Post by goldenfist on Sept 26, 2008 15:53:06 GMT -5
Here is Ign's review of Ultimates 3 #5.
Want to hear a statement that has absolutely no meaning? The Ultimates 3 #5 is the best issue of the entire, short series. Considering that Ultimates 3 is also a likely candidate for Marvel's worst current book, you can see what I'm getting at. The series climbs a few rungs up the ladder this month, but it's still very far down the list of comics you should be adding to your stack.
All of Jeph Loeb's little mysteries come to a head this month. We learn just who killed Scarlet Witch and why. We learn why some characters have been behaving so, well, out of character. We even learn the true identity of Black Panther, not that it wasn't already blindingly obvious. One area in which The Ultimates 3 compares very favorably to Hulk, Loeb's other big release for the week, is that it provides actual answers to burning questions. Best of all, it actually sets up Ultimatum in a very significant way. For the first time, I feel as if I can actually explain the premise of Ultimatum to a layman without resorting to vague generalities.
That's about the extent of the good, though. At best, this issue works better than past efforts because it doesn't fire so many duds. For example, there's no horribly cheesy dialogue along the lines of Cap's "Come with me if you want to live," bit from last time. That's not to say any of the dialogue is particularly noteworthy, but Loeb finally seems to have settled in with the main characters and acknowledged the fact that they aren't identical to their classic counterparts. Unfortunately, Thor is still a prickly subject, as Loeb really does seem to think Ultimate Thor is the same as classic Thor. That's the only reason I can gather for why Thor has suddenly acquired his stilted Asgardian speak. Loeb even pokes fun at his portrayal of Thor when he pits him against a robotic duplicate. Even Robo Thor can't seem to fathom why the real one talks like a goofball.
Unfortunately, there are a few instances where Loeb's tendency to grossly mis-characterize his subject returns. For one thing, we're treated to a rehash of the uncomfortable scenes between Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch from issue #1. I also winced at his depiction of Mastermind and Pyro as would-be rapists. In both these cases, it's disgusting, and it has no place in a comic like this.
Unlike Hulk, Loeb's script isn't salvaged by the art. On a fundamental level, Joe Mad was just a poor choice for an Ultimate book. Ultimate artists need to bring at least some level of realism to their work. Mad's style is anything but realistic. This is a lesson I pray Marvel learns before the post-Ultimatum shift. Even ignoring that, Mad stumbles as a storyteller in certain sequences. A particular two-page spread is a literal mess of criss-crossing panels. It's nearly impossible to discern the correct reading order, and eventually I just stopped caring. Finally, the coloring continues to be sub-par. Everything in the book seems to carry an unearthly sheen. The worst offenders are Shanna and Ka-Zar, as Christian Lichtner seems to favor gray, rocky skin tones for some reason.
I want to be able to say I'm psyched for Ultimatum. Despite all the huge missteps and poor storytelling decisions in Ultimates 3, Loeb has set himself up for a potentially compelling storyline. Therein lies the problem, though. Loeb will be writing Ultimatum, and nothing in his work in this series leads me to believe he'll be able to pull it off.
Review Score: 4.6
Want to hear a statement that has absolutely no meaning? The Ultimates 3 #5 is the best issue of the entire, short series. Considering that Ultimates 3 is also a likely candidate for Marvel's worst current book, you can see what I'm getting at. The series climbs a few rungs up the ladder this month, but it's still very far down the list of comics you should be adding to your stack.
All of Jeph Loeb's little mysteries come to a head this month. We learn just who killed Scarlet Witch and why. We learn why some characters have been behaving so, well, out of character. We even learn the true identity of Black Panther, not that it wasn't already blindingly obvious. One area in which The Ultimates 3 compares very favorably to Hulk, Loeb's other big release for the week, is that it provides actual answers to burning questions. Best of all, it actually sets up Ultimatum in a very significant way. For the first time, I feel as if I can actually explain the premise of Ultimatum to a layman without resorting to vague generalities.
That's about the extent of the good, though. At best, this issue works better than past efforts because it doesn't fire so many duds. For example, there's no horribly cheesy dialogue along the lines of Cap's "Come with me if you want to live," bit from last time. That's not to say any of the dialogue is particularly noteworthy, but Loeb finally seems to have settled in with the main characters and acknowledged the fact that they aren't identical to their classic counterparts. Unfortunately, Thor is still a prickly subject, as Loeb really does seem to think Ultimate Thor is the same as classic Thor. That's the only reason I can gather for why Thor has suddenly acquired his stilted Asgardian speak. Loeb even pokes fun at his portrayal of Thor when he pits him against a robotic duplicate. Even Robo Thor can't seem to fathom why the real one talks like a goofball.
Unfortunately, there are a few instances where Loeb's tendency to grossly mis-characterize his subject returns. For one thing, we're treated to a rehash of the uncomfortable scenes between Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch from issue #1. I also winced at his depiction of Mastermind and Pyro as would-be rapists. In both these cases, it's disgusting, and it has no place in a comic like this.
Unlike Hulk, Loeb's script isn't salvaged by the art. On a fundamental level, Joe Mad was just a poor choice for an Ultimate book. Ultimate artists need to bring at least some level of realism to their work. Mad's style is anything but realistic. This is a lesson I pray Marvel learns before the post-Ultimatum shift. Even ignoring that, Mad stumbles as a storyteller in certain sequences. A particular two-page spread is a literal mess of criss-crossing panels. It's nearly impossible to discern the correct reading order, and eventually I just stopped caring. Finally, the coloring continues to be sub-par. Everything in the book seems to carry an unearthly sheen. The worst offenders are Shanna and Ka-Zar, as Christian Lichtner seems to favor gray, rocky skin tones for some reason.
I want to be able to say I'm psyched for Ultimatum. Despite all the huge missteps and poor storytelling decisions in Ultimates 3, Loeb has set himself up for a potentially compelling storyline. Therein lies the problem, though. Loeb will be writing Ultimatum, and nothing in his work in this series leads me to believe he'll be able to pull it off.
Review Score: 4.6