You have to give Brian Bendis credit for shaking up the status quo on this comic. After an outstanding run on the first version of Ultimate Spider-Man, one might expect that he'd continue telling stories in the same vein. Instead, he's taken the comic starring one of the biggest loners in comics and turned it into a team book.
And it fits perfectly, because that's so much a part of being a kid - running around with friends, sharing day-to-day events, having fun - and that's what this comic is all about.
It the wake of the Ultimatum (ptooey) story that devastated New York City and split up the Fantastic Four and the X-Men, homeless heroes have been gravitating to May Parker's house, which (out of the kindness of her heart) she's made into something like a group home for wayward superheroes.
To be exact, she has Spider-Man, the Human Torch and Iceman all under the same roof, with Kitty Pryde a frequent visitor. And yet another character may be added to the list after the ongoing storyline, which presents a familiar teen named Rick Jones who has developed an unusual condition.
It's a story with some major ramifications, but it's also a fun romp that includes a quick visit to Ann Arbor (of all places).
Regular series artist David Lafuente gets a break this time around, providing only the cover, with the interior art by Takeshi Miyazawa, who does an excellent job evoking the same high-spirited energy that Lafuente brings to the comic.
Every month, this comic jumps to the top of my reading stack. It's funny, adventurous, surprising and always entertaining. In other words, it's the same kind of comic I enjoyed in the 1960s when it was called The Amazing Spider-Man.
Grade: A-
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