Ultimates 2 #9

Marvel Comics
Script: Mark Millar
Art: Bryan Hitch & Paul Neary

I have to give Millar credit (as a general rule I don’t), the events of the current issue of ULTIMATES 2 make a certain warped sense and yet I truly didn’t see them coming. But I’m about as thick as Millar’s Tony Stark, so I guess that’s no surprise. There are surprises in this issue and, while I won’t spoil them, I will say that I’m looking forward to a great clash of titans in true Aveng...errr...Ultimates style.    

I get the feeling Millar and Hitch had a lot of fun with this issue. Huge panoramic destruction scenes, giant robots stomping on Manhattan, sex, bad guys, American comeuppance, and a literal, and likely metaphorical bullet, between the eyes to a character that is one of the few true anchors to the Avengers iconography. There’s even a nice touch of political irony -- intended or not -- as America’s enemies, fearful of what the super power might do next, decide to topple the Great Satan with their own array of super powers. An armada of supers in fact, to a degree that one would wonder if they were truly worried or simply looking for an excuse. Either way there’s boatloads of mayhem and destruction and no Iron Man, Cap or Thor to be found. I’m personally rooting for the Ultimates to storm back and bring all holy hell down on the invaders, but with Millar you can’t be too sure where he’s heading, which, in this case, is part of the fun. (One direction I don’t want to see it go is some sort of Loki-driven plot device that miraculously twists everything back to its original form.)

On a side note, it’s been fascinating to read some of the Internet response to how this (and other titles) affect the overall Ultimate continuity. Not being heavily vested in this myself I hadn’t given it much thought, but you can certainly see Marvel quickly building this universe to a point where reboots and zero events start to enter the conversation. I’m curious if Marvel has a five year plan for this imprint or if they’re simply letting it grow organically. I plan to pick up ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN and ULTIMATE X-MEN in trade – any recommendations on which of the two to start with?   

Comments

[Mark Fossen]

I read both UXM and USM in the nice oversized hardcovers.

Of the two, I would go with UXM. I liked Millar's twist on the characters, and the Kuberts make some reeeeeeeal purty pictures.

[Jhunt]

Well, if you're looking for old-school soap opera-ish young superhero action, I don't think there is a current book that does it better than USM. It's not going to change the world or anything, but it delivers what it promises month-in and month-out. Plus, the unwavering creative team is a massive plus, unless you hate Bendis and Bagley, in which case it would likely be a deal killer.

[Chris]

And that's the problem -- You _know_ everything's going to end up just fine, if for no other reason than because if Marvel is to keep the Ultimate Universe viable, they have to put everything back.

As Jake pointed out over on 2 Guys Buying Comics, I will be shocked if this Attack on America gets mentioned at all in either USM, UXM, or UFF.

(By the way, for your reading recommendation, personally I'd go with UFF. It's not as soap-opery as USM, and not as wrapped up in "Let's see who we can Ultimize next!" as UXM.

UFF has actually been pretty good so far --- it's a much younger take on the team, and the trades have a good Doom arc and a cool Warren Ellis arc about the Negative Zone.

[Kurt]

I've actually read the first 20 issues or so of UFF and enjoyed it. I'm leaning towards the X-man book if for no other reason than I'm not really reading any X books right now.