Anthony Zisa
May 3, 2002, 10:07 pm
<a href="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/covers/ultimates-04.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/covers/ultimates-04t.jpg" align=left alt="Ultimates #4"></a>Reviewer: Anthony Zisa, PopinFrsh@aol.com
Quick Rating: Excellent!
Story Title: Thunder
Tensions within the team flare as questions about their usefulness arise. Meanwhile, Nick Fury and Bruce Banner attempt to recruit the God of Thunder, and Betty Ross gets a dangerous phonecall!
Written by: Mark Millar
Penciled by: Bryan Hitch
Inked by: Andrew Currie
Lettered by: Chris Eliopoulos
Colored by: Paul Mounts
Associate Editors: C.B. Cebulski & Brian Smith
Editor: Ralph Macchio
Editor-in-Chief: Joe Quesada
President: Bill Jemas
It has been four months into the run of The Ultimates, and nothing has essentially happened, save the building of the team. Little in the way of “action” has occurred since the pulse-pounding debut issue.
And the book is all the better for its lack of “action.” In fact, lack of action would be a misnomer when referring to Mark Millar’s first storyline. There’s so much going on within the book at the moment that unnecessary fights would ruin the wonderful rhythm Millar has established. Millar, during his Authority tenure, was accused of eschewing character development in favor of wall-to-wall action and over-the-top violence. The Ultimates reads as a reaction against those accusations – with wall-to-wall characterization and over-the-top development of the team dynamic, The Ultimates is the anti-Authority. The team’s internal strife and media-savvy is the same territory being tread by Peter Milligan’s superb X-Force, but is handled in a much more serious and striking manner. Millar’s work is not the satirical tale Milligan has been telling, but rather, a true update and examination of how a superhero team would be handled at the turn of the new century. A valentine to Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, Don Heck, Roy Thomas, and John Buscema, Millar and his giggling cohort Bryan Hitch show that the essence of these characters remains timeless.
“Thunder” is a misnomer. The story centers not around new-age liberal hippie Thor, but on the brewing storm clouds within the psyche of Bruce Banner. Banner, still reeling from his inability to synthesize the super-soldier serum from Captain America’s blood, has become the popular whipping boy of the group – the guy who not only cannot access his superpowers to aid the team, but who cannot even do the one job he has spent his entire career investigating. Betty Ross, his estranged significant other, spends her time harping on Banner for this failure, as well as his inability to think with an eye towards the media coverage the team needs to survive.
Betty gives him another job – recruit Thor. If he does not manage, their “temporary break becomes something more permanent.” Needless to say, he and Nick Fury do not manage to recruit Thor, a new-age guru who participates in protests against the “corrupt machine” that the team represents. Refusing to work for Fury and “the people like him,” Thor sees it as his sworn duty as the Son of Odin to protect the world from the status quo. Coupled with this failure, Banner must deal with the mockery of his teammates, who dislike him and mock him behind his back. Confronted finally, in one of the book’s best scenes, with their insults, Banner snaps. Cut to New York City, where Betty Ross receives a phone call during a business dinner with Freddy Prinze, Jr. about his role in a movie about the team. It is Banner. He has injected himself with a mix of the Hulk serum and Captain America’s blood. He warns Betty to get out of New York, and then collapses. In the ambulance on the way to the hospital, the change occurs, and the team finally has an enemy to face.
Millar’s pacing is spot on, with the slow, deliberate cracking of Banner’s mind and his resort to the serum to unleash his pent up anger, rage, and sorrow resonating in the reader. It is hard not to feel bad for Banner, the oddball on a team of oddballs, saddled with the verbal berating of his peers and his own sense of failure. He misses the cathartic release of his own emotions, and it is almost hard not to cheer when he finally lets go.
Likewise, Millar’s sense of dialogue makes the book a really fun and exciting read. The verbal sparring between characters courses with energy, from the invective speech Betty gives poor Banner, the “casting-call” scene where Banner finally snaps, Thor’s condemnation of Fury and everything the team and he stands for – all these conversations have roots in reality. The bonding between Wasp and Captain America is ace, with a palpable sense of friendship forming between the two. Millar’s sense of comedic pacing shines, as well. The casting call, which degenerates into nastiness against Banner, starts off as a rather humorous and tongue-in-cheek admission of the actors on which Hitch based his character designs. Similarly, the first line the Hulk utters is the kind of insane pop-madness that comicdom has long been missing. Throughout the book, Millar uses pop-culture references that should resonate well with a mainstream audience. Millar is writing the sort of story idea for showing the audience what comics can be – big summer blockbuster fun delivered every month.
Hitch masterfully rises to Millar’s script with gorgeous and stunning art. From the cover to the final splash page, Hitch imbues these characters with the sort of energy that makes even the most mundane scene seem larger than life. Insertions of real life people are no problem for Hitch, with picture perfect illustrations of Shannon Elizabeth and Larry King finding their way into the opening sequence. Hitch, known for his ability to draw insane scenes of mass destruction occurring to well-known cityscapes cultivated during his Authority tenure, shows versatility. There is not a whole lot of action in Millar’s script, but it does not matter, because Hitch makes it all seem beautiful. With a electrifying cover and awesome Authority-esque splash page, the kicking and exploding of next month’s issue cannot come fast enough.
The Ultimates represents a synergy of word and picture that exemplifies what the comic artform is capable of – insane fun and a pure pop-thrill. Millar and Hitch have written an accessible and entertaining story that anyone, comic fan or not, can read. The Ultimates stands as the best superhero-comic book currently on the stands, and if you are not reading it, you are simply missing out on a purely fun piece of visceral storytelling. If Stan Lee and Jack Kirby were creating the team today, this is what it would be, without question. There is only one reason this book did not get perfect fives -- there would be nowhere to go when Millar and Hitch pull out the really good stuff.
ART:
http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpghttp://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpghttp://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpghttp://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpghttp://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xhalf.jpg
STORY:
http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpghttp://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpghttp://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpghttp://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpghttp://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xhalf.jpg
OVERALL:
http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpghttp://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpghttp://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpghttp://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpghttp://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xhalf.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: Thunder
Tensions within the team flare as questions about their usefulness arise. Meanwhile, Nick Fury and Bruce Banner attempt to recruit the God of Thunder, and Betty Ross gets a dangerous phonecall!
Written by: Mark Millar
Penciled by: Bryan Hitch
Inked by: Andrew Currie
Lettered by: Chris Eliopoulos
Colored by: Paul Mounts
Associate Editors: C.B. Cebulski & Brian Smith
Editor: Ralph Macchio
Editor-in-Chief: Joe Quesada
President: Bill Jemas
It has been four months into the run of The Ultimates, and nothing has essentially happened, save the building of the team. Little in the way of “action” has occurred since the pulse-pounding debut issue.
And the book is all the better for its lack of “action.” In fact, lack of action would be a misnomer when referring to Mark Millar’s first storyline. There’s so much going on within the book at the moment that unnecessary fights would ruin the wonderful rhythm Millar has established. Millar, during his Authority tenure, was accused of eschewing character development in favor of wall-to-wall action and over-the-top violence. The Ultimates reads as a reaction against those accusations – with wall-to-wall characterization and over-the-top development of the team dynamic, The Ultimates is the anti-Authority. The team’s internal strife and media-savvy is the same territory being tread by Peter Milligan’s superb X-Force, but is handled in a much more serious and striking manner. Millar’s work is not the satirical tale Milligan has been telling, but rather, a true update and examination of how a superhero team would be handled at the turn of the new century. A valentine to Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, Don Heck, Roy Thomas, and John Buscema, Millar and his giggling cohort Bryan Hitch show that the essence of these characters remains timeless.
“Thunder” is a misnomer. The story centers not around new-age liberal hippie Thor, but on the brewing storm clouds within the psyche of Bruce Banner. Banner, still reeling from his inability to synthesize the super-soldier serum from Captain America’s blood, has become the popular whipping boy of the group – the guy who not only cannot access his superpowers to aid the team, but who cannot even do the one job he has spent his entire career investigating. Betty Ross, his estranged significant other, spends her time harping on Banner for this failure, as well as his inability to think with an eye towards the media coverage the team needs to survive.
Betty gives him another job – recruit Thor. If he does not manage, their “temporary break becomes something more permanent.” Needless to say, he and Nick Fury do not manage to recruit Thor, a new-age guru who participates in protests against the “corrupt machine” that the team represents. Refusing to work for Fury and “the people like him,” Thor sees it as his sworn duty as the Son of Odin to protect the world from the status quo. Coupled with this failure, Banner must deal with the mockery of his teammates, who dislike him and mock him behind his back. Confronted finally, in one of the book’s best scenes, with their insults, Banner snaps. Cut to New York City, where Betty Ross receives a phone call during a business dinner with Freddy Prinze, Jr. about his role in a movie about the team. It is Banner. He has injected himself with a mix of the Hulk serum and Captain America’s blood. He warns Betty to get out of New York, and then collapses. In the ambulance on the way to the hospital, the change occurs, and the team finally has an enemy to face.
Millar’s pacing is spot on, with the slow, deliberate cracking of Banner’s mind and his resort to the serum to unleash his pent up anger, rage, and sorrow resonating in the reader. It is hard not to feel bad for Banner, the oddball on a team of oddballs, saddled with the verbal berating of his peers and his own sense of failure. He misses the cathartic release of his own emotions, and it is almost hard not to cheer when he finally lets go.
Likewise, Millar’s sense of dialogue makes the book a really fun and exciting read. The verbal sparring between characters courses with energy, from the invective speech Betty gives poor Banner, the “casting-call” scene where Banner finally snaps, Thor’s condemnation of Fury and everything the team and he stands for – all these conversations have roots in reality. The bonding between Wasp and Captain America is ace, with a palpable sense of friendship forming between the two. Millar’s sense of comedic pacing shines, as well. The casting call, which degenerates into nastiness against Banner, starts off as a rather humorous and tongue-in-cheek admission of the actors on which Hitch based his character designs. Similarly, the first line the Hulk utters is the kind of insane pop-madness that comicdom has long been missing. Throughout the book, Millar uses pop-culture references that should resonate well with a mainstream audience. Millar is writing the sort of story idea for showing the audience what comics can be – big summer blockbuster fun delivered every month.
Hitch masterfully rises to Millar’s script with gorgeous and stunning art. From the cover to the final splash page, Hitch imbues these characters with the sort of energy that makes even the most mundane scene seem larger than life. Insertions of real life people are no problem for Hitch, with picture perfect illustrations of Shannon Elizabeth and Larry King finding their way into the opening sequence. Hitch, known for his ability to draw insane scenes of mass destruction occurring to well-known cityscapes cultivated during his Authority tenure, shows versatility. There is not a whole lot of action in Millar’s script, but it does not matter, because Hitch makes it all seem beautiful. With a electrifying cover and awesome Authority-esque splash page, the kicking and exploding of next month’s issue cannot come fast enough.
The Ultimates represents a synergy of word and picture that exemplifies what the comic artform is capable of – insane fun and a pure pop-thrill. Millar and Hitch have written an accessible and entertaining story that anyone, comic fan or not, can read. The Ultimates stands as the best superhero-comic book currently on the stands, and if you are not reading it, you are simply missing out on a purely fun piece of visceral storytelling. If Stan Lee and Jack Kirby were creating the team today, this is what it would be, without question. There is only one reason this book did not get perfect fives -- there would be nowhere to go when Millar and Hitch pull out the really good stuff.
ART:
http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpghttp://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpghttp://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpghttp://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpghttp://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xhalf.jpg
STORY:
http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpghttp://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpghttp://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpghttp://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpghttp://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xhalf.jpg
OVERALL:
http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpghttp://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpghttp://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpghttp://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xfull.jpghttp://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/xhalf.jpg
Buy this issue online now from X-World Comics (http://www.x-worldcomics.com/x/bstore/newbooksmain.html) and save!