Post by goldenfist on Sept 11, 2008 9:00:14 GMT -5
Here's a review of Ultimate Origins from Ign.com
For what it's worth, this series has delivered what it promised. A number of those pressing questions that have been around since almost the inception of the Ultimate Universe have been answered. Most of these plot threads were set up in the first issue, with each getting an individual issue to expand upon. With the origin of the original Captain America and the emergence of mutants out of the way, we finally get to the origin I found most intriguing – Nick Fury.
As opposed to the Captain America storyline, which was essentially a retelling of the original story we all know by heart, Nick Fury's is completely different. In a scenario similar to the infamous Tuskegee Experiment, Fury is one of many African-American soldiers used as guinea pigs in the development of the original Super-Soldier. Fury is the first success and manages to escape, and becomes a soldier of fortune before being found out and tapped to lead the new super-soldier program, which includes many familiar and interesting faces. The one big overhanging question still left is how has Fury's super-soldier status not come up before, especially since he's been in numerous fights. I'm not saying he should be in-his-prime Cap level, but at least something more than bad ass guy with the gun and cool toys. Unfortunately, with Fury now in the Supreme Squadron Universe, I doubt any of this will be cleared up in the near future.
The artwork choices for depicting Nick Fury were interesting. For the majority of his "life", Fury has been Samuel L. Jackson. The image is ingrained in anyone that has read the Ultimates, but that's not the case in Origins. Butch Guice instead utilizes the pre-Jackson face/figuration. I'm not sure if this was a decision by the Guice or Bendis, but it's jarring to see at first.
In addition to Nick Fury, there is also the focus on the new super-solider program. The scenes, while well done, were as predictable as you can get. You pretty much knew the ending of it when the primary characters are introduced. Thankfully, the present-day Fantastic Four plot is limited to four pages this issue. Almost nothing has occurred since it first started. It just keeps dragging on, which is tiring, since it doesn't really add anything to the Origins and is only a glorified teaser for Ultimatum.
The series has also cemented my opinion that the current Ultimate Universe doesn't matter any more. With the exception of Ultimate Spider-Man, my reading of other Ultimate titles has been sporadic for quite some time. Still, all the plot elements and references all appear to be coming entirely from the first couple years of the Ultimate Universe's existence. Since then, all the titles have done their own thing with little connection between them. Origins is almost an afterthought. It's great that we finally have these answers, but the effect on the current state of the Universe is minimal at best. Maybe Ultimatum will change that status, but Jeph Loeb seems to have the anti-golden touch of late, so I'm not exactly what you'd call optimistic.
Review Score: 7.8 Good
For what it's worth, this series has delivered what it promised. A number of those pressing questions that have been around since almost the inception of the Ultimate Universe have been answered. Most of these plot threads were set up in the first issue, with each getting an individual issue to expand upon. With the origin of the original Captain America and the emergence of mutants out of the way, we finally get to the origin I found most intriguing – Nick Fury.
As opposed to the Captain America storyline, which was essentially a retelling of the original story we all know by heart, Nick Fury's is completely different. In a scenario similar to the infamous Tuskegee Experiment, Fury is one of many African-American soldiers used as guinea pigs in the development of the original Super-Soldier. Fury is the first success and manages to escape, and becomes a soldier of fortune before being found out and tapped to lead the new super-soldier program, which includes many familiar and interesting faces. The one big overhanging question still left is how has Fury's super-soldier status not come up before, especially since he's been in numerous fights. I'm not saying he should be in-his-prime Cap level, but at least something more than bad ass guy with the gun and cool toys. Unfortunately, with Fury now in the Supreme Squadron Universe, I doubt any of this will be cleared up in the near future.
The artwork choices for depicting Nick Fury were interesting. For the majority of his "life", Fury has been Samuel L. Jackson. The image is ingrained in anyone that has read the Ultimates, but that's not the case in Origins. Butch Guice instead utilizes the pre-Jackson face/figuration. I'm not sure if this was a decision by the Guice or Bendis, but it's jarring to see at first.
In addition to Nick Fury, there is also the focus on the new super-solider program. The scenes, while well done, were as predictable as you can get. You pretty much knew the ending of it when the primary characters are introduced. Thankfully, the present-day Fantastic Four plot is limited to four pages this issue. Almost nothing has occurred since it first started. It just keeps dragging on, which is tiring, since it doesn't really add anything to the Origins and is only a glorified teaser for Ultimatum.
The series has also cemented my opinion that the current Ultimate Universe doesn't matter any more. With the exception of Ultimate Spider-Man, my reading of other Ultimate titles has been sporadic for quite some time. Still, all the plot elements and references all appear to be coming entirely from the first couple years of the Ultimate Universe's existence. Since then, all the titles have done their own thing with little connection between them. Origins is almost an afterthought. It's great that we finally have these answers, but the effect on the current state of the Universe is minimal at best. Maybe Ultimatum will change that status, but Jeph Loeb seems to have the anti-golden touch of late, so I'm not exactly what you'd call optimistic.
Review Score: 7.8 Good