Ultimate Spider-Man Volume 1: Power and Responsibility by Brian Michael Bendis is a new way of telling Spiderman’s origin story with a lot of teenage angst. If you know the Spiderman origin you will appreciate the changes, if you don’t know the origin by heart then you might not notice the changes since they are slight. One big change is Uncle Ben stays around longer and you get a feel for Uncle Ben and Aunt May’s relationship. Another change is about Norman Osborn who doesn’t have to figure out who Spiderman’s secret identity is but knows it from the start. In this version seeing how the spider bite has affected Peter Parker inspires him to do what eventually leads him to be the Green Goblin. The Green Goblin is the biggest change so far, where it is not just a man in a mask but a serum that changes Norman Osborn’s physical makeup and turns him into a goblin-like creature. Norman Osborn hates his son Harry Osborn there is no tough love in this version he tries to kill and hates him from the start. This volume is all about Spiderman’s origin and about him choosing to be good instead of not caring. The power and responsibility speech was done well, it is very close to the way it is portrayed in the first Spiderman film with Toby Maguire. The Mary Jane relationship starts from the beginning in this version she is more of a combo of Mary Jane and Gwen Stacy from The Amazing Spiderman comics. Mary Jane is more smart and studious than the party girl actress from The Amazing Spiderman. Flash Thompson is still a jackass but so far he hasn’t developed a love of Spiderman. Ultimate Spider-Man Volume 1: Power and Responsibility collected issues 1-7 of Ultimate Spider-Man. Ultimate Spider-Man Volume 1: Power and Responsibility was first published on January 1, 2001, by Marvel.
Plot Summary: Peter Parker is bullied badly at school for being smart and a nerd. He goes on a field trip to Osborn labs where he is bitten by an experimental spider that Norman Osborn has been gearing up for human testing but all the animals that are infected have died. Norman Osborn as Peter follows and plans to kill him and make it look like an accident so they don’t look at the bite. When Norman Osborn orders the hit by a hit and run Parker jumps over the car and from then on Osborn follows him for research, and wants to inject himself with the drug. When Osborn injects himself it is pure so the same thing that happens to Peter doesn’t happen Osborn turns into a Goblin. He kills his wife and attempts to kill Harry, his son, and he remembers Peter Parker is Spiderman and wants to fight him.
What I Liked: The teenage angst and bravado were a little much but it felt very real and how a kid that was bullied constantly would react if he got special powers. I like that it also showed his frustration and anger at constantly getting bullied. I liked the Mary Jane and Peter Parker relationship that even if he did not get the powers they could have dated if Peter only had the confidence. I liked the more we got of Uncle Ben and how when he gets robbed he’s making a joke trying to defuse the situation saying, you probably have more money than I do. The Green Goblin and Spiderman fight is pretty intense. I liked that we got cameos from J. Jonah Jamison, Liz Allen, Captain Stacy, and Matt Murdock (Daredevil) gets mentioned.
What I Disliked: I had some issues with the art, I felt the Spiderman body was too thin and lanky, also there is one drawing where Peter is in a cutoff t-shirt and designer underwear, I’m pretty sure Aunt May is not buying him that, and the art made him look too effeminate and have female characteristics it did not fit. I’m pretty sure Peter Parker would be a tighty whitey man.
Recommendation: I had a good time with Ultimate Spider-Man Volume 1. It was nice that Peter Parker’s origin had an update. I like where the volume left off where Spiderman is a wanted man by the police. Are Spiderman and the Green Goblin working together? I recommend you check out Ultimate Spider-Man Volume 1: Power and Responsibility if you are a fan of Spiderman the character. This is a great intro for the character if you are unsure where to start.
Rating: I rated Ultimate Spider-Man Volume 1: Power and Responsibility by Brian Michael Bendis 4.0 stars out of 5 stars.
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