Ultimate Universe #1 - Comic Review

 

The Ultimate Universe was something of a mixed bag as far as quality went. Most will agree that Ultimate Spider-Man was a great series, but outside of that things were a bit lacking in terms of quality. Ultimate Fantastic Four had some good moments, and there were a few minis and one-off stories that were good, but for the most part the universe was dark, nasty, and mean-spirited in the worst ways; Captain America being a bit racist for example. As such, it was not surprise that the universe ended and that Marvel moved on. What was more surprising is that they're having another go at it.

Rather than simply recreate the old Ultimate Universe, with hundreds of issues of continuity and baggage that comes with that, the new Ultimate Universe is a new universe; something that Marvel hasn't quite made fully clear in their marketing and advertisements, and it's been the fans and influencers online that have been trying to spread that information.

After the events of Ultimate Invasion, a pretty not-great series, we have a new Ultimate Universe, 6160, a world where the Maker, the 1610 version of Reed Richards who survived the end of the original Ultimate Universe, has messed with the flow of time and shaped the universe more to his liking. During Ultimate Invasion we were introduced to several new versions of familiar characters, and were introduced to this new setting. Whilst that series ended in a way that left many readers either bored or confused, or uncaring, this new one-shot seems to at least be somewhat interesting in moving things forward.

The issue opens with Iron Lad, a young Tony Stark, and Doom, the new Reed Richards, breaking into Asgard to rescue Thor, who's been imprisoned by his brother Loki. The two of them convince the God of Thunder to come with them and help them in their mission, and set out to find his hammer. This leads them into a small confrontation with his jailer, Lady Sif, who ends up being transported out of Asgard with them when they leave.

Back on Earth, the group discuss how the Maker changed the world by taking away its heroes, stopping their creations at important points. Captain America is one of these heroes that the world should have, and Iron Lad and Doom are still trying to find a way to safely unfreeze him. Hearing that their destinies have been stolen from them, and that the world has been changed, Thor and Sif agree to help them, though Sif somewhat reluctantly. 

The group then travels to Latveria, where they hope to steal the Makers cache of items and equipment that should have been used to help create the worlds heroes. They find several containers, each containing hundreds of items. Before they can get them all out, however, they come under attack from Captain Britain, who stabs Thor through the chest. The wounded god is able to get them out of there, though, taking just one of the containers with them. In retaliation, the shadowy world government arm a Stark satellite and fire it at the heroes position, apparently wiping them out.

Compared to Ultimate Invasion, this issue keeps things fairly simple. It has a clear story, 'the Maker messed things up and we need to set it right', and sticks to it. There are still things that aren't exactly clear, such as if the Maker is able to come back, and if so when, and the machinations of the worlds leaders is kind of dull and the least interesting part of the issue. But, compared to the woefully poor mini-series we just had, this is a much better launching point for the new universe. Especially as Marvel were taking the piss with the prices of that series, with four issues costing you $30.

Things work well here, and whilst we're still left with a ton of questions that need answering you at least come away with a good sense of what the new universe is going to be like, and a clear goal for a lot of things going forward; create the heroes needed to stop the Maker if he returns. Hickman seems to have plans in place for future stuff, and whilst after this he's taking control of the new Ultimate Spider-Man he's definitely going to be working on stuff in the background for the universe as a whole if this is anything to go by,

The art on the book is really nice too, with Stefano Caselli and David Curiel giving the book a really nice feel. The characters look great, with Doom and Iron Lad both looking similar to things we've seen in other versions of their characters before, but unique enough that you can tell that these are the Ultimate versions. Just putting Doom in blue is a really easy change that sets him apart, and Iron Lad has these cool little pieces to his armour around his hips that almost gives him coat-tails. Thor is perhaps the best looking in the book though. Even before he powers up he's a big, beefy looking dude, taller and wider than anyone else on the page. When he grans Mjolnir and gains his costume, however, he looks great. It's very similar to the old Ultimate Thor, but has its own details and design work that makes this its own thing. It's a really nice look, and I'm looking forward to seeing it more.

The issue also gives us a couple of pages of Peach Momoko's work for the upcoming Ultimate X-Men series, which she'll be writing and doing art for, that looks to be an interesting and unique take on mutants in this new universe.

As I've said, this is a decent introduction to the new Ultimate Universe for those who missed out on Ultimate Invasion and are looking to see what things are about before the new ongoings start up next year. Yes, it relies on knowing some stuff already, but it's a lot more coherent and tighter than what we've had before. 

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