Ultimate Spider-Man - Year One

[manymade1]

For me it's from the 1st arc to the end of Venom. That's where you finally get to see Peter fully matured and used to being Spider-man for me. Which happens to be where the omnibus ends like you said.

[RonG]

Great additions Darman456 and manymade1!
Darman456: Would you say that the Clone Saga is the end of "Year One" in your opinion, or are there more "Ultra Arcs"?

[RonG]

Wanted to revive this thread, as it's been on my mind recently.

After reading all USM issues to date, as well as Spider-Men, I feel strongly that while The Parker Years (up to #160 - including Ultimate Fallout) provide *a* (not *the*) bookend for Ultimate Peter, it is the original, dare-I-say-it --magiacal-- Bendis-Bagley run (#'s 1-111 with the various extras like the Super Special, Team-Up series, Ultimate Six, etc) is near-perfect as far as Spider-Man runs are concerned, with equal parts tragedy, optimism, character growth etc. The fact that it ends with Peter's reconciliation with May is a perfect way to end this run on the highest note.

The following runs (from the Immonen issues, the Ultimate Comics Spider-Man issues, the Death and fallout) are IMO parts of a larger tale widening the Spider-Man universe/tapestry with Miles Morales. Hopefully (personally speaking) Bendis will bring Peter back (perhaps in time for the next movie). At that point I'd like both Peter and Miles to remain co-stars of the title - as Bendis showed in Spider-Men, there *is* room for both Peter and Miles, and the title will get a Big Brother / Little Brother dynamic which it never had.

Any thoughts on these issues?

[Xistel]

Wanted to revive this thread, as it's been on my mind recently.

After reading all USM issues to date, as well as Spider-Men, I feel strongly that while The Parker Years (up to #160 - including Ultimate Fallout) provide *a* (not *the*) bookend for Ultimate Peter, it is the original, dare-I-say-it --magiacal-- Bendis-Bagley run (#'s 1-111 with the various extras like the Super Special, Team-Up series, Ultimate Six, etc) is near-perfect as far as Spider-Man runs are concerned, with equal parts tragedy, optimism, character growth etc. The fact that it ends with Peter's reconciliation with May is a perfect way to end this run on the highest note.

The following runs (from the Immonen issues, the Ultimate Comics Spider-Man issues, the Death and fallout) are IMO parts of a larger tale widening the Spider-Man universe/tapestry with Miles Morales. Hopefully (personally speaking) Bendis will bring Peter back (perhaps in time for the next movie). At that point I'd like both Peter and Miles to remain co-stars of the title - as Bendis showed in Spider-Men, there *is* room for both Peter and Miles, and the title will get a Big Brother / Little Brother dynamic which it never had.

Any thoughts on these issues?

I'd like to see them work together some times, but keep them on their separate books. Have mini events (like spider-men) where they defeat a common foe, etc

[Darman456]

Great additions Darman456 and manymade1!
Darman456: Would you say that the Clone Saga is the end of "Year One" in your opinion, or are there more "Ultra Arcs"?

I never answered this post and I'm sorry for that. I would say Clone Saga and Knights are the end of Year One. I'd say, by this time, it is around the end of Peter's sophomore year (I think he got bit at the end of his Freshman year) and the last four arcs make up the final Ultra Story Arc in his Sophomore year. Six months go by after Ultimatum, going over the Summer between Sophomore and Junior year. Peter's fifteenth birthday, I'd say, takes place between Vol 2 and Vol 3, since a scientist said Ock was out for three months. Then, most of Peter's run is when he's fifteen. After Ultimatum, we cover until Peter's next birthday, say right before Summer Break. And Peter dies when he turns seventeen, not sixteen. Hence, he dies near the end of his junior year.

[Darman456]

Double post. ;)

[Darman456]

I'd like to see them work together some times, but keep them on their separate books. Have mini events (like spider-men) where they defeat a common foe, etc

I think Miles should relaunch as Scarlet Spider (keeping the numbering for his book) and Peter has a new creative team for Spider-Man (picking up with 161, where he left off with). I think this should wait until Miles and the other books reach around 160, so that they are close to even with each other. By that time, Miles will have a large enough following to keep his book going and enough people like Peter well enough to read a book staring him. Both will sell well, particularly if they do a DWF style crossover for a story or two here and there. That'd be great.

[RonG]

I never answered this post and I'm sorry for that. I would say Clone Saga and Knights are the end of Year One. I'd say, by this time, it is around the end of Peter's sophomore year (I think he got bit at the end of his Freshman year) and the last four arcs make up the final Ultra Story Arc in his Sophomore year. Six months go by after Ultimatum, going over the Summer between Sophomore and Junior year. Peter's fifteenth birthday, I'd say, takes place between Vol 2 and Vol 3, since a scientist said Ock was out for three months. Then, most of Peter's run is when he's fifteen. After Ultimatum, we cover until Peter's next birthday, say right before Summer Break. And Peter dies when he turns seventeen, not sixteen. Hence, he dies near the end of his junior year.

Well, that's pretty much what I think, though for different reasons - the end of the Knights story (plus the following one shot issue, #111) are the end of the Bendis / Bagley (original) run, which I think (preparing myself for Spider-Fan backlash..) is on par with the Lee/Ditko/Romita ASM run, as far as Spider-Man runs go - and in many ways (due to modern comic book storytelling sensibilities) is even better :)

I think Miles should relaunch as Scarlet Spider (keeping the numbering for his book) and Peter has a new creative team for Spider-Man (picking up with 161, where he left off with). I think this should wait until Miles and the other books reach around 160, so that they are close to even with each other. By that time, Miles will have a large enough following to keep his book going and enough people like Peter well enough to read a book staring him. Both will sell well, particularly if they do a DWF style crossover for a story or two here and there. That'd be great.

I'd be all for this! - this should be mentioned in "Should Peter Come Back" thread :)

[RonG]

as an addendum, I should point out that in my "personal canon/continuity" for USM, the original run (the "Year One" that I'm referring to throughout this thread) includes the following comics:

• Ultimate Spider-Man #1-111 - the original Bendis/ Bagley run
• Ultimate Spider-Man #1/2 - also by Bendis and Bagley (and included in the first omnibus IIRC)
• Ultimate Six #1-7 - this is an integral part of the Peter vs. Norman / Harry / Ock battles - in the context of the "original run", this is the final battle with Norman IIRC
• Ultimate Spider-Man Annual #1-2 - both drawn Mark Brooks - tied to the ongoing storylines in the regular series
• Ultimate Marvel Team-Up #1-16 - a favorite of mine, including themes, setting and characters (some in "earlier" / "draft" versions) that feed back to the regular series
• Ultimate Spider-Man Super Special - capping off the UMTU series, as well as again feeding back into the regular series - also, as in UMTU, we get a Who's Who of artists.

[Darman456]

Well, that's pretty much what I think, though for different reasons - the end of the Knights story (plus the following one shot issue, #111) are the end of the Bendis / Bagley (original) run, which I think (preparing myself for Spider-Fan backlash..) is on par with the Lee/Ditko/Romita ASM run, as far as Spider-Man runs go - and in many ways (due to modern comic book storytelling sensibilities) is even better :)




I'd be all for this! - this should be mentioned in "Should Peter Come Back" thread :)

Plus, Bendis did say that 100 issues would cover a year in Peter's life. Another thirty issues, a six month break (in time) and another thirty issues gets you extremely close to two years of Peter being Spidey.

I might copy and paste. ;)

[RonG]

by all means :)

Continuing in the same vein, the stories drawn by Immonen, lafuente (sp?) etc - including the Death of Spider-Man and Miles' series, comprise IMO "Year Two" - both in "in-comicbook" time (as Darman456 explained above) and thematically.

• Plot threads starting pre-Ultimatum (like Mysterio), are resolved in Miles' series (or in this case in the Spider-Men series)
• There are still dangling threads such as the Zodiac Key and Norman''s fate
• On a personal level, I *can't* accept Norman winning, so I'm waiting for Peter's return...