Ultimate Wolverine vs Hulk - First Impressions
February 28, 2006 | 6 Comments
I’m now two issue into the six issue limited series, Ultimate Wolverine vs. Hulk. Damon Lindelof, co-creator of the hit TV series Lost is writing this. I haven’t been watching Lost, but
Initially I picked this up because it takes place in the Ultimate Universe, which hasn’t let me down yet. It was the opening sequence of the first issue that really grabbed me. On page 3, Hulk rips Wolverine in half! Yes, Logan has an adamantium skeleton, but that says nothing about the joints in that skeleton. Hulk then throws Wolverine’s legs up on top the nearest mountaintop.
The story then jumps back and gives the back story Wolverine gets himself in this situation. Apparently after a failed state sanctioned death penalty using a nuclear bomb on Hulk. Somehow he survived this and now Logan has been sent to finish him off.
Issue #2 gives similar back story on how Hulk survived and what Banner has been doing in the meantime. This issue moves a lot slower and doesn’t actually step the story forward at all. However, it is important to understand both Hulk and Wolverine’s motivations going into this massive battle.
After these two, the next four are setup for the battle royal first implied in the opening sequences of the first issue. I personally can’t wait. Let’s hope Lindelof doesn’t treat this like Lost and continue dragging it out. Bring on the battle!
Tags: "comics books", "Damon Lindelof", "hulk vs wolverine", "ultimate universe", adamantium, bruce banner, comic, comics, hulk, logan, lost, marvel, ultimates, Wolverine
Ultimate Avengers - The Movie
February 21, 2006 | Comments Off
Marvel released the straight to DVD movie Ultimate Avengers today. This PG-13 rated animated action/adventure film is the first in a series of at least four animated feature length films and two tv series Marvel has in the works, including: Ultimate Avengers 2, an Iron Man movie, a Dr. Strange movie, a Fantastic Four series, and a “Wolverine and the X-Men” series.
The movie centers around Captain America, Nick Fury, and Bruce Banner almost equally. The story told here stays true to the basic characters and universe defined in The Ultimates. Mostly this movie stands as a setup for further Ultimate Avengers movies, but it succeeds admirably at this.
I have to say, if all of them are as good as this film, Marvel is crazy not to run them through the theater first… Go rent or buy this, Marvel needs encouragement to continue pumping out a couple of these each year!
Tags: "dr. strange", "ultimate avengers", animated, avengers, black widow, bruce banner, captain america, cartoon, comic books, comics, dvd, fantastic four, hulk, iron man, marvel, nick fury, shield, steve rogers, thor, tony stark, tv, ultimates
The Ultimates
January 12, 2006 | 6 Comments
I just completed reading the full first Ultimates run (1-13) and am now up to date on the current run (1-9). There is only one word that describes The Ultimates series.
Dark.
There isn’t a single character in this series so far without some massive flaw. But I’ll get to that in a moment…
The Ultimates is a recreation of The Avengers in the Ultimate Marvel Universe. This is a primarily non-mutant super hero team that is commissioned by the government as a division of S.H.I.E.L.D. In this reality, mutations have become somewhat common as they are cropping up all over the world. These mutants are hated and this story all plays out in the Ultimate X-Men series. However, science has also progressed to the point where manipulations are being made to “normal” humans’ genetics, giving super powers. These artificially enhanced humans are then made members of the Ultimates, or are villains.
Even Ultimate Spider-Man falls under this “requirement,” Fury informed Peter Parker that when he turns 18 he will be required to join the Ultimates.
Another interesting note about this series is the way the Ultimates don’t actually have much reason to exist. There aren’t any significant super villains in the series, no global fights to justify their existence. In fact, they wait until the 11th issue before revealing the first non-member global threat. This is only a 13 issue original series.
The second, currently ongoing series has a similar start. There is a lot of back story and character development, which I appreciate, but again no massive threat until the current issue (#9) which justifies government creation of the “super team”.
Don’t get me wrong, there is plenty of action in this series. My point is that the other “bad guys” existence can be directly attributed to the work S.H.I.E.L.D and the government in general is funding. Or, in some cases members of the Ultimates themselves. Clearly the authors want the readers to wonder about the politics and justification of this super army. Maybe they want us to wonder about our own militaries on a smaller scale. Do aggressive militaristic groups spawn additional?
Anyway, one thing that kept me intrigued by this series was the lack of true hero in any of the members of this super team. Here’s a quick rundown of the flaws in each of these character which stops me from being able to idolize any of them, as I might someone like Spider-Man.
Captain America [Steve Rogers]: Uber-aggressive “old” codger, 40’s mind set. Sees things in black and white.
Iron Man [Tony Stark]: Playboy alcoholic, flaunts his place as one of the world’s richest men.
Wasp [Janet Pym]: Secretly a mutant, loaned genetic material to Hank so he could make great scientific breakthroughs. Publicly dates Steve Rogers while still married, but continues to screw Hank. She has other subtle flaws, but in many ways I like her the least.
Giant Man=>Ant Man [Hank Pym]: Secretly cheated to get where he is professionally. Wife beater. ‘Nuff said.
Hulk [Bruce Banner]: arrogance leads him to self experimentation. Hulk rampage leads to over 800 civilians killed. Cannibal.
Nick Fury: Pawn of a larger scheme he may be a part of. Plays like Samuel L. Jackson in a Pulp Fiction/XXX kind of way. An ends justify the means sort of guy.
Thor: Possibly insane. Conspiracy theorist. Ultra left wing. Violent opposition to American dominance. In many ways I find many of these traits endearing, but the writing clearly does not intend them as positives.
Scarlet Witch [Wanda Maximoff]: Daughter of Magneto. Known Terrorist, only in this for the money. Belive in mutant supremacy. Implied incestuous relationship with Pietro.
Quicksilver [Pietro Maximoff]: Son of Magneto. Known Terrorist, only in this for the money. Belive in mutant supremacy. Implied incestuous relationship with Wanda.
Black Widow [Natasha Romanova]: Her evil is a massive spoiler… Trust me though, it’s bad.
Hawkeye [Clint Barton]: The one we know the least about, and in turn, I think he’s clean…
There are also a pile of “reserves” who are all portrayed as mindless puppets to whatever S.H.I.E.L.D wants of them.
As I devour each issue in this series I find myself torn between loving and hating the series. I guess either emotion conveys conviction, and I’m still reading it. Mark Millar was successful at least in hooking me.
Tags: ant man, avengers, black widow, bruce banner, captain america, comic book, comic books, comics, giant man, hawkeye, hulk, iron man, Magneto, mark millar, marvel, nick fury, quick silver, scarlet witch, shield, steve rogers, super hero, thor, ultimate, ultimates, wasp, x-men