultimate Spider-Man #22-27), Peter fights the the monstrous, mutated Norman Osborn again, assisted by Nick Fury. Reception and sales stayed strong, helped by the fact that Bendis and Bagley quickly found chemistry and liked working with each other [8].

In "Public Scrutiny" (Ultimate Spider-Man #28-32), a Spider-Man copycat killer terrorizes the public, and Gwen's father is killed, retelling his death from Amazing Spider-Man #90 (1970). Bendis, disliking the mainstream Venomand its extraterrestrial origin, completely reinvents the character in "Venom" (Ultimate Spider-Man #33-39). [9] Peter meets Eddie Brock, a bright but irresponsible student who owns an experimental Venom balm that Eddie's and Peter's fathers invented while working on a cure for cancer.

In "Irresponsible" (Ultimate Spider-Man #40-45), Spider-Man meets the X-Men and fights the first original Ultimate Spider-Man villain, a mutant pyrokinetic named Geldoff. "Cats & Kings" (Ultimate Spider-Man #47-53) features two stories. The first reimagines a plotline from Amazing Spider-Man #91 (1970), about a corrupt politician named Sam Bullit; the second features Elektra and Black Cat. Bagley considers his artistic work on the depictions of the two women as among the finest he has done on this series [10]. Ultimate Spider-Man #46 is a prelude to Ultimate Six, a limited series about the Ultimate version of the Sinister Six and a crossover with The Ultimates.

Spider-Man 2 and video game tie-ins

The "Hollywood" (Ultimate Spider-Man #54-59) storyline is a parody of the then-upcoming movie Spider-Man 2. In the story, an unauthorized film is in production about Spider-Man with Dr. Octopus as the main villain. The film's male lead Tobey Maguire and director Sam Raimi and Marvel-movie head Avi Arad appear in cameo roles.

In "Carnage" (Ultimate Spider-Man #60-65), Bendis reinvents the Carnage character, writing him as a vampiric monster derived from a blood sample from Peter Parker. Carnage murders Gwen Stacy, and Peter blames himself for it.

"Superstars" (Ultimate Spider-Man #66-71) depicts Peter meeting Doctor Strange, Johnny Storm and Wolverine. In "Hobgoblin" (Ultimate Spider-Man #72-78), Peter fights Harry Osborn, who becomes the Hobgoblin. "Warriors" (Ultimate Spider-Man #79-85) features a gang war in which Hammerhead, Iron Fist, Shang-Chi, and Moon Knight are embroiled. The story also introduces the NYPD Captain Jean DeWolff. Ultimate Spider-Man Annual #1 (October 2005) introduces a romance between Peter Parker and Kitty Pryde of the X-Men.

"Silver Sable" (Ultimate Spider-Man #86-90) introduces the female mercenary of the same name. This arc ties in to another Spider-Man product, the Ultimate Spider-Man video game that came out at that time (see below).

"Deadpool" (Ultimate Spider-Man #91-93) features Deadpool and his Reavers, and "Morbius" (Ultimate Spider-Man #94-96) features Morbius and Blade. Miles Warren appears as Aunt May's love interest. The "Clone Saga" is a retelling of the controversial mainstream Marvel story arc of the same name.

As of July 2006, Bagley and Bendis have collaborated for 97 successive issues. If they make it together to issue 103, they will break the all time Marvel record of Stan Lee and Jack Kirby for Fantastic Four.

Commercial success

Ultimate Spider-Man quickly established itself as a hit comic. The following table shows the development of comic sales in comparison with the mainstream title, Amazing Spider-Man (reference: Diamond Comics [11]).

Date	Ultimate Spider-Man	Amazing Spider-Man
April 2001	78028	71392
April 2002	84485	99273
April 2003	103531	96624
April 2004	91585	83152
April 2005	83940	78535
April 2006	72831	86884

Characters

Spider-Man/Peter Parker

Fifteen-year-old Peter Parker is a shy, intelligent high school student who lives in Forest Hills, Queens, New York City, with his Uncle Ben and Aunt May Parker. On a science field trip to Osborn Industries, a genetically altered spider bites Peter. Instead of dying as expected, Peter inherits the spider's abilities, including increased strength, agility, and reflexes, the ability to cling to walls, and a precognitive "spider sense" that warns him of danger. During a fight at his school, Peter accidentally breaks a boy's hand. He earns money to pay off the resulting medical bill by wrestling professionally in a costume the promoters provide. A burglar Peter refuses to stop later kills Peter's uncle Ben, and Peter, wracked with guilt, modifies his wrestling costume and dedicates his life to fight crime. Peter tries to balance school, a job, a girlfriend, his aunt May, and his life as Spider-Man, which proves to be difficult.

For detailed plot synopses, see Ultimate Spider-Man (story arcs).

Supporting cast

File:Usm78.jpg

Promotional art for Ultimate Spider-Man #78, featuring Spider-Man and Mary Jane. Art by Mark Bagley.

• May Parker is a pillar of strength for Peter. She is a very independent woman in her 50s who works as a secretary. She regularly sees a therapist to deal with her feelings after Ben's death. May hates Spider-Man because she believes he has no regard for innocent bystanders and hides his face behind a mask.
• Ben Parker is a gentle, intelligent man who tells Peter that power comes with responsibility. He is killed by a burglar in the series' first story arc. It is hinted at the end of Issue 4: With Great Power and revealed in Issue 5: Life Lessons.
• Mary Jane Watson is Peter's best friend and next-door neighbor. She is the first person Peter tells about his being Spider-Man, and she sews Peter's spare costumes. Although Peter and Mary Jane love each other, Peter's life as Spider-Man is a burden on their relationship.
• Harry Osborn is the troubled son of Norman Osborn. He witnesses the accident that turns his father into the Green Goblin. His father brainwashes him into repressing memories. Disturbed by witnessing his father's "death", he begins to "see things", turns into an orange monster, and is defeated by Spider-Man. As the Hobgoblin, his powers are similar to the Green Goblin's.
• Peter works at the Daily Bugle newspaper as a web designer. His boss is J. Jonah Jameson, the editor-in-chief who hates Spider-Man and runs a smear campaign against him. His most important employees are his right-hand man Robbie Robertson and Ben Urich, the Bugle's star reporter whose articles helped take down the Kingpin. Betty Brant is one of the secretaries.
• Gwen Stacy is streetwise girl who befriends Peter and Mary Jane. Her father is NYPD Captain John Stacy, who has romantic feelings for Aunt May. He is killed by a criminal in a Spider-Man suit, and she blames the real Spider-Man for his death. Aunt May opens her and Peter's home to Gwen after Gwen's mother refuses to take her. While living with the Parkers, Gwen is killed by Carnage, which instills Peter with even more guilt.
• At Midtown High School, Peter often meets Liz Allen, Mary Jane's best friend, Fred "Flash" Thompson, a bully who torments Peter, and his best friend Kenny McFarlane ("Kong"), who joins Flash in picking on Peter, but is a big fan of Spider-Man.
• Kitty Pryde is a member of the X-Men who dates Peter after he breaks up with Mary Jane. Kitty wears a green and yellow masked costume so that she can fight alongside Peter as Spider-Man.
• The Black Cat, Felicia Hardy, the blames her father's death on the Kingpin. Taking revenge, she steals a priceless artifact that he was going to use on his comatose wife. Hardy is interested in Spider-Man romantically, but when she sees that he is a pimply 15-year-old boy, she vomits on his costume.
• Nick Fury, the head of S.H.I.E.L.D., wants Peter to join the Ultimates when he is an adult. He is tough, powerful and connected.
• Dr. Curt Conners is a professor at Empire State University who sponsors Eddie Brock's Venom project. He tries to re-grow the arm he lost in the Vietnam War with lizard DNA, and he accidentally becomes the Lizard. Using a sample of Peter's blood, he inadvertently creates Carnage.
• Jeanne de Wolfe is a captain in NYPD. She offers support and comfort to Peter whenever the strain of being a crimefighter becomes too much for him. She is secretly working for the Kingpin.

Minor appearances were made by Iron Fist, Johnny Storm, Mark Raxton, Ben Reilly, Shang-Chi, Doctor Strange, Moon Knight and Sharon Carter.

Villains

File:Usm26goblin.jpeg

Promotional art for Ultimate Spider-Man #26, Spider-Man vs. Green Goblin. Art by Mark Bagley.

• Green Goblin, Norman Osborn, is the unscrupulous CEO of Oscorp. He develops an experimental drug called "OZ". After witnessing Peter's spider bite and seeing the resulting effects that OZ has on him, Osborn injects OZ into his body. He is changed into an insane, powerful monster
• The Kingpin Wilson Fisk is the head of New York corporate crime. Fisk's wife is in a coma.
• The Enforcers are a group of henchmen that includes "Mr. Big" Frederick Foswell, lasso-wielding "Montana" Bale, strongman Bruno "Ox" Sanchez and gunslinger "Fancy Dan" Rubinstein.
• Electro, one of the Kingpin's hitmen, gained his powers from genetic tampering.
• Doctor Octopus, Dr. Otto Octavius, is one of Osborn's scientists and an industrial spy. The four cybernetic arms he uses to manipulate hazardous matter were permanently melded to his flesh in the explosion that turns Osborn into the Green Goblin.
• Kraven The Hunter, Sergei Kravinoff, is the host of an action reality show. He wants to kill Spider-Man to boost his ratings. After his defeat, he tampers with his DNA to become a gruesome wolf-like monster.
• Venom, Eddie Brock Jr., is a university student who was Peter's childhood friend. He is the son of Peter's father's long-time collaborator on an experimental power-increasing balm code-named Venom. Eddie comes into contact with Venom and becomes a super-strong monster. He goes insane and is gunned down by the police.
• Ultimate Carnage is a vampiric abomination created when Dr. Curt Conners experiments on Peter’s blood and some of the material from the Venom project. Needing to feed on others constantly to repair his damaged DNA, he kills Gwen Stacy.
• Deadpool is a mercenary employed by the mutant-hating island nation of Genosha to hunt and kill the X-Men. He abducts and fights Spider-Man as a bonus.
• Silver Sable is a mercenary who leads a group called the Wild Pack. Sable had a troubled childhood, ignored by her father and abused by her alcoholic mother. Her father hunted Nazis, and she forgave him at his deathbed and decided to follow in his footsteps.
• Scorpion a crazed Scorpion is unmasked while trashing the mall by Spider-man only to reveal Peter himself?

Minor villains were Geldoff, a teenager from Latveria who can psionically cause explosions, Justin Hammer, a businessman specialized in illegal genetic tampering, mutant mob boss Hammerhead, Tinker-er, Vulture and Shocker. Additionally, Boomerang, the Punisher, the Gladiator, Rhino, Omega Red, Killer Shrike, the Beetle, Nightmare, Bonebreaker and the Ringer appeared as villains in cameo roles. Mysterio briefly appeared as part of the Spider-Man movie that was made in Ultimate Spider-Man #54-59.

People who know Peter Parker is Spider-Man

In Ultimate Spider-Man, quite a few people know that Peter Parker is Spider-Man. The people who know Peter's secret include Dr. Curt Conners, Dr. Strange, Nick Fury and high-level S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, the Ultimates, Harry Osborn, Gwen Stacy, Eddie Brock, Norman Osborn, Dr. Octopus, Electro, the X-Men, and Mary Jane Watson. People who unmask Spider-Man but do not know his name include Kingpin, Black Cat, the Enforcers, Morbius, Silver Sable and her Wild Pack and Donald Roxxon.

Video game

Main article: Ultimate Spider-Man (video game)

Released September 23, 2005, the Ultimate Spider-Man video game focuses on the return of Venom three months after his fight with Spider-Man. The striking thing about this game that it is canonical: the video game contains elements which affect the future Ultimate Spider-Man comics.

Trivia

• In the Double Trouble arc, a reporter called "Eddie Brock" is mentioned as a reporter for the Daily Globe. Later, in the Venom arc, Eddie Brock appears as a college student who - after Peter tells him about his job - states he would really want to work at a newspaper. In the German version of Ultimate Spider-Man, this was explained that these two were two different persons sharing a fairly common name, and that the first Eddie Brock was a nod to the mainstream, adult Eddie Brock. Bendis has stated that when the Double Trouble arc came out, he was still unsure how to portray the Ultimate version of Eddie, and he thought about making him a reporter like in the Marvel Universe. However he later changed his mind and explains the Double Trouble Eddie Brock like the German version does. That said, when looking up Eddie on the Internet White Pages, Peter comes up with only one result, the Eddie Brock who eventually becomes Venom.
• Marvel were not initially sure Sony would let them do a parody of the Spider-Man movie, so they made alternate plans to have the parody movie star "Arachno-Man" (with a yellow costume) and even had issue 54 all drawn up before they got the go-ahead for the parody. Issue 54 was later re-released as a limited edition "Arachno-Man variant" with Arachno-Man in the movie instead, and Arachno-Man is an unlockable costume in the Ultimate Spider-Man game (see below).
• Writer Brian Michael Bendis seems to have some difficulties naming his secondary characters consistently. Mary Jane's father is sometimes called "Greg", then "Craig", and Kenny McFarlane was first called "Clifford Harlan" and then "Kenny". His nickname was once referred to as King Kong and never again. Peter's dead father has also been called Ray and Richard, although Ray is sometimes used as a nickname for Richard.
• The Hobgoblin arc issues #72-78 (2005) marks nine months since Peter was bit by the genetically altered spider in Ultimate Spider-Man #1 (2000) Bendis has stated that he would like to age Peter a year every 100 issues.
• In Issue #88, when Peter is being asked to open his bag, a policeman can be seen searching another student's bag and finding a copy of Alan Moore's Watchmen Trade Paperback. The Watchmen copy is later blacked-out in the collected edition.

Marvel references and cameos

Brian Michael Bendis works many references to both Marvel staff Marvel Universe characters into the scripts for Ultimate Spider-Man. Ross Andru is the principal of Peter's school. Ross Andru was a long-time Spider-Man artist. Spider-Man 2 movie stars Avi Arad, Sam Raimi and Tobey Maguire appear as themselves in the Hollywood arc. In issue #88, Mark Raxton mentions that he plays in a club called "The Romita". John Romita Sr. and John Romita Jr. are long-time Spider-Man artists. In the Learning Curve arc, Peter writes an e-mail using the name Arthur Simek. Simek was a Silver Age letterer for Marvel Comics. He gets a reply from someone named Sam Rosen. Sam Rosen is Marvel's other prominent Silver Age letterer. In the Ultimate Spider-Man Annual, Peter receives an e-mail from someone named Ralph Macchio. Macchio is the series' editor. In the same issue, Peter surfs the Jinxworld forums, the website of USM writer Brian Michael Bendis.

Tandy Bowen (Dagger) appears as the student council president of Peter's school. Patsy Walker is mentioned frequently: as a security firm's spokeswoman in issue #11, as a Maxim swimsuit model in issue #14, on TV presenting a biography of Doctor Strange in issue #70, and as the host of a talk show in issue #16. In issue #53, Peter Parker browses the names of known cat-burglars, and it includes a number of names for Marvel Universe characters: Abner Jenkins (Beetle), Benjamin Poindexter (Bullseye), Carradine (the burglar who kills Uncle Ben), Cletus Kasady (Carnage), Dmitri Smerdyakov (Chameleon), Hobie Brown (Prowler), Rick Lawson (Prowler II), Thomas Fireheart (Puma), and Martin Blank (Gibbon). In issue #78, Mary Jane meets Mark Raxton, who in the Marvel Universe is the villain Molten Man. At a concert, he plays the song "You are my Molten Man". In the "Hobgoblin Story Arc, Harry enters his father's secret hideout, and the Green Goblin masks from Ultimate Spider-Man, the Marvel Universe titles, and the Spider-Man films are visible. In Silver Sable, Damage Control appear with a benign Wrecking Crew as their clean-up men.

Bibliography

• Ultimate Spider-Man #1— ,1/2, Annual (October 200— )
• Ultimate Spider-Man video game

Ultimate Spider-Man has been collected in the following trade paperbacks:

Title	Material collected	ISBN
Volume 1: Power and Responsibility	Ultimate Spider-Man #1-7	ISBN 078510786X
Volume 2: Learning Curve	Ultimate Spider-Man #8-13	ISBN 0785108203
Volume 3: Double Trouble	Ultimate Spider-Man #14-21	ISBN 0785108793
Volume 4: Legacy	Ultimate Spider-Man #22-27	ISBN 0785109684
Volume 5: Public Scrutiny	Ultimate Spider-Man #28-32	ISBN 0785110879
Volume 6: Venom	Ultimate Spider-Man #33-39	ISBN 0785110941
Volume 7: Irresponsible	Ultimate Spider-Man #40-45	ISBN 0785110925
Volume 8: Cats & Kings	Ultimate Spider-Man #47-53	ISBN 0785112502
Volume 9: Ultimate Six	Ultimate Spider-Man #46; Ultimate Six #1-7	ISBN 0785113126
Volume 10: Hollywood	Ultimate Spider-Man #54-59	ISBN 0785114025
Volume 11: Carnage	Ultimate Spider-Man #60-65	ISBN 0785114033
Volume 12: Superstars	Ultimate Spider-Man #66-71	ISBN 078511629X
Volume 13: Hobgoblin	Ultimate Spider-Man #72-78	ISBN 0785116478
Volume 14: Warriors	Ultimate Spider-Man #79-85	ISBN 078511680X
Volume 15: Silver Sable	Ultimate Spider-Man Annual; Ultimate Spider-Man #86-90	ISBN 0785116818
Volume 16: Deadpool	Ultimate Spider-Man #91-96	ISBN 0785119272

Ultimate Spider-Man also has been collected in the following hardcovers:

Volume #	Material collected	ISBN
1	Ultimate Spider-Man #1-13	ISBN 078510898X
2	Ultimate Spider-Man #14-27	ISBN 0785110615
3	Ultimate Spider-Man #28-39, 1/2	ISBN 0785111565
4	Ultimate Spider-Man #40-45, 47-53	ISBN 0785112499
5	Ultimate Spider-Man #46, 54-59; Ultimate Six #1-7,	ISBN 0785114017
6	Ultimate Spider-Man #60-71	ISBN 0785118411
7	Ultimate Spider-Man #72-85	ISBN 078512148X

Future developments

Template:Spoiler-solicitation*Peter will turn 16 in issue 100 (it will lead into a 3-part storyline involving Kitty and Mary Jane.)

• A new version of the contoversial Clone Saga has also been announced to begin in issue 97 and end in issue 104. Scorpion, Tarantula, Spider-Girl, Spider-Woman and an unrevealed character will be making their Ultimate debut. Also mentioned by Bendis is that the blood sample being snuck out by Ben Reilly as well as the blood sample taken from Norman Osborn in the first story arc will play a central role. The Fantastic Four, The X-Men and The Ultimates will all make appearances and have active roles in trying to help Peter-or stop Peter-from whatever's going on.
• Brian Michael Bendis has confirmed that Kitty Pryde will play a major role in Spider-Man's future romantic plots, setting up a love triangle with Peter standing between her and Mary Jane Watson. The Ultimate X-Men comic has acknowledged this connection between the two heroes, though they only touched on their relationship briefly.
• Bendis also said that Peter will learn more of the plane crash that claimed his parents' lives [12].
• Ultimate Spider-man Annual #2 will feature the Kingpin, Daredevil, The Punisher,and Moon Knight. It will also feature the Ultimate debut of Ultimate Kangaroo.
• It's been announced at Comic-Con 2006 that Gwen Stacy will return in issue #98
• It has also been announced that in issue 101, the Ultimate rendition of Carnage will return in what is described as being the beginning of the most important chapter of Peter's life. [13]

See also

• Ultimate Marvel Team-Up
• Ultimate Six
• Ultimate Spider-Man (story arcs)
• Ultimate Spider-Man (video game)

External links

• Ultimate Spider-Man on www.spiderfan.org
• Ultimate Spider-Man overview at Spyder-25.com
• Spider-Man Crawl Space, All Spidey, All The Time
• Ultimate Spider-Man @ ULTIMATE X
• Spider-Man fan page