Erwin Rafael
Feb 25, 2002, 07:12 am
<a href="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/covers/ultimates-01.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/covers/ultimates-01t.jpg" align=left alt="The Ultimates #1"></a> Reviewer: Erwin Rafael, 3rdsummers@edsamail.com.ph
Quick Rating: Excellent!
Story Title: Super Human
Captain America makes the fateful "plunge" to the frozen Arctic, as a bold new era begins for the Ultimate Marvel Universe.
Written by: Mark Millar
Pencilled by: Bryan Hitch
Inked by: Andrew Currie
Lettered by: Chris Eliopoulos
Colored by: Paul Mounts with Bongotone
Assistant Editor: Brian Currie
Editor: Ralph Macchio
Editor-in-Chief: Joe Quesada
President: Bill Jemas
People have a "universal" fascination with all-star groups. We have All-Star games and Dream Teams in just about any field of sports. In the world of entertainment, a movie with an all-star cast is usually an instant financial success, as well as an all-star jam session, concert or recording of topnotch musicians. This fascination extends to comic books as well. It all started with National Comics' (now DC Comics) heavyweight-laden Justice Society and Justice League of America. And while Stan Lee's original response to the JLA in the 60s is to take a different formula in superhero teams, which ultimately led to the formation of the Fantastic Four, Stan still inevitably formed Marvel's own pantheon group in the Avengers. Since then, the pantheon group of heroes has become a staple in the comic book genre, as almost every comic book universe produced its own JLA-type teams.
As time progressed, the comic book pantheon has become the subject of a certain trend in comic books - deconstruction. I don't know when exactly this trend began, but the deconstruction of pantheons produced some of the best works that ever graced the pages of comic books - Mark Gruenwald's Squadron Supreme, Alan Moore's Watchmen, James Robinson's The Golden Age, and Mark Waid's Kingdom Come, among others. There certainly is an appeal in humanizing the gods, goddesses and icons of pop fiction. Maybe it's because these icons are a subconscious idealization of ourselves, and through deconstructionist stories, we are able to break the barrier between our ideal images and us.
In its bid to launch the Ultimate Universe's own pantheon group of heroes, the Ultimates, Marvel tapped the services of two talents who, in separate runs, garnered critical acclaim in "deconstructing the JLA" in the pages of The Authority. This time around, writer Mark Millar and artist Bryan Hitch are tasked to redefine that other classic all-star comic book team, the Avengers, albeit under a different group name but still featuring the same core group of characters. The choice to hand the job to two creators from the deconstructionist school of thought is aimed to make the team more relevant, identifiable and accessible to today's generation of readers, branded as a more sophisticated breed. If this issue is of any indication, it would seem that the choice of Millar and Hitch for The Ultimates is yet another homerun from the newly rejuvenated 'House of Ideas'.
The issue in a flash: The year was 1945. In an attempt to prevent the Nazis from launching its nuclear weapon aimed towards America, the Allied forces sent thousands of paratroopers, including Captain America and his sidekick, Bucky, to a secret Nazi base in Iceland. The Nazis were able to launch the bomb, but through Cap's heroics, the bomb detonated in mid-air. This sent him plunging to the Arctic waters, thus, setting into motion events which would be instrumental to the formation of the Ultimates. Fast forward to the present day. Tony Stark, a.k.a. Iron Man, is finishing up a six-week vacation on Mount Everest. The vacation provided him a newfound focus on his "plan", which would "begin a brand new chapter" in his life and the lives of those around him. And therein ends the issue on a cliffhanger note as we are left wondering what Stark's "plan" was supposed to be and what it ultimately has to do with the Ultimates.
This is an unusual start for a team book. It has been a norm in team book writing that the introductory issue would chronicle the formation of the team (the Giant Size X-Men approach) and/or the team's first public appearance or big adventure (like the debut issue of the Thunderbolts). Mark Millar, on the other hand, opted to take a different approach. The team, the Ultimates, is not featured nor even hinted at in this issue. Millar instead focused almost exclusively on developing the character of Captain America. I see this character-driven approach as Millar's recognition that a unique team concept can only carry a book so far, and that the success of a good team book in the long term really lies on the strength of its individual members.
Mark Millar's Captain America is a pleasant surprise for me. Millar hasn't handled writing heroic speeches all too deftly in the past (see Ultimate X-Men #12 for an example) as his scripting skills are more adept in delivering catchy one-liners. He molded the Ultimate version of Captain America to fit his writing style, as his Cap delivered "Nick Fury"-like one-liners and showed heroism through his actions. It is a smart move on the part of Millar, as his approach emphasized that Captain America is a patriotic soldier fighting on the frontlines of a war, and not a traditional politician who does a lot of yapping and flowery speeches.
Millar effectively brought Captain America's heroism to the fore through a gradual transformation in the way we view the character as the story progressed. In the first half of the story, Millar presented to us a negative point-of-view of Cap through the eyes of a soldier named Kowalski, who believes Cap is a mere propaganda tool by the Allied forces. Midway through the issue, Millar let Cap's true character shine, effectively debunking Kowalski's skeptic POV. The gradual build-up of Captain America from propaganda tool to an inspiring field leader and later to a patriotic martyr grounded Cap's character and made his sacrifice more poignant and dramatic.
I am interested in how Millar would tackle Bucky. Bucky's death is an essential element associated with the mainstream Marvel Universe version of Captain America. In an article titled "The Five Most Significant Deaths in the Marvel Universe", first published in Marvel Vision # 29, then Captain America writer Mark Waid was quoted, "Bucky's death gave Cap a sense of responsibility that ties him...with Spider-Man in terms of what he expects of himself and the type of thing that he would never let happen again." Millar's decision to forego Bucky's death is a major character revamp. I wonder if Millar is really foregoing Bucky's death, or if he's just modifying the approach and instead has a worse fate in store for Cap's sidekick. It's a matter for future issues, I guess.
While I find the Captain America chapter in this issue excellently written, I find some faults in Millar's writing in the closing Tony Stark scene. Millar has a penchant for delivering a lot of attitude in his dialogue, much like writers Grant Morrison and Garth Ennis. While Millar captured the "cool exec with a heart of steel" attitude of Tony Stark, he does went a bit over-the-top in some cases. In particular, I find the line "When we get back to camp, I want you to contact Jarvis and tell him to cut short that little Moroccan adventure he's been paying for with the stolen petty cash." as a case of too much flash and not much substance. I know that this is a stylistic choice by Millar, but too much attitude in the script makes the dialogue a bit unrealistic and gives the impression that it's the writer talking and not the character itself.
Bryan Hitch's work has not been topnotch as of late, particularly his post-Authority work in the pages of JLA. This issue, however, is a showcase of great storytelling and detail. More importantly, this issue again proved that Hitch is indeed one of the few masters of wide-screen storytelling. Many artists today are jumping on the "wide-screen bandwagon" but are failing miserably. What these artists do not get is that wide-screen storytelling is not just a case of drawing page-wide panels and splash pages, much like how Anime style is not just a case of drawing big eyes and big feet. Hitch shows in this issue that the wide-screen approach requires great cinematography to capture that "movie-like" feeling. It requires an orderly and logical sense of design and layout. Most importantly, it requires a sense of knowing when a wide-screen panel is needed and when it is not. Bryan Hitch's work for this issue is breathtaking. He has gotten out of that "Alan Davis clone" era and has developed a style all his own.
Aside from Hitch's linework, two other aspects of the art are worth mentioning. First is the coloring done by Paul Mounts and Bongotone. In the comicon.com boards, it has been said that Mounts admitted that he made an error in the color separation process, making the colors a bit muddy. Granted that case is true, I still find the coloring this issue as an excellent piece of work. Mounts followed specific color themes for each panel. For example, the panels featuring the military are mostly done with a muted green and gray theme, reflecting the color scheme of the soldiers. The Mount Everest scene has an icy blue and white theme. Mounts' thematic approach to the colors prevented the book from becoming a jumbled mess and complemented Hitch's orderly and logical artwork.
The other aspect of the art I want to mention is the lettering. The Ultimate line of books has been experimenting lately with using mixed-case lettering, instead of the traditional all-caps approach. This new approach has been criticized a lot and has been described as amateurish. I believe, however, that it is just a case of us not yet used to this new style, because really, what makes the all-caps approach more professional looking than the mixed-case approach? Studying Chris Eliopoulos lettering this issue, I noticed that the mixed case style allows a greater range of expression for the letterer. Emphasized words written in capital letters stand out better because of the contrast. This is a new style worth pursuing, and I hope this initiative won't be shot down just because of a "call" to stick to traditional ways of doing things.
The Ultimates really started with a bang, and with Millar, Hitch and company at the helm, we know that this is just a warning shot. Don't miss out on this first big hit of the new year. I close this review with this quote from Captain America, which I address to those who are having second-thoughts picking up this issue:
WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR, LADIES? CHRISTMAS?
Go read this issue!
ART:
http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpg http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpg http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpg http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpg http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpg
STORY:
http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpg http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpg http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpg http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpg http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xhalf.jpg
OVERALL:
http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpg http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpg http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpg http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpg http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpg
Buy this issue online now from X-World Comics (http://www.x-worldcomics.com/x/bstore/newbooksmain.html) and save!
Quick Rating: Excellent!
Story Title: Super Human
Captain America makes the fateful "plunge" to the frozen Arctic, as a bold new era begins for the Ultimate Marvel Universe.
Written by: Mark Millar
Pencilled by: Bryan Hitch
Inked by: Andrew Currie
Lettered by: Chris Eliopoulos
Colored by: Paul Mounts with Bongotone
Assistant Editor: Brian Currie
Editor: Ralph Macchio
Editor-in-Chief: Joe Quesada
President: Bill Jemas
People have a "universal" fascination with all-star groups. We have All-Star games and Dream Teams in just about any field of sports. In the world of entertainment, a movie with an all-star cast is usually an instant financial success, as well as an all-star jam session, concert or recording of topnotch musicians. This fascination extends to comic books as well. It all started with National Comics' (now DC Comics) heavyweight-laden Justice Society and Justice League of America. And while Stan Lee's original response to the JLA in the 60s is to take a different formula in superhero teams, which ultimately led to the formation of the Fantastic Four, Stan still inevitably formed Marvel's own pantheon group in the Avengers. Since then, the pantheon group of heroes has become a staple in the comic book genre, as almost every comic book universe produced its own JLA-type teams.
As time progressed, the comic book pantheon has become the subject of a certain trend in comic books - deconstruction. I don't know when exactly this trend began, but the deconstruction of pantheons produced some of the best works that ever graced the pages of comic books - Mark Gruenwald's Squadron Supreme, Alan Moore's Watchmen, James Robinson's The Golden Age, and Mark Waid's Kingdom Come, among others. There certainly is an appeal in humanizing the gods, goddesses and icons of pop fiction. Maybe it's because these icons are a subconscious idealization of ourselves, and through deconstructionist stories, we are able to break the barrier between our ideal images and us.
In its bid to launch the Ultimate Universe's own pantheon group of heroes, the Ultimates, Marvel tapped the services of two talents who, in separate runs, garnered critical acclaim in "deconstructing the JLA" in the pages of The Authority. This time around, writer Mark Millar and artist Bryan Hitch are tasked to redefine that other classic all-star comic book team, the Avengers, albeit under a different group name but still featuring the same core group of characters. The choice to hand the job to two creators from the deconstructionist school of thought is aimed to make the team more relevant, identifiable and accessible to today's generation of readers, branded as a more sophisticated breed. If this issue is of any indication, it would seem that the choice of Millar and Hitch for The Ultimates is yet another homerun from the newly rejuvenated 'House of Ideas'.
The issue in a flash: The year was 1945. In an attempt to prevent the Nazis from launching its nuclear weapon aimed towards America, the Allied forces sent thousands of paratroopers, including Captain America and his sidekick, Bucky, to a secret Nazi base in Iceland. The Nazis were able to launch the bomb, but through Cap's heroics, the bomb detonated in mid-air. This sent him plunging to the Arctic waters, thus, setting into motion events which would be instrumental to the formation of the Ultimates. Fast forward to the present day. Tony Stark, a.k.a. Iron Man, is finishing up a six-week vacation on Mount Everest. The vacation provided him a newfound focus on his "plan", which would "begin a brand new chapter" in his life and the lives of those around him. And therein ends the issue on a cliffhanger note as we are left wondering what Stark's "plan" was supposed to be and what it ultimately has to do with the Ultimates.
This is an unusual start for a team book. It has been a norm in team book writing that the introductory issue would chronicle the formation of the team (the Giant Size X-Men approach) and/or the team's first public appearance or big adventure (like the debut issue of the Thunderbolts). Mark Millar, on the other hand, opted to take a different approach. The team, the Ultimates, is not featured nor even hinted at in this issue. Millar instead focused almost exclusively on developing the character of Captain America. I see this character-driven approach as Millar's recognition that a unique team concept can only carry a book so far, and that the success of a good team book in the long term really lies on the strength of its individual members.
Mark Millar's Captain America is a pleasant surprise for me. Millar hasn't handled writing heroic speeches all too deftly in the past (see Ultimate X-Men #12 for an example) as his scripting skills are more adept in delivering catchy one-liners. He molded the Ultimate version of Captain America to fit his writing style, as his Cap delivered "Nick Fury"-like one-liners and showed heroism through his actions. It is a smart move on the part of Millar, as his approach emphasized that Captain America is a patriotic soldier fighting on the frontlines of a war, and not a traditional politician who does a lot of yapping and flowery speeches.
Millar effectively brought Captain America's heroism to the fore through a gradual transformation in the way we view the character as the story progressed. In the first half of the story, Millar presented to us a negative point-of-view of Cap through the eyes of a soldier named Kowalski, who believes Cap is a mere propaganda tool by the Allied forces. Midway through the issue, Millar let Cap's true character shine, effectively debunking Kowalski's skeptic POV. The gradual build-up of Captain America from propaganda tool to an inspiring field leader and later to a patriotic martyr grounded Cap's character and made his sacrifice more poignant and dramatic.
I am interested in how Millar would tackle Bucky. Bucky's death is an essential element associated with the mainstream Marvel Universe version of Captain America. In an article titled "The Five Most Significant Deaths in the Marvel Universe", first published in Marvel Vision # 29, then Captain America writer Mark Waid was quoted, "Bucky's death gave Cap a sense of responsibility that ties him...with Spider-Man in terms of what he expects of himself and the type of thing that he would never let happen again." Millar's decision to forego Bucky's death is a major character revamp. I wonder if Millar is really foregoing Bucky's death, or if he's just modifying the approach and instead has a worse fate in store for Cap's sidekick. It's a matter for future issues, I guess.
While I find the Captain America chapter in this issue excellently written, I find some faults in Millar's writing in the closing Tony Stark scene. Millar has a penchant for delivering a lot of attitude in his dialogue, much like writers Grant Morrison and Garth Ennis. While Millar captured the "cool exec with a heart of steel" attitude of Tony Stark, he does went a bit over-the-top in some cases. In particular, I find the line "When we get back to camp, I want you to contact Jarvis and tell him to cut short that little Moroccan adventure he's been paying for with the stolen petty cash." as a case of too much flash and not much substance. I know that this is a stylistic choice by Millar, but too much attitude in the script makes the dialogue a bit unrealistic and gives the impression that it's the writer talking and not the character itself.
Bryan Hitch's work has not been topnotch as of late, particularly his post-Authority work in the pages of JLA. This issue, however, is a showcase of great storytelling and detail. More importantly, this issue again proved that Hitch is indeed one of the few masters of wide-screen storytelling. Many artists today are jumping on the "wide-screen bandwagon" but are failing miserably. What these artists do not get is that wide-screen storytelling is not just a case of drawing page-wide panels and splash pages, much like how Anime style is not just a case of drawing big eyes and big feet. Hitch shows in this issue that the wide-screen approach requires great cinematography to capture that "movie-like" feeling. It requires an orderly and logical sense of design and layout. Most importantly, it requires a sense of knowing when a wide-screen panel is needed and when it is not. Bryan Hitch's work for this issue is breathtaking. He has gotten out of that "Alan Davis clone" era and has developed a style all his own.
Aside from Hitch's linework, two other aspects of the art are worth mentioning. First is the coloring done by Paul Mounts and Bongotone. In the comicon.com boards, it has been said that Mounts admitted that he made an error in the color separation process, making the colors a bit muddy. Granted that case is true, I still find the coloring this issue as an excellent piece of work. Mounts followed specific color themes for each panel. For example, the panels featuring the military are mostly done with a muted green and gray theme, reflecting the color scheme of the soldiers. The Mount Everest scene has an icy blue and white theme. Mounts' thematic approach to the colors prevented the book from becoming a jumbled mess and complemented Hitch's orderly and logical artwork.
The other aspect of the art I want to mention is the lettering. The Ultimate line of books has been experimenting lately with using mixed-case lettering, instead of the traditional all-caps approach. This new approach has been criticized a lot and has been described as amateurish. I believe, however, that it is just a case of us not yet used to this new style, because really, what makes the all-caps approach more professional looking than the mixed-case approach? Studying Chris Eliopoulos lettering this issue, I noticed that the mixed case style allows a greater range of expression for the letterer. Emphasized words written in capital letters stand out better because of the contrast. This is a new style worth pursuing, and I hope this initiative won't be shot down just because of a "call" to stick to traditional ways of doing things.
The Ultimates really started with a bang, and with Millar, Hitch and company at the helm, we know that this is just a warning shot. Don't miss out on this first big hit of the new year. I close this review with this quote from Captain America, which I address to those who are having second-thoughts picking up this issue:
WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR, LADIES? CHRISTMAS?
Go read this issue!
ART:
http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpg http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpg http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpg http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpg http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpg
STORY:
http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpg http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpg http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpg http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpg http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xhalf.jpg
OVERALL:
http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpg http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpg http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpg http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpg http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpg
Buy this issue online now from X-World Comics (http://www.x-worldcomics.com/x/bstore/newbooksmain.html) and save!