Millar's exploration of the dark side of super-heroes -- and by extension, law enforcement and military operations in general -- continues to fascinate, and Hitch's detailed, realistic artwork continues to impress. This is something of a slow issue, as not much new happens, and what little new information is provided doesn't come as much of a surprise. Nevertheless, the intensity of Millar's reinterpretation of some familiar
Marvel icons still has me fixated.
New York City deals with its grief over the hundreds slain in the Hulk's rampage by celebrating the lives saved by the new darlings of the media, the Ultimates, never knowing that it was one of their number that brought the devastation down upon the city. The team's glory days in the media spotlight don't last long, though, as news of Hank "Giant-Man" Pym's assault on his super-hero wife, the Wasp, soon spreads like wildfire.
Hitch's cityscapes are stunning, and they stand out as some of the most meticulous comic artwork one will ever find. Those realistic settings make is easier to believe in these fantastic characters and their extreme personalities. Clearly, Hitch is rendering Nick Fury to look more and more like actor Samuel L. Jackson, and it adds to the fun, cinematic tone of the book. A few scenes were a bit on the sketchy side -- the Black Widow's brief appearance the most glaring among them -- making it seem as though one step in the artistic process was rather rushed.
The turbulence of Hank and Janet's relationship is far from a new idea, but the way in which it's presented to readers this time around is fresh. It's not the sight of Janet's injuries that's shocking, but Millar's description of their past scrapes -- through Janet's one-time roommate, Betty -- that really packs a punch. Millar isn't describing comic-book, super-hero abuse, but what goes on in the real world. It's that reminder of the dark doings next door that makes this piece of super-hero fantasy fiction such a riveting read.
Those concerned that The Ultimates would simply be a rehashing of Marvel's Avengers will no doubt be relieved by now. This is a much more cynical look at super-heroes. Few of the characters seem selfless. Millar goes beyond giving the characters some flaws; he's turned a number of these icons into nasty human beings, or at least has given the potential for it. Even Captain America, who remains a paragon of virtue, has a sharper edge. There's an air of menace to him, as though his outrage over a horrible wrong is boiling over.
