Ultimate Spider-Man: Learning Curve

I started a quest to read all Spider-Man issues, one collection at a time. Today, I will continue reading Ultimate Spider-Man with issues #8-13. In these issues, we follow Peter Parker’s adventures as he adjusts to his new life as a superhero. I collected these issues in the trade paperback “Ultimate Spider-Man vol. 2: Learning Curve”. You can also read them on Marvel Unlimited.

Recap

In this story we see Peter Parker adjust to his new life as Spider-Man. He stops criminals, goes to school, and works at the Daily Bugle as a webmaster. Despite his newfound hobbies, he still feels a sense of guilt over the death of his Uncle Ben. This drives him to investigate the murderer’s background, which leads him to Wilson Fisk, a.k.a. the Kingpin. Fisk is a respected and well-regarded philanthropist who also controls New York City crime as the Kingpin.

It’s no secret that Fisk is a criminal. But his connections and money ensure that nobody ever gets any evidence against him. Spider-Man decides to confront the Kingpin, and in the process loses his mask, has one of his web-shooters destroyed, and is beaten up. Peter realizes that he needs to fight “smart” to bring down the Kingpin, and breaks back into Fisk’s headquarters to steal some security tapes.

Peter browses through the tapes to protect his secret identity (he finds the recording where his mask is taken off) as well as to use against Fisk (he finds a recording of Fisk murdering a man). He sends the latter to the Daily Bugle, which prompts Fisk to leave the country, bringing his criminal empire to an end. Back home, he reveals his secret identity to his best friend, Mary Jane.

Review

In these issues, Bendis and Bagley continue their reimagining of Spider-Man. Instead of fighting the everyday criminal, Peter is thrown face-to-face against the biggest crime lord in the city. This jump from “Friendly Neighborhood” superhero to someone facing off against one of the biggest criminals in the state is risky. But Bendis and Bagley manage to pull it off. In these issues, Peter’s intelligence shines as we see his proficiency for technology and his detective skills. He quickly realizes that the criminal he is going after cannot be beaten physically, and decides to take a smarter approach.

When I was younger, I did not like this story because I felt it lacked action. But now, I appreciate the fact that the plot is driven by intelligence and wits. The criminals are not as supernatural as the previous story (except for Electro, who I feel didn’t add much to the story), which adds to a sense of realism, making Peter’s struggles more relatable to the reader. The relationship Peter has with Aunt May and with Mary Jane receive quite a bit of development. Bendis and Bagley once again deliver a fantastic story that continues their run on Spider-Man.

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