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THE ULTIMATES #2
(Best of the Week!)
"Big"
Highly Recommended (10/10)
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Marvel Comics
Writer: Mark Millar
Pencils: Bryan Hitch
Inks: Andrew Currie
Colors: Paul Mounts
Letters: Chris Eliopoulos
Editor: Ralph Macchio
Price: $2.25 US/$3.65 CAN |
I was blown away by the first issue of The Ultimates, so you can imagine my surprise when I was even more impressed with the second issue. Focusing more on a team approach rather than the single hero spotlight that was the first issue, this is essentially the modern version of "And there came a day...," the familiar story of how the Avengers formed. Hitch's artwork is as gorgeous as ever, and Currie's inks, along with Mounts's colors, are keeping his impressive and imaginative artwork grounded in the real world, which makes for an interesting mixture of styles. So far, I'm pretty interested in all of these characters, and Millar seems to be taking a less "event-oriented" approach here than he did in Ultimate X-Men, while still
maintaining the edge and sense of humor that makes that book so enjoyable.
In the modern day, the idea of
ham radio intercepting Loki's signals and mistakenly forming the Avengers is a
little too goofy, so instead Millar has developed the forming of the Ultimates
as the government's response to their changing world. Not only is it more
believable, I find it more entertaining, as the considerations of public
relations and budget come into the decisions as much as the notions of heroism
and powers. I love that the Avengers in the Ultimate universe have been formed,
not by a fight with the Hulk, but over a fancy dinner in a Manhattan restaurant.
This modern approach shows through in the designs of all the characters as well. Leaving aside how much I like the Ultimate version of Nick Fury, I'm loving the approach taken with the rest of the team in this issue. Hank and Janet Pym are a lot of fun, sort of a scientific Nick and Nora, and I'm especially pleased with the "smartening" of Janet, who is less like her flighty socialite self and more of a scientist like her husband. It's not unlike the change in Mary Jane over in Ultimate Spider-Man, giving the characters more of a
common ground for a romance. It doesn't hurt that there's plenty of humor to be
found in the couple's fascination with science, from the "pacemaker for the cat"
line to Pym's little prank during the experiment.
While a lot of this issue is
given over to Hank and Janet Pym, there's also a fair bit of exploration of
previously shown Ultimate characters Bruce Banner and Tony Stark. Stark is more
arrogant, more flippant, than his mainstream counterpart, and rather than his
alcoholism being played as a crippling weakness, it's being played as just a
part of his "living on the edge" attitude. There's a nice balance in Banner and
Stark between their own foibles (whether it's shattered self-confidence or an
over-abundance of it) and their basic desire to do good. Though none of these
characters are necessarily role models, they have an innate nobility to their
motivations that makes them heroic.
The modernization of the team
doesn't just stop with the writing, though. Hitch's vividly realized vision of
Manhattan immediately grounds the book in the real world, and makes the
super-heroic elements against the backdrop seem more impressive as a result. I
also like his redesigns of various characters, whether it's the anime-influenced
look of Iron Man or the more attractive, almost super-model looks that have been
given to Janet and Hank Pym. Given that the Ultimates are going to be the
public, well-loved superteam, it makes sense that they would have rock star good
looks and personalities to match.
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