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THE ULTIMATES #4
"Thunder"
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/$3.75 CAN |
There's no other way to say it: I love this book. Millar and Hitch have mixed the over-the-top sensibilities of The Authority with
some of Marvel's classic characters and created probably the coolest book in the
already-cool Ultimate line. This issue introduces Thor, and given my lack of
interest in the Marvel Universe version of the character, I'm impressed that
Millar and Hitch have me anxiously awaiting the addition of the Ultimate version
to the team. And as always, this book is funny, full of interesting takes on the
politics of a super-hero team and drop-dead gorgeous.
There was a long and fairly
ugly period of comics in the 1990s where "grim and gritty" was all the rage, and
every "hero" behaved more like villains, as everyone tried to emulate the
complex and human characterization that masters like Frank Miller and Alan Moore
had written. Then there was a backlash against this, as everyone went "retro"
trying to recapture the magic of writers like Kurt Busiek or Mark Waid. Millar
has captured a feeling somewhere in the middle, taking the realistic
personalities of the "grim and gritty" age with the sense of wonder that comes
from the "retro" elements, and the result is a whole bunch of people who think
and act like celebrities but who look like super-heroes.
This issue abounds with
examples of this sort of celebrity superstar behavior. Tony Stark on a private
shuttle with Shannon Elizabeth, while giving an interview to Larry King, is a
great snapshot that shows us his personality. Ditto for the harder-edged Betty
Ross, who says more in a page spent berating her former boyfriend Bruce Banner
than she has in months' worth of Hulk comics at times. And I'm loving the take
on Cpatain America, which portrays the dichotomy of his time lost origins
against the professional soldier determination that defines him better than
anyone has before. Hell, there's even a "casting call" discussion where the
characters discuss who would play them in a movie, which was a really fun riff
on a popular comics fan pastime.
The star of the show for me
this issue, however was Thor. Millar has reinvented the goofy,
faux-Shakespearean spouting son of Odin as a crazy, if slightly mellow, hippie.
It made me laugh out loud, and it's wonderful. Hitch also really drives the
characterization home, whether it's the blissed-out look on Thor's face, the
casual way he holds his beer or the spectacular effect of the weather that he
creates to to show off.
Hitch continues to deliver
some of his finest work on this title in general as well. I only lived in New
York for about six months, but I'm absolutely stunned by how accurate and
atmospheric Hitch's take on New York is. Whether it's breathtaking vistas of the
familiar Times Square or just the design for the neighborhoods that Wasp and
Captain America walk through, there is no chance of confusing the setting with
some generic city. This is New York, as any native would recognize it.
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