| Title | : | The Ultimates |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 0785110828 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9780785110828 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Hardcover |
| Number of Pages | : | 376 |
| Publication | : | First published October 27, 2004 |
Collects THE ULTIMATES VOL.1: SUPER-HUMAN and THE ULTIMATES VOL. 2: HOMELAND SECURITY. PLUS: A hefty helping of DVD-Style extras!
The Ultimates Reviews
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This 'Ultimate Collection' collects all of season one of this series starting with
The Ultimates, Volume 1: Super-Human: which introduces Captain America and a man claiming to be a god, Thor; and reintroduces Iron-Man, Giant Man, an Asian Wasp and the wonderful reimagining of Nick Fury as a Black man. This volume has an oh so realistic interpretation of how the problems and bumps in the road needed to set up a super team; all this and the Bruce Banner problem hovering around them all.
The second half of this collection covers
The Ultimates, Volume 2: Homeland Security: which has a panoramic feeling, rip roaring adventure with the main story being the Marvel/Ultimates debut of the Chitauri (and Hawkeye) alongside a interestingly weighted story on domestic abuse! This was such a fresh and interesting take that took unlimited risks in reinventing the Marvel characters in a more realistic universe and works so damn well! 8 out of 12.
2o22 read -
The Ultimates comes very highly recommended, from more than a few people. But for me, it was far from living up to the hype.
The basic concept of the Ultimate 'verse is to make the familiar Marvel heroes more "real" and "edgy". In The Ultimates, Millar attempts to do that by making nearly every single character a complete jerk. Even unnamed extras are jackasses for no other reason than because it's "realistic" (no, it really isn't). Hank Pym is abusive towards his wife, and nobody seems to care much. Tony has become even more of an author fantasy character than he could be. Thor, the most bearable character, is horribly smug. Even Captain America, the last likeable character in the book, finally ends up as a xenophobic bigot with a line that Millar assures me in a nearly full-page sequence in the issue following that I should find hilarious. And I just don't find bigotry funny. I could possibly work with all the many, many character flaws if they weren't also sneering their way through every single scene.
But the plot, what about the plot? Well, for most of the book, there is no plot. The character do nothing but sit around and do PR for most of the book. We're about halfway through this large, 13 issue volume when Bruce Banner finally Hulks out. And God, what a horrible sequence that was. With the way he wrote it, I was convinced that Millar really thought that Betty Ross was at fault for Bruce intentionally turning himself into the Hulk and killing 300 people while threatening to rape Betty because she broke up with him and wasn't pleasant to him after. At least, everybody in the book seemed to think so, including Betty, and nobody says that Bruce might be responsible for his own actions or that maybe it isn't cool to terrorize a woman into dating you. Maybe we, the readers, are meant to see that all as reprehensible and take the characters to task because they don't. But I don't give Millar credit for that kind of subtlety.
When an actual threat does show up, it's alien shape-shifter Nazis. Who are suddenly a dire threat despite napping for the past sixty years or so. I didn't find them a credible threat, and I thought that making them Nazis was a lazy way of making them evil without having to do any effort developing their specific threat. And the huge, sprawling, boring multi-issue fight that closed it out was less than compelling.
Oh, and a parting kudos to Millar for his bizarre sense of realism. A woman who can shrink to an inch tall at will? Realistic. Giving her a wardrobe that will shrink with her? Don't be absurd! Except then he admits in the interview after it was just an excuse to have dozens of panels of Jan naked. Thanks for that. -
Really interesting story! I felt like i was watching an avengers movie. Some parts definitely reminded me of the first avengers movie and i loved that. Although it could have easily been cut down a little bit with the exposition.
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Re-read:
This series as a whole is... questionable. Mostly because, a bit like Watchmen, I found 99% of the characters in this series unlikable. The only good guy was Thor and Tony was okay. Why make a team of assholes? I really don't get it.
The changes to Bruce Banner/Hulk were just confusing. Why make him a horny, rampaging monster that tries (and succeeds) in eating his enemies?
Natasha is just here to be attractive. Honestly, the few kick ass action scenes she gets don't make up for what comes later.
Hawkeye's not really in this.
Tony's okay. Sure, Millar decided to make him an unapologetic alcoholic but he's an actual nice guy, it seems. I'm shocked.
Thor's a political activist that only steps in when the world is in danger and he only seems to care about Tony. Relatable.
Caps's everyone's crotchety grandpa. He's less racist against black people than you'd expect from people in his age group but he's certainly got some old fashioned ideals and expresses some views that would probably be downright homophobic if Marvel had really let Millar do whatever the hell he wanted. Lots of calling soldiers/men "ladies" and "sissies."
Then there's Hank. *Sigh* I've said it before and I'll say it again: I hate Hank Pym. I hate every single version of this character. Regardless of if you think the slap in 616 was poorly interpreted by the artist, he's always been a piece of shit. He's always treated Jan like shit. Constantly berating her if she so much as looked at other men, belittling her and making her feel worthless. This is just those concepts on steroids. The scene where he tries to kill her is absolutely terrible and I got a frightening amount of pleasure watching Captain America beat the hell out of him.
But, I mention this because, while that was hard, I have to say: Ultimates, in some ways, treated that situation with more seriousness than 616 ever did. Instead of having Jan come to blame herself for the abuse (for making Hank feel small - get fucked Marvel) and later ignoring it, Ultimates actually pays attention to it. Betty Ross talks about having seen Jan with bruises in the past and knowing of several fights between them beforehand. The team gets together and expresses how upset they were that they never knew the abuse was happening. In the end, Jan leaves Hank. This is what needed to happen so... I'm actually thankful for that.
Anyway, this book is still not a recommend from me. The interesting concepts don't trump the overall "whyness" of some of the concepts here: why Jan shrinks and has to fly around naked all the time. Why the women need men to accomplish everything in this series. Why the 500 pop culture references - which cement this permanently in 2002. Why Bruce Banner is like this at all. Why the Chitauri are the Skrulls of this universe. Why several panels are uncomfortable close ups of different characters.
A lot of choices were just... questionable. -
The Ultimate universe, where apparently everyone is an asshole. Felt like a warped version of the Avengers we know and love. It is a very good Avengers story if you can just get past the Avengers being dicks.
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The Ultimates is one of those books I have been wanting to read for awhile, hearing all the mixed opinions about it, and after finally getting through the first 13 issues, I’m starting to understand both the love and hate for this series. The Ultimates 1 sees Mark Millar & Bryan Hitch team up for 13 issues reimagining Earth’s Mightiest Heroes for the modern day. Well I say modern because that was the intent at the time when this was written in 2002, as it was intended to basically be George W. Bush’s Avengers. This aspect is played with in a unique way, but this overall fantastic book is filled with a lot of dated references, with Millar doing his best to make this the most 2000s book possible, which somehow makes the book work even better for me. It’s like opening a time capsule.
The Ultimates slow burns the formation of the group across 4 issues, starting with Captain America’s final mission before he was frozen in ice, before eventually building to the group’s formation and first mission as a team. This book is also a commentary on the Bush Administration of the time, with The Ultimates being formed to stop super terrorists, but the ironic part is they just sit there doing nothing until one of their own members causes a catastrophic event, leading to their first mission. It’s pretty darkly hilarious commentary like that that makes this book work as a whole. The Ultimates are also less heroic and each have their own personal demons, some more redeemable than others. Captain America is a 1940s man acting as he normally would in 2000s America, Iron Man is a functioning alcoholic, Thor is a pacifist who many believe isn’t actually a god but just some crazy dude, Hulk basically acts like a teenage incel when he hulks out, and Ant-Man is a wife beater.
The art also surprisingly works for me as well. I’m not usually the biggest fan of Bryan Hitch’s work, I think most of his action scenes are uninspired and just figures going in random directions, and some issues I have with it persist throughout this, but this book is no doubt the best work of his career. The splash pages are rare, but stunning when they do happen, and Hitch gets across the emotions of each character well.
This book is pretty great though. It’s a fun read that is definetly of its time, but still worked for me today. I would honestly recommend this to anyome who has never been able to get into Avengers comics, as these versions of the characters are just so unique. -
This was a great story. The first half of the book was 5 stars easy. The second half was a bit less amazing though which drug it down to a 4 stars. Overall though my favorite Ultimate series easy.
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"You think this letter on my head stands for France?" still makes no damn sense and will never make sense because mark millar thinks he's an edgy and gritty writer when all he is is try-hard.
honestly, if you recommend ultimates to me and tell me it's a better universe and better depiction of the avengers because it's more "realistic" then we can't be friends. we just can't. -
4,5/5 I like the take no prisoners attitude the ultimates seem to have compared to the Avengers
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This massive Hardcover covers all of the Ultimates Vols 1 & 2.
As a whole, this is rather enjoyable, and I can see where some of the look for the Avengers movie came from.
There are however, parts I wasn't super keen on, and wonder if Mark Millar isn't actually mentally damaged...wife beating, teasing Hulk with stupid 13yr old comments, having most of the characters be gigantic assholes...
However, all this "new" characterization, and yet: Hank Pym still beats Janet; Tony Stark is still a drunk womanizer; Clint Barton is still a cocky SOB, Steve Rogers is still a man out of time.
The only one who's any different is Thor, but he's a GREAT character this time. I've already read his Ultimates book, which gives us events leading up to his appearance here.
World in peril, from major threats, only one team can save the world...
Also, I am guessing Millar just either hates Scarlet Witch and Quiksilver, or just couldn't figure out a way to make them incestuous lovers or something.
There's still much to enjoy here, but just turning up the negative parts on most characters doesn't make them 'edgy' and Millar is doing a great job marketing his book to the knee-jerk dolts who think Michael Bay movies are Oscar-worthy. There are parts that haven't aged well due to dated references (Freddie Prinze Jr., Playstation 2, Dubya).
Even with all my complaints I did enjoy it, so maybe that makes me a knee-jerk dolt as well? -
The ULTIMATES showcases the good, the bad, and the rapey characteristics of comics neatly into one volume!
What started out entertaining quickly devolved as soon as Bruce began interacting with his ex, Betty. Banner is portrayed as a victimized male, boo hoo, who goes into a Hulk rapey rage. He murders hundreds of people, wants to eat The Avengers—oh, sorry, THE ULTIMATES—and can't stop talking about how horny he is and how he wants to sexually destroy Betty.
Then Betty blames herself and pities poor Banner. (Gag)
Later, Hank Pym abuses and then tries to murder(!!!) his wife while she's naked and apologizing to him, even though he started it in the first place.
Some heroes, Millar. Thanks.
I didn't read Volume 2 because why would I? -
Originally gave this one a 5/5 but Upon re-reading some of the dialog really sucks haha. It's borderline silly and over the top. I especially dislike the way Millar makes out Hulk as a horny creature who just wants to fuck everything.
On the flipside I love this no fucks giving Cap. He will knock you out, be somewhat sexist, and racist, and somehow it works. I also really enjoy Tony and Thor in this universe.
I think it's a lot of fun, especially the first half, the second half is entertaining but slower paced and not as interested. I might give it a 3.5 overall but it's still so damn fun. -
In the early 2000's, Marvel reinvented many of their flagship titles to appeal to the shift in demand for comic books. Basically, this addressed the fact that comic book fans had entered an alleged state of adulthood and they wanted their comic books to reflect their more "mature" state of mind.
With that in mind, I can totally picture the meeting in which the Marvel bigwigs decided on having Mark Millar write The Ultimates, which was their re-vamped version of Captain America's super-team The Avengers.
ED. 1: So, guys. Our market research analysis shows that adult males in their early to mid twenties are buying the bulk of the comic books in circulation. What do adult males in their early to mid twenties like to see in their funny books?
ED. 2: Snark and boobs!
ED. 3: Cynicism and boobs!
ED. 4: Boobs and boobs!
ED. 1: Agreed. Now, where can we find a writer who will add all of those things to the Avengers?
ED. 2: Have you ever read The Authority by Mark Millar? It has all of those things. The team revels in murdering their enemies plus they have a lady character who has to be naked to use her powers. It's great.
ED. 1: Fantastic! Get me this Mark Millar!
And the rest, as they say, is history.
It's funny reading this now after so much discussion about the sexism and chauvinism that exists within geek culture, because this book is rife with stereotypical fanboy trash.
There are several minor quibbles that I had with Millar's cynical take on the Avengers, but my guts really twinged when Bruce Banner finally lets his Hulk out. When the story begins, Bruce Banner is a washed-up nobody. Betty Ross has dumped him, and he's embarrassed about his inability to recreate the super soldier serum that gave Captain America his powers--it's actually pretty cool, because his decision to let the Hulk out comes from the fact that he has totally hit bottom and doesn't know what else to do. However, a potentially cool wrinkle in the story was totally wrecked when Millar has Hulk rampaging through the city trying to fulfill a twisted rape-fantasy that has been pent up in Banner's psyche. Oh, and after all of the male Avengers administer sound beatings to the Hulk, how does Wasp, the team's only female member, contribute?
With her boobs.
She distracts Hulk by showing him her boobs. Oh, and then her husband beats her up and orders a legion of ants to attack her while she's one inch tall and naked--which made my guts twinge yet again.
This really is a one star book--the second star is awarded for the Nick Fury/SHIELD/Avengers Initiative story that Joss Whedon cherry-picked for The Avengers film, because that's actually a pretty good idea--kind of like the idea of telling a story about imperfect heroes who aren't terrible people.
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This is a really hard one to put my finger on. It was enjoyable to most extent, but some sections were a bit shaky. I originally gave it 4 stars cause it didn't deserve a 3, then again it doesn't warrant a 4 star either. Damn you GR for not including decimal points!
This is actually my first Marvel comic I have bought. I am and will always be a DC man, but above all I'm a comic book fan. And like hell I'm going to miss out on a good read just cause of the company name. After having a few people recommend this series I was expecting this to knock me for a six. Regretfully, it never hit the spot for me. The writing is good as the story flows much like a big budget movie, slowly introducing characters while showing very little action to start off with...actually to tell you the truth there isn't much action in this full stop. Aside from the big fight with Hulk towards the end nothing really happens. Speaking of that whole shenanigan, Bruce Banner turns himself into the big green to give the Ultimates (Avengers) someone to fight?! What the f*#k is that?!! I mean come on, there has to be some other way to make Bruce go all angry. In this interpretation he is a sweaty little coward that no one has any respect for. Then when he does FINALLY turn Hulk he is overwhelmed by randy-ness, even to the point of being a little rapey. To tell you the truth I don't know how I felt about his whole personality. Hopefully his character will get some much needed development as this continues, cause at the moment he just seems like a pathetic villain. Speaking of villains, we don't see any in this book. That's right the closest thing we get to a bad guy in this is the questionable heroes. Jan Pym is apparently sucking face with Steve Rodgers behind Hank Pym's back, I didn't quite understand this cause there is nothing prior to this comment that would suggest that. Not to mention Hank's mad crazy outburst at the end of the book. And like I said earlier Bruce has...issues. Oh and his beloved Betty Ross is a complete BITCH!!!
The art is fantastic, although in the collection I got all of the 2 page spreads where messed up so I had to turn the page to see the other half! What the flying f¥!k Marvel sort your shit out!!
Although it had it's shortcomings, it still proved an alright read. Like I said the script is good, but the plot isn't building enough yet to spike a major interest for me. I'll get the next volume at some point, I just won't be in a hurry to pick it up. -
When I really started getting into reading super-hero comics this was the first thing that simply blew me away. The writing is amazing, the only word I can think of to describe the art work is "cinematic". There were moments that were so emotionally charged it brought me to tears from levels of shear realistic uncomfortableness (the domestic abuse between the Pym's) and pages that brought me to tears of laughter (just about any thing where the Hulk had a line).
There have been comics I've read that had characters I liked more, that had art I liked better on a few pages, that had more emotionally charged lines or funnier lines, but nothing that could deliver all of those at once in such a high caliber as in this series. Except maybe Ultimates 2, although as a stand alone I think this work may be better. -
This book has Samuel L. Jackson. Done. Nuff said. Everything else is just icing on the cake Beautiful panels check, interesting characters check, compelling story check. The Ultimates is modern and gritty. A retelling of characters that are decades old. Turing super Heroes into super stars of a digital age. Super stars that might have abilities the rest of don’t, but they make mistakes just like everyone else. While vets of the genre may take offence to some of the changes, for new comers this is a great starting point. Rarely does Miller disappoint, The Ultimates is no exception.
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Otra relectura propiciada por la Biblioteca Marvel/Salvat, los dos tomos que reúnen la primera miniserie de The Ultimates a cargo de Mark Millar y el todoterreno Bryan Hitch. Hoy día incluso desarrollada en la saga de películas de Marvel, esta historia sirvió en su momento para plantar las bases de Los Vengadores en el Universo Ultimate que por aquel entonces presentaba sus primeras armas, en una reinvención si se quiere “adulta” de los personajes más tradicionales. El resultado, cabe adelantar, fue espectacular. La mirada moderna de Millar reinventa y vuelve a presentar de manera muy fresca conceptos y personajes por demás conocidos -Hulk, Thor, Iron Man, Capitán América, Black Widow, Ant Man, Avispa, Hawkeye y, especialmente, Nick Fury- en una muy coherente miniserie de 13 episodios (reunida aquí en estos dos tomos) que no deja lugar al respiro. El reclutamiento de los héroes, su interacción, estupendos diálogos cargados de referencias populares -cine, TV, cultura pop- y su presentación en un mundo bastante parecido al real, creíble, un mundo de fake news, prensa, publicidad y medios, donde el mayor peligro que enfrentan constantemente estos superhéroes es que el Departamento de Defensa les corte los fondos. La gran historia se divide aquí en dos arcos: el primero, la formación del grupo y el enfrentamiento con Hulk (donde lo más innovador pasa por presentar a un grupo de superhéroes sin enemigo, uno que constantemente termina provocando por sí mismo todas las peleas y amenazas que necesita para justificar su propia existencia) y luego, la gran batalla contra los Chitauri (¿los Skrull del Universo Ultimate? Nunca me quedó muy claro) una raza alienígena invasora que está presente en la historia humana hace un montón. Esta segunda parte es la que se siente algo forzada -la amenaza casi ni se presenta y, pumba, ya estamos peleando. Estamos peleando y, pumba, todos los Chitauri del Universo rajan para la Tierra porque justo, justo, justo hay fuerzas en la Galaxia que los han derrotado- y, mi memoria me decía otra cosa, no especialmente bien desarrollada. Pero, con todo, son unos 13 episodios divertidísimos de leer y dibujados por uno de los más grandes capos a la hora de encarar superhéroes, batallas, mega piñatas, naves gigantes, explosiones y un interminable etcétera. Hay una continuación, si no me equivoco, de la que leí algunos números y de la que recuerdo que no está a la altura.
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Ah, another Mark Millar book that I read before I decided to swear him off forever. This comic book has its fans, but I think people mistake hard edge for maturity. Like many "mature" books, the writing here comes off more as childish.
Before I bear my fangs, I will say that Millar does have the ability to write exciting stories. They're framed like movies, since nowadays he only writes books that he thinks could be adapted to screen. However, there are pacing issues with the book. Most of The Ultimates is about the formation of the titular group as the Ultimate counterpart to the Avengers. Where the original team was founded by the heroes as a reaction to Loki being a jerk (an element of the story that made its way into the movie), here its a preemptive move against possible threats. It's a good idea, and infuses the story with a real world subtext of over-budgeted military defense as a countermeasure against terrorism. Unfortunately, since it goes on so long, Millar needs to fill the book with some drama to keep us interested.
Sadly, it's the way that Millar handles characters that makes him such a revolting writer. Here, Captain America could be seen as a deconstruction of a man from the 40s who wakes up 70 years later to a changed world. Unfortunately, Millar lacks subtlety, and exaggerates these dissonant aspects of his character that modern audiences would find horribly outdated. While it wouldn't be a surprise if a temporally displaced man from the 40s would be sexist, racist, and nationalistic, it comes across as Millar trying too damn hard. The result is that instead of a well intentioned bigot, we are instead left with a jerk who is unpleasant to read.
Remember how Hank Pym hit Janet that one time way back? It showed us that even good men can make poor decisions when they're upset. He immediately regretted the decision, which hung over him forever while he attempted to do good. Millar is apparently only familiar with this part of Ant-Man's story, and he makes wife abusing loser the beginning and end of his character. It's shallow, and only serves to provide Millar's beloved EDGE to the Marvel brand.
Speaking of Janet, she's the symptom of Millar's inability to write strong women. A strong woman is not necessarily physically strong, but somebody who is a rounded character. They have their wants and desires of their own, even if that means to be a good wife and mother. It's why Catelyn Stark is a strong character and the original Lara Croft isn't, even though the former is a housewife and the latter is a gun toting badass. Janet's only real purpose is to get beat up by her abusive husband, which provides motivation for her new boyfriend, Captain America. Yeah, the bulk of her characterization revolves around the two men in her life, not the most progressive way to portray women. While I'm not saying you can't write spousal abuse, it deserves to be treated with the seriousness that Millar lacks for the subject. Here, the action is used for cheap shock, just like in nearly all of his books as they relate to women.
Thor was one of the few characters I liked. Here, he's an anti-government hippy, and everybody thinks he's crazy because he claims he is the real Thor. We never find out if this is true or not, not in this book, anyway, though I'm sure later books would clear that up. It gives Thor some ambiguity, and it actually makes him interesting. As a brand new portrayal of the character, we can't be sure if he really is who he says he is, or just a really strong mutant. Do you trust a powerful mutant with your nation's security if you think he's crazy? There is no easy answer.
Hulk is the worst. Here he's a cannibal would-be rapist. Bruce Banner has been jilted by Betty Ross, and when he's angry, he hulks out and goes after, all the while screaming about how "horny" he is. Ugh. If you've ever read a good Hulk story (they exist, I swear!), then you know that his conflict is based around how he contains this unstoppable beast within himself, and when it's released, it's nearly impossible to control. In The Ultimates, any complexity is stripped away for, surprise, cheap shocks. Wow, after Millar's treatment of the Hulk in Old Man Logan, you get the feeling he doesn't really like or understand the character! I'm not saying you can't change the character, as I explained with Thor, but he should at least be as interesting as he was before.
Nick Fury and Iron Man were there too, but they don't really stand out. Hawkeye and Black Widow were even more forgettable.
Every time Mark Millar writes a halfway decent character, there's 10 more that are either horrible or disposable. The Ultimates is meant to be an ensemble story, but the only character I found interesting. Like with Thor, it was interesting to present the idea of an Ultimate Avengers idea as an ambiguous idea at best, or a money-wasting disaster at worse. Had there actually been engaging characters, this may have actually been a really good graphic novel that even approaches Watchmen on its level of comic book to real world commentary. Yeah, this book actually had some potential. After all, you've got a superhero team that costs billions of taxpayer dollars to build and maintain, which was created to counteract a threat which may or may not exist. And even if the threat existed, does the US government really need the superhuman equivalent of atomic bombs? The real world parallel isn't exactly subtle, but Millar's not a subtle guy. But where Watchmen ended ambiguously, the fate of the world left to chance, the ambiguity of The Ultimates dissolves when aliens show up. C'mon, the only way that could have been a more convenient solution is if it was Galactus who appeared in the skies to destroy the world. It's such a cheap way to resolve the internal conflict with an external source. Here's how it could have gone: Hulk goes on a rampage, and the Ultimates finally work together to overcome the threat. The only issue is that Hulk would have never destroyed a city block had there never been an Ultimates team to begin with. This fact becomes widespread, and everyone immediately calls for the dismantling of The Ultimates. Of course, the government wouldn't want to admit that they spent all that money for nothing (just like real life!), so their superhero team stays. It could have ended there, and the story could have been salvaged, but no, there had to be an easy solution.
The goal of the Ultimates was to provide new interpretations of old characters and situations, while also freeing up continuity for new readers without resorting to a company-wide reboot of their entire line of heroes. Unfortunately, mainstream superhero books being what they are, they had to continue the story, which requires any conflict resolution. With the unsatisfactory ending and the poorly written characters, any good ideas the book had are weighed down by the bad ones.
I will give it this: The Ultimates kept me engaged, even if it was for the wrong reasons. -
Hablamos de un cómic de 2002-2004. Muy bueno y supongo que sirvió de base para el mundo cinematográfico de MARVEL.
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I've heard about this comic for years as one of the best from the 2000-2009 decade. Hearing that it was an excellent modern update to the Avengers story and a great post 9/11 superhero comic. And I was really enjoying it! The action scenes are top notch, the characters are fairly well rounded and the dialogue can be engaging. But this didn't age well for me. Yes it's from 2004 but that's no excuse for weakly written female characters. Black Widow has some cool scenes but no arc, Betty Ross is written pretty heartlessly until they need her for sex, and Scarlett Witch is in the book for maybe 2 scenes. Which brings me to The Wasp. She was written so well! She even tells off someone for essentially seeing her as a source of "fridging." But then the last page undoes all her great character work! She was honestly really well written until the very end! It really bothered me. She went from being a great hero to becoming a lovestruck damsel bimbo. It just ended up becoming sexist for me. Also I have mixed feelings on The Hulk. Part of me was intrigued by how the writer wrote Banner as having underlying psycho sexual problems that infuriates him into becoming Hulk but then he relegated that into cheap middle school humor. Which then made Betty Ross into a terrible character we're somehow supposed to sympathize with. The more I think about it, the more frustrated I am. But I will say the overall story did get me excited for Ultimates 2. Also Hitch's art is great! That showed a huge turn for superhero art at the time to be more dour but it works in this story! One nitpick...I know this was the early 2000s but Hawkeye looks like his entire personality came from watching the Matrix on repeat for 3 years. Ha.
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I'm being generous to these books and attempting to rate them as if I'd never seen Captain America, Iron Man, Hulk, or any Avenger before. They're not Avengers. They're "Ultimates." The story is fast paced, action packed, and cinematic, but I have to make this distinction because these certainly aren't the characters that I love.
For example, the Cap that I know is the best of all good characters, American VALUES. In the Civil War series, he chooses to American values over "America." As an "Ultimate," he represents old-time American NATIONALISM, and he has the flaws that would go with that type of character. After the Hulk goes on a rampage and is defeated, Cap kicks skinny Bruce Banner in the face. MY Cap would never do that because it would be wrong. Nationalistic Cap would because he's an authoritarian bastard (oops) who thinks Banner deserves a boot to the head for putting people in danger. He also beats the crap out of Hank Pym to "teach him a lesson" about spousal abuse. Right in character.
As a friend of mine pointed out, Hulk has been changed to a creature of pure Id, which is interesting, but in execution, he's no longer an avatar of anger but more a terrifying sociopathic frat monster. Nick Fury has been super-sized from "super spy who can't be trusted" to a man who carries out the "cold equations." We're obviously not in Marvel-Kansas anymore.
It's supposed to be gritty, edgy. The part of me that watches The Devil's Rejects and Reservoir Dogs over and over really likes it. Part of me rebels because I wasn't intentionally reading a "gritty" comic. I was reading a take on The Avengers, and these Ultimates are just not very heroic. -
There is so much to hate in the Ultimates Universe, so much to hate.
Every character is a jerk. If you have unlikable characters, it makes them more real, I get that. What I don't get is how over the course of 12 issues, every single character becomes a piece of garbage. Every female character is written like an idiot damsel in distress except for the ten or so panels Widow is in. The characters couldn't stop name-dropping celebs if their lives depended on it. The only sorta funny line was ruined in the next issue when Nick Fury spent far too long telling Cap how great it was, how everyone thought it was great.
The story is trash. They spend the first six issues cleaning up their own mess because the characters are so shit they implode before they face their first threat. Literally entire issues spent on showing how they're doing PR and name dropping celebs. The second arc's villains are also garbage, coming out of nowhere and with absolutely 0 depth. This is almost nothing salvageable from the writing here.
The art is dark and muted. Hated it. The action was fine.
Give this a 1 star, recommended if you like alternate Marvel universes but y'know, shitty ones I guess. -
I hated this book.
So I started this thinking, "let's get into some modern-day Avengers comics"... and then was confronted by some pretty blatant misogyny/sexism/violence towards women - from the main characters - and I finished the first volume, but I'm not reading further.
I don't know if they get better over the course of the next few volumes. I don't care. Pretty much every character you're supposed to like is a massive asshole.
In summary: to be avoided. Go read fanfic on A03 instead. Even the worst of it is better than this, and the best of it is pretty fucking fantastic. -
The world is changing. Crime is becoming super-crime. Terrorism is becoming super-terrorism. Humans are becoming super-humans. Heroes are becoming superheroes.
With the backing of the U.S. Government, General Nick Fury and S.H.I.E.L.D. have assembled a team of super-powered beings to address any potential threat this new world may now face: The Ultimates. Captain America, the Super-Soldier who will lead the team; Iron Man, the personal weapons system of billionaire Tony Stark; Giant Man, able to grow 60 feet tall; the Wasp, able to shrink to an inch and fly; and Dr. Bruce Banner, the scientist whose experiments led him to transform into the rampaging Hulk. They are the superhuman task force created to safeguard mankind in these uncertain times.
While the other Ultimates members seem to be adjusting to their new roles on the team, Bruce Banner continues to sink further into depression. Separated from his wife, demoted by his peers, and insulted by his new teammates, Banner has taken all the abuse he can stand before he mainlines a large dosage of his terrifying Hulk serum.
The Ultimates now have their first mission: stop the Hulk before he destroys New York. Oh, and also uncover a clandestine alien infiltration of Earth decades in the making,
When writer Mark Millar took on the project of reinventing the Avengers into The Ultimates, he did so with the goal of transforming them "into a more contemporary, less optimistic team." What he produced, in essence, was a sleazier take on Earth's Mightest Heroes.
A dysfunctional group from the outset, the Avengers have never been known for their optimism. Since the book was first written in the 1960s it was clear that, even though these characters banded together to save the world, they didn't always get along or even like one another. And so, for Millar to make them even more dysfunctional is to come dangerously close to hyperbole.
In the early 2000s, Marvel sought to re-brand many of its core characters via its new "Utlimate" Universe, essentially an alternate Earth free from decades of continuity and backstory. Writers were writing these icons from scratch for the first time since the 1960s, usually with a twist or two thrown in to ensure a bold, new take.
With The Ultimates, Millar's bold, new take is composed, almost entirely, of the shock and awe variety, and this story is cheapened because of its over-the-top absurdity.
The Ultimates has proven that I'll never be on the same wavelength as the vast majority of the comic book community (at the very least, those who read Marvel). From everything I'd heard, The Ultimates was supposed to be the flagship of a modern Marvel era: more true-to-life heroes who wade through a world of moral ambiguity instead of hackneyed black-and-white cardboard cutouts, a re-imagining for a sophisticated 21st century audience. What I read was the same histrionics as before, thinly veiled in blemished personalities and dysfunctional camaraderie.
Despite its mind-bending production delays, Mark Millar and Bryan Hitch's The Ultimates is critically-hailed as a masterwork of the genre. A shining jewel in Marvel's extraordinary crown. People I know and trust couldn't have recommended this book more than they did. Because of that, The Ultimates might stand as the single most disappointing graphic novel I've ever read.
Aside from Bryan Hitch's meticulous vision and blockbuster art, this book fails on almost every level. It absolutely blows my mind that it's been received as well as it has. From characterization, to realism, to plot, The Ultimates is nowhere near deserving of its acclaim.
Mark Millar received a lot of credit for creating "fully-realized characters" by taking a "realistic" or "fresh" approach. I have four responses to this:
One, this added depth is applied superficially. Not one of these deficiencies/quirks is explored to its full potential, and in truth, they seem invented to spruce up the synopsis on the back cover.
Two, considering the character portrayals found in Watchmen (among others), The Ultimates isn’t “fresh” by any stretch (and by the way, Watchmen has an infinitely more complex narrative structure and presents infinitely more complicated themes).
Three, all super hero comic books are inherently unrealistic. As I see it, the attempt to infuse ���realism” (a slippery term to begin with) into a literary genre that is, by definition, fantastic, is to make the book at odds with itself.
And four, are these the heroes we’re meant to root for and idolize? Yes, I understand that part of the goal of The Ultimates is to knock super heroes off their pedestals and give them nuanced personalities, but I don’t have to agree with or admire this depiction. And I also understand that some dysfunction is always necessary in a super hero team book, but this book demonstrates no genuine camaraderie or teamwork amongst the heroes at all.
As Millar's story plunges onward at breakneck speed, the characterization is curiously flat, even with the quirks and frailties he's given the cast. In the end, this new world of unyielding heroes is just as two-dimensional as the corny do-gooders of yore that he's supposedly replacing.
Millar's biggest problem was that he didn't know what story he wanted to tell. Is The Ultimates an interesting character piece about flawed heroes or a Michael Bay movie put to paper? Millar tries to make it both, resulting in a jumbled, unfocused mess. Admittedly, the character concepts are intriguing. But they're all given such little attention that they clutter up the pages with unresolved issues.
The Ultimates was meant as a contained story. There's a reason the line was published in sets (The Ultimates 1, The Ultimates 2, etc.). This should have been a self-contained story that wrapped up the good majority of its side-plots, and instead it left a myriad of loose ends.
And what does it all mean? Did anyone, even for a moment, feel that anything of import was actually at risk during this ordeal? An alien race has not only invaded Earth, but they've infiltrated S.H.I.E.L.D. and are poised to turn humans into a hive-like race of non-thinkers. And no one seems phased by this. Nick Fury is so fucking flippant it undermines any credibility as the leader of most powerful military force in the history of the world (if I see him call another officer "Man" again I'm going to lose my shit). Millar never made me feel like there was ever any real danger. I knew everything would be okay. Nothing of consequence would happen because this book isn't nearly as brave as it claims to be.
When the Chitauri were revealed to actually be the true force behind the Nazis, I nearly pissed myself. Millar's imposition that Hitler was actually an extra-terrestrial shapechanger is ridiculous. And to top it off, his subordinates have survived and are now in high-ranking positions of the U.S. government.
Seriously?! Millar is supposedly reinventing the Avengers for the 21st century and he continues to throw fucking NAZIs at them?! I swear, The Ultimates borders on parody at some points.
Re-introducing the Nazis is just unapologetically manipulative writing. When Kleiser walks Janet Pym into one of the Chitauri's bases and we see the Nazi flags and symbolism my jaw dropped. Resorting to such blatant shock value and manipulation is just cheap, lazy writing.
"How can I get the audience to hate the Chitauri instantly without me having to do any of the work? Oh, I know. I'll make them Nazis!"
There is no point in having them still operate under the Nazi banner. Millar even knows this! He actually writes in a line to explain himself: "They're really more of a symbolic thing anyway [the Nazi banners]. I like to think of it as marking our territory again after all those years of hiding in the jungles."
And just to pile on, Kleiser (the still-German leader of the Earth-based Chitauri) has to throw in a line to Janet about wanting to take over her body and "experiment with the female form". Yep, that's right. If we didn't hate him enough before, we surely will now that we know that he's a perverted quasi-rapist murderer.
Honestly, I could go on for days. Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch's non-existence (but existence?) during this entire arc. Tony's faith in Thor as a god without any shred of evidence. Captain America and the famous "France" line (as a non-American, this fucking infuriated me). The endless pop-culture references that serve next to no purpose and only serve to date the story (Tony is dating Shannon Elizabeth at one point).
The Ultimates is just awful. I can't express that enough. If you've read this before, please have a re-read of this series and honestly tell me why it's not absolute garbage. I'd love to know why. I really would, because apparently I'm the only person on Earth who sees through Mark Millar's bullshit. -
Цьому коміксу скоро виповниться 20 років (перший номер вийшов у березні 2002-го), але намальований він так, що навіть сучасні графічні новели можуть позаздрити.
Сюжет: Ф’юрі збирає суперкоманду, щоб боротися з суперзагрозами. І це не цитування сценарію фільму про Месників. Колектив на старті складається з Хенка Піма, Оси та Баннера. Потім це все розростається, конфліктує, чистить одне одному мордяки та зупиняє інопланетне вторгнення. Бінго! Ставте галочки також навпроти категорій “нацисти” та “рєптілоїди”, бо вони тут є.
Психологічні проблеми та домашнє насильство. Цьому також знайшлося місце у сюжеті. Бо Баннер під постійним тиском, і ніхто його серйозно не сприймає, і це вилазить боком, чи, краще сказати, Халком, монстром, який може висловлювати своє незадоволення завдяки коктейлю хімікатів. Проблеми з особистими відносинами Халк виносить на публіку, одночасно знищуючи чужу власність та вбиваючи людей. Комікс не дитячий, ага. А Оса та Пім просто б’ються, і якось так вийшло, що Пім виявився сильнішим, навіть не перетворюючись на Велетня. Лише за допомогою керованих спеціальним шоломом мурах. Домашнє насильство з використанням комах.
Капітан Копняк, тобто Америка. Уявіть солдата з 40-х років минулого століття, який опинився у сучасному світі. поняття у нього відповідні, добре, що хоч не расист. Хоча…
Соколине Око та Чорна Вдова - другорядні персонажі. Кілька героїв згадували про своє бойове минуле, СокОко так само. Він у коміксі для фінального пострілу. Вдова - просто супершпигунка, що може стрибати між висотками, шмаляючи з снайперської гвинтівки, називати людей камрадами та товаришами для підтримання образу, чпенькатись по туалетах зі Старком та сильно тупити, забуваючи сюжет.
Тор, волоцюга та бог Асгарду, і тупіння. Отже, Тора з самого початку сприймали як щось неоковирне, поки він не почав жахати блискавками. По суті, для того, щоб розрулити всю ту біду, що була в коміксі, достатньо було б одного його. Але він оголошує себе пацифістом і майже лівим активістом, а коли його попросили вступити в Алтімейти, то він висунув вимоги щодо збільшення об’єму фінансування благодійних програм і продався клятим капіталістам. Якось Тор за допомогою мйольніра телепортував основний актив команди (з Вдовою включно) прямо з епіцентру ядерного вибуху, а трохи згодом Вдова істерично почала волати, що Тор ні на що не здатен і є навіженим бомжем. Таке враження, що різні шматки сценарію писалися в різний час, цей епізод написали десь на початку, а потім забули відредагувати. Курва тупа, він тебе телепортував, а ти й не помітила.
Залізна Людина. Є, бухає горілку під час перебування в робошматтях, підкатує до жіночок, жартує жарти про цицьки, що у наш час вважається сексизмом, а у 2002-му заходило публіці як в суху землю. Уявляю, скільки б шуму було, якби комікс вперше опублікували в 2021-му.
Багряна Відьма та Ртуть. У коміксі виступають комедійними персонажами. З’являються вже після того, як осідає пилюка, а вороги складені у купки. Стверджують, що це вони все розрулили. А чого ніхто не помітив? Бо рухалися вони з величезною швидкістю. Чи були вони учасниками бійок насправді - біс його зна.
Отже, спочатку збір команди, потім розборки всередині команди, потім бійка з рєптілоїдами, яких тут називають скруллами, але це скрулли Алтімейт-всесвіту, а не того, іншого, де є свої скрулли, що вторгнуться трохи інакше. Динамічно, весело, з цікавими діалогами, з побудови яких можна брати приклад.
Розважає, викликає посмішку, на фоні тримає трохи соціального контексту, але не відхиляється від основної ідеї - злагодження команди. -
I'm obligated to give this at least 4 stars and call it based and maximalist.
That said I personally think 3 stars is more appropriate. It had cool moments and some nice art but there's a lot of questionable writing. Specifically the dialogue and characters threw me off several times because I couldn't see what the point was of them being so unlikable. I pretty much only liked Thor and kind of Iron Man. Wasp was cool and I liked the mix up of her character but some stuff bugged me. At the very end instead of saving the day she has to call Iron Man who then has to call Thor, it was just kind of silly. Her ending with Cap was nice though and I liked that Giant Man didn't get a happy or sympathetic ending. The domestic abuse angle was handled much better than I expected from Millar. Hulk was just a joke and felt like a pathetic incel the entire time. Cap being problematic makes sense since he's literally an army boy from the 40s. Overall there's a lot of pro-military/government stuff making them look bad ass, mixed with criticisms of them giving false info to news media and making people problematic which kinda confused the themes. The art was mostly good but most the coloring for peoples faces was off putting.
All things considered I think it was worth the read but I didn't love it so it's definitely 3 stars. -
2000s "gritty" reboot of The Avengers. At times superficially edgy in the Millar manner, but featuring vivid and surprisingly nuanced characterisations, along with trenchant commentary on America's foreign policy and terrific action courtesy of Hitch's artwork. When taken as a whole The Ultimates is a highlight of both Millar's career and my Marvel reading in general.
-
A little bit over the top at times but its so much fun. I like the hardnosed approach to the characters. Completely different to the regular versions
-
I loved this "book" (series) the first time I read it all the way through - even despite the 'bad' and the 'gritty' parts. This time around, I am rating it five stars because of the artwork (which is still phenomenally awesome, over ten years later), the first issue, and the last three issues. I still find it to be an interesting take on the Avengers - an attempt 'bring them into the modern world' by recreating them as if they were formed in the early 2000's. I do not necessarily agree with everything in it, though, as having been 'necessary' for the team to be 'updated' for modern times like they were. I suppose it has to do with the 'need' to make superheroes 'dark and gritty' as a means to make them 'realistic' or something like that.
The book has some amazing artwork in it; it is just beautiful. Like, in the first issue, the pictures of the troops parachuting onto Iceland, followed by the two-page spread - that was amazing! I loved it. Or, the opening shot of issue two - another two-page spread, but of the Himalayas. Again, just gorgeous. I could go on. I loved the shot of the fleet of helicarriers in issue ten. It starts out on the bridge of the command carrier, then each successive panel pulls back until you get the two-page spread of the fleet. Breath-taking! The shot of Thor putting the hammer down on Hulk in issue five - beautiful. The single pictures showing something happening at Area 51 followed by the two-page spread of the survivors of the Micronesia assault - WOW! The last page of that issue, where Cap is calling on all members of the armed forces because their country needs them - still makes me proud. The pic in issue seven, of Thor coming in for a landing Majestic. Truly, majestic. The opening pic of Hawkeye and Black Widow looking like Neo and Trinity from The Matrix was beautiful to behold! The shot of the remains of the of the assault force on the first page of issue eleven still sends chills up-and-down my spine, it was so eerie!
What is "funny" is that I read, somewhere (I think in the 'commentary' for volume II), was that Millar meant this series and the next to be a kind of satire, so they were completely unprepared for the positive response to the series or how many people took it so seriously. The series definitely touched a nerve, for some people, in terms of being inspired by what was written and drawn on each page. It is funny how something that was meant to be written 'one way' by the author can serve as such an inspiration and powerful story for others as they interpret it completely different than how the author meant it to be read. I did not know how he meant it to be written when I first read the series (it took me a while to collect it, too, as the first issues were pretty expensive at the time and hard to find), but I loved the story (overall). Yeah, it has some dark tones to it (some that probably, really, did not need to be included in the story, even if the Avenges were being 'rewritten' as if they were starting fresh and anew 'today,' all things considered), but it also had some high points in it, too.
One 'thing' that I always found humorous was that the Ultimate line of books started out as being based on 'just science' and was going to be limited in what it allowed. Yet, while the Ultimate Fantastic Four and Ultimate Ultimates series both had aliens in them, the Ultimate X-Men series did not have any alien encounters, at all. Anyway. This book starts out being grounded in 'nothing too supernatural' (other than maybe Thor being able to shift bombs around into other dimensions) while clearly favoring alien encounters and whatnot.
I loved the 'cameos' throughout the book. There was the scene of Jimmy, Lois, and Clark approaching Tony Stark for an interview during the big gala at the end of issue three. Also, there was George W. Bush - his refusing to eat some pretzels for a snack was funny (considering he choked on some pretzels he had been snacking on in real life, which was not funny). Then, there was the crew (Marines) from the second Alien movie in the helicopter right before Bruce Banner is thrown out to try to trigger a trauma-transformation into the Hulk during the battle with the aliens (I think they show up again, in issue twelve or thirteen, but I could be wrong). Dum-Dum Dugan helping Stark get recharged after he pushed the 'mother ship' off course from colliding with Tempe, AZ. There were other cameos and shout-outs as well, but the ones I mentioned are still the strongest ones for me (well, those and the pics of the actress Shannon Bright on the ISS with Tony Stark).
It was not all 'fun-and-games,' thought. It does have some 'really' dark moments, too.
In regard to some of the uniforms.
This is not to say the comic series was not without its own set(s) of weaknesses and foibles.
Before I go, I did appreciate the humor scattered throughout the book (series). I thought the humor fit right in and was inserted in the right places and at the right times to help the series keep moving as well as to maintain the reader's interest.
I also did like how they had the various characters reacting in what appeared to be as honest a fashion as possible to what was going on around them. Like when Hawkeye and Black Widow joined the team and it was revealed that there were several alien species alive-and-well on planet Earth - Tony's reaction to that information was excellent! He showed amazement and shock and awe and a 'wow-factor' I probably would have had as well. Black Widow's rejoinder was equally priceless ("Welcome to the cracks between the sidewalks!"), showing Stark there was more going on in the world than he realized.
I know I already said this, but I did enjoy how they tried to keep the series in 'real science' or 'near science', overall. I thought it made of interesting speculations (i.e. - the discussions) about the science behind how things might have worked they way they did in the "Ultimates Universe"
I have read this series multiple times, to be honest, but this was the first time I have read it in several years. I think the artwork still survives the passing of time - it is amazingly incredible artwork and I think he did some of his best work in this series. The story still catches my attention and makes it hard to put the book down, anyway, but the artwork definitely helps make the series! I am glad that I took the time to reread this, after having 'been away' for so long. It was worth the (re)read.
