THE ULTIMATES #10 REVIEW

[Brian Wilkinson]

<a href="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/covers/ultimates10.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/covers/ultimates10t.jpg" align=left alt="The Ultimates #10"></a>Reviewer: Brian E. Wilkinson, bewilkinson@xfan.cjb.net
Quick Rating: Great!
Story Title: Devil In Disguise

The Ultimates crash an island party, only to find out that someone has left them a nasty surprise.

Written by: Mark Millar
Pencilled by: Bryan Hitch
Inked by: Paul Neary
Colors by: Paul Mounts
Letters by: Chris Eliopoulos
Assistant Editor: Nike Lowe
Associate Editor: C.B. Cebulski
Editor: Ralph Macchio
Editor In Chief: Joe Quesada
President: Bill Jemas

Well, I continue to be disgusted at how good this book looks. Really, not only is this book a visual feast thanks to artist Bryan Hitch, but it's SO good that it ruins just about every other comic book on the market.

And no one is more surprised than I am.

The first time I was exposed to Bryan Hitch was years ago with X-Men: Prime which came out right after the whole 'Age of Apocalypse' story line. I didn't really like the art, though I thought it was fairly well done. Just chalk it up to a difference of tastes, I suppose. So when I heard The Ultimates was going to be drawn by him, I was distinctly underwhelmed.

Really, I only picked up the book because writer Mark Millar had come out of nowhere and blown me away in the pages of Ultimate X-Men. I figured, as many Marvel zombies do, that I might as well pick up issue #1. After all, I was becoming a massive Ultimate Spider-Man fan (a book, I maintain, is one of Marvel's strongest titles ever), was already knee deep in Ultimate X-Men, so it really wasn't a stretch that I should try this title as well.

The first issue was okay. Not great, but okay. The art was STUNNING, the writing good, but I was left a little cold as to what the series was going to be about.

Now we're at issue #10 and I am firmly in fanboy heaven. Wow. That's all I can say about this issue, and this series.

Though as the regular reviewer, Anthony Zisa, points out in his reviews of this series, it really works best when collected in Trade Paperback format. Not that each issue isn't a work of art on its own, but due to how long it takes Hitch to produce an issue (at least two or three months per issue), it may be much harder for fans to get into this series. That's not saying I want a fill-in artist, because, really, anyone who tries to even come near this book is just asking for an ear-full from a very pleased audience.

But it's too bad that it's been almost a year since the last trade came out. Only four issues have been released in the time since then, and though each issue is a treat, it's a bit bitter given how long we have to wait.

That being said, this issue was pretty darn cool. I'm used to Mark Millar's quick witted and political heavy scripts, but Bryan Hitch's pencils demand to be shown to others. Every time I buy this book, I show it to my girlfriend, friends, and others and ask them 'can you believe he actually took the time to draw all of THAT?'

Really, it's just impressive. Or insane, depending on how you look at this sort of thing.

The issue opens up with a very detailed but slightly uninteresting flashback. We're introduced, though we don't realize it, to the main villain of the arc and a very James Bond-ish moment of spy tactics used by Captain America to blow up a train. Fast forward almost fifty years later and once again Captain America is going up against an alien race that is threatening the peace of the world.

Mark Millar brilliantly sets up these creatures as a long-standing threat to the world, but brilliantly covered up by government agencies. Some of the cast are thunderstruck at this revelation (especially Tony Stark) and it makes for a more believable and enjoyable story.

The Ultimates are underway to a remote island to take the buggers out once and for all, but it seems as though things aren't going as smoothly as they could have hoped.

The real highlight of this book is seeing the Wasp back in action after the events with her husband left her hospitalized. She's alone in the Triskelion fighting against an alien force, and all on her own to boot. The action is tight, and explosive, with smart dialogue and actions pacing the entire scene. The whole thing feels like a summer action flick with brains (ala The Matrix) rather than just a cheap adrenaline rush (ala The Matrix Reloaded).

Once again, Mark Millar's penchant for the dramatic comes into effect as the rest of the Ultimates find out that things aren't going well at home, and that they have just walked into a trap. They don't have much time to really think about it, though, as the island detonates in a nuclear flash.

Which leaves me to ask: what's with Millar and nuclear explosions lately? Wasn't the one in Ultimate X-Men recently enough? Pretty soon, if we leave this guy writing comic books, there won't be any writers following him as he'll leave the entire world in ashes.

But in the meantime, it makes for a cool story. Of course the team will find a way to survive, but seeing multiple ships, people, and buildings destroyed makes the wait for the next chapter a true exercise in patience.

The villain introduced in the beginning of the story makes a reappearance at the end of the issue. At first, I wasn't sure who this was. I wondered if this was a new villain, just a random guy, or if I'd missed something. It wasn't until a second pass through that I realized it was the guy from the train. There hasn't been much done with him yet, but I get the feeling that he has enough potential to be a real threat to the team. I'm looking forward to seeing more of him.

As I said before, no one can really complain about Hitch given the incredible effort he puts forth with every issue. And unlike other comic writers that give artists splash pages (I'm thinking of a recent issue of Uncanny X-Men), Hitch knows what to do with them, and they surprisingly move along the plot and increase enjoyment, rather than leaving fans the feeling that they've been shortchanged a page of story time.

All in all, this book is too good to miss. Better collected in trade format, but definitely worth the ages-long wait that Millar and Hitch unfortunately must put us through.

Make sure you pick it up today!


ART:
http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/reviews/ulxfull.jpghttp://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/reviews/ulxfull.jpghttp://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/reviews/ulxfull.jpghttp://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/reviews/ulxfull.jpghttp://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/reviews/ulxfull.jpg

STORY:
http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/reviews/ulxfull.jpghttp://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/reviews/ulxfull.jpghttp://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/reviews/ulxfull.jpghttp://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/reviews/ulxfull.jpghttp://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/reviews/ulxnone.jpg

OVERALL:
http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/reviews/ulxfull.jpghttp://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/reviews/ulxfull.jpghttp://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/reviews/ulxfull.jpghttp://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/reviews/ulxfull.jpghttp://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/reviews/ulxnone.jpg

[ReaperFett]

The whole thing feels like a summer action flick with brains (ala The Matrix) rather than just a cheap adrenaline rush (ala The Matrix Reloaded
Pfft, Matrix sucked, Reloaded was good :)


But otherwise, I agree. Not long until 11! :D

[spinarakboi]

I was going to give it a chance but that was my main problem (forever for an issue to come out) has this problem been fixed or is still going to be like that? I see 11 will come sooner but after that? hmm

[Brian Wilkinson]

According to Millar, Hitch has finished most of the work on issue #11, so we should see it in stores in about four weeks.

[Padan Fain]

Originally posted by Brian E. Wilkinson
According to Millar, Hitch has finished most of the work on issue #11, so we should see it in stores in about four weeks.

Eeeeeexcellent. I'd read recently that they've planned on having the book be 'every six weeks', so essentially a bi-monthly book. So that means they're a little ahead of schedule!!

I completley agree with the review, Brian. This series STILL manages to make me gasp, laugh and shout out loud when a read it. An amazing comic...that I just WISH could come out once (or twice!!) a month. A well. So is life.

[Inferno256]

i like this issue alot, the trap was unexcpected

[Alex Guillen]

it's good to see wasp back in action adn I'm very intrigued by the new villain, could it be Ultimate Red Skull?
A real great issue and I love Hitch's art.

[SmashedPumpkin]

I had not read any ultimates before this issue. I had a copy of #9 lying around and when I bought this one and read it, I instantly went back to read it. WOW WOW WOW. I should be hit for not getting into this title sooner.

[Kevin Sutton]

I'm pretty sure that the Ultimates has been scheduled as bi-monthly, so regardless of whether Hitch is finished or not, its coming out the last week of next month, when it was solicited.

Y'know, everyobdy seems to say that the Ultimates is written to be read as a trade, but I really disagree. Sure, each issue only follows the set story arc, but then so does every other title nowadays. The Ultimates is one of the few books that still has all the elements of the old pamphlets. Action, character time, hooks, etc... just about every issue rounds all the bases. This title may read better as a trade, but so does almost every story. I don't see it as being written for a trade, but rather just really well written.

[UMichWolverine]

Great review Brian, you said exactly how I felt about this book. It took me a second read to figure out that the guy on the last page was the same guy from the train.

This book continues to impress me. I have yet to find a book that invokes such a wide range of emotions in such a small space. The only problem is having to wait SOOO LONG between books. Its not fair. :mad:

I didn't think about it, but this could be our ultimate Red Skull.

[xslayex]

this story would have been fantastic if wasn't for the lateness. For example we know janet is going to be alive for the ultimate war. That totally sucks all of the drama out of the story for me. This brings up another question?

Should marvel be releasing stories featuring the ultimates given that fact that their own title is behind i.e. the new Ultimate SIX story that suppose to be coming out.

[crozack]

So which issues were collected in the first TPB? I read it on Marvel.com a couple months ago and was wowed by it and I am planning on getting the next trade but how long do you think until another comes out?

[Wolverine]

Who the hell was that on the last page?

[Benjamin Ong]

The first time I was exposed to Bryan Hitch was years ago with X-Men: Prime which came out right after the whole 'Age of Apocalypse' story line. I didn't really like the art, though I thought it was fairly well done.

My first exposure to Hitch was The Authority and I became an instant fan. Later on (or rather, early this year), I bought some of his even earlier works, the MyS-Tech Wars mini-series and it was a joy to see Hitch draw X-Men AND the Avengers! To me, this was a glimpse of what he could be capable of in the coming years, in The Authority and now, Ultimates. Some say Ultimates is the best Marvel movie NEVER made, and I couldn't agree more.

Millar said the eventual hardcover version would have never-before-seen pages which would make it an instant collectible! Despite the lateness, Ultimates is the best comic in recent years (some say, since Watchmen and Dark Knight Retruns)!

But I still think Trevor Hairsine would make a good fill-in for Hitch. They could do an arc each to catch up. And I'm real glad to see him doing the Ultimate Six limited series with Bendis.

[bleenk]

This marks my first issue onboard the Ultimates and I must say, I am impressed.

Hitch's art here seems to be a bit different from his Authority run. Its pretty good but I still prefer the clean, Alan Davis-ish one from Authority. Hopefully, the lateness of the book will cease, but dont get any fill-ins for Hitch. We dont want rushed, sloppy fill-ins to invade the book ;)

The story was somewhat cliche, with the "Woe is me, injured and weak, left alone to defend the base against superpowered invaders" thing, but Millar pulls it off, weaving suspense, nostalgia and drama into the seemingly generic plot.

Ultimately, it gets a 10 from me :D

[MrHymes01]

Gawd what a great issue. It's such a love-hate relationship with Hitch. He's a great artist, but he's too fuqqin' slow!!!