Ultimate Comics Spider-Man vol. 4: The Death of Spider-Man
It’s finally here (in softcover) and yes, the title character does die at the end. I can’t say that I’ve been looking forward to it as the title has been as creatively strong as ever, as seen in its previous volume, and the editorially-mandated origin of the story is abundantly clear. I’ve read stories both good (“Schism”) and bad (“Flashpoint”) that have had that editorially-driven nature about them and this one comes off somewhere in the middle. The bottom line is that this whole story is a manufactured device to kill the main character, but it still manages some graceful and clever bits in its execution.
If nothing else, the means of his demise was both unexpected and logical (so if you don’t want it spoiled for you, skip to the next paragraph). You see, way back when the “Ultimate Six” mini-series came out writer Brian Michael Bendis stated that the Ultimate Universe version of the Sinister Six would be way too much for a teenage Peter Parker to handle on his own. So the story effectively became a team-up between the character and The Ultimates. Though most of its members eventually resurfaced individually later on, they’ve never re-teamed. Until now, that is. In a twist that should surprise absolutely no one, Norman Osborn didn’t die after being shot in the head all those volumes ago and has only recently regained consciousness… along with his powers much to the surprise of everyone on the Triskelion. Now he, along with the new members of the Sinister Six, are out to finish off Spider-Man once and for all.
Now if you’ve read “Ultimate Avengers vs. New Ultimates” you’ll also know that at the same time all this is going on, the two teams are busy punching each other in the face. So there’s actually a logical reason for why our hero has to go it alone. Regrettably, the fact that Parker was shot in that title isn’t given any more significance than it was there. While the fact that he throws himself in front of a bullet meant for Captain America’s kneecaps is very much in character, it comes off as a needles bit of tension in light of the larger-than-life threats who already have him in their sights. I also feel the need to point out that after having read this, the fact that Mark Millar had Parker get shot saving Cap from a non-life-threatening injury was a real dick move on his part. Would it have been that hard to give the Punisher some dialogue stating that he was going for a headshot?.
However, the story itself also has a number of plot holes and inconsistencies to contend with. The fact that S.H.I.E.L.D. failed to account for the return of the main villain’s powers is one example. Then you’ve also got Captain America’s “training” session which consists mainly of a lecture on the need to not rush into situations like an idiot that serves as a really ham-fisted example of foreshadowing. This is then followed by a remarkable display of oblivousness on his part as Cap rushes off to confront Fury’s team in the city in a way that practically begs for Parker to follow along. Just so you know, everything I described here is in the first issue! There aren’t as many of these in the rest of the arc, though the display of super-duper strength in the final chapter is pretty ridiculous, but the fact that these are here at all really drives home the fact that the story’s only objective is to kill the main character at all costs. It also has the side effect of making you wonder if the strain of writing more than four titles a month is starting to get to Bendis.
Speaking of which, I’ve read more issues of Spider-Man written by him than just about any other superhero save for Batman, and maybe Wolverine. His is certainly the longest run dedicated to a single character in my collection and that comes to an end with this volume. Let me say that there was never a time when I felt like I was buying these collections out of obligation, the twenty-six volumes (and change) he wrote about Ultimate Spider-Man (though at this point I guess we have to qualify this part of his run as “Ultimate Peter Parker’s”) were thoroughly entertaining and the single best modern update of a character I’ve seen.
Yet… after over 160 issues, I have to wonder just what kind of story Bendis was trying to tell here. You hear all the time about writers who have grand plans for the characters they wanted to write for that were cut down because of editorial conflicts or low sales, but that didn’t happen with this title. I wanted to think that Bendis had a definite story he wanted to tell with Ultimate Spider-Man, but at this point it feels like he’s just writing the character to keep writing the character and the goal is to not get cancelled. Looking at the story in this volume, it’s really hard to see it as any kind of organic conclusion to the struggles of the character that were started way back in the early aughts. It’s essentially a mechanism to facilitate the arrival of a new take on the character that will hopefully boost sales.
It may sound hard to believe after reading all that, but I didn’t hate the story being told in this volume. After writing the character for so long, Bendis has an iron-clad grasp on the characterization and voice of the title character and there’s plenty of entertainment to be had from seeing how he reacts to everything that’s put in front of him. The same goes for his supporting cast, as the crisis brings out the best in Aunt May, Mary Jane, Gwen Stacy, the Human Torch and Iceman, and the main villain demonstrates the insanity that has driven him to this point in spectacularly gonzo fashion.
Even though the story itself doesn’t feel like it was planned in any way to be the natural conclusion to the character’s tale, Bendis does manage to bring things full circle at the end. Peter’s last words to Aunt May really do get to the core of the character and the tragedy that has driven his superhero career all these years. Adding to the “full circle” feel is the art of Mark Bagley, who drew the series for 110 consecutive issues and returns to draw the final story here. He was never the flashiest or most spectacular of artists, but Bagley defined the look of the series and was responsible for most of its best stories. Seeing his work here is a fitting capstone to the title.
Except it’s not over yet. “Ultimate Fallout” comes next with the introduction of Miles Morales who will be taking up the Spider-Man mantle. I should be seeing with fanboy rage at the thought of someone replacing Peter Parker, but while I enjoyed the take on the character here it was never the man himself that kept me coming back to the title. It was Bendis and I’ll be onboard to see where he goes with Miles. We can only hope that what he does with him will be good enough to sustain another 160 issues of writing the character for the sake of writing it.