Ultimates Vol 1 and 2 Review
Back in 2000, Marvel created an Ultimate universe to provide readers with all-new 21st century versions of classic Marvel characters.
The first chapter of that universe now draws to a close in 2009, and we can look back at what has been achieved since its conception.
The Ultimates was created in 2002, as the Ultimate Marvel equivalent of the Avengers. The book was released as three mini-series rather than a single traditional on-going series.
This review covers the first two instalments, titled The Ultimates and The Ultimates 2, and created by writer Mark Millar and artist Bryan Hitch.
The first Ultimates book takes place in 2002; it’s not only post-9/11, but America has also survived its first major mutant attack by Magneto in the first volume of Ultimate X-Men. The Bush Administration is kicking in its Homeland Security initiative and Nick Fury, head of the United States’ military S.H.I.E.L.D. division, creates a team of superhumans to protect America from further attacks; the Ultimates. In the Ultimates team are Captain America, Iron Man, Giant Man, Wasp, Hawkeye, Black Widow, Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch. Also on the team, yet opposed to America’s defence strategy is Thor, a Norwegian writer and hippy who may or may not be the Norse God of Thunder.
Using the then-contemporary political landscape to establish the Ultimates was a masterstroke. The setting’s realistic complexity gives the book not only a level of depth rarely seen in most superhero stories, but it allows Millar to explore a variety of innovative ideas. Unlike the Avengers, the story of The Ultimates is not driven by a line of unambiguously evil villains, but the political commentary about the ethics and effectiveness of their work. Without an immediate enemy to defeat, the Ultimates find themselves having to justify their funding to the government and the general public. It’s only when an alien invasion is revealed that their necessity becomes apparent.
But Millar thankfully doesn’t drown the book in politics and philosophy. At the heart of the story is the team dysfunction; every character has a strong personality and there’s constant head butting between them. To try and describe them all here wouldn’t do them justice, but I would like to honour the man who I think is the heart of the story; Captain America. As a World War II veteran recently resurrected from a block of ice in the Antarctic, Captain America becomes the symbol that represents the ideal of the Ultimates, and yet he struggles to deal with the changes to society and the fact that his closest friends are now either dead or living as pensioners. It’s painful to see a man who gave his life for millions of civilians eventually forced to isolate himself from the modern world to stay comfortable. His attitude to the world is too black-and-white for modern socialising, and while he has a normally respectful demeanour, he proves himself to be a violent reactionary. But at least he gets the best line in the book (“You think this A on my head stands for France?”).
Bryan Hitch’s artwork is simply breathtaking. It comes to no surprise that this is the man who helped pioneer “decompressed storytelling”, the use of large panels to lend weight and intensity to a particular scene. Hitch uses it to full effect in The Ultimates, filling pages with rich detail that borders on the photo-realistic without it ever looking too static. The effect is even more impressive with the hardcover editions; larger glossier pages only serve to make the artwork more mouthwateringly good than the standard size pages. But Millar deserves credit too, because his direction of the action allows for some splendid battle scenes that never become confusing no matter how immense they become. I have yet to see any comic rival the epic scale of a scene in Millar and Hitch’s run on The Ultimates.
The Ultimates 2 can be summed up in six words; Bigger and Better than The Ultimates. With the character introductions out of the way and the real-life America instigating further wars in the Middle East, Millar brings the political landscape to the forefront of the story, ramping up the stakes as the team find themselves fighting an even greater threat than the first book’s alien invasion; a co-ordinated attack on America by all their enemies around the world. The faster pace and revelation of a traitor in the team makes The Ultimates 2 more gripping than the first book. This time, there are serious casualties for the team. The Ultimates 2 also fleshes out the character of Thor, finally revealing whether he really is the Norse God of Thunder, which makes for a fascinating spin on the character and the series in general.
Both volumes of The Ultimates are absolute must-reads. The writing and artwork both set incredibly high bars for comic books. But if you somehow manage to find a hardcover copy, then for God’s sake, take it! Bryan Hitch’s cinematic artwork was made for big, glossy pages, and the added cover art is just mouth-watering to look at.
Review by James Hurvid
