$oss' Pull-List Review 6-29-11

This week brought me a weird ride and the end of a classic. 

Strange Tales II

I can be a sucker for quirky looking things. Notice I said "sucker," not "fan". Strange Tales II is the perfect example of this. A quick flip through this book and I was intrigued by the prospect of indie writers and artists constructing stories far off the beaten path of a typical Marvel read. I'm not sure what made me think I'd enjoy this but I took a chance.

It is about a 50/50 split between odd and quality storytelling. Shannon Wheeler's story of the Red Skull heroically protecting a tribe of Native Americans was difficult to stomach. There isn't a less likely character to put in this role than Wheeler's choice here. She might as well have had Dr. Doom saving abandoned puppies. Just awful. Equally as bad was a four page story about Dazzler and how isolated and sad she is due to her fame. I'll read Us Weekly for stories like this.

Strange Tales II wasn't a total loss. A story featuring Wolverine and Deadpool as wrestlers battling to the death was pretty good. Rafael Grampa's messy illustrations are a perfect match for the gore filled panels. The true excellence of this tale is the backdrop of a love letter written to Logan. It's a telling look into a character that rarely is given time for self reflection. Jeff Lemire also contributed an excellent take on Man Thing. I enjoy his work on Sweet Tooth and this had a very similar tone. These were the kind of stories I had hoped to find, ones the added depth to these heroes and villains. Instead most of what I got was just...strange. I guess I should have known better.

Ultimate Spider-Man #160

I have to admit, I have not read any Ultimate titles since Ultimatium. The tasteless manner in which Jeph Loeb "cleaned up" the Ultimate Universe left a sour taste in my mouth...so I guess it wasn't tasteless. Just tacky. When I heard about The Death of Spider-Man I was relived and excited that the classic team of Brian Michael Bendis and Mark Bagely would handle the last days of Ultimate Peter Parker.

The comic is shipped in your choice of black or white bag, a fun nod to The Death of Superman from years past. I'm glad that this is no longer common place but it gave this particular comic a certain importance.

From the very first page you could feel the tension in each characters mood. There is no doubt that this book wasn't written just to sell a few copies. Peter Parker was not making it out alive this time. At it's core this story is one large battle sequence, but written in a way that gives young Mr. Parker an honorable send off. Bendis' dialogue is excellent and there simply is no other artist to handle this moment then Mark Bagley. The sadness on Mary Jane's face in the final frames speaks volumes. From the pencils and inks to the colors this book looks gorgeous. Definitely one to pick up in collected trade form.

Ultimate Spider-Man, while sharing many similarities to his 616 counterpart was his own man. It has been stated many times that "dead is dead" in the Ultimate Universe. So the moment when Peter takes his last breath carries real emotional weight. It made me reflect on all the great stories through the years. Truly was a quality series. This begs the question, what's next? While Mr. Parker has meet his end but the series marches on. Who will be the next Spider-Man?



Panel of the Week: The final moments of Ultimate Peter Parker.