Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Avengers in the 21st Century, 13 Oct 2003
By A Customer
I have never read many Avengers comics, but have read a number of characters affiliated to or members of that group. This graphic novel is an exception- presenting some of the most over the top Marvel characters in a thoroughly convincing way.This book is excellent- the art is sombre and dark, the streets often raining and mostly at night. The characters look very much like their 30-year prototypes but updated for a more believable appearance- a particular favourite is the updating of Captain America's costume, a combination of military fatigues and webbing and the old `ultralight chain-mail'. The wings have thankfully gone off the mask! The script is well structured, although the characters not as strongly voiced as they might be in some cases, but superbly done in others. Given the overall great quality of the script this is probably simply due to the book being a collection of the first few issues of `Ultimates'. That said the Ultimate versions of the characters are all very sound- Iron Man remains much as he always has been, The Wasp and Giant Man are similar to how they were with intricate twists, Thor is awesome (is he a mega-powered hippy, or is he really a demigod- is there any difference?), the Hulk is horrific in his bestial carnage- the only graphic novel to top this portrayal is possibly `Banner'. Captain America is probably the most different of all the characters both in powers and temperament- this Cap is hard as nails, no longer inhumanly agile he is vastly stronger and more durable than before (this Cap parachutes without a parachute!)- personality wise he is the most strongly voiced of all the characters behaving understandably as a world war 2 front-line officer. Possibly the best sequence of the comic is his introduction in the second world war- this would be worth a series of its own. The action is in the current trend: harsh, vicious and painful. These characters bleed and suffer broken bones. Possibly the most shocking scene is a superpowered lovers quarrel and the implications of its aftermath. An outstanding graphic novel and the sign of things to come from the 21st century Marvel- fantastic!
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11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
21st Century Super Heroes, 22 Oct 2002
Forget everything you think you know about your favourite Marvel icons. The Ultimates drops them in a new universe with a clean slate (The Ultimate Universe), also populated by the Ultimate X-Men and Ultimate Spider-Man, for a refreshingly continuity free and bang up to date experience. The Ultimates are a UN funded superteam, formed in order to combat the ever increasing threat of superhuman rampages.
A big part of what makes The Ultimates stand out is the stunningly high standard of scripting, which slowly builds tension and drama through the interaction between the characters, rather than featuring fight scene after fight scene. This means that when everything does kick off, it is all the more dramatic and involving - you really do care about what happens to these characters, even if they aren't the most likable bunch of people. Which is another point: they feel like well rounded, real people. They have flaws just like you and me.
The script also provides lots of fun references to pop culture, another facet that keeps the story as close as possible to the real world.
The artwork also impresses, with Bryan Hitch delivering ultra realistic and believable characters and settings. The eventual disaster in New York is made all the more exciting due to the recognisable settings that it takes place in.
I cannot recommend The Ultimates highly enough, but be warned - this collection finishes on a startling, shocking note which will be picked up in the monthly series...only available through specialist retailers in the UK.
What are you waiting for? Grab a copy of The Ultimates, sit back and enjoy what is, in my humble opinion, the most believable and involving super hero story in recent memory.
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17 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Ultimately, a brilliant move!, 28 Feb 2004
Following the success of both the Ultimate X-Men and Ultimate Spider-Man lines, Marvel announced that their next project would be a re-working of The Avengers. This hit the shelves under the title The Ultimates, and quickly became their best-selling title.Overall, the story itself kind of lacks focus. There is no obvious enemy, and the narrative seems content to let itself be propelled by the characters themselves, as opposed to the enemies they face. So, for the first chapter, all we see is Captain America taking out a Nazi nuclear missile before being lost, and Tony Stark (a.k.a. Iron Man) on Everest. Don't be fooled - the artwork in the WWII attack and the full-page shot of Everest are simply glorious. As the book continues, we see how different the Ultimate characters are to the regular Marvel ones. Nick Fury is a morally ambiguous leader of SHIELD, a covert black-ops organisation. Bruce Banner is a wimpy, snivelly little scientist, dominated by his now-ex-girfriend, PR lady Betty Ross. Tony Stark is an extravagent ego-maniac, and Thor is a hippy with a big hammer. The best part of the book comes when Banner deliberately turns himself into the Hulk to provide the Ultimates with a foe to battle. Fuelled by alcohol and hormones (his ex is having dinner with Freddie Prinz Junior, meaning that Hulk's first words are 'HULK WANTS FREDDIE PRINZE JR!'), Ultimate Hulk rampages throughout New York whilst he is hit by just about everything - even getting a tank dropped on his head! The artwork throughout is detailed and fantastic, the writing is layered and captures the characters perfectly. No comic book fan should be without this collection.
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by Mark Millar
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