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Ultimate Spider-Man (Collected Editions)
Ultimate Spider-Man, Volume 9: Ultimate Six
It's a team-up of the most powerful forces in the Marvel Ultimate Universe! The deadliest super-villains in the world the Green Goblin, Electro, Doctor Octopus, Kraven the Hunter and the Sandman have been taken prisoner by Nick Fury & S.H.I.E.L.D.
Why have they been brought together? And who is the mysterious 6th member of this "Sinister Six"? When together they escape and the Green Goblin's horrific scheme becomes clear, it's up to the government's superhuman task force the Ultimates to take them down and bring them back in. But where is Spider-Man when you need him the most?
Collecting: Ultimate Spider-Man 46 & Ultimate Six 1-7
Why have they been brought together? And who is the mysterious 6th member of this "Sinister Six"? When together they escape and the Green Goblin's horrific scheme becomes clear, it's up to the government's superhuman task force the Ultimates to take them down and bring them back in. But where is Spider-Man when you need him the most?
Collecting: Ultimate Spider-Man 46 & Ultimate Six 1-7
208 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2007
18 people are currently reading
460 people want to read
About the author
Brian Michael Bendis
4,419 books2,570 followersA comic book writer and erstwhile artist. He has won critical acclaim (including five Eisner Awards) and is one of the most successful writers working in mainstream comics. For over eight years Bendis’s books have consistently sat in the top five best sellers on the nationwide comic and graphic novel sales charts.
Though he started as a writer and artist of independent noir fiction series, he shot to stardom as a writer of Marvel Comics' superhero books, particularly Ultimate Spider-Man.
Bendis first entered the comic world with the "Jinx" line of crime comics in 1995. This line has spawned the graphic novels Goldfish, Fire, Jinx, Torso (with Marc Andreyko), and Total Sell Out. Bendis is writing the film version of Jinx for Universal Pictures with Oscar-winner Charlize Theron attached to star and produce.
Bendis’s other projects include the Harvey, Eisner, and Eagle Award-nominated Powers (with Michael Avon Oeming) originally from Image Comics, now published by Marvel's new creator-owned imprint Icon Comics, and the Hollywood tell-all Fortune and Glory from Oni Press, both of which received an "A" from Entertainment Weekly.
Bendis is one of the premiere architects of Marvel's "Ultimate" line: comics specifically created for the new generation of comic readers. He has written every issue of Ultimate Spider-Man since its best-selling launch, and has also written for Ultimate Fantastic Four and Ultimate X-Men, as well as every issue of Ultimate Marvel Team-Up, Ultimate Origin and Ultimate Six.
Brian is currently helming a renaissance for Marvel’s AVENGERS franchise by writing both New Avengers and Mighty Avengers along with the successful ‘event’ projects House Of M, Secret War, and this summer’s Secret Invasion.
He has also previously done work on Daredevil, Alias, and The Pulse.
Though he started as a writer and artist of independent noir fiction series, he shot to stardom as a writer of Marvel Comics' superhero books, particularly Ultimate Spider-Man.
Bendis first entered the comic world with the "Jinx" line of crime comics in 1995. This line has spawned the graphic novels Goldfish, Fire, Jinx, Torso (with Marc Andreyko), and Total Sell Out. Bendis is writing the film version of Jinx for Universal Pictures with Oscar-winner Charlize Theron attached to star and produce.
Bendis’s other projects include the Harvey, Eisner, and Eagle Award-nominated Powers (with Michael Avon Oeming) originally from Image Comics, now published by Marvel's new creator-owned imprint Icon Comics, and the Hollywood tell-all Fortune and Glory from Oni Press, both of which received an "A" from Entertainment Weekly.
Bendis is one of the premiere architects of Marvel's "Ultimate" line: comics specifically created for the new generation of comic readers. He has written every issue of Ultimate Spider-Man since its best-selling launch, and has also written for Ultimate Fantastic Four and Ultimate X-Men, as well as every issue of Ultimate Marvel Team-Up, Ultimate Origin and Ultimate Six.
Brian is currently helming a renaissance for Marvel’s AVENGERS franchise by writing both New Avengers and Mighty Avengers along with the successful ‘event’ projects House Of M, Secret War, and this summer’s Secret Invasion.
He has also previously done work on Daredevil, Alias, and The Pulse.
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 138 reviews
August 27, 2022
This gotta be one of the best Spidey stories easily like wow its so good!
So it focuses more on the Sinister Six and how they come together and I love the inclusion of both Green Goblin and Dr Octopus here and I love the way its built and then focusing on their break-out and fighting against Fury and the Ulimates with Pete in the mix and how it focuses less on him but on his rivalry with each of them and when the battle starts, the carnage and havoc they unleashed and who gets killed and what, and with an epic climax and especially the part b/w Osborn and Parker and how personal it gets, its epic and bold and action-heavy in a great way and the art just stands out, each page is so gorgeous to look at! I highly recommend it!!
So it focuses more on the Sinister Six and how they come together and I love the inclusion of both Green Goblin and Dr Octopus here and I love the way its built and then focusing on their break-out and fighting against Fury and the Ulimates with Pete in the mix and how it focuses less on him but on his rivalry with each of them and when the battle starts, the carnage and havoc they unleashed and who gets killed and what, and with an epic climax and especially the part b/w Osborn and Parker and how personal it gets, its epic and bold and action-heavy in a great way and the art just stands out, each page is so gorgeous to look at! I highly recommend it!!
November 29, 2019
Overall, mostly disappointing. Especially after the absolute knockout brilliances of Ultimate Spider-man volumes one after another, next one being better than the previous. Compared to those, this one is just so-so : the story was predictable ho-hum, the character detailing was below average, the writing was bland and uninteresting (the lack of clever wit and smart dialogs after USM's previous volumes was very apparent), the artwork was garbage (especially hated Peter's appearance here), and most of all: this is NOT an Ultimate Spider-Man storyarc, much more like The Ultimates story with Spidey just guest starring. Another thing, however the writer tried to sale it, it is in NO way Ultimate Six, but of course Ultimate Five. Green Goblin, Doc Ock, Sandman, Electro, Kraven the Hunter. That's it. No one else.
On the positive side, I loved the character-work of Cap (as almost always) and the philosophical debate he had with Nick Fury about the inception of the next big war and how it would actually come to be. Speaking of, I also liked the motivation behind all the happenings, from Norman Osborn's perspective to Nick Fury's, and how the villains were not actually wrong about their anger or wanting revenge. Conversely, Nick Fury was not really a clean-cut good guy here but more like the true root cause from where all this shit began. He was just trying to cover up his own mess. I always enjoy a complex grey rationale in a story where the bad guys are not really wrong and the good guys are not really right.
Overall, it was timepass entertaining with The Ultimates versus Ultimate Five dhoom-dhaam action and clashing. It could've been better evaluated had it be a stand-alone The Utimates adventure, BUT as an Ultimate Spider-man volume, unfortunately this story is well below the mark in almost every category. 6/10
On the positive side, I loved the character-work of Cap (as almost always) and the philosophical debate he had with Nick Fury about the inception of the next big war and how it would actually come to be. Speaking of, I also liked the motivation behind all the happenings, from Norman Osborn's perspective to Nick Fury's, and how the villains were not actually wrong about their anger or wanting revenge. Conversely, Nick Fury was not really a clean-cut good guy here but more like the true root cause from where all this shit began. He was just trying to cover up his own mess. I always enjoy a complex grey rationale in a story where the bad guys are not really wrong and the good guys are not really right.
Overall, it was timepass entertaining with The Ultimates versus Ultimate Five dhoom-dhaam action and clashing. It could've been better evaluated had it be a stand-alone The Utimates adventure, BUT as an Ultimate Spider-man volume, unfortunately this story is well below the mark in almost every category. 6/10
November 12, 2023
I’ve enjoyed reading Ultimate Spider-Man since the very beginning, drawn by its many positive qualities: the art, it reads like YA fiction, and Parker is as witty as ever. I’m also a fan of Bendis, especially his Daredevil run (it’s worth reading the entire series if you’re a Daredevil fan: Daredevil, Vol. 1: Guardian Devil).
However, this volume was a let-down for a number of reasons. The art was different, and while it may have complimented the Ultimates, it felt disconnected from the essence of Ultimate Spider-Man. The volume was largely centred around Fury and the Ultimates than Peter Parker. I don’t particularly care for Millar’s Ultimates. When Parker did make appearances, he lacked the distinctive characteristics that make him stand out, primarily his quips. The Sinister Six (Five?) failed to capture my interest, considering Parker’s limited role.
However, this volume was a let-down for a number of reasons. The art was different, and while it may have complimented the Ultimates, it felt disconnected from the essence of Ultimate Spider-Man. The volume was largely centred around Fury and the Ultimates than Peter Parker. I don’t particularly care for Millar’s Ultimates. When Parker did make appearances, he lacked the distinctive characteristics that make him stand out, primarily his quips. The Sinister Six (Five?) failed to capture my interest, considering Parker’s limited role.
September 29, 2023
Another great volume that brings us this universe's iteration of the Sinister Six Five and Avengers, making it less Spidey-centred but still an entertaining outing even if the new art took a little getting used to.
April 26, 2021
This is more of a Avengers comic than Spider-man for half of it.
So Nick Fury has put away some of Spidy's biggest villains. Green Goblin, Electro, Sandman and so on. However when they finally able to form a plan and break out of a super prison things go to hell. The Avengers are assembled and they go to track down these pieces of shit, the new Sinister Six basically, but there's one major problem. They can't find them...but they all go after Peter Parker. The one who put them all there.
This is pretty good story. I like the slow build up and getting to see Bendis write the ultimates more human like instead of the hyper violent and more crazed ones that Millar writes was cool. I also enjoyed seeing Peter lose his shit when his family is in trouble, that's the Spidy I know and love. The art works most of the time, especially for the fight scenes. Overall, if don't mind Spidy taking a backseat for a few issues this is worth reading without a doubt.
A 4 out of 5.
So Nick Fury has put away some of Spidy's biggest villains. Green Goblin, Electro, Sandman and so on. However when they finally able to form a plan and break out of a super prison things go to hell. The Avengers are assembled and they go to track down these pieces of shit, the new Sinister Six basically, but there's one major problem. They can't find them...but they all go after Peter Parker. The one who put them all there.
This is pretty good story. I like the slow build up and getting to see Bendis write the ultimates more human like instead of the hyper violent and more crazed ones that Millar writes was cool. I also enjoyed seeing Peter lose his shit when his family is in trouble, that's the Spidy I know and love. The art works most of the time, especially for the fight scenes. Overall, if don't mind Spidy taking a backseat for a few issues this is worth reading without a doubt.
A 4 out of 5.
July 31, 2011
Love good ol fashioned Bendis writing. Him writing The Ultimates is pretty cool.
But haven't we read this premise before? I could swear I've read the "breakout of Osborn & Octavius" drama before. Did Marvel rehash this premise for the Ultimates line? Or did I run across this book in a past life?
Ah, read the credits - original copyright 2003, 2004. So I *did* read this once already. (Hope you didn't end up buying this twice - thank god for my local library.)
It's still a good premise, and it has so far aged pretty well - it's only been 6 or 7 years - and it's more fun to see the bad guys be at least as smart as the good guys for once. Live the revisionist nature of how it unfolds, an how it takes a harsh and realistic look at the relationship between corporations, the defines department and the government. In a tights-and-mutations frame of reference.
Like the climactic action. Love the hardly-a-happy-ending coda.
Still not sure *how* this is necessary to understanding the "Death of Ultimate Spider-Man" storyline, except perhaps as a little backstory detail.
But haven't we read this premise before? I could swear I've read the "breakout of Osborn & Octavius" drama before. Did Marvel rehash this premise for the Ultimates line? Or did I run across this book in a past life?
Ah, read the credits - original copyright 2003, 2004. So I *did* read this once already. (Hope you didn't end up buying this twice - thank god for my local library.)
It's still a good premise, and it has so far aged pretty well - it's only been 6 or 7 years - and it's more fun to see the bad guys be at least as smart as the good guys for once. Live the revisionist nature of how it unfolds, an how it takes a harsh and realistic look at the relationship between corporations, the defines department and the government. In a tights-and-mutations frame of reference.
Like the climactic action. Love the hardly-a-happy-ending coda.
Still not sure *how* this is necessary to understanding the "Death of Ultimate Spider-Man" storyline, except perhaps as a little backstory detail.
November 27, 2013
This volume is less about Spidey himself and more about the larger Marvel universe, the politics, etc. It features Ultimate Captain America (who has a very good point about the way people shaping the way they think a war will happen creating that as a consequence, I might add) and the rest of his team, plus a lot more of Fury and Sharon Carter.
Despite the relative lack of Spidey (and barely a glimpse of Mary Jane, no sign of Gwen Stacy and a few pages with Aunt May), it's a good volume -- ups the stakes a bit, uses old story threads, generally has a lot of excitement.
Despite the relative lack of Spidey (and barely a glimpse of Mary Jane, no sign of Gwen Stacy and a few pages with Aunt May), it's a good volume -- ups the stakes a bit, uses old story threads, generally has a lot of excitement.
April 19, 2018
2.5
The art really killed this one for me. So many villains looked exactly the same - difficult to follow along.
The art really killed this one for me. So many villains looked exactly the same - difficult to follow along.
April 16, 2024
Man, I REALLY loved the build up to this team and was excited to see where this went and then the last two issues of this volume flashed by in shorter than the blink of an eye and it was all over. I hope we see more of this villainous team later on in this run.
August 16, 2016
Wow that was a pretty fantastic event book!
I'm not a big fan of event books as I feel they pull away from the main books and also usually have too much action and not enough development, plus the added add ons which is there only to make more money, so how does this event book rate? Pretty good, not perfect but pretty fantastic.
World: The art is so much better it's insane. I've grown accustomed to Bagley but going back to him after Hairsine us going to be tough, not only that, the colors too. That's not to say he art is perfect, the character faces are still pretty messed up. The world building on the other hand is great. Bendis does well to set the stage for the story to be told and gives us enough context to the events. There is no huge info dumps explaining their reasons just steady and effortless dialog between characters that inform the reader, this is good world building.
Story: The premise is pretty much Suicide Squad for the first 3 issues (head blowing explosive included) but what sets this story apart is the writing. The dialog between the characters us the driving force of this story, I'll get into the characters below but yeah they were vital. Additionally the action did not overtake the story, the action happened when it needed to and thus made it mean something and was more spectacular when it did. The art is a big static but that's just a minor gripe. If this was a movie it would be awesome that's how well paced and cinematic the event was. But it's not perfect, much as I had expected the end is quick and jarring. It's not terrible, there are far more worse event books but it does fall back into the expected ending readers know will happen in Superhero books, the lack of consequences.
Characters: This is the heart of the book and it's fantastic. Bendis understood that this was the key. Having the people talk and verbally spar was way more interesting than splash page upon splash page of fighting. Doc Ock talking with Osborn, Fury and Osborn....so many. A lot of character moments and as I said great banter and dialog. The end was expected but it was still good and did set up for some future stories.
A very enjoyable event book that put character development first and mind numbing action second. Good job Bendis.
Onward to the next book!
I'm not a big fan of event books as I feel they pull away from the main books and also usually have too much action and not enough development, plus the added add ons which is there only to make more money, so how does this event book rate? Pretty good, not perfect but pretty fantastic.
World: The art is so much better it's insane. I've grown accustomed to Bagley but going back to him after Hairsine us going to be tough, not only that, the colors too. That's not to say he art is perfect, the character faces are still pretty messed up. The world building on the other hand is great. Bendis does well to set the stage for the story to be told and gives us enough context to the events. There is no huge info dumps explaining their reasons just steady and effortless dialog between characters that inform the reader, this is good world building.
Story: The premise is pretty much Suicide Squad for the first 3 issues (head blowing explosive included) but what sets this story apart is the writing. The dialog between the characters us the driving force of this story, I'll get into the characters below but yeah they were vital. Additionally the action did not overtake the story, the action happened when it needed to and thus made it mean something and was more spectacular when it did. The art is a big static but that's just a minor gripe. If this was a movie it would be awesome that's how well paced and cinematic the event was. But it's not perfect, much as I had expected the end is quick and jarring. It's not terrible, there are far more worse event books but it does fall back into the expected ending readers know will happen in Superhero books, the lack of consequences.
Characters: This is the heart of the book and it's fantastic. Bendis understood that this was the key. Having the people talk and verbally spar was way more interesting than splash page upon splash page of fighting. Doc Ock talking with Osborn, Fury and Osborn....so many. A lot of character moments and as I said great banter and dialog. The end was expected but it was still good and did set up for some future stories.
A very enjoyable event book that put character development first and mind numbing action second. Good job Bendis.
Onward to the next book!
August 3, 2021
I really enjoyed seeing all the villains and how they were captured by shield and how they escaped man o man you really don't want the Green Goblin making a master plan why not just ask him to kill everyone on earth lol all this but kept me captured all the way through cos I never knew what was going to happen it was great seeing the Sandman again and also Dr octopus as I calling lol they should have definitely listened to the lady in the previous book about capturing them they should have just killed them so this would have never happened I was always wondering who the six member was though until we found out
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 11, 2024
(Read in 2007, review from 2024)
This was an interesting take on the Ultimate universe's Sinister Six. The villain team has an interesting line-up in this continuity including a black-mailed Spider-Man. The problem with that is its introduced too late into the story line and I don't remember Peter doing anything too bad while working for Osborn beyond participating in the attack on the White House. Also this seemed more like a Nick Fury storyline than anything despite how the main threats are Spider-Man foes. Still there were some neat parts to this like the gruesome reveal that this universe' Doc Ock can control his metal arms when they aren't attached to his body.
This was an interesting take on the Ultimate universe's Sinister Six. The villain team has an interesting line-up in this continuity including a black-mailed Spider-Man. The problem with that is its introduced too late into the story line and I don't remember Peter doing anything too bad while working for Osborn beyond participating in the attack on the White House. Also this seemed more like a Nick Fury storyline than anything despite how the main threats are Spider-Man foes. Still there were some neat parts to this like the gruesome reveal that this universe' Doc Ock can control his metal arms when they aren't attached to his body.
May 3, 2023
My Ultimate Year #8
Read for a new Sinister Six(ish) Spidey/Ultimates crossover that’s better than the rest of the Ultimates up to this point (thank you BMB), and not as good as Ultimate Spider-man.
Read for a new Sinister Six(ish) Spidey/Ultimates crossover that’s better than the rest of the Ultimates up to this point (thank you BMB), and not as good as Ultimate Spider-man.
February 14, 2019
Started off a little slow but ended good, seemed like a lot of fluff could of easily been 4 issues. Also the art i enjoyed for the most part but i hated how he drew peter parker.
July 8, 2019
This trade has very jarringly different art from the first 8 and in my opinion not in a good way. I honestly didn't even recognize Peter Parker till after the dialog made it clear. This is coming from someone who loves the art of the earlier volumes and I understand this will be largely subjective but still, I'm quite glad to see the original styling return in volume 10. There are some cool drawings of both Doc Ock, Captain America, and Thor along the way.
The writing is quite good as it has been from the beginning of Ultimate Spider-Man though they do throw walls of text at you from time to time.
This trade ends up having a much more Avengers feel to it with Spider-Man as an after though to me but that's probably of no concern to most readers. I will say this is the first low point for me in this comics run which is actually pretty impressive being Trade paperback #9.
The writing is quite good as it has been from the beginning of Ultimate Spider-Man though they do throw walls of text at you from time to time.
This trade ends up having a much more Avengers feel to it with Spider-Man as an after though to me but that's probably of no concern to most readers. I will say this is the first low point for me in this comics run which is actually pretty impressive being Trade paperback #9.
August 1, 2019
It was okay. It started of really promising but towards the end it felt rushed. It's a shame that Peters role in this was so small... It felt like they were going to give him a bigger role, especially considering they called this volume "Ultimate Six", even though there were only five villians and Peter was supposed to be the sixth one. So that's a wasted opportunity.
The art was so-so. The fight scenes looked great, but the character designs left much to be desired. A bunch of the villians suffered from the same-face-syndrom and Peter Parker himself looked... well, pretty bad.
Still, the gathering of villians was enjoyable, even though two of them felt very useless and did quite a bit of damage to S.H.I.E.L.D.
I dunno, it could have been better but it was still pretty entertaining.
The art was so-so. The fight scenes looked great, but the character designs left much to be desired. A bunch of the villians suffered from the same-face-syndrom and Peter Parker himself looked... well, pretty bad.
Still, the gathering of villians was enjoyable, even though two of them felt very useless and did quite a bit of damage to S.H.I.E.L.D.
I dunno, it could have been better but it was still pretty entertaining.
July 1, 2020
Honestly, this book's got 1* art with a 2.5* storyline...it was okay, but definitely a bit disappointing disappointing. There's not much of Peter here, and the art is so jarringly different than the rest of the series...it just feels different. Storyline was so-so and not super compelling, but it was a page turner.
This comic's saving grace: Aunt May confronting Black Widow, threatening to sue the Avengers, and just overall being awesome. Seriously. Is there an Aunt May comic series? If so, I kind of want to read it...
This comic's saving grace: Aunt May confronting Black Widow, threatening to sue the Avengers, and just overall being awesome. Seriously. Is there an Aunt May comic series? If so, I kind of want to read it...
May 11, 2015
Art shift was more than a little distracting, especially since it's honestly not aesthetically pleasing.
(Someone had to say it. Like, wow Peter looked hideous and at more than one point none of the villains looked distinctive at all. I also didn't get why Peter was wandering around without his mask on the entire time, that bothered me.)
But I overall felt just plain 'meh' about this volume. If anything it felt a little like something I could just skip right over...
(Someone had to say it. Like, wow Peter looked hideous and at more than one point none of the villains looked distinctive at all. I also didn't get why Peter was wandering around without his mask on the entire time, that bothered me.)
But I overall felt just plain 'meh' about this volume. If anything it felt a little like something I could just skip right over...
May 9, 2012
Another super fun offering from Bendis and a few mostly good artists.
These are characters that he loves, and it shows.
I would kinda like to see this continue, ...
or maybe have a part 2 ... ?
:)
These are characters that he loves, and it shows.
I would kinda like to see this continue, ...
or maybe have a part 2 ... ?
:)
February 8, 2013
simply well done
June 18, 2017
Don't like the art, don't like the story, I don't like crossovers in general, and Spidey's barely in it. And it's getting annoying how many people know his secret identity now!
January 21, 2018
Book Info: This collection contains
Ultimate Spider-Man
issue #46 and
Ultimate Six
issues #1-7.
ABSOLUTE RATING: {3+/5 stars}
STANDARDIZED RATING: <3/5 stars>
Along with Sandman, Electro, Otto Octavius (aka Doctor Octopus), and Norman Osborn (aka The Green Goblin), Kraven the Hunter is just the newest addition to S.H.I.E.L.D.'s high-tech containment cell housing Spider-Man's defeated foes. Sanctioned by General Nick Fury, their indefinite incarceration is justified under charges of "illegal, unnatural genetic mutation," and has been kept secret from other government agencies (including the Oval Office). One day, and after an elaborate ploy, a prison break is staged, freeing Norman and the other four supervillains. Determined to recruit Peter Parker to his side and take revenge on Fury, Norman rallies the others to his cause, and sets his nefarious plan in motion.
This volume opens with prelude issue #46, which involves the aftermath of volume three of USM, and S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Sharon Carter's investigation into the illegal genetic experiments conducted by Hammer Industries. This issue might be the only one in the series (aside from issue #45) that featured a character other than Peter as its protagonist. Still, its surprisingly intriguing, and demonstrates that Bendis is capable of expanding the world of Ultimate Spider-Man in exciting ways without relying on Peter as a direct conduit. Building on some of the material covered in this opening, issue #1 of the main Ultimate Six miniseries effortlessly maintains the momentum already established, and was consistently entertaining from start to finish. For instance, the four pages after the recap showing Norman and each of the inmates participating in a group therapy session were pretty strong, and particularly useful for weaker, less-developed characters like Sandman and Electro. So all in all, I thought it did a great job introducing most of the main players and setting a enticingly ominous tone for the rest of the book.
If I had to gauge the quality of the entire volume based on the first three issues (including the prelude), I would have guessed 4 stars – or 3.5 at the complete lowest. But starting after the first half of the book, things went on the decline, and the final four issues ended off on a weaker note. From the beginning all through issue #3 of Ultimate Six, Bendis keeps his trademark dialogue largely in check, but starts slipping from there; while it's clearly not a case of his commonly hyperactive material, the talk soon comes to overshadow the walk, and I couldn't help but notice how much time he spends dwelling on redundant/peripheral information. Don't get me wrong: doing this to *some* degree is nice, since slowing down and fleshing things out with extra material often enhances the story. However, if you look closely, I think it becomes more and more apparent that Bendis may have been intentionally decompressing the book, and shamelessly milking character exchanges – even to the point that a full issue could have been dropped from the set.
And I think the writer was trying to accomplish too much by way of characterization. Understand: this is actually more an Ultimate Spider-Man meets The Ultimates book than it is a plain volume of USM – meaning there's a lot that can be explored – so it was easy to see how this went wrong. With respect to the Ultimates, we have an ethical disagreement between Captain America and Nick Fury concerning the legitimacy of so blindly pursuing research on super-soldier manufacturing. There's not enough time to make the debate particularly thoughtful, so Bendis really should have cut it down by half. Next, the subtle animosity shared between Hank and Janet Pym isn't explained here (see volume one of The Ultimates), and didn't develop enough to contribute anything. If you ask me, some of this time would have been much better directed towards Otto Octavius, who seemed pretty weak and indulgent for such an pivotal main character.
[Come on, Bendis: you give the guy like one good scene in Ultimate Six #2, then turn him into another simple lackey along with Sandman, Electro, and Kraven? The way I see it, Otto is arguably the most dangerous one of the whole bunch.]
Without getting into the specifics, upon their escape, Norman and his crew are able to seize a hugely formidable degree of political leverage against Fury and the US government. Though it wasn't the most engaging of issues, much of this stuff is outlined in the fourth issue of the miniseries, and could have made for a much more complex and unpredictable plot than what was given here. Furthermore, a more thoughtful treatment could have actually justified the full eight-issue count, as well as lead to a far more satisfying finale. Unfortunately, Bendis squanders the foundation he establishes here, and things end up being resolved in a standard one and a half issue fight sequence. (See postscript for more on this.)
Here, Hairsine proved to be about as competent an illustrator as he did in Ultimate Nightmare , which (considering the publication dates) I probably should have read *after* this book. Anyway, he turned out to be a big factor in what made the first issue so dark and "enticingly ominous." As an Ultimates-related production, I felt he was a decent substitute for Hitch, and produced some solid action shots. And on that note, Bagley too seemed to step up to the plate, and I got to see what might very well have been his best and most kinetic fight sequence in all of USM (up until this point).
[I loved Bagley's Sandman; he moved like a force of nature. But like Osborn, he turns out to be more bark than bite. ]
After only two of nine volumes in the series so far being able to reach 3.5 stars, I've officially lost faith in Bendis' run. Maybe I'll get another one to two volumes of that caliber (if I'm lucky), but I don't expect to be fully reading any more than five more before the end; I'll just skim whatever's in-between. But if I had to guess, this probably marked the beginnings of Bendis' fascination with, and appreciation for, Osborn as a truly formidable villain in the Marvel universe. So for that reason alone, I'm glad he wrote it, but make no mistake: he's since taken the character way beyond what you see here. Just take a look at Dark Reign and see for yourself.
Postscript:
This is what we're given in Ultimate Six #4:
Sounds nice and juicy, right? Unfortunately, what we ultimately get is
If Marvel ever ends up rekindling their plans to make a movie for The Sinister Six , I really hope the plot is a lot stronger than this.
------------------------------------------------
Oh, and look what becomes of Kraven:
ABSOLUTE RATING: {3+/5 stars}
STANDARDIZED RATING: <3/5 stars>
Along with Sandman, Electro, Otto Octavius (aka Doctor Octopus), and Norman Osborn (aka The Green Goblin), Kraven the Hunter is just the newest addition to S.H.I.E.L.D.'s high-tech containment cell housing Spider-Man's defeated foes. Sanctioned by General Nick Fury, their indefinite incarceration is justified under charges of "illegal, unnatural genetic mutation," and has been kept secret from other government agencies (including the Oval Office). One day, and after an elaborate ploy, a prison break is staged, freeing Norman and the other four supervillains. Determined to recruit Peter Parker to his side and take revenge on Fury, Norman rallies the others to his cause, and sets his nefarious plan in motion.
This volume opens with prelude issue #46, which involves the aftermath of volume three of USM, and S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Sharon Carter's investigation into the illegal genetic experiments conducted by Hammer Industries. This issue might be the only one in the series (aside from issue #45) that featured a character other than Peter as its protagonist. Still, its surprisingly intriguing, and demonstrates that Bendis is capable of expanding the world of Ultimate Spider-Man in exciting ways without relying on Peter as a direct conduit. Building on some of the material covered in this opening, issue #1 of the main Ultimate Six miniseries effortlessly maintains the momentum already established, and was consistently entertaining from start to finish. For instance, the four pages after the recap showing Norman and each of the inmates participating in a group therapy session were pretty strong, and particularly useful for weaker, less-developed characters like Sandman and Electro. So all in all, I thought it did a great job introducing most of the main players and setting a enticingly ominous tone for the rest of the book.
If I had to gauge the quality of the entire volume based on the first three issues (including the prelude), I would have guessed 4 stars – or 3.5 at the complete lowest. But starting after the first half of the book, things went on the decline, and the final four issues ended off on a weaker note. From the beginning all through issue #3 of Ultimate Six, Bendis keeps his trademark dialogue largely in check, but starts slipping from there; while it's clearly not a case of his commonly hyperactive material, the talk soon comes to overshadow the walk, and I couldn't help but notice how much time he spends dwelling on redundant/peripheral information. Don't get me wrong: doing this to *some* degree is nice, since slowing down and fleshing things out with extra material often enhances the story. However, if you look closely, I think it becomes more and more apparent that Bendis may have been intentionally decompressing the book, and shamelessly milking character exchanges – even to the point that a full issue could have been dropped from the set.
And I think the writer was trying to accomplish too much by way of characterization. Understand: this is actually more an Ultimate Spider-Man meets The Ultimates book than it is a plain volume of USM – meaning there's a lot that can be explored – so it was easy to see how this went wrong. With respect to the Ultimates, we have an ethical disagreement between Captain America and Nick Fury concerning the legitimacy of so blindly pursuing research on super-soldier manufacturing. There's not enough time to make the debate particularly thoughtful, so Bendis really should have cut it down by half. Next, the subtle animosity shared between Hank and Janet Pym isn't explained here (see volume one of The Ultimates), and didn't develop enough to contribute anything. If you ask me, some of this time would have been much better directed towards Otto Octavius, who seemed pretty weak and indulgent for such an pivotal main character.
[Come on, Bendis: you give the guy like one good scene in Ultimate Six #2, then turn him into another simple lackey along with Sandman, Electro, and Kraven? The way I see it, Otto is arguably the most dangerous one of the whole bunch.]
Without getting into the specifics, upon their escape, Norman and his crew are able to seize a hugely formidable degree of political leverage against Fury and the US government. Though it wasn't the most engaging of issues, much of this stuff is outlined in the fourth issue of the miniseries, and could have made for a much more complex and unpredictable plot than what was given here. Furthermore, a more thoughtful treatment could have actually justified the full eight-issue count, as well as lead to a far more satisfying finale. Unfortunately, Bendis squanders the foundation he establishes here, and things end up being resolved in a standard one and a half issue fight sequence. (See postscript for more on this.)
Here, Hairsine proved to be about as competent an illustrator as he did in Ultimate Nightmare , which (considering the publication dates) I probably should have read *after* this book. Anyway, he turned out to be a big factor in what made the first issue so dark and "enticingly ominous." As an Ultimates-related production, I felt he was a decent substitute for Hitch, and produced some solid action shots. And on that note, Bagley too seemed to step up to the plate, and I got to see what might very well have been his best and most kinetic fight sequence in all of USM (up until this point).
[I loved Bagley's Sandman; he moved like a force of nature. But like Osborn, he turns out to be more bark than bite. ]
After only two of nine volumes in the series so far being able to reach 3.5 stars, I've officially lost faith in Bendis' run. Maybe I'll get another one to two volumes of that caliber (if I'm lucky), but I don't expect to be fully reading any more than five more before the end; I'll just skim whatever's in-between. But if I had to guess, this probably marked the beginnings of Bendis' fascination with, and appreciation for, Osborn as a truly formidable villain in the Marvel universe. So for that reason alone, I'm glad he wrote it, but make no mistake: he's since taken the character way beyond what you see here. Just take a look at Dark Reign and see for yourself.
Postscript:
This is what we're given in Ultimate Six #4:
Sounds nice and juicy, right? Unfortunately, what we ultimately get is
If Marvel ever ends up rekindling their plans to make a movie for The Sinister Six , I really hope the plot is a lot stronger than this.
------------------------------------------------
Oh, and look what becomes of Kraven:
February 6, 2020
Seria Ultimate Spider-Man wytraciła ostatnio trochę swój "impet". Pierwsze zeszyty czytałem z wypiekami na twarzy i na myśl o pierwszym większym wydarzeniu w ramach historii Parkera ze świata Ultimate, ogarnęła mnie mała ekstaza. Bendis w końcu to bardzo dobry autor, choć przyznam szczerze, że jego Age of Ultron czy Bitwa Atomu były mocno średnie. Tak jest niestety i tutaj. Ale po kolei...
SHIELD z Fury'm na czele mieszają w tym świecie aż miło. Gdzieś tam w tle mamy grupę Ultimates, do której nasz młodociany Pajęczak pretenduję niezbyt dobrowolnie, a tuż obok supernowoczesne więzienie, gdzie trzymają takie tuzy jak Doc Ock, Sandman czy Green Goblin i ten ostatni, Norman Osborn, gra tu pierwsze skrzypce. Tym bardziej, że mamy w końcu niejako odpowiedź na fakt, iż zbyt wiele osób zna "tajną" tożsamość spider-Mana. Uwięzieni złoczyńcy w końcu muszą się wyswobodzić. A to zapowiada zmiany w życiu Parkera... I to duże.
Bendis w tym miejscu zastosował ciekawy trik, bowiem w linii fabularnej Ziemi 616 Złowieszcza Szóstka ma inny skład i nie będzie spoilerem (sam obrazek tomu zdradza kto wchodzi w skład zespołu Osborna...), że Peter zmuszony wizją krzywdy własnych bliskich zgadza się na współpracę z psycholami, stając się niejako szóstym członkiem grupy złoli. Stawka rośnie niebagatelnie, bowiem młodzieniec stawia na szali życie Mary Jane, Gwen i cioci May. A Szóstka atakuje Biały Dom...
Akcja jest poprowadzona dość płynnie, choć pierwsze kilka tomów naprawdę nuży, aby przyśpieszyć w końcówce do zawrotnej prędkości. I Bendis znakomicie kończy cały ten event, niestety jednak droga do finału nie dość że się dłuży, to i jest taka sobie. Bez tej "iskry", którą miały poprzednie tomu, co sprawia, iż dochodzę do pewnego wniosku. Iż Brian być może powinien się skupić na "robieniu" zwykłych historii, bo wychodzi mu to znakomicie, a nie bawić się w duże wydarzenia(choć crossover All New X-men i Guardians of the Galaxy był palce lizać). Tak wiem, cała masa pozycji spod jego pióra przede mną, jak choćby House of M, Secret Invasion, Secret War, ale... Na pewno trzyma to wszystko pewien stały i nie ukrywam, dobry poziom, ale po takim początku mogę spodziewać się więcej.
SHIELD z Fury'm na czele mieszają w tym świecie aż miło. Gdzieś tam w tle mamy grupę Ultimates, do której nasz młodociany Pajęczak pretenduję niezbyt dobrowolnie, a tuż obok supernowoczesne więzienie, gdzie trzymają takie tuzy jak Doc Ock, Sandman czy Green Goblin i ten ostatni, Norman Osborn, gra tu pierwsze skrzypce. Tym bardziej, że mamy w końcu niejako odpowiedź na fakt, iż zbyt wiele osób zna "tajną" tożsamość spider-Mana. Uwięzieni złoczyńcy w końcu muszą się wyswobodzić. A to zapowiada zmiany w życiu Parkera... I to duże.
Bendis w tym miejscu zastosował ciekawy trik, bowiem w linii fabularnej Ziemi 616 Złowieszcza Szóstka ma inny skład i nie będzie spoilerem (sam obrazek tomu zdradza kto wchodzi w skład zespołu Osborna...), że Peter zmuszony wizją krzywdy własnych bliskich zgadza się na współpracę z psycholami, stając się niejako szóstym członkiem grupy złoli. Stawka rośnie niebagatelnie, bowiem młodzieniec stawia na szali życie Mary Jane, Gwen i cioci May. A Szóstka atakuje Biały Dom...
Akcja jest poprowadzona dość płynnie, choć pierwsze kilka tomów naprawdę nuży, aby przyśpieszyć w końcówce do zawrotnej prędkości. I Bendis znakomicie kończy cały ten event, niestety jednak droga do finału nie dość że się dłuży, to i jest taka sobie. Bez tej "iskry", którą miały poprzednie tomu, co sprawia, iż dochodzę do pewnego wniosku. Iż Brian być może powinien się skupić na "robieniu" zwykłych historii, bo wychodzi mu to znakomicie, a nie bawić się w duże wydarzenia(choć crossover All New X-men i Guardians of the Galaxy był palce lizać). Tak wiem, cała masa pozycji spod jego pióra przede mną, jak choćby House of M, Secret Invasion, Secret War, ale... Na pewno trzyma to wszystko pewien stały i nie ukrywam, dobry poziom, ale po takim początku mogę spodziewać się więcej.
June 12, 2018
Calling this a Spider-Man comic is kind of like calling Captain America: Civil War a Spider-Man movie... ok, maybe not entirely true (or maybe Black Panther is a better example for that). But while obviously all the villains here are those who have faced off against Peter Parker, there is a lack of him specifically until about the third issue in (he does feature somewhat more prominently in the first issue collected here, which is actually the Ultimate Spiderman line proper). This really is an "Ultimates" book, and... it still showcases that Bendis could write the shit out of this, and could up the stakes with each successive issue with tremendous energy (I do wish we couldve seen just a slice of that proposed super-villain Sinister 6-ish reality show that was threatened by Norman to Fury and the Potus).
As far as this being a sort of "event" within this own line, it's exciting and in the last issue so full of action there's barely a page that isn't a full or double page splash - and it's drawn without too much confusion (though theres some, thanks Electro). Im wondering if this will have any lasting impact when it goes back to the regular storyline proper, but it's fun seeing Fury get his ass handed to him figuratively speaking. Like, he really is not that good at his job, is he?
As far as this being a sort of "event" within this own line, it's exciting and in the last issue so full of action there's barely a page that isn't a full or double page splash - and it's drawn without too much confusion (though theres some, thanks Electro). Im wondering if this will have any lasting impact when it goes back to the regular storyline proper, but it's fun seeing Fury get his ass handed to him figuratively speaking. Like, he really is not that good at his job, is he?
July 28, 2023
Some of Spider-Man's greatest super powered foes all kept in one place. It's the perfect opportunity to observe their genetic enhancements under the watchful eye of Nick Fury and S.H.I.E.L.D., or so they thought. Sandman, Electro, Kraven, Doctor Octopus, and Norman Osborn break free with the goal of not only taking down our favorite web slinger, but Nick Fury himself.
This was a solid read and I think the integration of the Avengers, or as they're called on Earth-1610, the Ultimates. In fact they really steal the spotlight as Peter doesn't really appear until the halfway point of the story arc. While normally this would take away from the overall quality, it was a nice shift and really put focus on the inner workings of Marvel's most recognized agency. In fact, it even paints the agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. as a lot less altruistic as they usually seem.
If there was one thing I think was sacrificed for this story, it's that a lot of the depth surrounding the whole conflict was kind of brushed aside for the action. Don't get me wrong, I love an "Avengers level threat" but it really does go against why I love Spider-Man to begin with. He's just a guy looking out for the people who can't defend themselves.
I'll definitely keep reading this despite my enjoyment of this chapter being pretty wishy-washy. I do hope the next few volumes dials it back a bit though.
This was a solid read and I think the integration of the Avengers, or as they're called on Earth-1610, the Ultimates. In fact they really steal the spotlight as Peter doesn't really appear until the halfway point of the story arc. While normally this would take away from the overall quality, it was a nice shift and really put focus on the inner workings of Marvel's most recognized agency. In fact, it even paints the agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. as a lot less altruistic as they usually seem.
If there was one thing I think was sacrificed for this story, it's that a lot of the depth surrounding the whole conflict was kind of brushed aside for the action. Don't get me wrong, I love an "Avengers level threat" but it really does go against why I love Spider-Man to begin with. He's just a guy looking out for the people who can't defend themselves.
I'll definitely keep reading this despite my enjoyment of this chapter being pretty wishy-washy. I do hope the next few volumes dials it back a bit though.
December 28, 2018
This book started well. The start of the story was somehow engaging and I see how the Ultimates were the true inspiration to the MCU’s Avengers. At times, I felt that, with some heavy rewriting, this could be turned into a great Avengers movie.
However, its rushed ending just made the whole plot collapse and some ideas just didn’t work, in my opinion. I know that the Ultimate Universe was all about changing paradigms, but I absolutely despise the ultimate’s version of Green Goblin as a Hulk-like monster and then, as if that weren’t enough, they just have Kraven (who is a total goofball in this universe) turn into another hulking, brainless monster, too? Wtf?
Anyways, I liked some interactions among the heroes. Captain America is a hero that I usually take for granted, but he is really cool in this, even though he doesn’t do much. It was nice to see Peter with the Ultimates worrying so much about aunt May and Mary Jane, but the stakes were so absurdly high that I don’t see how this could have affected the Ultimate Spider-Man canon. In the end, it was fun, but utterly forgettable. 3/5 stars
However, its rushed ending just made the whole plot collapse and some ideas just didn’t work, in my opinion. I know that the Ultimate Universe was all about changing paradigms, but I absolutely despise the ultimate’s version of Green Goblin as a Hulk-like monster and then, as if that weren’t enough, they just have Kraven (who is a total goofball in this universe) turn into another hulking, brainless monster, too? Wtf?
Anyways, I liked some interactions among the heroes. Captain America is a hero that I usually take for granted, but he is really cool in this, even though he doesn’t do much. It was nice to see Peter with the Ultimates worrying so much about aunt May and Mary Jane, but the stakes were so absurdly high that I don’t see how this could have affected the Ultimate Spider-Man canon. In the end, it was fun, but utterly forgettable. 3/5 stars
February 17, 2024
Ultimate Six was a limited series that served as a spin-off to the main Ultimate Spider-Man title and is somewhat of a nod to the first Amazing Spider-Man Annual which introduced the Sinister Six. Much more decompressed than the original Sinister Six team-up was, this series takes the time to build together the roster of Spidey's deadliest foes that have been introduced thus far in the series. Including the likes of Kraven, Electro, Sandman and others, the series serves as a cinematic, action-packed interlude for the Wall-Crawler. Despite this, I found "Ultimate Six" to be an awful bore that could have stood for just being an annual instead of an entire series.
The artwork duties are handled by Trevor Hairsine instead of Mark Bagley, but since this was not technically part of the Ultimate Spider-Man series, Bagley and Bendis retained their status as the pair with longest tenure on a single book. Hairsine's aesthetic differs a fair bit from Bagley's, instead it seems closes to Bryan Hitch's work on Ultimates. It's more cinematic compared to Bagley's more expressionistic style, but it works well for the louder story.
The artwork duties are handled by Trevor Hairsine instead of Mark Bagley, but since this was not technically part of the Ultimate Spider-Man series, Bagley and Bendis retained their status as the pair with longest tenure on a single book. Hairsine's aesthetic differs a fair bit from Bagley's, instead it seems closes to Bryan Hitch's work on Ultimates. It's more cinematic compared to Bagley's more expressionistic style, but it works well for the louder story.
October 31, 2022
(3.5) Regarding the story, I think it's quite enjoyable. It's fun seeing how Osborn and Doc Ock outwit the likes of Nick Fury and the Ultimates. It's also really cool to see how Peter plays a role in the story. But, honestly, everything kinda gets boring in the end. The end fight is pretty lackluster, the drama surrounding Peter's identity in relation to his Aunt May is quite fruitless and only provides a couple chuckles in the end. And the Ultimates are kinda boring in this one. Feels like there's some backstory drama missing, but nothing terribly important to make it impossible to understand. Overall, I just wasn't as impressed as I hoped to be, and the artwork is a little off at times, specifically with faces, though that's most likely attributed to my having gotten used to Mark Bagley and the artwork here is provided by Trevor Hairsine.
April 6, 2021
There's not much Spider-man in this Ultimate Spider-man collection. The book's really about the conflict between Norman Osborn and Nick Fury with just about everyone else in the sizable cast relegated to background roles.
There's a drabness that permeates all but the first issue and I have to believe that's the result of Trevor Hairsine's art (Mark Bagley pencils that first book). I get why he got the assignment, his work resembles superficially Bryan Hitch, the legendary artist of the first Ultimates series, but Hairsine doesn't have his gift for storytelling or detail. Things often feel murky and dull.
It is cool seeing the Ultimate universe having to deal this incarnation of the Sinister Six but when there's not much Peter Parker something just doesn't feel right.
There's a drabness that permeates all but the first issue and I have to believe that's the result of Trevor Hairsine's art (Mark Bagley pencils that first book). I get why he got the assignment, his work resembles superficially Bryan Hitch, the legendary artist of the first Ultimates series, but Hairsine doesn't have his gift for storytelling or detail. Things often feel murky and dull.
It is cool seeing the Ultimate universe having to deal this incarnation of the Sinister Six but when there's not much Peter Parker something just doesn't feel right.
February 5, 2023
Ultimate Six (USM #46 + Ultimate Six #1-7). This was one of the first big Ultimate team-ups, and so it was great to see the Ultimates and Spider-Man together. Except it turns out they're barely on-screen at the same time, and when they are it's largely elided. Nonetheless, we get the Ultimates' view of the Spider-verse: what SHIELD has been doing with Spider-Man's villains and how Fury sees them as the first steps in a genetic war. That's all a pretty cool meeting of the worlds.
But Bendis has never been at his best in the big team books. He needs a personal point-of-view to excel, and we lose that here. Worse, the series bloated to be much too large, so it's pretty slow-moving. So, interesting-not-interesting I'd have to say.
But Bendis has never been at his best in the big team books. He needs a personal point-of-view to excel, and we lose that here. Worse, the series bloated to be much too large, so it's pretty slow-moving. So, interesting-not-interesting I'd have to say.
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