Honestly? I kind of wanted not to like this book. I haven't been the biggest fan of Zimmerman's writing, and I don't like the idea of this being the next Ultimate book. And it does have its weaknesses, including the self-aware humor style that Zimmerman has become infamous for and a lead character who I could wind up hating if his obnoxiousness doesn't get toned down. However, when all is said and done, it's a promising book, with a surprisingly good mix of humor and seriousness and a couple of well-established lead characters, not to mention some beautiful artwork. I hate the U-Decide stunt with all my heart, but it looks like we may have gotten one reinvigorated book and another new potentially good one out of the deal.
Zimmerman's work has tended towards pop culture references to the point of name-dropping, and that's been one of the biggest flaws in his writing. Ultimate Adventures, happily, steers clear of almost all references to pop culture, instead choosing to focus on character and premise development, and the book is stronger as a result. The one pop culture reference we do get, a riff on Batman's origin, is actually a pretty funny gag, and helps to establish one of the supporting characters as well.
It's tough to fairly judge the series based on this first issue, though, because the story is really just getting started. This issue focuses entirely on introducing Hank Kipple, a tough-minded, angry little orphan teen who has had a hard life to say the least. Hank comes off as just slightly this side of arrogant and annoying, but I'm almost willing to forgive it because he's funny, smart and tough. In addition, Zimmerman makes it clear that Hank has a heart and strength underneath his cynical exterior, and if his more annoying personality traits are softened fairly quickly, I can see him becoming a very likable lead. He reminds me in many ways of a Priest character, a regular guy in a super-hero universe poking fun at the cliches we've all grown used to.
Less developed, but equally interested, is Hawk-Owl a.k.a. Jack Danner, a sort of Batman with an inferiority complex who comes off as likable as Hank is. One can already see the partnership that will develop between these two characters, with Jack providing the can-do attitude, physical skills and gadgets while Hank provides the brains and the reality check. The interaction between the two characters thus far, both in and out of costume, is pretty solid.
Then there's the artwork, which couldn't have saved a bad script but probably helped to warm me up to liking the book. Fegredo's work is fantastic, full of detail and subtlety, and his storytelling is basically perfect. With some nice downplayed colors by Paul Mounts and a group of very well-defined normal characters, the book has one foot in recognizable reality, and that makes it easy to relate to Zimmerman's characters, even when they occasionally act like they know they're on stage performing. All in all, this team has produced a solid opening effort, and I'm more interested in seeing Ultimate Adventures #2 than I ever thought I would be.
