Ultimate Spider-Man #58
ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN #58 REVIEW
Title: Hollywood Part Five
Spidey escapes and throws down with Doctor Octopus!
Writer: Brian Michael Bendis
Pencils: Mark Bagley
Inks: Scott Hanna
Colors: J.D. Smith
Letters: Chris Eliopoulos
Editor: Ralph Macchio
Cover Art: Mark Bagley & Richard Isanove
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Review: After landing in Brazil, Doctor Octopus goes out to find the escaped Spider-Man. What follows is a really good, but surprisingly short fight scene, after which it’s hard to talk about the issue without spoiling everything. The events that take place after the fight are pretty funny most of the time, I must admit, but feel kind of stretched out. Considering how little actually happened in the last issue, I really feel like that one and this one could easily have been combined were it not for the urge to make comic book stories come in at the magic number of six issues.
The good points about this issue are easy to point to - a great fight scene, lots of well-placed and well-used humor, and a last sequence that promises this storyline will have a powerhouse ending that will change Spider-Man’s life forever. Unfortunately, the bad points are easy to find as well - the story is stretched way too thin. It’s funny, that with Marvel shipping this book on an almost biweekly basis, you’re still getting three months of story in three months, but it’s taking six issues to do it.
Also, the “Hollywood” idea, about the Spider-Man movie, has been completely forgotten in this issue. The concept that launched this storyline is nowhere to be found, and it’s hard to imagine how Bendis is going to get back around to it at the end and make the title of the inevitable trade paperback work.
Bagley and Hanna, as always, do impeccable artwork. The fight scene is great and well-paced and the funny stuff mostly hinges on their ability to convey a sight gag. (Not to give anything away here, but think of Spider-Man wearing fuzzy earmuffs.) Bagley has also mastered the art of conveying a range of facial expressions on Spidey’s faceless mask just through altering the size and shape of his eyepieces. Keep your Todd McFarlanes - as far as I’m concerned. Bagley is the definitive Spider-Man artist of the last 15 years or so.
As usual, the only real complaint about any Ultimate Spider-Man story is how long it takes to get there.
Rating: 6/10
Title: Hollywood Part Five
Spidey escapes and throws down with Doctor Octopus!
Writer: Brian Michael Bendis
Pencils: Mark Bagley
Inks: Scott Hanna
Colors: J.D. Smith
Letters: Chris Eliopoulos
Editor: Ralph Macchio
Cover Art: Mark Bagley & Richard Isanove
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Review: After landing in Brazil, Doctor Octopus goes out to find the escaped Spider-Man. What follows is a really good, but surprisingly short fight scene, after which it’s hard to talk about the issue without spoiling everything. The events that take place after the fight are pretty funny most of the time, I must admit, but feel kind of stretched out. Considering how little actually happened in the last issue, I really feel like that one and this one could easily have been combined were it not for the urge to make comic book stories come in at the magic number of six issues.
The good points about this issue are easy to point to - a great fight scene, lots of well-placed and well-used humor, and a last sequence that promises this storyline will have a powerhouse ending that will change Spider-Man’s life forever. Unfortunately, the bad points are easy to find as well - the story is stretched way too thin. It’s funny, that with Marvel shipping this book on an almost biweekly basis, you’re still getting three months of story in three months, but it’s taking six issues to do it.
Also, the “Hollywood” idea, about the Spider-Man movie, has been completely forgotten in this issue. The concept that launched this storyline is nowhere to be found, and it’s hard to imagine how Bendis is going to get back around to it at the end and make the title of the inevitable trade paperback work.
Bagley and Hanna, as always, do impeccable artwork. The fight scene is great and well-paced and the funny stuff mostly hinges on their ability to convey a sight gag. (Not to give anything away here, but think of Spider-Man wearing fuzzy earmuffs.) Bagley has also mastered the art of conveying a range of facial expressions on Spidey’s faceless mask just through altering the size and shape of his eyepieces. Keep your Todd McFarlanes - as far as I’m concerned. Bagley is the definitive Spider-Man artist of the last 15 years or so.
As usual, the only real complaint about any Ultimate Spider-Man story is how long it takes to get there.
Rating: 6/10