Review of "Ultimate Marvel Team-Up," by Brian Michael Bendis

Review of

Ultimate Marvel Team-Up, by Brian Michael Bendis ISBN 078510870x

Four out of five stars

 This series of team-up stories are of Spider-Man somehow finding himself interacting or fighting with another costumed “hero.” Sometimes it is the results of a deliberate action on the part of Spidey or his co-star(s), but at other times it is simply due to chance, where one sees the other and investigates. Many different “heroes,” including the Fantastic Four, Iron Man, Hulk and the Punisher are part of the intermeshed story.

 The general theme is that Spider-Man/Peter Parker is a sixteen-year-old with identity problems. He has great powers, yet has as yet been unable to assimilate them into a coherent attitude regarding his role in the world. He is at times very bored, other times his actions do great good and at other times he finds himself in way over his head.

 The artwork is modern, the images are drawn in several significantly different styles, there are times when the reader must look closely to recognize the hero when they appear for the first time in the story. While the modern reader will enjoy the style, older people that remember the days of Lee and Kirby may find that nostalgia leads to lesser appreciation.