Indy Comics Writer

The original Spider-Man movie, directed by Sam Raimi, was on TV earlier this weekend. My son and I watched it again. And, again, I had the same reaction: This is fun. But it could have been better.

In fact, that’s the same reaction I’ve had every time I’ve seen any of Raimi’s three Spider-Man movies.

The problem, I think, is that I’m always comparing the films to the pages of my favorite mainstream comic, Ultimate Spider-Man.

If you’re not familiar with Marvel’s Ultimate line, it’s basically a re-telling of some of the company’s brightest titles. In addition to Spider-Man, there are Ultimate versions of the Avengers, Fantastic Four and X-Men. Ultimate Spider-Man, though, is the best of the lot.

The comic is far superior to the Sam Raimi movies, too. In Ultimate Spider-Man — written by Brian Michael Bendis — we are introduced to a young Spider-Man who’s smart, funny and likable. The Spider-Man in Raimi’s movie, by contract, remains a doofus even through the third movie. The Peter Parker in the third Spider-Man movie was a complete bumbling fool. In Bendis’ comic, he’s a kind, witty, thoughtful teen, trying to balance high school, a romance with Mary Jane Watson and crime-fighting.

It doesn’t always work. Which is refreshing to see.

In Ultimate Spider-Man, the supporting characters shine. Flash Thompson, Aunt May, Gwen Stacey, Curt Connors and, especially, Nick Fury, all have terrific moments. In the movies, characters like Flash Thompson, Gwen Stacey and even Aunt May have been largely forgettable.

And the villains in the comic far outclass the ones in the movies. The Green Goblin on the pages of Ultimate Spider-Man is crafty, scheming and truly monstrous. The Doctor Octopus kills without a shred of regret. Venom is a mixture of vicious animal and flawed man. The Sandman is almost an unstoppable force of nature.

Finally, Ultimate Spider-Man blows away the movies as far as humor goes. Peter Parker is funny, both as himself and Spider-Man. In the movies, his wit is mostly hidden.

Yes, the movies aren’t bad when compared to many other superhero films. But when you compare them to Bendis’ work, they suffer greatly.