Post by goldenfist on Nov 6, 2008 10:31:17 GMT -5
Here's a review of Ultimatum #1 from Ign.com
Once upon a time, my dad had to have an operation on his foot. After years of wearing oppressively tight shoes as a boy, the bones had become twisted and misshapen. The only way to fix the foot was to break it and reset the bones, allowing them to realign in a more normal shape. It was a brutal procedure in some ways, but it worked wonders in the end.
I present this little anecdote because I figure it's as good a way as any of explaining the thinking behind Ultimatum. After years of maltreatment and abuse, the Ultimate Universe has degenerated into something fewer and fewer readers still care about. Something drastic needs to be done. Like my father's foot, Marvel needs to smash the Ultimate line into pieces so they might rebuild it into something stronger.
Here's the problem. Even when breaking a foot, a certain amount of finesse is require. Damage it too much in the process, and you have no hope of putting it back together again. Based on his track record with The Ultimates 3, choosing Jeph Loeb to write Ultimatum is like having the surgeon mash dear old Dad's foot with a sledgehammer until it was ground into a bloody mash. Delightful imagery, I know, but reread those five issues of Ultimates 3 and tell me I'm wrong.
So you could say I'm feeling a mixed set of emotions with Ultimatum. I approve of the general concept. The early Ultimate books helped bring me back into the comic-reading fold. I desperately want Marvel to rekindle the sense of fun and excitement those first few years held. And few things in the world of superhero comics strike me as more inherently awesome than Magneto wielding Mjolnir. The concept is strong. But Jeph Loeb? Why, Marvel? Why? Loeb has proved he has far too much of a blockbuster action movie mentality to capture the proper voice and spirit of this universe. Last week's Ultimate Captain America Annual #1 was a significant step in the right direction, but I'm not about to let one sign of improvement allay all my fears. At most, it gave me a tiny bit of hope that Loeb was beginning to work out some of the kinks in his scripting.
I think in my quiet optimism I've been more than receptive to this book, so it's all the more depressing that I feel almost wholly unrewarded. Ultimatum isn't quite as bad as Ultimates 3, but it's not for lack of trying. Many of the defining flaws are still there. Loeb's characterizations are, for the most part, way off. Characters are simplistically painted in very broad strokes. Thor and Valkyrie are still depicted as a duo of crazed sexpots. Tony Stark is a degenerate alcoholic, which would be fine if he displayed any positive social tendencies at all. In general, most characters only receive a few panels of dialogue a piece. That dialogue is truly cringe-worthy at points. Magneto's line about humanity paying "the ultimate price" somehow sounds much more lame when it actually comes out of his mouth. And Ultimate Thor still sounds like a bad version of classic Thor, despite no previous Ultimate writer having written him that way.
This series sees the return of David Finch to the Ultimate Universe. A few years ago that would have excited me. I genuinely liked his work on Ultimate X-Men. Since then, I like to think I've become a better judge of art, and Finch's style no longer seems as sleek or eye-catching. It's sleek in the sense that every character has a sexy supermodel body. Like most supermodels, the characters are also devoid of any facial expression. Finch's characters usually look pouty or put out by something. Occasionally they open their mouths, and then they achieve some other sort of transient emotion I can't place my finger on. Many characters look Asian, despite the fact that there's only one Asian superhero among the four pillars of the Ultimate Universe. In some cases the art still impresses. I like Finch's wider shots of New York as it falls under siege. Both his Doom and Magneto look good. The former is lucky enough that he has a mask to hide his face. The latter just responds well to Finch's overly muscular treatment. That said, Magneto's new costume is an eyesore, and it only becomes worse in Finch's hands. I would appreciate it if Marvel could give up trying to marry the looks of Magneto's comic and movie costumes. It's never going to work.
Overall, this comic only has its basic plot to fall back upon. And, try as he might, Loeb can't completely dull the sheen of Ultimatum. The threat of Magneto feels palpable, even if he deserved a much stronger presence in this first issue. I do enjoy seeing the characters of all four books come together. But did they have to come together in such a way that the issue spoils other books in the process? This issue drops a pretty major bombshell that should have been revealed in Ultimate Spider-Man #128. I understand that scheduling can be a pain, but this revelation adds nothing to Ultimatum, and it wouldn't have taken much effort to simply write it out of the issue. It's one thing that Ultimatum is a pretty severe disappointment. Even when The Ultimates 3 ranked among my least favorite issues of the month, I could always tell myself that I at least had books like USM to fall back upon. When Ultimatum begins to interfere with my enjoyment of those other books, that's a problem.
This book may or may not accomplish what it sets out to do. If it does, it'll be despite all the massive missteps and poorly-chosen creative team. It's too late to hope for a more suitable surgeon in this Ultimate operation. Let's just hope the current crew begins swinging that hammer with a little more finesse.
Review Score: 4.6 Poor
Once upon a time, my dad had to have an operation on his foot. After years of wearing oppressively tight shoes as a boy, the bones had become twisted and misshapen. The only way to fix the foot was to break it and reset the bones, allowing them to realign in a more normal shape. It was a brutal procedure in some ways, but it worked wonders in the end.
I present this little anecdote because I figure it's as good a way as any of explaining the thinking behind Ultimatum. After years of maltreatment and abuse, the Ultimate Universe has degenerated into something fewer and fewer readers still care about. Something drastic needs to be done. Like my father's foot, Marvel needs to smash the Ultimate line into pieces so they might rebuild it into something stronger.
Here's the problem. Even when breaking a foot, a certain amount of finesse is require. Damage it too much in the process, and you have no hope of putting it back together again. Based on his track record with The Ultimates 3, choosing Jeph Loeb to write Ultimatum is like having the surgeon mash dear old Dad's foot with a sledgehammer until it was ground into a bloody mash. Delightful imagery, I know, but reread those five issues of Ultimates 3 and tell me I'm wrong.
So you could say I'm feeling a mixed set of emotions with Ultimatum. I approve of the general concept. The early Ultimate books helped bring me back into the comic-reading fold. I desperately want Marvel to rekindle the sense of fun and excitement those first few years held. And few things in the world of superhero comics strike me as more inherently awesome than Magneto wielding Mjolnir. The concept is strong. But Jeph Loeb? Why, Marvel? Why? Loeb has proved he has far too much of a blockbuster action movie mentality to capture the proper voice and spirit of this universe. Last week's Ultimate Captain America Annual #1 was a significant step in the right direction, but I'm not about to let one sign of improvement allay all my fears. At most, it gave me a tiny bit of hope that Loeb was beginning to work out some of the kinks in his scripting.
I think in my quiet optimism I've been more than receptive to this book, so it's all the more depressing that I feel almost wholly unrewarded. Ultimatum isn't quite as bad as Ultimates 3, but it's not for lack of trying. Many of the defining flaws are still there. Loeb's characterizations are, for the most part, way off. Characters are simplistically painted in very broad strokes. Thor and Valkyrie are still depicted as a duo of crazed sexpots. Tony Stark is a degenerate alcoholic, which would be fine if he displayed any positive social tendencies at all. In general, most characters only receive a few panels of dialogue a piece. That dialogue is truly cringe-worthy at points. Magneto's line about humanity paying "the ultimate price" somehow sounds much more lame when it actually comes out of his mouth. And Ultimate Thor still sounds like a bad version of classic Thor, despite no previous Ultimate writer having written him that way.
This series sees the return of David Finch to the Ultimate Universe. A few years ago that would have excited me. I genuinely liked his work on Ultimate X-Men. Since then, I like to think I've become a better judge of art, and Finch's style no longer seems as sleek or eye-catching. It's sleek in the sense that every character has a sexy supermodel body. Like most supermodels, the characters are also devoid of any facial expression. Finch's characters usually look pouty or put out by something. Occasionally they open their mouths, and then they achieve some other sort of transient emotion I can't place my finger on. Many characters look Asian, despite the fact that there's only one Asian superhero among the four pillars of the Ultimate Universe. In some cases the art still impresses. I like Finch's wider shots of New York as it falls under siege. Both his Doom and Magneto look good. The former is lucky enough that he has a mask to hide his face. The latter just responds well to Finch's overly muscular treatment. That said, Magneto's new costume is an eyesore, and it only becomes worse in Finch's hands. I would appreciate it if Marvel could give up trying to marry the looks of Magneto's comic and movie costumes. It's never going to work.
Overall, this comic only has its basic plot to fall back upon. And, try as he might, Loeb can't completely dull the sheen of Ultimatum. The threat of Magneto feels palpable, even if he deserved a much stronger presence in this first issue. I do enjoy seeing the characters of all four books come together. But did they have to come together in such a way that the issue spoils other books in the process? This issue drops a pretty major bombshell that should have been revealed in Ultimate Spider-Man #128. I understand that scheduling can be a pain, but this revelation adds nothing to Ultimatum, and it wouldn't have taken much effort to simply write it out of the issue. It's one thing that Ultimatum is a pretty severe disappointment. Even when The Ultimates 3 ranked among my least favorite issues of the month, I could always tell myself that I at least had books like USM to fall back upon. When Ultimatum begins to interfere with my enjoyment of those other books, that's a problem.
This book may or may not accomplish what it sets out to do. If it does, it'll be despite all the massive missteps and poorly-chosen creative team. It's too late to hope for a more suitable surgeon in this Ultimate operation. Let's just hope the current crew begins swinging that hammer with a little more finesse.
Review Score: 4.6 Poor