Ultimate Spider-Man Vol. 8: Cats & Kings (Ultimate Spider-man, 8)

Bendis's introduction to Black Cat and Elektra is more than I could ask for. Who knew that I could get a good catfight out of this chapter? Bendis writes these like a soap opera. There's always a teeth-clenching problem and by the end I'm dying to know what happens. Especially in this book. Prepare yourself for the best cliff-hanger yet, because it ends on a climatic note. Mary Jane and Peter get more intense. Black Cat and Elektra are beautiful and full of a cat-like fever. The Kingpin's story is revitalized and is more readable than ever. Keep reading! It gets better :)

ultimate spider-man by bendis and bagley is one of the best series out there. not as much action and non-stop bad guy fighting, but a good mix of that and a lot of peter parker being a teenager with problems (girls, bullies, being grounded, etc.) along with his spidey life. the series is great great great. only a few minor things that could be better: 1. i don't like how nick fury comes in and tells spider-man he's going to work his whole life for him and shield. the idea of peter being...trapped in a web? haha...well it isn't too cool. superheroes need to fight the good fight because they want to, not because shield will go and take away their superpowers (as fury has threatened) if they don't comply. plus the issues where the ultimates come in aren't that great, the whole series gets hijacked by them and not a lot of spidey. imo, the ultimates are easily the worst part of the ultimate universe. beyond ultimate spider-man and the ultimate fantastic four the ultimate universe isn't too great. 2. bendis needs to cut down on the tuchas talk. seriously if parker grew up in nyc today he'd more likely speak spanglish than yanglish. 3. geldoff.

This eighth TPB collects another complete story arc and features Spidey meeting up with the Ultimate version of the Black Cat as well as Elektra. While I didn't really care for the look of the Black Cat's costume and felt this storyline wasn't quite as good as most of the previous ones, I still thought it was good enough for four stars and would consider it a solid storyline and a recommended read. There are several interesting things that take place in the pages, including the frustration of Peter as he learns of the Kingpin's "unfair" release from custody, the Black Cat's flirtation with Peter (whose mind is already reeling from emotions stirred up by Mary Jane, and Peter's continuing problems at high school. The book ends with an uncertain fatality, but I won't spoil it for you by giving it away. Go ahead and pick it up for yourself to find out the whole story.

This volume collects the Ultimate Spider-Man comics #47-53. The Kingpin is free, despite that fact that he was caught on tape murdering someone, J. Jonah Jameson is backing a politician who's running on an anti-Spider-Man platform, Peter Parker is attracted to a cat burglar called the Black Cat (in spite of the fact that he's already got a girlfriend), and Elektra's out to kill Spider-Man. That's a lot of things for only seven issues, but it's all handled very clearly. Elektra isn't really as big a part of the story as the cover would have you believe, but the Black Cat's around a lot. Peter's a teenager in this volume (and, I suspect, in the Ultimate Spider-Man comics as a whole, but I've never read any of the others, so I don't know for sure), so he's got to deal with the usual: school, the fact that his girlfriend's parents hate him, and a bit of a crush. The artwork and coloring are both gorgeous, and I'm looking forward to seeing more.

"Ultimate Spider-Man: Cats & Kings" is the 8th collection of story arcs from "Ultimate Spider-Man," collecting issues #47-53 written by Michael Bendis with art by Mark Bagley and Art Thibert. In retelling the story of Spider-Man from the beginning with some significant twists we saw that Spider-Man's first significant victory as a super hero came when he broke into the Kingpin's tower and turned over copy of security camera footage of the Kingpin murdering one of his underlings to "The Daily Bugle." When the story broke the Kingpin was forced to flee the country to avoid arrest. Now, after getting the best lawyers money can buy, Wilton Fisk has been cleared of the crime and is ready to make his move.The first three issues collected here comprise the first half of the story arc. In "Men of Influence" the Kingpin throws his support behind the mayoral candidacy of Sam Bullit, who is running on an anti-Spider-Man platform that has J. Jonah Jameson salivating. So when Peter asks JJJ while the "Bugle" is not going after a murderer like the Kingpin, the publisher fires him. Meanwhile, Mary Jane is worried that the list of people who know Spider-Man's true identity is getting longer. "Suspended," which has to do with what happens at school to Peter when the frustration of not being able to get the Kingpin gets to him, does a nice bit where we get to see a phone conversation between Aunt May and JJJ twice, once from the perspective of each. Then Ben Urish proves the Bullit is crazy and Jameson has to decide whether to print the story. "Hero" comes down to a pair of interesting conversations JJJ has with first Spider-Man and then Peter. For those who remember JJJ admitting he was jealous of Spider-Man back in the Lee & Ditko era, this issue rewrites the rules.That would be the "Kings" part of the story arc, which then gives way to the "Cats." "The Black Cat" shows up and decides to steal a special artifact from the Kingpin's safe. Spider-Man crosses her path and learns the meaning of bad luck. Meanwhile, Peter and Mary Jane talk about their future, but any plans for happiness go out the window when her father finds her diary and a reference to MJ almost dying on a bridge. Boy, does she get grounded. Then Peter learns that Spider-Man has been implicated in the Black Cat's theft. So when the Black Cat wants to meet again, Peter is up for it in "Shadow Puppets" only to have his interlude interrupted for the greatest "Cat Fight" in history between the Black Cat and Elektra, the latter having been hired by the Kingpin to retrieve the artifact. The situation comes to an temporary ending in "Daughters." One of the things that "Ultimate Spider-Man" takes advantage of in reinventing Spider-Man for the 21st century is that this time around the Kingpin is the underworld czar developed by Frank Miller in "Daredevil." Clearly he is going to have the same prominence in these comic books as well. Spider-Man ends up being a spectator a lot in these