About Heroes

This Review Was Submitted by Muuurgh

Writer: Brain Michael Bendis
Pencils: Mark Bagley

This review is not spoiler-free.

Oh man, how I love Ultimate Spider-Man. This is almost always the first comic I read on the week that it's out because it's a great, fun read from start to finish, and of course, Bagley's art compliments Bendis's writing quite perfectly.

Let's start from the beginning. Namely the cover. Namely the title. "Clone Saga" doesn't mean too much to me. Since I started choosing my own titles for myself in 1995 (when I was in third grade), I didn't get to be a part of the glory days, nor did I get off to a good start. But, for an eight year-old kid, Spider-Man having a CLONE of all things was pretty damn sweet. Previous to '95 I had been reading Eastman and Laird's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and some Batman and Robin titles here and there via my brother who is seven years older than me, and one day I stepped into a Waldenbooks and saw Sensational Spider-Man #1. Spider-Man had a new costume, and it looked awesome... and it so had to be mine. Soon I learned a little bit about the cloning and this Ben Reilly guy, and also enjoyed getting back issues with the Scarlet Spider.

So the Clone Saga meant coolness for a third-grader, and I refuse to go back and read those books now because with all the bantering I read about the clone saga I absolutely refuse to smash my childhood memories. If it means anything I had many spells where I'd buy the book and just not read it because it got boring. Then I'd start skimming five books deep.

Back to me loving Bendis. I think he's going to pull it off ingeniously. Maybe people have doubts, but I have been a fan of every single one of his issues from my first Ultimate Spider-Man issue... namely #3 (I got word about it a little late).

On to the actual comic!
- Okay, I'm glad about what happened in this issue involving Peter's love triangle. To let you know, I am a fan of the idea of a Kitty/Peter relationship. It's been fun thus far, and I have been waiting for it to be a little more like the MJ/Peter relationship. It hasn't gotten there. Kitty is distinctly not MJ, and I don't enjoy reading her talking to Peter as much. This may seem sort of contradictory to what I just said about LIKING Kitty/Peter, but it’s more of me just wanting to see it develop and work out a bit more… and have Peter date an X-Man. The issue confirmed my belief that Kitty’s not as, bluntly, cool as MJ. Her reaction to Peter confiding in MJ for comfort is very understandable and real, as is Peter saying that he has no friends. The last revelation by Kitty is one that is important to their relationship, and at the end of the argument the reader effectively has no idea what’s going to happen between them. Finally, during the MJ/Peter lunch, Peter confirms my feelings about the Kitty/Peter relationship: “Honestly. She doesn’t even know me.” PERFECT. I couldn’t have put it any better. The whole lunch scene reminded me why I liked MJ: she's just as quippy as Peter. Bendis seems to write lines that are the most ideal and natural when Peter and MJ talk.

- I found Aunt May and Peter’s few lines to be a little odd. It’s almost as if she didn’t know that Peter has a new girlfriend. Just how long was she at the doctor’s anyway?

- The Scorpion fight was classic work by the dynamic duo. The cops go crazy, Scorpion goes crazy, Spider-Man tells everyone they’re crazy… it’s just so much fun. Also, the battle is written so that the reader gets a feel for the confusion that engulfs every single person involved in the scene, which is very cool. The feeling that it invokes is one that makes me feel that I am a bystander in the mall.

- The end? I’m very interested in where this is leading.

If you couldn’t tell, I give this book an A+. Bring on 98.

This Review Was Submitted by Spider-ben:

The clone saga. To most spider fans, those words send fear and chills to the reader. Everyone remembers the two year long torture fest when the original clone saga was presented. One month, our Peter Parker who we had been reading about was the clone, the next month Ben Reilly was the clone, then the following month a third Peter Parker emerged call Spidercide claiming he was the true Peter Parker. Luckily, after way to long, the storyline ended to the relief of fans everywhere. But Brian Michael Bendis is not one to back away from a challenge, thus, the Ultimate Clone Saga was born and it begins with this very issue.

Our issue starts off with Kitty extremely pissed off at Peter about him talking to MJ once again. (Get it, she is X-Tremely pissed?) OK, bad pun. I couldn’t resist! Back to the story, Kitty is fed up that Peter told MJ about his experience with vampires and Morbius. Kitty is furious that he didn’t come to see her, but she was off being an X-person. (Not a very good response there Pete!) So Kitty and Peter argue, with Kitty asking the question every fan already knows “Are you in love with her?” Peter pauses, and Kitty hangs up the phone in tears.

Meanwhile, MJ and Peter talk once more. Peter tells MJ that Kitty is fed up with him, and states how Kitty “doesn’t even know him.” MJ takes Peter to the one place where he loves to go, the food court at the mall. This famous food court was seen in Ultimate Spider-Man issue one, only back then Uncle Ben was chilling with him and Flash was chucking food at him.

I’m actually surprised Flash didn’t do that this issue, seeing as how it is sprinkled with all these great little references to the Ultimate Spider-Man saga thus far! MJ and Peter talk some more and Peter meets Mark Raxton, the Molten Man. Peter jokes how he has “the worst costume ever” and MJ tells him that it is just the name of his band. Peter wants to know how close the two were, and she tells him the truth about how she only talked about Peter the entire time and Mark got kinda fed up with that.

OK, let’s get to the action. Peter’s spider-sense flares up, and a new figure begins attacking the mall.
An armored green figure arrives from the debris, the Ultimate Scorpion. Scorpion starts shouting out ridiculous phrases that make no sense and Peter suits up and tells MJ to get to safety. Peter confronts the Scorpion and tries to calm down his foe. Scorpion just acts nuttier and the two fight. After a long battle, Peter gets serious in bashing the Scorpion’s face in before he endangers more innocent lives. We turn the page and gasp (as Peter does) to see that the true identity of the Scorpion is none other than Peter Parker! Dun Dun Dun, big dramatic theme music page here! Back at MJ’s, MJ tells her mom that she is safe. She rushes upstairs to write in her journal, when a shadowy figure appears. The figure captures MJ, and MJ’s mom enters her room and wonders where her daughter is.

Thoughts/Comments:

Hell yeah, now that’s what I’m talking about! I haven’t enjoyed an issue of Ultimate Spidey this much since the “Warriors” arc a year back. First off, I’m sad that Kitty and Peter’s relationship seems about over with, but it was fun while it lasted. Plus, everyone knows that Peter and MJ belong together.

Secondly, ultimate Scorpion looked great! He was green and had a tail, which are nods to the regular marvel universe counterpart, but Bagley also put some “ultimate” touches to his new design. “Ultimate”
touches, get it? Feel like I’m striking out here! I kinda figured Scorpion would be a Peter clone since the title of the saga pretty much gives away some clues, but who took MJ at the end? The art was great as always. I can’t wait to see where Bendis and Bagley take this story next. Thanks for a great 97 issues guys, bring on the big 100! All in all, A+!