eBay
Advertise on Eye on ComicsCloning Around
Posted by Don MacPherson on September 28th, 2006
Ultimate Spider-Man #100
“Clone Saga, Part 4″
Writer: Brian Michael Bendis
Pencils/Cover artist: Mark Bagley
Inks: John Dell & Drew Hennessy
Colors: Justin Ponsor
Letters: Virtual Calligraphy
Editor: Ralph Macchio
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Price: $3.99 US/$4.75 CAN
One hundred issues in six years, all by the same creative team. It’s actually quite an accomplishment on several levels, especially in the context of the comic-book industry today. Bendis and Bagley took the title character back to his roots as a regular teenage kid who finds himself in way over his head on a regular basis and added to it more modern sensibilities. Bendis built a solid foundation for the series by keeping Peter Parker’s feet planted firmly on the ground, so it’s unfortunate that this milestone gets away from that strength. Bendis’s plot is getting to be so over the top that it threatens to run off the rails. Much of what we learn in this issue comes from out of nowhere, and it just doesn’t feel as though it’s in the spirit of the series as a whole. Furthermore, this oversized issue is surprisingly heavy on the filler material. While the lengthy recap of the entire series will be of use to new readers, it’s of little interest to those of us who have followed and supported the series from the start.
Peter Parker doesn’t know what to think. Gwen Stacy appears to have returned from the dead, and his loving Aunt May seems to want to have nothing to do with him anymore now than he’s revealed to her that he’s Spider-Man. And if that weren’t weird enough, Peter’s dad — whom he thought died in the same air disaster that killed his mother — has shown up from out of nowhere, claiming to have answers to all his questions. Meanwhile, Mary Jane finds herself being held prisoner by a distorted version of Peter, only to find a different, highly unusual new Spider-Man rush to her rescue.
Bagley’s angular style suits the emotional turmoil that dominates this story, but Richard Parker’s flashbacks and the scenes with him, Peter, May and Gwen seem to lack the polish I expect from the art on this book. In short, the art on those sequences looks a bit rushed. Mind you, given the schedule that Bagley has maintained for the better part of a decade, that might be expected. Of course, his art on the Scarred Peter/Mary Jane scenes is much sharper. Perhaps the participation of two inkers might explain the visual discontinuity, or perhaps the artists just had more energy and excitement about those Spidey clone scenes. Bagley’s designs for the alternate Spider-Men are inventive and dynamic as well and really engage the eye.
It was interesting to get a glimpse of some of Bagley’s design sketches from over the course of the series, but it felt pretty random and mishmashed in nature. The two-page sketch spreads really felt more like they were there to take up space rather than to provide insight in the creative process. The inclusion of unused cover art didn’t excite me either, especially since some of it was more of the generic fare we’ve seen far too often on the covers of this series.
At what point did turning the life of Peter Parker into a season of The X-Files seem like a good idea? At what point did it seem that like might be a logical extension of a story about a regular kid in an impossible circumstance with unimaginable stress? Though the emotion peppered throughout those scenes with the Parkers rang true and were in keeping with Bendis’s writing in past issues, it requires a Herculean effort on the reader’s part to accept the plotting. Furthermore, Aunt May’s behavior here just doesn’t jibe with what we’ve seen of the character before. That means one of two things must of true: she really isn’t Aunt May (which is possible in the context of this plot) or that Bendis is writing her as being completely out of character. I honestly don’t like either option.
Despite the weaknesses to be found in this issue, I can’t deny there are also bit that entertain and ignite the imagination. The scenes between the Scarred Peter and Mary Jane not only touch upon the Peter/MJ relationship and the challenges they face, but it demonstrates that the real Peter Parker’s story could so easily disintegrate into a horrible tragedy at any moment. The distorted vision of Peter really isn’t that radically different from the “real” one. Furthermore, it really is a lot of fun seeing all these alternate Spideys running around, and I honestly look forward to the return of the female Spidey and a revelation of whether or not it’s a female clone of Peter or if it’s some kind of altered or cloned version of Mary Jane. 6/10
September 28th, 2006 at 11:59 pm
For all the fanfare leading up to this issue, in the end, it just didn’t feel too much like a normal issue of “Ultimate Spider-Man” to me. Maybe it was, as you pointed out, Don, that the art was a little off and some of the characters–particularly Aunt May–were a hint out of character.
But what bugged me more than anything was the fact that we got maybe halfway or three-quarters of the way through Richard’s story before it was simply cut off. So in a so-called milestone issue we got absolutely no resolution whatsoever.
The chief draw of this book for me for a long time has been the strong characterization and semi-realistic superhero action, not the crazy plot twists and cliffhangers.
Not to say that I hated this issue. I agree that the scenes with the scarred Peter and Mary Jane were entertaining. And I’m interested to see where Richard’s story goes, as well as what goes down with Fury. It’s just that when the story ended and I still about half the pages of the book left to go, I was pretty disappointed.
September 29th, 2006 at 12:05 am
I agree, MW… it felt as though this chapter of “Clone Saga” ended abruptly.
September 30th, 2006 at 4:54 pm
I question Marvel’s decision to make issue #100 a mid-story chapter. If it kicked off a new story or ended one, I don’t think I’d feel as let down as I do now. Like MW said, it was just another issue of Ultimate Spider-Man.
September 30th, 2006 at 6:22 pm
Well, I’d rather the midpoint of the story fall on #100 than see the pacing of the series rushed or padded out to get some climactic moment time for a specific issue.
September 30th, 2006 at 8:35 pm
I’ll agree with that. I’ll still be disappointed with this “milestone” issue number, but better disappointed than angry over shoe-horning a story into place.
September 30th, 2006 at 8:49 pm
We’re definitely agreed, Bryan. However, I should also point out that while I was somewhat disappointed with the 100th issue, I remain a fan of Ultimate Spider-Man overall.
I think a turning point for the series comes in a few months when Bagley wraps up his run on the title (with issue #110, if memory serves).
October 1st, 2006 at 1:49 am
I was tempted to pick this up based on the fact it is the milestone issue for the title. I just couldn’t bring myself to doing so. I haven’t been reading this for about two and a half years now. The quality of the book really dropped off quite a bit to me.
One thing that keeps me from reading this book is the fact that this run is the longest by any team in the history of Spider-Man or Marvel Comics in general? I do know they referenced it being longer than Stan Lee and Ditko’s(or Romita) run way back in the day. I think it’s a heck of an accomplishment but it’s not as great as the old record. USM has been put out twice a month alot of times. It just kind of urks me a bit.
October 1st, 2006 at 1:55 am
Actually, I think the fact that Bendis and Bagley have turned out so many issues in a shorter timeframe is *more* impressive.
October 1st, 2006 at 11:54 am
Oh I agree. I do also think it’s more impressive based on the shorter timeframe. No doubt. My point is just that the the accomplishment for me is overshadowed by the fact they didn’t break it in the right way. I use Barry Bonds as an example. He’s already broken several baseball records and will break the all time home run record next year probably. However, he used performance enhancing drugs(allegedly) and that taints that record for me just how this record for longest run on USM does. If they had just put out one issue a month for however long it would have taken to break the record I’d be all onboard with celebrating the accomplishment.
October 1st, 2006 at 1:17 pm
Joseph, you’ve lost me. You say the shorter timeframe is more impressive but then seem to compare it to cheating (the Bonds-on-the-juice analogy). The shorter timeframe is harder, not some kind of advantage.
On another note, the Stan Lee/Jack Kirby run on Fantastic Four was accomplished over the course of years, but of course, the pair was collaborating on multiple titles early on as well.
October 1st, 2006 at 4:30 pm
I’d argue that the amount of actual stories and characters created by Lee and Kirby puts them well ahead of Bendis and Bagley, if we’re making comparisons. Regardless of where you put the shorter timeframe argument, in the pro or con side.
I will admit that it’s a rarity these days for a single creative team to stay onboard a book as long as Bendis and Bagley have, and it’s impressive in that regard. It’d be even more impressive if the book had remained as readable and fun as it was in the first thirty or so issues.
October 1st, 2006 at 4:50 pm
Randy wrote:
It’d be even more impressive if the book had remained as readable and fun as it was in the first thirty or so issues.
Well, I would argue it’s been solid, with a few stumbles here and there. I really enjoyed the connection Bendis developed between Peter and Kitty, for example.
October 1st, 2006 at 11:34 pm
What I’m trying to get across mainly is the number of issues with USM now versus the number of issues with FF back in the day. USM puts out 18 issues a year? FF out out 12? Why couldn’t they just match it with 12 issues a year on USM? Doing the number of issues over this shorter time frame is more impressive but the hype over breaking the record bacause of that just urks me. It does because Stan and Jack did it like a regular comic but with USM it comes out twice a month for a couple of months in a year. Why couldn’t Bendis and Bagley just do it the way Stan and Jack did and by that fact it is a bit of an advantage. 18 issues a year versus 12 issues is a six issue advantage. Maybe I’m totally off base here and I even think I’ve lost myself here.
October 5th, 2006 at 7:29 am
I completely don’t understand what Joseph is saying here ?!
Doing 100 issues in a shorter time is much MORE difficult that what Lee and Kirby did. Also it should be reminded that loads of FF issues were just plotted by Lee, and that Kirby was actually the brain behind it.
As for the issue, it is clearly not a milestone issue, but more an issue for the regular readers (I’m one of them). Yeah sometimes the issues were a little less fun than before, less enjoyable, but the series already have several “moments”, has great dialogues, consistent art for 100 issues, and a very strong identity.
Ok now check all regular comics from Marvel, Dc, Image and so on, and imagine you could say that for all comics. We’d all be happy ^_^
October 5th, 2006 at 10:29 am
I’m in complete agreement that what they’ve done in the shorter time frame is as impressive as anything.
I just think they should have broken this record in the way Lee/Kirby did. Not only issue for issue but year for year. It slightly taints the breaking of the record for me.