In short time, Peter Parker manages to become the star of the high school basketball team and finds a way to help pay for Flash Thompson's medical bills by secretly taking on Crusher Hogan in the wrestling ring. But the other shoe is about to drop as Norman Osborn wants to recreate the accident that changed Peter's system, and he wants to use himself as the test subject…

Brian Michael Bendis and Bill Jemas continue to map out the origin of Spider-Man in this issue, and the pacing picks up as Peter goes through the wrestling gig, and is even given a costume while he's in the ring - that looks eerily familiar - by his promoter. By not sticking to the absolute details - like Osborn's initial influence in Spidey's beginnings - the classic storyline feels fresh.

Quite a bit of action in this issue, and not the kind we're accustomed to considering the wrestling and basketball scenes. But finally, we get to see Peter in costume, and while it's missing a black arachnid on the chest, it's still great to see. The growing animosity between Peter and Flash is a plot point that I don't think would have been as clearly conveyed as it is with Mark Bagley's art, so chalk one up to "visual storytelling."

The classic tale continues to be dissected and examined while being re-imagined, and boy, it's fun to read.

8.5/10

Collected In:
Ultimate Spider-Man, Vol 1 (2002) HC
Ultimate Spider-Man, Vol 1: Power and Responsibility (2002) TPB

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