One of the big releases that I forgot to mention that I was excited about in my look at the comic book week ahead on Tuesday was Ultimate Spider-Man. I often make the mistake of forgetting about the Ultimate Universe sometimes, and I really shouldn’t, because some of the best stories by top Marvel artists can be found there. And Ultimate Spider-Man is no exception. After the break, I talk about the new issue of USM and the return of an old foe in this new arc of one of my favorite comics.

When I say this is one of my favorite comics, I really mean it. This book means a lot to me. It was the first comic I ever purchased. In many ways, Ultimate Spider-Man is the reason I am so interested in comics. If you read my rant on Amazing Spider-Man, you already know why this is. Brian Michael Bendis has been writing this book since the beginning and after 123 issues, still turns out great stories month after month. I have been getting slightly disappointed in USM lately as it seemed to have moved to Bendis’ back burner as he prepared for Secret Invasion. While the issues were still go, they were mainly one-issue stories that really didn’t hold much weight in the long-term future of the book. However, with issue #123, it seems like Bendis is ready to get back to turning out great story arcs for USM.

The new arc features the return of an old Spidy foe in Venom. In the Ultimate Universe, Venom is Peter Parkers’ old friend, Eddie Brock, who has been controlled by Venom since he and Peter discovered the experiments that their fathers had been working on when they were kids. The whole issue plays out like Forrest Gump, with Brock sitting on a park bench, telling random people that come sit next to him about how he came to be controlled by Venom and, most importantly, what he has been doing since he fought Spider-Man and was believed to be dead. Venom attacks Peter and his classmates while they are on a field trip to the museum. It seems that Venom desires Spider-Man for some reason, most likely because of the power it would allow him to possess. And just to make the end of the issue fun, we find out that Venom has been eating all the people on the park bench that he has been talking to. Not so much like Forrest Gump anymore.

One thing that is set up in this issue is some group of mercenaries that appear to be hunting Venom for some reason. They try to capture him several times in the issue. Their purpose is unclear, but they do not seem to be benevolent. We might see Spider-Man having to fight this group as well as stopping Venom in future issues of this arc.

As usual, Brian Michael Bendis’ writing is spot on. There really isn’t anything else I can say about him. He crafts a story so well, and USM has never been an exception. You flow very seamlessly throughout the panels. In this issue, Bendis almost makes us feel sorry for Brock. He is trapped by Venom and feels like he has two minds, one of which he can’t control. Bendis does a great job of making Brock into a tragic figure and Venom into a monster who we hate. Hopefully, Spider-Man will be able to find a way to destroy Venom without harming Brock. We shall see.

Stuart Immonen’s pencils are also note-worthy in this series. When he took over for Mark Bagley some time ago, I was disappointed. Bagley’s art style is much more clean than Immonen’s somewhat sketchy style. However, he draws amazing action sequences that, while epic and grand, are not overwhelming. The action is clearly laid out. His close-up frames in this issue are particularly outstanding. The emotion of Eddie Brock’s face when he is telling his story is very real and helps draw you further into the story.

As always, anything in the Ultimate Universe is highly recommended by me. As a new reader to comics, the Ulitmate Universe has really helped me get into the stories without having to worry about reading years and years of continuity in order to understand what is going on. USM is one of the most outstanding books in this line and is perfect for new comic readers.