When I started filling in the gaps in my Ultimate Spider-Man reviews, I noticed something off about the first book I read. Sure, it has been years since I last opened one of these books, but right away I knew something was missing in Ultimate Six. Sure enough, I can see it now.

Mark Bagley!

There was nothing wrong with Trevor Hairsine's art in Ultimate Spider-Man #9, as such, but it doesn't sing along with Brian Michael Bendis's writing with quite the same harmony. I didn't realize how much I missed it until I opened up Warriors and immediately spied the difference. Bagley is the artist for Ultimate Spider-Man -- accept no substitutions!

There's a lot to unpack in Warriors. On a personal level, Peter Parker has broken up with Mary Jane Watson, fearing for her safety if she continues dating Spider-Man, and neither party is happy about it. His frustration is causing to act out at school, which leads to a few calls to his Aunt May ... who isn't happy about it.

Meanwhile, things are heating up in New York City, where the Kingpin, Wilson Fisk, is lying low because of an ongoing federal investigation into his shady shenanigans. Hammerhead, an up-and-coming gang boss, decides the time is ripe to move in on Kingpin's territory. That leads to the build-up toward an all-out gang war, and various factions are taking sides. Kingpin has the mercenary Elektra. The Black Cat, Felicia Hardy, doesn't care who wins as long as the Kingpin falls. Shang-Chi and Danny Rand, the Iron Fist, come in from one angle, while the mysterious Moon Knight comes from another. Police Captain Jean DeWolfe is, seemingly, Spider-Man's only ally in the force, and she has her own reasons for wanting to see Hammerhead's new regime topple.

Meanwhile, Spider-Man is flirting with Elektra (at least until she stabs a guy right in front of him), and the Black Cat is flirting with Spider-Man (at least until she realizes how young he really is).

There's a lot going on here. You kind of feel bad for Peter, who isn't fully prepared to handle so many crises at once, although when he starts webbing up the opposition during an all-out melee in Hammerhead's home, you forget about his private woes and remember just how cool he is.

I'm really glad I picked up these books again. I had forgotten how much I enjoyed them.