A major theme of Silver Sable is loneliness.

Peter Parker, still fresh from his breakup with Mary Jane Watson, for fear that their association would put her in danger, is isolated in his school. Kitty Pryde, an outcast among the outcast X-Men, is lonely in her school, too. And heck, she thinks he's cute, so she calls him. And they hit it off.

They're adorable together, a couple with a lot in common. And, since she also has superpowers, he doesn't have to worry about her handling herself in dangerous situations. It doesn't make it any easier, though, when MJ is still in his classes every day, still looking out for his best interests, still obviously heartbroken over him.

Of course, Ultimate Spider-Man isn't just about teen romance. And there's plenty more going on.

The first foe Spider-Man faces is Omega Red, who mostly makes a very big mess. Then he faces the mercenary Silver Sable and her team, who have been hired to bring Spider-Man to meet a local tycoon with ... concerns. Rather than simply finding the masked hero at a crime scene and asking him, they go the kidnapping route -- and they get the wrong kid. Shenanigans ensue.

Brian Michael Bendis continues his outstanding work as writer of this series, and Mark Bagley keeps producing stellar illustrations for the pages. The first chapter of this book -- the "meet cute" for Peter and Kitty -- was first printed outside the main series continuity as Ult.Spider-Man's first annual, and Mark Brooks (artist for the New X-Men series) supplies the art. He's no Bagley (although he is very much a Mark), but does good work here.

All in all, another very good book in a very good series.