Ultimate Spiderman: Power and Responsibility - Brian Michael Bendis

Image accessed 8/4/13

Bendis, B.M. (2000) Ultimate Spiderman: Power and Responsibility, Marvel Publishing Inc, USA.

Ultimate Spiderman: Power and Responsibility was written and adapted by Brian Michael Bendis, co-adapted by Bill Jemas and illustrated by Mark Bagley. It is on the Premier's Reading Challenge Year 6-9.

Like my previous review of Batman, Spiderman, image accessed 8/4/13, has also recently been made into a movie franchise which has created a renewed interest in the superhero. It has had multiple comic book adaptations, television shows as well as graphic novels and computer games. The plot of the 2012 movie, The Amazing Spiderman follows this graphic novel very closely.

The novel begins with an introduction to Osborn Industries. Norman Osborn who eventually becomes The Green Goblin, image accessed 9/4/13, is testing a new wonder drug called O2. The unexplained drug has had some very good testing results on spiders and he finds this very exciting.

Peter Parker who is the alter-ego of Spiderman is shown as being weak and bullied at school. His parents were killed in a plane crash and he lives with his aunt and uncle. 

Peter's class goes on an excursion to Osborn Industries, where the class is attacked by spiders. Peter is bitten by a spider and collapses. Peter seemingly recovers but starts having some unusual side effects, like superhuman strength, tougher skin, increased muscle tone, acrobatic skills, sticky fingers and finally the ability to spin and shoot webs.

Peter grows increasingly angry and frustrated at the world. His relationship with his aunt and uncle suffers greatly. After a fight with Peter, his uncle is robbed and subsequently killed. This leads to Peter harnessing his gifts and deciding to use his powers to fight crime. He learns about the evil Green Goblin when he attacks Peter's school. This is when Peter's crime fighting adventure really begins. Can he overcome The Green Goblin?

Marvel publishes many different superhero characters. Visit the Marvel Spiderman character page to learn more about Spiderman's adventures. 

The site also details characters such as Thor, Wolverine and Captain America. You can learn more about these Marvel characters by browsing on the Marvel home page.