Rating: 
Summary: Humanizing the Superhuman
Review: Not particularly fond of Marvel's Ultimate line, I usually approach any of Marvel's 'Ultimate' series with hesitation. However, I was never that big into the Avengers, so I figured I would give The Ultimates a shot, and I was very pleased with the results.Once again re-imagining and re-telling the story of one of their most famous super groups, Marvel captures a whole new dimension of story-telling with the Ultimates. Making them seem like real, ordinary people with real problems is probably one of the best parts of the entire story. Of course, there is plenty of action and fighting to go around too. Alot of the character's origins and general appearences have been changed too. For example, instead of Tony Stark having a terminal heart condition, he know his an inoperable brain tumor. Nick Fury is probably the most dramatic change, in that instead of being a grizzled, cigar chomping World War II veteran, he's a blatant Samuel L. Jackson look-alike with attitude and spunk. An interesting reworking of Fury, but I could've done without it, despite how it fits with the story. Hank Pym and his wife Jan Pym, Giant Man and Wasp respectively, have marital problems, with Hank being an abusive, chronic alcoholic. The entire comic seems to revolve around the telling of everyone's personal lives, which gives all the characters alot of depth. Finally, Thor is the son of Odin from Asgard who has spent more than his fair share of time in a mental institution, and is now a peace-loving pacifist...until it comes time to defend the world. From Tony Stark's pompous, rich jerk attitude to Captain America's good old American spirit, The Ultimates is definitely worth the read. The interesting spin on the Hulk and other story elements make this one of the best Marvel re-tellings yet. The only thing that bothered me was that the comic got a bit too political at times. I appreciate seeing the inclusion of real-world problems into the comic, making it that much more realistic and adult, but sometimes it got just a wee bit critical and outspoken. But all in all, The Ultimates was a fantastic read that I just couldn't put down. When I got to the end I was thirsting for more, and The Ultimates: Volume 2 definitely delivers after this great introduction. Great job from Marvel.
Rating: 
Summary: Worth the wait
Review: Note: this review refers to the recently released Ultimates TPB entitled Homeland Security. After managing to take down the Hulk, the government sponsored superhero team called the Ultimates have run into some problems. A shape changing alien race, which are responsible for some of humanity's worst moments (Captain America fought them in World War II) are once again rearing their ugly heads with a plan to wipe out the human race. Sad part is, the Ultimates are in shambles with Janet Pym AKA Wasp severely injured by her husband Hank AKA Giant Man, who himself goes on the run with Captain America in pursuit to teach him how to properly treat a lady. New members Hawkeye, Black Widow, Scarlet Witch, and Quicksilver are introduced as well as the team unites to defend the planet. The issues contained in Homeland Security is where the Ultimates really shines, improving on the first few issues by far. Mark Millar has cleverly crafted a modern day version of the Avengers while staying true to their original roots, while Bryan Hitch's artwork is better than ever. All this leads up to the upcoming (hopefully, many single issues of the series were loaded with shipping delays and would not reach shelves for months at a time) Ultimates Vol. 2 monthly series which Millar has hinted at will change everything you think about this modern day Avengers team. All in all, out of all of Marvel's Ultimate line (the new Ultimate Fantastic Four is impressive as well), the Ultimates is something really special.
Rating:
Summary: Put me in the "Ultimates is genius" camp
Review: Sure, some criticize Ultimates for having a derivative, cliched storyline. But they'd be missing the execution -- art, writing and twisted takes on the Marvel universe make Ultimates the best mainstream comic series I've read in a long time. Ultimates ranks with Kingdom Come as my favorite "mainstream" alternate universe exploration. Buy it. Read it. Re-read it.
Rating:
Summary: Homeland Security
Review: The Ultimates are America's team. They are funded by the government to fight nasty villains, terrorists, and any other badguy Mark Millar can come up with. The members of the Ultimates have a very real feel to them, and they are profoundly more realistic and human than, say, Ultimate Spider-Man.
Now that that's out of the way, on to the actual comic itself! The Ultimates, having recently taken down the Hulk(a.k.a. Bruce Banner), they now realize that the Wasp, wife of Giant Man, has been brutally injured by her husband. Also, Giant Man has run away, and he is nowhere to be found.
On top of all this, The Ultimates uncover that an alien race, dubbed the Chitauri by the Aficans, have reamerged, and that, by the end of the first issue, Captain America has gone to find Hank Pym(Giant Man).
With his team rapidly disentigrating, Nick Fury has to call for the aid of Black Widow, Hawkeye, and, most surprisingly of all, Magneto's children.
When Black Widow and Hawkeye take down an alien cell in two office buildings, the Ultimates realize that they have a problem on thier hands. They are the only ones who can stop them, and Cap is still nowhere to be found.
Finally, they find oiut that Cap has had a huge fight with Hank Pym, and that he broke his jaw, thus putting him out of action. It is only after Cap returns that they finally head for a secret base of operatons for the aliens. Once there, thaey too late realize that it's a trap, and by the time they do, it's (almost) too late. The island explodes, and the Ultimates are nowhere to be found.
Too find out what happens after this point, you'll have to buy it for yourself. Needless to say, though, the volume escalates until you you the last two ussues, which are basically just a collossal war btween the surviving Ultimates and the entire Chitauri fleeet, plus an old "friend" from Captain ASmerica's past.
The main good things about this are that
1.The art by Bryan Hitch is SUPERB.
2.The writing by Mark Millar is FANTASTIC.
3.The volume is STUFFED with both action and development.
4.Hey, it's the Ultimates. What's there not to like?
Unfortunately, nothing is perfect. The Ultimates' main flaw is that it takes forever and a day to ship. (The issues say that it ships monthly. Don't believe them-it's a lie) In other words, unless you are a VERY patient person, wait until the volume comes out to buy this, because takes forever.
Luckily, the Ultimates is well worth the wait.
Rating:
Summary: WAF
Review: The Ultimates is a great book. It's basically a new and updated form of the Avengers. This tpb starts out with having Captain America in World War II. He gets frozen in ice and about forty years later he is found. General Nick Fury creates a super hero team for a new super soldier team and Captain America is one of his first picks. Also on the team are Giant Man, Iron Man, the Wasp, and Thor. Their first battle is with the Hulk who is a lot cooler than the regular one. Afer the battle, Giant Man and the Wasp have a huge fight and you have to get Ultimates Vol. 2 to see what happens. Another tpb about the Ultimates is the Ultimate War (Ultimate X-men vol. 5) If you like the Ultimates you should deffinately get that book too!!!
Rating:
Summary: ULTIMATE ORIGINALITY!
Review: The Ultimates is as original as a "re-imagining" of characters can get. This TPB collects the first six issues of the series and re-introduces us to the characters of: Captain America, Iron-Man, Thor, Giant-Man, and the Wasp. Each of the characters is handled well and Mark Millar does a good job of setting the tone of the series...which starts off slow and then powers forward to the conclusion of Issue #6. On the weakness front we have Millar's usual M.O. of rushed storylines and too many characters. Unlike his run on Authority or Ultimate X-Men he has just enough characters to juggle without too much confusion (Thor is the only lacking character in the TPB). The only other problem that readers may face when diving into The Ultimates is that it does not tell a complete tale. This TPB was rushed out while the title is enjoying an immensely popular run so there is no 'end' to the stroyline...but there is one heck of a set-up for what will undoubtedly unfold in the second TPB. But let's look at the strengths of the Ultimates:
1) A great WWII intro with Captain America as well as a new take on the Cap - Bucky friendship. 2) A great twist on why millionaire Tony Stark would want to be Iron-Man. 3) The strong use of SHIELD and Nick Fury in setting up the Ultimates...and then the hilarious idea that..."Now that we have a superhero team...what happens if we never have any villains to fight?" 4) A good battle with The Hulk (who is much more enjoyable to read when instead of saying "Hulk Smash!", we get..."I'm gonna rip off your head and #@!& down your neck!" It scared me. 5) Domestic violence between Giant-Man and the Wasp which was handled more powerfully than anything I'd read in a long long time. Rereading the scene and reading between the lines only helps demonstrate that these are heroes with "real world" troubles. All in all I recommend The Ultimates. While not as strong as Brian Michael Bendis run on Ultimate Spider-Man, it does outshine the Ultimate X-Men and 95% of the comics and TPB's being published today.
Rating:
Summary: The Apogee of the Art of the Comic Book
Review: The Ultimates is the culmination of many years worth of modern comic history. It had it's beginnings in the pages of the Frank Miller written and drawn Daredevil stories. The darkness that had been only hinted at in the earlier comic eras finally was exploding into the forefront. An earthier, more desperate tone was the norm. The Frank Miller version of The Dark Knight also serves as another historic predecessor to The Ultimates. But it was Warren Ellis and ultimately Mark Millar's work on The Authority that began to lay the real groundwork for this series. Their style of writing began a move into a world of ultra-violent and ultra-cool heroes. A time where no effort was ever made to rehabilitate or negotiate with the evil that lurked around the world, and often the Universe. Just smashing in their heads and dispatching them from the living was all any problem required. When Millar and artist Bryan Hitch teamed up again for the Ultimates, this new philosophy ran head on into the very tightly woven universe that is Marvel. Tearing through this Universe of conventions, Millar and Hitch take the world as created by Stan Lee, leaving in the wisecracks and brought in Millar's signature fast paced writing style and Hitch's incredible illustrating, combined with the best coloring work in the history of comics. All the classic Marvel characters are here. Iron Man, Thor, Giant Man, The Wasp, The Hulk and of course, Captain America. Here as before, but different in so many ways. I won't spell them out, that is one of the joys of reading this series of comic books. I have been reading comics since 1961. I have loved the work of Bob Kane. Will Eisner. Steve Ditko. Jack Kirby. Jim Steranko. Neil Gaiman. Alan Moore. The greatest names in the industry. Now, you can add the creators of the Ultimates to that list. You can also add The Ultimates to a list of the greatest comic books ever. And in time, it may be judged to have been the best. Try it, and see for yourself.
Rating:
Summary: ONE OF THE BEST COMIC BOOKS OF OUR TIME
Review: The Ultimates, as most of you may already know, is Mark Millar's new take and new look on the Avengers. Millar's story, combined with Bryan Hitch's awesome artwork, makes The Ultimates is one of the best comic books of our time. The Ultimates is an almost totally new look at the Avengers. The story is set at the present timeline(2002) and this time, the Avengers now works as a military group. The Ultimates is a super-hero team built to protect America from super-human attacks and acts of super terrorism that can no longer be handled by the military. The team is headed by Nick Fury, who is still the head of S.H.I.E.L.D. Among its members are Steve Rogers (Captain America), who is the team leader, Tony Stark (Iron Man), Hank Pym (Giant Man), his wife Janet Pym (The Wasp), Bruce Banner (Hulk) and Thor. New recruits such as Black Widow, Hawkeye, Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch are also added later on in the book. Readers will also get to see the Avengers in a dimmer, darker and more mature storyline this time. Its story is much more interesting and intruiging this time. Millar did a good job of making The Ultimates fun and full of action, while still keeping the storyline dim. Hitch's pencils and Currie's inks also raised the darkness and maturity level of this comic book.
Mark Millar really outdone himself in this book. The story is very creative, it manages to be deep, intruiging, and would you believe, even realistic at the same time. Almost all of the characters in this comic book have been retold and remade. For example, Thor is now a hippie who drinks booze and protests for human rights and stuff like that, but is still the all-powerful, hammer-wielding Norse God that we love, only without the accent. Hank Pym, also known as Giant-Man, is now a hunky scientist who is witty and funny, but at the same time has an ego and an inferiority complex that could tear apart everything he loves, and he proved it by almost killing his wife Janet after an argument. Nick Fury is now a black man. Need I say more??? In other words, THIS IS AS HUMAN AND AS REALISTIC AS THE AVENGERS ARE EVER GONNA BE. I've never seen such realism in comic books in my life. The characters are heroes, yeah, but at the same time almost all of them have negative traits or dark secrets that could destroy the team. Emotions, egos and personal agendas now play a big part in the story and characters, which makes them more vulnerable not only to their enemies, but to each other as well. (It was jealousy that started the Hulk rampage and Giant Man's almost fatal assault to his wife.) However, the Ultimates still managed to stay true to each member's roots, even for a little bit. Cap is still the responsible and patriotic fighting machine that he always was (although much more gritty and emotional this time), Hulk is still the strongest there is, Thor is still the all-powerful Norse God (although much more human this time), Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch are still Magneto's offsprings and Tony Stark is still a billionaire playboy. The way Millar built the characters is also amazing. Millar made sure that each member of the team is built up well. Millar made sure that readers will be able to know the roots of each Ultimate. And unlike in other team comic book titles where some characters gets more presentation and time than others, The Ultimates gives each character his/her fair share of exposure. No one gets overexposed and no one gets forgotten. The action "scenes" are also unbelievable. You can almost feel everything that is happening in the book. Although I admit that it took a while for the Ultimates to get some action, it was well worth the wait. Chapter 5:The Hulk Does Manhattan gave me one of the best fight scenes that I have ever seen. Every fight/battle scene is detailed to the nth degree. Just read Chapters 1, 5, 8 and 12 and you'll know what I mean. Next up is the artwork. Bryan Hitch, is without a doubt the best penciller I have ever seen. You might think Im overrating him, well maybe I am, but so far, I haven't encountered a review that says otherwise. Every character is detailed to the bone, and his new designs on Captain America, Thor and the Iron Man armor is fantastic. The backgrounds are unbelievable, certainly the best background in a comic book that I have ever seen. Without Hitch, The Ultimates won't be this good. HITCH'S ARTWORK IS PERFECTION. Trust me on this. Of course, there are also some negatives about this title as well. First of all, some of Millar's lines are a bit cheesy and dull. Also, I'm not really sure about Giant-Man's outfit, and I don't think The Hulk's "horny" attitude is right for him. But probably the biggest flaw of this comic is not in the comic itself. For me, its biggest flaw is its shipment. It usually takes 2 months or more for the next issue to come out! I feel irritated whenever I finish a chapter, knowing that I have to wait patiently for another 2 months or so to find out what happens next. And its irritating because I'm telling you, The Ultimates WILL leave you hanging at the edge of your seat, and it WILL leave you craving for more. OVERALL, A COMIC BOOK MASTERPIECE. I know that some people will not agree with me on this, and a lot of people will think that I am overrating this comic book, but I don't care. Traditionalists probably won't agree with me because of the major changes that was done to the Avengers and their enemies, but I personally believe that these changes improved the Avengers a lot. Personally, I believe that this comic book is sheer genius. Millar, Hitch and Currie did a heck of a job. This is the best comic book Marvel has produced in a long time. For me, simply one of the best, if not the best, comic books that I've ever read.
Rating: 
Summary: Not as good as it ardently wants you to think it is
Review: The Ultimates, the notoriously late-shipping super-team comic of the Ultimate Marvel Universe, is sadly lacking in many ways. But first, we should touch on the good stuff. Bryan Hitch's art; incredibly good for a mainstream title. Rather than using the usual mainstream idea of "it looks vaguely like a person, so it's a person" and "it's tall, it gots windows, it's a building! go ink it", he actually researches to a staggering degree. His photorealism feels fluid, rather than forced like some people who work with it. Without Hitch, this series would have been cancelled already. Another good point is that, in the mighty marvel tradition, these characters feel pretty human. Now, the downsides. These characters feel so forced it almost hurts. They are so agressively human that it comes off feeling kinda fake, and like Millar's cheating. The plots, while basically just modern revamps of the old tales, seem unnessecary. These are not stories that must be told, though they really try to seem that way. When Millar sticks a moral into the end of one of these issues, you can't help but laugh a bit. Truth be told, it doesn't happen terribly often, but its hackneyed presence still looms over the book. Also; Mark Millar is writing the worst dialogue in comics. Not because it doesn't sound like real people talking, but because it's trying so hard to do so. It doesn't ever roll off the tongue. Everything, ot just the dialogue, is so forced in this book. This book is just such a poseur....
Rating: 
Summary: bleh
Review: There are two major problems with this series. The first is a problem of pacing. It is apparently possible for something to feel rushed while at the same time doing nothing to advance the plot. The second problem is content. Millar plays the plots and events in this book for shock over true characterization time and again. All in an attempt to make the characters more "human" than the original versions. Well, connecting to humanity has never been much of a problem for Marvel characters in the first place. It's always been the company's strong suit. And, additionally, the acts and actions that many of these poor imitations of the classic versions take make them seem far less human and real.
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