Spider-Man: Big Time Ultimate Collection

Despite being a big Marvel fan I've never really managed to settle into Spider-man previously, I've read the odd issue here and there but something about the character never truly compelled me to continue reading. I thought that I should try and rectify this somewhat and buy a larger collection to see if a longer read could change my perspective. I'm glad that I did! Within this compilation we are greeted with a Spider-man older and more confident than the usual 'conflicted teen' trope that I was previously more acquainted with. Dan Slott has a great knack of creating entertaining and engaging dialogue and short term narratives that grab your attention. I did feel that the arcs in the first half of the book are of a much stronger quality than those in the latter half (Hobgoblin for example), and while the FF cross-over had potential it didn't grab me as much as I would have hoped. Saying that the initial issue with the conversation about Johnny Storm was a high point.I'll certainly be exploring a few more Spider-Man books after this, and more of Dan Slott's work as well. This collection has turned me into a clear fan of both.

This is a great value collection and is a must own for any Spidey fan and sets up the story line that were too follow leading to Superior Spider Man

First off, please note these books are also collected separately as Big Time, Matters of Life and Death and The Fantastic Spider-Man. As I've already reviewed each, I'll be posting those here as well. This Ultimate Collection offers all three in a more affordable paperback and reproduces all extras from the previous editions (as detailed separately below), and is a perfect jumping on point for brand new readers or those who've drifted over the years. For a full list of the Slott collections that follow this, see the end of the review.________________BIG TIME________________The Amazing Spider-Man: Big Time collects issues #648-651 of that series from early 2011. This volume marks the start of Dan Slott's run as sole writer on Amazing, and there's no better place to jump on board to get caught right the way up to where things are now.In the first five pages of this book, Slott lets us know that Peter Parker is Spider-Man, that he's in but doesn't lead and is still somewhat awed by the Avengers and that not all of his team-mates know who he is but more importantly that some do. We see his individual dynamics with the rest of the team, and we learn that the mayor - and by extension the public - are prone to mistrusting him, all while dealing with the latest machinations of a classic villain. All in five pages, gang. Just five. It's at once funny and dramatic, and brilliantly illustrated by Humberto Ramos as coloured by Edgar Delgado, the Mexican dream team. As we move on, we're introduced to Jonah Jameson, his son and his wife. We have insight into what Spider-Man thinks of the military (it's clichéd, but of COURSE Peter would think they're the "real heroes": he's not and never has been a character for the enjoyment of the cynical). We even have a panel devoted to his interaction with each member of the Fantastic Four. His powers - webbing, adhesion, spider-sense - are established. He drops popular culture references that feel informed, relevant and natural unlike those of the decades gone by which almost always seemed like attempts to make the character seem younger. Another three panels take care of the status of his relationship with Black Cat, and another two cover his supporting cast and of course, the power/responsibility keystone the book is built on. Without further ado, enter the Sinister Six, and after some more inter-team interaction you're set - you know what to expect from Spidey without anything being forced down your throat, gently eased in without even realising it. Slott works hard (though it never shows) to give you everything you need to know to get to grips with this series.And then he starts to shake things up. One More Day went out of its way to reset Spidey in a needless effort to refocus his appeal, but now that he's in sole control of the book, Slott has no time for that. As a result, we open on Peter bemoaning his lack of money after just saving the earth from something Tony Stark and Reed Richards couldn't, and just about the same time we realise the silliness of this - poverty despite genius - Slott does too, and makes a change for the better. Characters, you see, should grow. They should change and evolve, whether through marriage, bereavement or even financially, and these things could come to define them as much as things that happened to them 50 years ago if given a chance. That's what Slott's done with Big Time - he's taken Spider-Man in a natural direction because he's not afraid NOT to be constantly paying tribute to Stan Lee and company. This applies doubly for the idiosyncratic Ramos, the latest true 'personality' artist to work on the series. Slott takes elements from the past and progresses logically, even lifting from the all-but-forgotten 90's (by the way, when the editor writes "see Green Goblin #1-13 on page 18, he's referring to Green Goblin: A Lighter Shade Of Green, though I'd not recommend it).Now, fair enough, I don't care for Pete's current love interest, but I was a Spider-Marriage supporter - if she's not MJ, I don't wanna know about it. I can still appreciate the layer of the Carlie/Peter relationship though, and furthermore appreciate Carlie as a barrier, narratively speaking, between Peter and true happiness. That's a pretty elongated way of saying I don't like Carlier Cooper but I'm not upset she's there. He also takes time to explain why the symbiote was allowed to remain bonded to Eddie Brock and Mac Gargan while Venom was incarcerated all those years (while also setting up Rick Remender's excellent Venom solo series).But the real hook is this: chances are you know someone who could be doing better with the skills they have and it hurts not to see them succeed. Same with Peter. It's easy to relate to, which is why Big Time is so satisfying. Seeing him head over to Horizon Labs, get the tour then end up working there is the closest I've ever felt to pride for a fictional character. Slott makes you feel for Peter, rejoice for his accomplishments, and succeeds in establishing a status quo that goes against the grain and works anyway because he knows the characters head to toe and inside out. Cap it all off with the return of a beloved villain and various hints at what's to come and you've got a literally perfect first issue.Oh yeah. That's all in a single issue of this great run. The rest of the book sees further establishment of Peter's new colleagues, this new villainous threat (spoiler: it's a Hobgoblin, but is it THE Hobgoblin?) and the sewing of other seeds that will sprout glorious fruit throughout the later run. This is the best Spider-Man has been in a long, long, long time folks, and you owe it to yourself as a lifelong fan or a first-time reader to get onboard, because whichever side of that fence you fall on, this book is just the book for you.Extras include a pair of back-up stories from issues #650 & #651 that concern Mac Gargan's recovery of his Scorpion identity (which pays off in later stories) and variant covers and sketches.________________MATTERS OF LIFE AND DEATH________________Matters Of Life And Death is the second collection of Dan Slott's run on Amazing Spider-Man and covers issues #652-657 and #654.1 of the title, all from 2011. After such an impressive first volume, Matters Of... manages to keep the momentum rolling with a succession of frankly indispensable issues that further confirms Slott's status as one of the greatest Spider-scribes since 1962, aided here by former ASM writer Fred Van Lente on additional scripting duties under Slott's plotting.The book centers around "No One Dies", a two-part story illustrated by Marcos Martin (whose combination of distinct linework and Ditko-homage really sets him apart on this book) which adds to Spidey's ever compounded sense of guilt and gives him that titular motto to run with as an ethos from here on out. Spidey's dedication to making sure no-one on either side of the criminal/ civilian divide bites the big one is one of the most profound statements about Peter's character in fifty years: its impossibility places enormous self-made pressure on his shoulders and sets him up for failure from the get-go, but that doesn't curb his optimism or determination for a moment. The story packs an emotional punch despite a one-off villain, and boasts a memorable Martin dream sequence with a startling image or two that really sticks in your craw. The first ten speech-free pages of #655 are an artistic anchor for a story bloated with grief and prove that when Martin has time for Spidey it's something to be grateful for."No One Dies" is preceded by a two-issue tale in which Alistair Smythe (he of Spider Slayers) employs The Scorpion (reintroduced in Big Time) to lead an admittedly rubbish 'insect army' as part of a master plan for simplistic revenge. One of Slott's greatest attributes as a writer is his use of classic Spider-Man foes like an artist would shades of paint, adding texture and drive to a story if not actually defining it. More seeds are sewn for future Doctor Octopus appearances in this volume - check my review for Ends Of The Earth to see where that ends up.ASM #654.1 (and the last few pages of #654) work as a lead-in to Rick Remender's ongoing Venom series, and establish that series' frankly brilliant central conceit that the erstwhile villainous symbiote is to be bonded with a series of jarheads as a military tool and the specifics of how the government intend to keep it in check. Why it deserves a place in this collection is because, of course, the first (?) of these jarheads is Peter's one-time tormentor and good buddy Flash Thompson. The use of this Iraq veteran who's lost his legs serving his country really makes that series special, and it's well worth checking out. The first five issues are collected simply as "Venom By Rick Remender" and the next three are in "Spider-Island", which is linked to below. I just thought I'd mention that as the dedicated Venom trades appear to skip right from #5 to #9.Rounding out the book is a tie-in to the then-current run of Fantastic Four comics, in which founder member Johnny Storm (The Human Torch) had just died. Naturally, as comics go, his time off this earth wasn't fated to last, but what comic deaths serve to do (aside from spiking sales: let's be honest) is afford writers and artists an opportunity to explore how these deaths are handled. Sure, they rarely end up meaning as much when someone is miraculously restored, but that doesn't make #657 any less touching a tribute to Johnny and Peter's friendship (told in flashbacks and as illustrated by four masters of their craft). The issue also sets up Spidey's membership with the Future Foundation - you know, the other FF.What you have, then, is a selection of stories that when looked at as a whole represent just one portion of one of the most consistent runs in mainstream comics in years. As I'll always say, Slott's understanding of and respect for Spider-Man and his supporting cast (to which Slott continues to devote equal time amongst the old and the new) is what makes these books instant classics. He uses old villains the way they should be used, he can tell a great compelling story (I'm having trouble not reading more than one of these collections at a time because I'm trying to pace myself), he handles humour and gravity adeptly and he will make you care about these little sketches of people like only the very best in the medium's history can.Oh, and it wouldn't do not to mention Stefano Caselli, whose art stands alongside's Humberto Ramos' as the most strongly associated with Slott's writing on the series, and is superb as ever on those issues he handles in this collection.________________THE FANTASTIC SPIDER-MAN________________The Fantastic Spider-Man is the third book of Dan Slott's run as writer on Amazing Spider-Man, though this volume collects several fill-in issues from other Spider-writers and features a revolving-door cast of artists. It collects #658-662 (as well as those issues' back-up stories) from 2011.The Fantastic Spider-Man coincides with the launch of Jonathan Hickman's FF and as a direct result the stories here suffer somewhat from a sort of cross-promotional dilution. Given that there are six pencillers at work across five issues, there's also a sense of compilation that you don't get with the rest of Slott's collections. Despite this lack of cohesion, the first story in the book (which sees Spidey and the FF travel across space and time to deal with imploding giant atoms, French alien invasion and zombie pirates in true Stan 'n' Jack fashion) is a total hoot and worth the book's price alone. Art varies wildly from issue to issue but not one of the artists is bad, at least, so it's hard to say 'the book has bad art' and I'm not doing so. Slott is aided by Fred Van Lente on the scripts for a pair of issues (as in Matters Of Life And Death) and the pair work well as a plotting/ dialoguing entity.There's also a two-parter in which Spidey substitutes at Avengers Academy (a welcome callback to his teaching position during JMS' run), which sees him lose control of a bunch of kids and is a whole heap of fun. Finally, he teams up with Ghost Rider (in a three-part backup series written by the hugely under-rated Rob Williams, who also turned in a great Avenging Spider-Man Annual late last year and is one to watch for on future Spider-scripting gigs) in order to tame a literally Satanic living motorcycle. His loss of his Spider-Sense back in Big Time is dealt with more noticeably in this volume, throwing up difficulties during battle in a couple of issues and leading to his eventual decision to try and find a suitable replacement.The thing is, the whole book feels like "Spidey Meets...", which is I guess the role Avenging Spider-Man would end up fulfilling a few months later. It's like a sideshow attraction, a worthy read that doesn't really take the story anywhere (even though, as in the previous two volumes, Doctor Octopus appears once again to strengthen the foundations of his malevolent machinations in Ends Of The Earth). Peter's civilian life is barely touched upon, unfortunately, but as usual Carlie Cooper suffers the most, not because she's a terrible character (she is) but because she's illustrated differently by every single artist who gets his hands on her (and when a company can't decided what their flagship hero's love interest looks like, it's about time to rethink things, I reckon). In all, not a place to start, but a worthy stopgap between more important and engrossing stories.The usual gallery of applicable variant covers is present, but there's nothing else in the way of extras.________________The next volume of Slott's tenure is contained in  The Return of Anti-Venom , and continues in  Spider Island , Flying Blind , Trouble On The Horizon , Ends Of The Earth , No Turning Back , Danger Zone  and  Dying Wish , which'll take you right the way up to the recent relaunch as Superior Spider-Man. I'll be reviewing each volume over the next few weeks if you care to have a look.***As ever, I keep an eye on the comments section, so if you'd like to know anything about the book please ask below.***