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is a collection of stories that take place between the end of and sometime in the midst of . If you're reading through the Ultimate Spider-man series, you'll find that this collection includes events--such as the first Ultimate appearances of Lizard and S.H.I.E.L.D.--that will be referenced in the main series, so it's worthwhile to read this book. The best part of this collection is the variety of artists who work on the stories. Each story is done by a different art team. As someone who doesn't know much about graphic novels, I really liked this opportunity to see the vastly different art styles of contributing artists. I found it fascinating seeing the ways that the contributors envision the Marvel world.

I was happy with the stylistic variety, but I recognize that others might find it jarring. Because preferences for art styles are subjective, each reader will see a different balance of good and bad. For me, the biggest standout in the collection is 's Punisher story. Sienkiewicz's visual sense is astounding. I hadn't ever seen anyone craft a page the way he does, and his visuals have a cinematic poetry that transcends Bendis's writing. Look, for example, at the two-page spread in Part 2, beginning with the text "I came to Frank and I told him what was going on." I love the subtle, minimalist beauty of that image, which is matched in this case by a beautiful passage of dialogue. It is my favorite graphic novel page.

The other memorable story is 's take on Dr. Strange. It took me longer to appreciate McKeever's unsettling, abstract style, but it is a perfect match for Dr. Strange. I especially like his full-page images, such as in the flashback of Dr. Strange's history. I also enjoy two pages early in the story that are made up of tall, slim horizontal spaces.

Other styles are less appealing to me. 's Fantastic Four story is the low point of the book (though I really like his short vignette of Peter and Mary after the Elektra story; it's a great-looking Mary Jane). Other stories are just a little bland: 's Wolverine, 's Iron Man, and 's Black Widow. And I do pity anyone who has to draw The Daily Bugle's Ben Urich. Are artists prohibited from giving this guy a decent haircut?

With the wide range of visual styles, what are the constants in this collection? There is running theme through all of the stories of Peter trying to come to grips with what has happened to him, what he is supposed to be, what his identity truly is. Some of his moments of self-doubt are poignant, even if his final speech that closes the book is overdone. He wonders how he can even know who the "bad guy" is when he swings into tense situations, and he regrets mistakes he has made. It's a good theme, and it's a lot for a 16-year-old to deal with.

These complaints aside, this collection of stories is quite fun. I liked it as an introduction to the origin stories of the core Marvel characters (I first read it before the recent Marvel movies that cover many of the same characters), and as an introduction to some wonderful artists.