Ultimate Spider-Man 12: Superstars

So far I have loved every one of the books in this series! Hard to put down.

Ultimate Spidey, to me, has been consistently one of the best comics out there for years now, and, in terms of humor, it is unmatched. Set now in contemporary times, we are again priveleged to witness Peter Parker run thru his trials and errors as he juggles adolescence, high school, and superhero life. Past trade paperbacks chronicling this Ultimate version of Peter Parker have been must-have collections, and, while Ultimate Spider-Man, Volume 12: Superstars doesn't offer the same depth, it's still very much worth checking out. Volume 12 is a team-up TPB, reprinting issues #66-71 and co-starring, respectively, Wolverine, the Human Torch, and Dr. Strange. The first two-part story is really weird and amusingly channels Freaky Friday. It begins with Peter Parker and Wolverine awakening to discover that they had somehow switched bodies. This was a gut-busting funny team-up tale as both parties try to get to the bottom of things, while coping with unfamiliar powers and unfamiliar environments. Peter, stuck in Wolverine's hairy, hygiene-challenged body and persistently losing control of his claws, as he continues to bemoan the grossness of the X-Man's body, made me laugh long and hard, as did the sequence of Wolverine (as the web-slinger) attempting to web swing. Needless to say, Peter and Logan have a great Odd Couple chemistry going on here. The second two-parter kicks off the traditional unofficial partnership between Spidey and Johnny Storm. The switch is that, in the Ultimate Universe, Spidey debuted before the World's Greatest Team. Thus, going into this story, Johnny is actually star struck with the more experienced webslinger. Spidey giving advice to a downcast Johnny was a nice, quietly effective buddy moment to savor. The Dr. Strange mini-arc, on the other hand, left me cold, and I only even mention it here for the plot-advancing ending of that story. So, no, this isn't the best of Bendis and Bagley. But after all the heavy, emotionally-wringing stuff they've been churning out, they're allowed a breather every now and then. These six issues are, more or less, fillers, but the first four, at least, are worth dropping your hard-earned dimes on. And, to me, the hilarious Spidey-Wolverine team-up alone is worth the price of this TPB.

"Ultimate Spider-Man, Volume 12: Superstars" reprints issues #66-71 of the Marvel comic book, which is unusual from the previous volumes because these six issues do not represent one major story arc against a particular villain such as the Green Goblin or Doctor Octopus. Instead you have a trio of two part stories pairing up Spider-Man with other Marvel superheroes in the Ultimate universe. The cover (from issue #66) gives away one of the three and puts together two of the most popular Marvel superheroes together to help promote sales. Kicking off the adventures is what is proudly and unashamedly the weirdest Ultimate Spider-Man story to date. When you see that the two issues are entitled "Even We Don't Believe This" (#66) and "Jump the Shark" (#67) those are your first clues that this story is, to put it mildly, out there. Brian Bendis the writer of the comic book even shows up, so to speak, to warn the reader that this is not a classic superhero story. The hook will either sell you or repel you: Peter Parker and Logan wake up and discover they have switched bodies. That means Wolverine's alter-ego is dealing with Aunt May, Mary Jane, and high school while Spider-man is trying not to freak out because there are claws popping out of his hands. The intent here is to be funny and I think Bendis along with penciler Mark Bagley and inker Scott Hanna pull it off, mainly because the humor is character driven. Of course there is the question as to why this is going on and while the revelation merely ends the episode rather than provide a great punch line, Mary Jane takes care of that. There is nothing wrong with a little silliness like this, especially after Peter was rocked by the death of Gwen Stacy. "Popular" (#68) and "Meet Me" (#69) has the other members of the Fantastic Four (who have yet to appear in public in the Ultimate universe) convincing Johnny Storm that he has to go back to high school and get his diploma while keeping his flame power a secret. It would be interesting to see which would be harder to Johnny when he enrolls at Midtown High, where Peter Parker goes to school. At a beach party at Coney Island, Johnny accidentally flames on and the payoff is that Spider-Man shows up to have a talk with the Human Torch. Having been dictated to by Nick Fury about what his life as a super-powered character will be like, this is a chance for Spider-Man to have a talk with somebody in a similar situation. Unlike a previous conversation with the X-Men, this one gets a bit more personal. After the insanity of the previous storyline, this is a much quieter little story. The two-part story "Strange" (#70-71) starts to set up the next major "Ultimate Spider-Man" story arc. Peter and Mary Jane's relationship is going so well they decided to treat themselves to dinner at an exclusive Manhattan restaurant. But because he goes along with "Daily Bugle" reporter Ben Urich on an assignment to interview Dr. Stephen Strange, Peter suddenly finds himself tr