Irresponsible strikes me as something of a transitions story. There's no real arc after the Venom story it's just stuff that happened to Peter between villains. It's mostly teen age drama with him moping about Mary Jane and then getting back together with her. The introduction of the Ultimate X-Men (while a fun story) doesn't really seem to fit with the other stories Bendis has been telling. It does make Spider-Man more a part of the world and brings in the whole mutant-phobia stuff that is the back bone of Marvel comics.
Probably the best thing about this volume is that Bendis makes Aunt May a person. Every incarnation of Aunt May previous to Bendis' portrayal shows Aunt May as a constant: always there with a hug or a cup of hot cocoa or just something that Peter needed. She was someone that he had to hide from and someone that occasionally would need to be rescued by Spider-Man. She had no character. In this issue Bendis does something different. He sends Aunt May to a therapist. He lets the reader see how Ben's death and Peter's changing lifestyle have really affected her. It's an excellent piece of story telling and really rounds out an iconic figure.
Still, it's the only really interesting story in Irresponsible so I'll give this volume a 3.
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