Ultimate Spider-Man # 65
Writer: Brian Michael Bendis
Penciller: Mark Bagley
Inker: Scott Hanna
Colorist: J.D. Smith
Letterer: Chris Eliopoulos
Cover Date: September 2004
Rating: 
With the newest volume of “Ultimate Spider-Man” soaking up so much critical acclaim I thought it would be fun to look back at some of the best moments from the original volume and that’s why this week I will look at Ultimate Spider-Man # 62, that takes place after the “Carnage” arc and the tragic passing of the Ultimate version of Gwen Stacy; Peter Parker, along with Mary Jane Watson, Flash Thompson, Liz Allan and Kenny “Kong” McFarlane get themselves thrown into detention after a mishap that involved a teacher getting hit so now they have time to reflect on that incident while coming to terms with Gwens’ death.
Clearly, this issue took TONS of inspiration from “The Breakfast Club”, John Hughes’ 1985 classic that features five high school students spending their Saturday in detention while realizing that they have a great deal in common and it helps that Brian Michael Bendis was definitely inspired by Hughes himself (hence the drawn-out dialogue he’s known for writing in his scripts); The theme of personal loss plays heavily in this issue but for the most part, Bendis really knows how to put Peter through the emotional wringer while showing the readers both old and new how important Gwen Stacy was to Peter and his supporting cast (There’s even a moment when MJ calls out Flash because he apparently had a crush on Gwen); Yes, some people will find fault over the fact that Peter is without his spider-suit but when you get invested in this story and seeing how these characters react to a tragic loss not to mention being stuck in detention (let’s face it- they’re teenagers) it shows that even with a moment of sadness, this title shows why it’s the flagship title for the Ultimates line while taking this history of Spider-Man history to new heights.
That’s it for me; I’ll be back with another Ultimate Spider-Man review. Thanks for sticking around. I will see you all next time.
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