Joshua LazarusOkay, so while I’ve seen mostly negative reviews for Ultimatum #5, the comic stores I’ve visited in the past week couldn’t restock the shelves with the book quickly enough. I got the gatefold cover because I think it makes for a cool poster for my wall (as if I needed yet another comic-related poster in my apartment).
Love it or hate it, Ultimatum is finally over. In a previous article, I discussed how the delays in Ultimatum affected the story’s flow and the renovation and renaming of the line to Ultimate Comics. After reading the entire series, my opinion stands. Ultimatum was an action-packed blockbuster that thrived on the quick pace of storytelling. The problem is that when trying to tell an action-packed blockbuster in comics, it is hurt by the very nature of the medium, which is that comics are periodicals. Should Ultimatum have been released as a graphic novel? Probably not, as each issue sold spectacularly, and releasing a one-shot trade would have made Marvel less money. I do think that, like DC’s Final Crisis,Ultimatum will read better as a trade paperback.
The one thing Ultimatum accomplished for me is that I can’t wait to see what comes next. With all of the deaths that changed the super hero and mutant infrastructure, we will see more drastic reinterpretations of characters instead of some of the flimsy ones of the past (i.e. Ultimate Daredevil/Matt Murdock).
The cover for Ultimate Comics Spider-Man answers questions, while the cover for Ultimate Comics Avengers provokes new questions. For Ultimate Comics Spider-Man, we know who is alive and who will serve as new members of the supporting cast. There is one new cast member, who is no stranger to Ultimate Spider-Man, I am very glad to see on the cover of the initial issue of the new series. For Ultimate Comics Avengers, there are characters that seem familiar, but are obviously not who they would seem to be at first glance. Who are these people, and why are they on the team?
My one gripe with the Ultimate Comics line right now is the lack of answers provided that were promised with Ultimatum. Here are some of the questions I still have:
Who took Dr. Strange’s body and what did he/she do with it?
Whatever happened with the Dormammu plot thread?
Why wasn’t the fate of Spider-Man revealed in the main series?
Is Wolverine alive or dead?
What is the status of Havok?
How is Quicksilver still alive?
Who was the woman in cahoots with Quicksilver, Mystique, and Sabretooth at the end of the last issue?
What will happen to the remaining mutants with so many of their leaders and guiding figures dead?
And, most importantly, what the hell ever happened to Rick Jones after he was chosen as Earth’s herald by the Watchers in Ultimate Origins?
I hope most of these questions are answered soon. That being said, I’m really looking forward to the new Ultimate Comics titles.
Filed under: Articles Tagged: | Comics, future, Marvel, Questions, Ultimate Comics, Ultimate Comics: Avengers, Ultimate Comics: Spider-Man, Ultimate Origins, Ultimatum
