Rating: 
Summary: A fantastic tale of american cynicism and shades of grey
Review: First, I have to say that I haven't been in the comic book game for a very long time. When I read the review of Mark Millar's Red Son, in Time Magazine (which I haven't read yet, unfortunately) I was intrested by its premise. So I picked this up and read through the two volumes in a day. I have never been an Avenger's fan and I've never been a Captain America fan, but with this book Millar's flawless reworking of Captain America, Thor, Wasp Woman, and Giant Man reflects a society that at one point found these characters archaic if not corny. Thor (A magazine whose odd mix of metaphysics and mythology I never really enjoyed, at least Silver Surfer was incoherent the way metaphysics should be!) Becomes a pacifist and alleged psychotic with a giant hammer... Brillant! This character teems with the life of the American who doesn't like this president, hates this war, and yet feels an obligation towards humanity as a whole. Captain America is now slightly outdated, but,Contrary to another reviewer's thoughts, reflects the still noble want for peace and freedom of most Americans. He is a gentlemen, who isn't afraid to fight. Giant Man, a pill popping wifebeater, and Wasp Woman, the lovely lady who has no love for herself, a reflection of the dark side of some Americans; and Tony Stark, the corperate billonaire who fears for his juggarnaut of a company, yet rises above the risks and comes to the rescue along with all of the other Ultimates. There are of course a few other characters, Hawkeye and Black Widow, reworked as gun and bow toting matrixesqe characters with no development, but used as plot devices to lighten up the mood with good old fashion action against the newly reworked skrull characters (I don't want to give anything away.) And Magneto's children, Quiksilver and Scarlet Witch, who are used for a slight amount of comic relief. The art is amazing, really top notch and the ideas are all there. This thirteen issue magazine reflects every aspect of American culture: Violence against others, patriotism, consumerism, The political (and sometimes erroneous) use of heroes and fighters for freedom, and the rightoues pacifcism that could rise up and take charge, the way this country was founded. It is a post 9/11 world, though it's been said ad nauseum, and the cyncism and fear that is looming overhead is just as important as our ability to come together as a country and try to make the world right. Even if we fall on our face, at least we tried as the central theme of this book reflects. Kudos to Mark Millar!
Rating:
Summary: Best of the Ultimate Line
Review: I had lost interest in comics during the 90s as quality fell and prices rose at both DC and Marvel. When Marvel launched their ultimate line I found a reason to return to the comic shop. For my money, Mark Millar is one of the best writers that Marvel is currently using. He takes the familiar ideas for characters that have existed for decades and makes them interesting and identifiable. Characters like Thor and Wasp who I've always laughed off in the Marvel Universe are reinvented here as beings I want to know more about. The first six issues (collected here) introduce the core group of Captain America, Iron Man, Giant Man, Wasp, and eventually Thor with Bruce Banner Hulking out to provide an unstable element. The art is fantastic throughout the entire book, from fantastic battle scenes in WW2 to the intimate moments when team members just sit around chatting, it's all flawless. I loved this book, and make sure I lend it out to all of my friends to show them what super hero comics can be at their best.
Rating: 
Summary: Wonderfully Illustrated, but falls short of the mark.
Review: I was intrigued when I heard about the Ultimates, which is in essence a reformation of the original Avengers. Although the illustrations were very well done, the story was so slow and badly put together that by the end of the story, I both wanted more, and much less. The plot was both frantically paced and embarrasingly slow at the same time. Nothing was happening, but the story seemed in such a hurry to get there that I felt like I was missing something (perhaps I was). Millar does a pretty good job giving some background on Captain America, but none of the other characters get more than a passing nod from a standpoint of character development. Perhaps this is just as well, as seeing Thor as a tree-hugging raver (ala Woodstock '99) and seeing Dr. Bruce Banner as a pathetic weakling with more fears than brains struck me as uninventive and even a little lazy. A particularly galling development in this "retelling" is the position of the Ultimates as a branch of the US miliary. Keeping aside the idiocy of having a Norse God in the US military, of all the Avengers, only Captain America has the type of character to follow orders and obey. Iron Man and the two scientists (Giant Man and Banner) would probably be somewhat suspicious of this dubious "honor" to serve one's country. My thought is political correctness in the post 9-11 world won't allow for rogue groups operating outside of the vast government's auspices. Lastly, what's with all the celebrity worship? A full two pages are spent discussing who's going to play whom in the upcoming movie (Nick Fury's character appears to be drawn with Samuel L. Jackson in mind). Dinner with Freddie Prinze Jr.? Marketing meetings and PR sessions? What's with this garbage? All of these efforts serve to elevate the possible saviors of the world to the status of N*Sync or VH-1 Divas. If you're into the Avengers, go back and read your old issues. There's nothing to see here.
Rating: 
Summary: Solid re-imagining of the Avengers
Review: I'm admittadly not the biggest fan of Marvel's Ultimate line, but there was something about The Ultimates that just made me want to give it a look. Mark Millar's re-imagining of the Avengers is flawed to be sure, but it sure does have it's flashes of brilliance here and there. Beginning with Captain America's final mission during World War II where he was believed to have been killed, and leading up to his frozen body being found and later joining the government funded Ultimates consisting of Nick Fury, Bruce Banner, Tony Stark, Hank Pym, and his wife Janet. Later on we are introduced to the mighty Thor, re-invisioned here as a hippie, pacifist who can mysteriously control weather elements and wields a rather large hammer. Nick Fury undergoes probably the biggest change as he is now black (he looks so much like Samuel L. Jackson it's not even funny) and not the cigar chomping grizzled war hero we knew and loved. Dr. Bruce Banner is re-imagined as a brilliant scientist who feels left out by the woman he loves (Betty Ross) and the rest of the team, concluding with him becoming the Hulk. This version of the Hulk is where my biggest gripe is; he's a sex crazed, beer guzzling idiot who rambles moronic things while trying to kill Freddie Prinze Junior (yes, you read that right). This version of Tony Stark is practically the same as in the regular Marvel universe, although I'm not too fond of the new Iron Man armor. The volitale relationship between Hank and Janet Pym however, is where the book shines, as the domestic violence and Hank's ego mania takes control and becomes quite chilling. The rendition of Captain America I really enjoy, even though I wish more of Cap trying to cope with this new world would have been seen. The art by Bryan Hitch is fantastic, but the book loses points with one too many pop-culture references that are here to remind us that this story is supposed to take place in the present day. All in all, this is my favorite Ultimate title, but the issues that followed after this (due out soon in the next volume called Homeland Security) is where The Ultimates becomes something really special.
Rating: 
Summary: it was interesting
Review: It was interesting to see this new take on some old favorite characters--Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, Hulk, Wasp, and Giant-Man. And surprisingly Wasp and Giant-Man's story was one of the more interesting ones. It's pretty well done.
Rating:
Summary: Hit and Miss
Review: More `adult' re-imagination of the formation of Marvel's premier super team The Avengers, which begins with the final World War II mission of Captain America and touches on the ups and downs of the founding members, Giant Man, The Wasp, Iron Man, The Hulk, and Thor, throwing in Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury. The art is quite good, and while the story moved well, I had some problems with a few of the characterizations (though these could be a matter of personal taste). The author plays around a bit with established canon for the sake of this new universe, and that is understandable, but changing the Hulk into a raging, oversexed skirt-chaser was a little bit...well, dumb to me. I also didn't care for Nick Fury's recasting. The art and the writing SO made him look and seem like Sam Jackson that it kind've didn't ring true for me that this was supposed to be Nick Fury. He was too suave and cool. The authors of The Ultimates seemed to have a good time casting their characters with real life actors (there is one sequence where the newly discovered by the media team sits around and speculates on who would portray each of them in a Hollywood adaptation.), but personally, I didn't care for all the pop references (reverences?). I'd like to think that a molecular biologist and the leader of Shield would be a little less like fanboys. Fury's supposed to be this grizzled cigar chomping ex-GI a la Sgt. Rock, but he comes off more as Tony Stark with an eyepatch here (for the record, Tony Stark doesn't look anything like Johnny Depp in his rendering, either - he looks more like Jonathan Frakes from Star Trek). Most of the other characterizations didn't bother me. Portraying the Wasp and Giant Man as having such extensive, violent domestic troubles went a long way to humanize them, and turning Jarvis, Tony Stark's faithful butler into an aging homosexual (wearing a colorful vest to gain Thor and Cap's attention...) was pretty daring. Didn't like Tony Stark's Iron Man armor though - he looked like a Micronaut. I would have liked to have seen more of Thor, but I'm not sure I cared for his reinvention as a hippie pacifist eco-warrior - the Norse god of Thunder??? At Ragnarok this guy drowned in the venom of a giant serpent he slew, and here we find him hanging out with that guy with the guitar on the stairs in Animal House... But these are minor quibbles, again, possibly a matter of my own personal taste. There is a lot to like about The Ultimates - a lot to make it stand above the normal superhero fare. The rivalry between Dr. (Giant Man) Pym and Bruce (The Hulk) Banner is very well played out - the frustrations and the pettiness of these two in their race to perfect the next big superhuman for the team is like watching Dr. Jekyll try to outdo Dr. Frankenstein. Pym comes off as a selfish egomaniac who will posture and fabricate to protect his reputation, whereas the more honest Banner is something of a maladjusted loser. Both are well realized and interesting to watch. Its a great juxtaposition when you consider that Pym is something of a monster (which is apparent in the final pages - that scene with him wearing the ant helmet `You shouldn't have made me look small...' creepy!) trying to be a good man, and Banner is a good man who wants to be a monster. The motivation for Tony Stark's desire to join the team as Iron Man is revealed in a touching manner (possibly the best dramatic scene of the book, toward the end where Thor, Stark, and Cap are sharing dinner at Stark's penthouse apartment) and goes a long way in making me like the playboy, who I will confess never interested me much in the past. Captain America and his story arc comes off the best (which as an ardent fan of ol Winghead, is fine by me) - the reunion with an elderly Bucky (I know, I know, Bucky's dead!... But it didn't bother me) near the beginning of the book is heartfelt and nicely done. There's a good sense of humor to this story too - Giant Man's embarrassing habit of growing beyond the capacity of his clothes (and the dismay of his colleagues), Cap's mistaking Fury and Stark and the Marines for Nazi agents when he awakes, The Hulk's rage at Freddy Prinze Jr. (go get him, Mr. Fixit! Captain America, indeed. I, along with Millar, see no one but Brad Pitt behind the big round shield), and those few panels where George W. Bush meets Steve Rogers made me smile (the Prez's expression is hilarious - `Cool or Uncool?'). In closing, an interesting read, but I was put off by The Hulk and Sam -I mean Nick Fury. And all the pop culture references can be done away with. Underneath the foil and hologram is a good read, that interested me enough to want to see where these characters are going. Keep in mind that this is more of an adult read - at least age fourteen and up. Oh, and in spite of my dislike of casting, I can't resist - Valdmir Kulich (Buliwyf from The 13th Warrior) as Thor...
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 now has 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: 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....
|
