Creative Team
Writer: Brian Michael Bendis
Artist: Stuart Immonen
Inker: Wade von Grawbadger
Colorist: Justin Ponsor
Issue Rating
Story: 6.8/10
Art: 7.8/10
Overall: 7.3/10
Issue Summary
Spider-Man has his body taken over by the symbiote and starts destroying part of New York City. Silver Sable and the Wild Pack try and stop Spider-Man’s tirade but are unsuccessful. Before the symbiote makes Spider-Man Nick Fury and The Ultimates show up to stop Spider-Man. After brawling for a bit Nick is informed by Eddie Brock that it is Peter in the symbiote costume. Nick has Thor use his Mjolnir to strike Spider-Man with some thunder. Peter than wakes up in his house thinking that the whole symbitoe thing was a dream. After being berated by Aunt May for sleeping until noon Peter checks his e-mail and sees he has a message from Nick to get to SHIELD headquarters to talk. Once he puts on his Spider-Man costume he goes to SHIELD headquarters and is told by Nick that what happend last night was not a dream. When Peter ask Nick to destroy the symbiote his father created Nick tells him he cannot because every country is after the symbiote and that they are facing a World War III type situation with what Peter’s dad created. End of issue.
“This is how The Ultimates should look. Not the sorry version Loeb is writing.”
“Now if only Thor could use his powers to power the country we could be out of this crisis. Probably not!”
“Bug eyed Spider-Man.”Review
Ultimate Spider-Man #126 was nothing more than an average story. The problem with this issue, and this story arc, is that it is focusing way to much on Spider-Man instead of Peter Parker. Some of the best Ultimate Spider-Man, and Spider-Man titles in general, stories are more about Peter than Spider-Man.
One of the problems I am having with this story arc, the same problem I have had with the few stories in Ultimate Spider-Man that I haven’t liked, is the lack Peter’s supporting cast. Outside of the brief appearance of Aunt May we don’t see any of Peter’s supporting cast. I hate to repeat what I said in my previous review of Ultimate Spider-Man but this title is just not the same when Peter’s supporting cast is reduced to just MJ and Aunt May. While I have no problem with those two characters I would like to see Bendis pick up on the whole Kong knowing Peter is Spider-Man revelation from “Spider-Man and his Amazing Friends” and what is a Spider-Man title without Peter or Spider-Man interacting with The Daily Bugle staff.
The other problem with this issue is that the whole battle with the symbiote possessed Spider-Man, Silver Sable and the Wild Pack, and The Ultimates was just to drawn out. It doesn’t help that Peter keep repeating in his head not to hurt or eat anyone while the Symbiote keep repeating “Hungry.” After the first couple of pages it got old and would have much rather preferred splash pages of the symbiote possessed Spider-Man fighting The Ultimates instead of having to read the same thing over and over.
Now while I did like Bendis Ultimate Universe version of Venom in the original story because not only did the symbiote have more of a tie to Peter but Eddie did to with him and Peter being friends which made their fallout at the end of the Venom arc much more impactful. I even thought that the Ultimate Universe version of Carnage was much more tolerable than his/her original counterpart. But with this story arc I am starting to get annoyed by Venom and Eddie Brock in general because the hate Eddie has for Peter feels to forced in this story.
Even though this was far from being one of the best issue of Ultimate Spider-Man the fact remains that this issue was better than most issues from other titles. What really made this issue berable was the great ending. Like I have said in the previous issue review, don’t worry about when this story takes place because it is obvious this story takes place after “The Clone Saga” and before “Ultimate Knights” since Nick Fury is still around in the Ultimate Universe. Nick revealing that it is Peter’s dad greatest invention that has made every country in the world fighting for a piece of the symbiote to start World War III is a great hook ending. While it is understandable that Peter would want the symbiote destroyed Nick is a government official and government officials will always do what it takes to gain more power than other countries. And Nick Fury is no different. The symbiote suit might be the closes thing to the Super Soldier Formula Nick has and he will not give it up over what Peter tells him.
I am slowly starting to like Stuart Immonen’s art on this title and it helps that for the past few issue he has been mostly drawing Spider-Man and other people in costume fighting and not a scene at Peter’s school or The Daily Bugle were their are no costume. There is no doubt that Immonen strength is the action scens and this issue plays to his strength.