Written by Brian Michael Bendis
Illustrated by Mark BagleyThe culmination of DEATH OF SPIDER-MAN is here.
This is it: the Death of Spider-Man is here. In this polybagged issue from the creative team behind Ultimate Spider-Man #1, we’re given the first “boundary pushing” storyline from the Ultimate universe in quite some time. And boy, are things tense right now.
So – did they do it? Did Bendis actually kill off the main character of one of the books that helped launch his career at Marvel? Did Bagley really return to Marvel just to kill off Peter Parker?
Check behind the cut for some thoughts on the landmark final issue.
As a note, spoilers are discussed.
Short answer: yes. Yes, they did. And it was very sad, but it was great.
Long answer: if there is one thing to be said about this entire arc, it’s that Bendis and Bagley have definitively not pulled their punches. Right from the beginning, you knew what was going to happen: Peter Parker was going to die. However, what mattered was how he died. Peter accidentally got shot trying to be a hero between this book and the Millar Ultimates vs Ultimates book, but that wasn’t the death. If that was the death then this whole story would’ve been a cop out; who cares? But that wasn’t it. No, Peter Parker is given what is perhaps the most heroic death of the decade – and this book is decidedly my book of the week.
There are many ways a hero can die in comic books. These things happen all the time: You might die protecting your friend who has just turned human from a wave of evil space bugs. You might die fighting a war against nazi’s in Washington. You might die protecting the supposed messiah of your people from an evil robot-man. The possibilities are endless. However, in a serialized ongoing comic story, there are few stories that are rather perfect for the entire run of the title as opposed to a brief section, or “run”. For all the deaths that I’ve mentioned above, they all fit into specific stories by specific writers who were not the writers all those characters started out with. These things happen; books grow, writers move on to other projects, and fresh voices are brought in. However, that’s never been the case with Ultimate Spider-Man. While all other main Ultimate writers have “abandoned” their characters and stories since the initial launch, Bendis has stuck with Peter Parker through thick and thin, through highs and lows. Now it’s time to take out Parker as only he can.
So what does he do? He offers Peter Parker the most heroic death possible. Peter has been shot and had a bridge dropped on him, but he still manages to take out the Sinister Six in a fantastically scripted and illustrated story (seen last issue). He’s beaten, battered, and fairly broken – but now he’s face to face with his greatest enemy: his creator, Norman Osborn. However, even overpowered and beat to hell and back, Peter manages to make a last minute save that finally takes Norman – and himself – out forever. And as Peter lies on the ground, he smiles, because for the first time since the tragic loss of his uncle he truly did everything right. This isn’t just a belief of the character, though; that emotion translates rather decisively to the reader.
I’m reminded of when Jeph Loeb tried to kill Peter in Ultimatum. Peter is grabbed by Dormammu and, rather arbitrarily, “blown up” as a way to swat him to the side and add to the gratuitous body count of that event. Bendis quickly picked up the rubble in Ultimate Requiem, and the whole scene featuring the return of peter was rather emotional. We knew we hadn’t really lost Peter before Ultimatum ended, but Bendis still managed to hit a bit of a wallop by not letting him die. Instead, he took the situation to dedicate two whole issues to why Peter was the greatest hero in the entire Ultimate Universe, leagues above Captain America or Thor. That’s always been the point of Bendis’ work: Peter is a child, but he is a child who wants to do what is right against all odds. We saw this in the silent Ultimate Spider-Man issue during Ultimatum, we saw it during Spidey’s Requiem, and we’ve seen it steadily building since the Ultimate universe re-launched. All of these different stories have built up to an emotional impact point, and it all comes out in this issue quite spectacularly.
Continued belowI suppose I’m biased. I can’t possibly not be. Between my childhood and my impressionable teen years, I gave up comic books (as many do during those years) to seem “less geeky.” Obviously it didn’t work because I found myself back into the comic book store quite frequently, but it was Ultimate Spider-Man that made me a weekly fan again as opposed to a monthly one. It was my friend (and fellow writer at MC) Josh who forced me to sit and read a giant stack of 50+ comic books in a day that made me go to back to the store and open a pull. As long as it is around, I will buy Ultimate Spider-Man (no matter what it’s called). Obviously my fandom has wavered on the title over the years; I’m not sure any comic book – no matter how much you love it – is capable of being perfect forever, let alone 160 issues. However, it’s been a long time since the title has been this perfect. And to me, that’s what the “final” issue of Ultimate Spider-Man is: perfect.
I literally have no complaints about the title; that happens very rarely. Really, my biggest complaint is that Marvel put up the ending a day early on USA Today, but I can understand why they did that (to drive people to the shops, duh). Heck, if I had to FORCE myself to complain, I guess I’d nag about calling it “the Death of” or polybagging it, because where is the surprise in that? Spoilers! But I can’t bring myself to do that; not honestly, anyway. Instead, Ultimate Spider-Man’s death is the perfect title. Since the first issue and arc, this is the ending that the series has always deserved; this is the heroes’ triumph over all evil that makes up for his initial failures – his redemption, as it were. Through all it’s various ups and downs over the years, this is the ending that not all superheroes are lucky enough to earn and even fewer get. Granted, despite Marvel’s media push it’s possible you’re here just for the spectacle, and there is no way that this issue will be half as emotional if you haven’t read the 160 that came before it. I just don’t think that’s possible. For those like me who have been with this character for years, however, this final arc before everything changes exceeds the hype, and the media pushes, and the spoilers, and the naysayers – this is just pure and simple a brilliantly executed arc/issue.
As Ultimatum reared it’s head, I began to think that Bendis cared less about Ultimate Peter Parker due to the books dip in quality while his regular 616 work flourished. However, this couldn’t be farther from the case. Bendis’ love of the character is visible in every word of dialogue here. His reverence for the impressive story of Peter Parker (both in the 616 and here) is on point all the way through, and the final pages are heartbreaking (and, I’ll be honest: tearjerkers). Perhaps I’m overly attached to the book and the character due to it’s importance in my comic collecting career, but this is a title that made my hands shake as I nervously turned the pages. This is a book that got me worked up. It’s impossible to say that Bendis doesn’t care about the character in a book where I adamantly fear turning the next page, simply because a) I don’t want to see it end and b) I just don’t want Peter to die. This is Bendis’ opinions shining through in a way that just doesn’t happen on most books.
Mark Bagley’s return to Marvel here is decidedly something worth celebrating as well. The level of emotion translated from the page to the reader is made that much more intense with his return. It’s actually rather impressive to look at the scope of the title and the growth of Bagley as an artist as compared to when the book started years ago. All the vibrant energy that was on display when the title first launched and Mark Bagley wasn’t a household name (for me, anyway) is back as he tackles the pages. As much as it’s obvious the amount of love that Bendis has for the character, it’s equally visible how Bagley feels with the way he illustrates the character through his final victory. It’s absolutely an emotional ride through the artwork as Peter is bashed left and right before finally taking his victory stand, and as he lays still on the ground for one last time it’s Bagley’s art that really brings the emotion home. It’s just gorgeous.
Continued belowIn no shorter terms, the basic summation is this: We have been able to watch Ultimate Peter Parker grow. View it as you like: like a baby brother, or even as a son; as readers, we have been tied to Ultimate Peter Parker’s life for a long time now. Bendis and Bagley brought him into the universe and it’s their right to take him out, buy that doesn’t change the undeniable fact that, for someone who has read every issue and clung to this book tightly, this is a personal loss of a friend. Sure, there will be another Spider-Man, but it (assumedly) won’t be Peter; it won’t be the same. If we are to agree that comics can effect our lives as more than just escapism, then the death of Peter Parker is the death of someone that I knew, and someone that I cared about. It’s not the same as the death of a real person, no, but it still hurts to know that this is the last story I will read starring him.
(Again: That is, of course, assuming he stays dead. Which I hope he does. If he doesn’t I’ll probably have a fanboy rage attack at some point in the future, but for now let’s just pretend that this is the final issue of the series and that there is not ever going to be an Ultimate Spider-Man title again. Ever.)
Either way, I admit again: I am 100% absolutely biased. I’ve been incredibly attached to the title for a very long time. However, I went into the title incredibly nervous that it wouldn’t pay off, and it did beyond expectations – even for someone who has become as hyper-critical as myself. Ultimate Spider-Man/Peter Parker was given the best death possible by Brian Bendis and Mark Bagley, and there is no two ways around it.
Bravo, gentlemen. Bravo.
(As a side note, you may just want to stop reading the title now. There’s no way it can get better than this… right?)*
Final Verdict: 10.0 – Just buy it, already
*Probably not. Don’t worry. Come back in three months for the new Ultimate Spidey. It’ll be fun, I’m sure!
