ULTIMATE MARVEL TEAM-UP #15

By: Arnold T. Blumberg
Date: Thursday, April 18, 2002

As Q once said to Picard, all good things must come to an end (yes, I know it was a quote! Honestly...), and so here we are at the end of ULTIMATE MARVEL TEAM-UP. It's been a lot of fun seeing the new Spidey meeting intriguing alternate versions of some of our favorite Marvel characters, but for now the team-up anthology will be rested to make way for other projects. But if this last two-part adventure is any indication, reader outcry might demand that UMT-U return very soon.

Opening with an atmospheric folktale that also serves as a framing sequence, Bendis kicks things off with a predictable - and welcome - level of suspense. The guy just can't resist whetting readers' appetites with enticing introductions, and this issue primes us for a mini-epic to follow. Shifting from the heavy brush strokes and parchment coloring of the first few pages (courtesy of Andy Lee), artists Rick Mays and Jason Martin illustrate the rest of the story in a faux manga style that is distinctly appropriate to the tone of this Spider-Man. With its sweeping, streamlined curves and superb shaded coloring from Transparency Digital, this is a handsome book with a dynamic feel.

But to the tale at hand. While Peter and Mary wander the streets of Chinatown, they find a gang of local toughs about to beat up a taciturn young man who seems surprisingly calm. Pete zips away to change into his Spider-duds and save the day, but upon his return, he's shocked to find that his witticisms and quick rescue action are unnecessary - the would-be victim has already wiped up the floor with his attackers! But that's because the young man is none other than Shang-Chi, son of a crime lord and Master of King Fu. He has no intention of following his father's evil path, but standing up for your beliefs in a town ruled by fear is not the easiest or safest thing to do. Shang-Chi has a battle ahead of him, a possible enemy in the form of an alluring woman who dogs his steps, and a possible ally as well - one with a penchant for clinging to walls.

While this issue plays as little more than a prelude with one solid sequence to move things along, it sets up the final TEAM-UP arc with panache. One hopes that Spidey and Shang-Chi get down to business in part two and clean up the streets together. Talk about a Dynamic Duo.