Ultimate Comics New Ultimates #1

Ultimate Comics New Ultimates #1
Marvel Comics
(w) Jeph Loeb
(a) Frank Cho
FC 32 pgs w/ ads $3.99 US / Higher in Canada

The last of the new post-Ultimatum ongoing Ultimate titles makes its debut. It’s essentially a continuation of Jeph Loeb’s run from Ultimates 3 and Ultimatum. While Millar has been playing around with Cap and a bunch of new Ultimates, Loeb’s team is still Iron Man, Hawkeye, Captain America, Black Panther, Valkyrie, and Supreme Power refugee Zarda.

The story has what’s left of the team recuperating after Ultimatum and Loki has decided to attack. It’s a neat trick since Thor killed him at the end of Ultimates 2 but this is a comic book. Loeb’s story is alright, he doesn’t take the characters too far off their usual characterizations like he did in Ultimates 3 but there’s nothing here to make you jump up and down either. Frank Cho’s art is amazing and is really the highlight of this issue. The series is also on a bi-monthly schedule to accommodate the slower moving Cho.

I don’t have high hopes for this series and while I was hoping that Mark Millar’s Ultimate Avengers would be be better than it has been I’m hoping it picks up with his second arc because the relaunch of the Ultimate titles in general has been blah. (Shane Hnetka)

Ultimate Comics X #1

Ultimate Comics X #1
Marvel Comics
(w) Jeph Loeb
(a) Arthur Adams & Mark Roslan
FC 32 pgs w/ ads $3.99 US / Higher in Canada

After slaughtering all the X-men in Ultimatum, writer Jeph Loeb has started the X franchise over. With what’s left of the X-Men permanent members of Bendis’ Ultimate Spider-Man title, Loeb starts off this series by introducing Wolverine’s son.

This isn’t an ultimate Daken. Jimmy Hudson has been raised by his foster parents, James and Heather Hudson – who are no longer Canadians but American trailer trash living Florida. He’s a teenage hick who races cars and keeps a pet alligator in the trailer park that he lives in. Kitty Pryde shows up and tells Jimmy who he is. The story is just ok – I’m not sure where Loeb is going with this series – other than introducing Jimmy it doesn’t seem to have a direction yet. The main reason I picked this up was for Art Adams’ art which as always is amazing. This first issue didn’t make much of an impression and other than Art Adams, I can’t see any reason to really pick up any other issues. (Shane Hnetka)

Ultimate Enemy #1

Ultimate Enemy #1
Marvel Comics
(w) Brian Michael Bendis
(a) Rafa Sandoval & Roger Bonet
FC 32 pgs w/ ads $3.99 US / Higher in Canada

Wow! Another Ultimate title but this time without the comics thrown in the middle. I’m not sure about the Ultimate Comics Spider-Man / Avengers, etc. as a title. It is a mouthful. But here is Bendis’ latest mini-series and it’s only called Ultimate Enemy. Not Ultimate Comics Enemy. Or at least the issue is called Ultimate Enemy. And this is a pretty nasty enemy even without the comics moniker.

The story has a giant gelatinous blob with tentacles attacking several of the Ultimate universe superheroes. Spider-Woman, Reed Richards, Sue Richards and Nick Fury to be precise. There is no hint to who this horrible enemy is, although as always, it seems to be Nick Fury’s fault.

Most of this issue is catching up with what has happened to the remaining members of the Fantastic Four since Ultimatum. It isn’t a bad issue but other than the random attacks by a mysterious villain not much else happens – as seems to be the norm for the first issue of a mini-series. The art is good, although Ben Grimm’s jaw seems to over-power his face. I’ll stick with this series; it’s intriguing enough and I have faith in Bendis when it comes to the Ultimate universe. I can’t say the same about some other writers. (Shane Hnetka)