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Posted by Don MacPherson on November 6th, 2008
Ultimatum #1
“Chapter One: Three Kings”
Writer: Jeph Loeb
Pencils: David Finch
Inks: Danny Miki
Colors: Steve Firchow
Letters: Comicraft
Cover artists: Finch & Miki (regular cover)/Ed McGuinness & Mark Farmer (variant)
Editor: Ralph Macchio & Mark Paniccia
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Price: $3.99 US/$4.50 CAN
When Marvel first unveiled its Ultimate brand, I was on board, as where thousands and thousands of other readers. By relaunching its familiar properties from scratch in a separate continuity, it freed creators up and opened the door to new possibilities and unpredictable twists. The Ultimate line was Marvel’s biggest cash cow for a while, but the bloom is off the rose somewhat these days. For a while, I had every Ultimate book on my pull list (I’m down to just Ultimate Spider-Man these days). Ultimatum is either Marvel’s move to end the line (unlikely, as it still seems to bring in some profits) or to re-energize the brand. This first of five issues certainly does a good job of establishing the world-altering stakes of the plot, but really, it just serves as an introduction to the most familiar of Marvel’s super-heroes in this particular shared universe.
All of New York’s heroes — the Fantastic Four, the Ultimates, the X-Men and Spider-Man — enjoy a leisurely, quiet afternoon in the city… for about a minute and a half. A devastating event befalls the city, claiming not only some of the heroes, but millions of other lives as well. Reed Richards is convinced one of his enemies is responsible, but the world’s most powerful telepath, Prof. Charles Xavier, sense who the real culprit is.
David Finch’s style is an appropriate one for an event book such as this, especially one with such a darker bent to it. One won’t find a great variety when it comes to the characters’ faces; he seems to have a limited repertoire in that regard. His style is clearly influenced by that of Top Cow Productions founder Marc Silvestri’s artwork, but Finch and inker Danny Miki have arrived at a less sketchy, more polished look. Finch’s vision of New York City is detailed and convincing. Furthermore, his depiction of the cataclysm that befalls the city certainly captures the scope of such an unimaginable and horrific event.
Marvel offers us up 24 pages of story and art, and it’s slapped an extra buck on the cover price. I don’t get it. Is it because the talent on this book cost more? Is there something unique about the printing process for this comic book of which I’m unaware? Is it because the publisher just thought readers would pay an extra buck for its latest event book? I don’t know, but I do know that with more and more super-hero comics tagged at $3.99 US, Marvel and DC are going to need to offer an explanation.
The catalyst for this event storyline is a mass murder on a scale limited to big-budget disaster movies. I have to admit, the quick and almost casual way in which Loeb’s plot deals with this notion is a little unsettling. Ultimately, we learn those millions of deaths are the result of an act of terrorism. In New York City. I can’t imagine Loeb didn’t have the thousands of deaths from Sept. 11, 2001, in his mind as he penned this script. I would imagine his intent was to find a way to make this event book resonate with readers. I definitely saw a connection, but I’m a bit torn about it. I wonder if some might feel he treats the concept a bit too casually here. It struck me as just a little bit inappropriate somehow.
On the other hand, I rather enjoyed the emphasis in the first few pages on the everyday lives of the super-hero characters. Loeb could have focused on regular people in the moments before the massive attack, but instead, we visit with the various heroes in the down time. It’s a smart move, for two reasons. First of all, Loeb doesn’t connect the readers emotionally to the millions of deaths with real, average people. The focus on the fantastic figures keeps it from being real. Furthermore, he humanizes these fictional players just enough to get us to care what happens to them.
Loeb also does a good job of introducing the cast of characters here. Ultimatum #1 is something of a crash course on the icons of Marvel Comics; it doesn’t really matter that it’s an intro to the “Ultimate” versions or not. Of course, at this point in pop-culture history, I think Marvel would be hard pressed to find a reader that really needed this primer on its biggest characters. Film and television have done the work for them, certainly when it comes to the scant detail provided here. Overall, this opening issue just barely gets the story moving. Sure, Big Things happen, but the real conflict and explanations lie ahead. It’s really too early to judge this story as a result, though as I mention earlier, I wonder if some readers might make a judgment call about whether or not they got real value for their four U.S. greenbacks. 5/10
November 6th, 2008 at 1:45 pm
At this point, Marvel would have to pay *me* $3.99 to get me to read anything written by Loeb. The man’s recent output is simply terrible.
November 6th, 2008 at 3:27 pm
Botch the Crab wrote:
The man’s recent output is simply terrible.
I wouldn’t go that far. There’s no denying he’s struck a chord with the new direction on Hulk; the Red Hulk/Green Hulk storyline has something of an old-fashioned appeal that’s fun. And I suspect people wouldn’t have reacted so negatively to his Ultimates 3 if the art weren’t so Kewl, splashy and superficial.
November 6th, 2008 at 6:25 pm
I agree with Botch… Loeb sucks royally these days. He got his Eisner, he got his Emmy, and now I think he’s just sitting back and having fun at the expense of his readers/viewers. I think this especially came to light when he was fired from his work on Heroes. The only good thing about his recent work on Ultimates 3 is that it makes Ultimates 1 and 2 look that much better. As for Hulk, it seems like he’s ditched the intelligent epic storytelling found in Planet Hulk in favor of an elementary story to match The Incredible Hulk film. Both might be fun in some regards but they severely lack in terms of intelligent story-telling.
Step it up, Loeb. Ultimatum might be your ultimate chance at redemption.
November 6th, 2008 at 8:13 pm
Dave wrote:
He got his Eisner, he got his Emmy, and now I think he’s just sitting back and having fun at the expense of his readers/viewers.
Just because one doesn’t appreciate his recent work, that’s no reason to assign a malevolent/negative motive to the writer himself. What’s happening here is that you have crossed the line from criticizing the man’s work to attacking him personally. There’s no need for it.
We’ve also forgotten another recent/new Loeb project in this discussion: Captain America: White. Loeb’s collaborations with artist Tim Sale have always pleased in the past. He gets the benefit of the doubt from me for the new “color” project.
November 6th, 2008 at 11:27 pm
Don wrote:
Loeb’s collaborations with artist Tim Sale have always pleased in the past. He gets the benefit of the doubt from me for the new “color” project.
I agree. Loeb seems to be fine when he’s writing with a bent towards nostalgia. It’s when he tries to be hip or cool that he falls really, really flat. He just doesn’t have a lot of range.
November 7th, 2008 at 12:30 pm
I really didn’t look at the page count assuming the $3.99 cover was for a typical 32 pager bumper book with the middle books selling for $2.99. After all this seems to be the new trend in these mini series/events from Marvel. I now feel more ripped off than I do with the $2.99 cover prices! If this is a way of testing the waters for upcoming higher cover prices I’ll be doing a *lot* of culling! It already annoys me that quite a few smaller publisher books are at this price point, but at least most of them have better cover stock and interior paper which makes me feel a bit better, but not much. Taking into consideration that, when launched, the Ulitmate line boasted of a *lower* cover price this is an out right insult!
November 7th, 2008 at 1:49 pm
Howie wrote:
It already annoys me that quite a few smaller publisher books are at this price point, but at least most of them have better cover stock and interior paper which makes me feel a bit better, but not much.
I don’t mind paying more for comics from small publishers because they’re not moving as many units. I especially don’t mind paying $3.50 US for books such as RASL and Echo since those are self-published efforts (and top-notch ones at that).
November 7th, 2008 at 1:53 pm
Though I have not yet read this issue, I do like the Ultimate Universe. It is small and inclusive of the characters I grew up reading. Regarding the writing of Jeph Loeb, his writing is consistent with most writers these days. Who is the Red Hulk? Betty Ross? The writers NEVER provide an ending, it is one event followed by another, with nothing resolved. I never read Secret Wars, but I believe there was an ending, with the results of that ending resonating in future plot lines (e.g. black Spider-Man suit).
On the $3.99 cover price, the reason is economics. Comic readers are dwindling, cost increasing, so the publishers are trying squeeze every last dollar out of us. With the big two, my dollars will be going to the self contained titles (Ultimate, Max & Vertigo).
November 7th, 2008 at 2:40 pm
HipHopHead wrote:
Regarding the writing of Jeph Loeb, his writing is consistent with most writers these days. Who is the Red Hulk? Betty Ross? The writers NEVER provide an ending, it is one event followed by another, with nothing resolved. I never read Secret Wars, but I believe there was an ending, with the results of that ending resonating in future plot lines (e.g. black Spider-Man suit).
I don’t think your analogy holds up. Yes, Loeb’s stretching out the mystery of the Red Hulk’s identity (over just seven issues, not exactly an epic yet). Then you mention the 1980s ongoing plotline about Spidey’s alien black suit. The true nature of the suit was drawn out over a much longer period of time, and in multiple titles. Loeb’s approach is “consistent with most writers these days”? Well, it’s consistent with more than just some writers today; there’s nothing new about the approach.
November 9th, 2008 at 8:48 pm
Don, my point with Red Hulk is not that it was an “epic” (it is not), but the “promise” to identify the Red Hulk never materialized, all we know is who the Red Hulk isn’t.
Secret War started in issue number one and ended in issue number 12. Civil War never truly ended, House of M is never ended, Secret Invasion will not end it will just begin Dark Reign. Is “it all connected”?
November 9th, 2008 at 9:50 pm
HipHopHead, I don’t think seven issues of a storyline about the mysterious Red Hulk compares to the never-ending series of linked crossovers. Red Hulk stands up pretty well on its own. You claim Loeb isn’t providing an ending/answer to the Red Hulk plot soon enough, but then you seem to concede that it hasn’t been drawn out that long either.