Ultimate Spider-Man #80

Background

With Wilson Fisk lying low, Silvermane invited Hammerhead to meet with him, to work on a takeover. Hammerhead killed Silvermane and hired Kingpin's Enforcers to be his personal bodyguard. Peter Parker, reeling from breaking up with MJ, wants to focus on being Spider-Man more then being Peter.

Story Details

Danny Rand attends a parole hearing, where he says that he has learned the error of his ways, and will not use his super powers again, which allow him to create an "iron fist."

Continuing from last issue, Moon Knight fights Spider-Man by the warehouse fire. Spider-Man manages to keep one step ahead of Moon Knight throughout the fight. As Spider-Man and Moon Knight fight, Elektra stands above them on another building top, and talks to someone on the phone. The police near the warehouse area, and Spider-Man takes off, as Moon Knight watches him leave while he stands on a building ledge, and gets his picture snapped, which ends up on the front-page of the Daily Bugle.

The next day, Jameson, Robertson and Urich discuss who owned the warehouse, and Moon Knight's appearance on the building top. Spider-Man nearly blows his identity in that meeting, and then sulks in his cubicle. Aunt May calls him at work, at gets on his case about him skipping school. Aunt May is trying to get through to Peter, but he's not connecting.

Spider-Man goes near Fisk's building, when a door opens and Elektra faces him. She invites him in, as Mr. Fisk wants to speak to him. Once in Fisk's office, Peter and Fisk have pizza, and discuss why people hate Spider-Man, especially in the press, while giving Fisk nice articles and labels. Fisk gives Peter a picture of Hammerhead, and tells him that Hammerhead is the threat now, and he's the one he should be focusing on. Fisk tries to convince Peter that he should do it not for Fisk, but for Spider-Man, himself. Peter refuses to help Kingpin in anyway, but Fisk merely gives him the information and tells him to go see for himself...

General Comments

I liked this issue a lot more than the last issue. The brief fight with Moon Knight was cool, and the art was fantastic in those panels. The story is really progressing nicely, as is Peter's subplot where he's fleeing from himself. He's retreating into Spider-Man, and getting more and more frustrated at how the world works. He's in a moral dilemma here, and it's fascinating to read. The artwork is very strong, a testament to the fact that Mark Bagley is one of the best artists in the business, as well as one of the most definitive Spider-Man pencillers.

Overall Rating

Better than the last issue, and a more thrilling plot line, which moved the general plot along a lot more briskly. The art was also slightly stronger than the previous effort.