The Ultimates Vol. 1: Super-Human (2002)

This books is interesting in many ways. It's basically a parallel of the original avengers origin story, but modern. By modern I do of course mean horribly dark. This is a book that's trying to hurt you, it isn't your friend. Bad things happen to people. It's interesting how many of the parallels they've kept and how they'd manipulated them.

Even without the mirroring of the original Avengers story this is an interesting book. It is dark and 'edgy' but it's also emotive and I thought the pace was very good. Well worth a read. ( )

I love everything Marvel. The storylines are incredible! They have everything you could want: action, adventure, comedy, romance, political intrigue, allegories, metaphors, etc. Some stories drag, some end too soon. ( )

Read "The Ultimates: Super-Human” as issue 4 (volume 28) in Marvel’s Ultimate Graphic Novels Collection. The book brings together the first six issues of Mark Millar and Bryan Hitch’s “The Ultimates” limited series, which originally began publication in March 2002. The story begins with a World War Two introduction, with Captain America apparently killed. Fast forward to the present where we find Nick Fury of S.H.I.E.L.D. seeking to establish a strike force of government-sponsored metahumans to ally public faers about the rise of mutant beings with incredible powers. Based at S.H.I.E.L.D.’s Triskelion facility in Manhattan Bay, we follow the team being put together. Things take a turn for the worse when Bruce Banner injects himself with a dose of an experimental “super-soldier” serum and goes on a bloody rampage as the Hulk. Mark Millar’s writing on the book is highly entertaining, playing clever riffs on well-established charcaters and continuity, while at the same time making the book accessible to newcommers. The book is an updating of the The Avengers and this modernising is nowhere more apparent than in Millar’s take on classic charcaters: Tony Stark (Iron Man) is an alcoholic playboy industrialist with a brain-tumour; Bruce Banner (the Hulk) is a tormented geneticist; Thor is a socialist hippy and the husband and wife team of Hank (Giant Man) and Janet Pym (the Wasp) are hiding dark secrets. This is all very clever and entertaining, but it strips back any nobility in the characters, fore-fronting their petty jealousies and making then little more the weapons for the manipulation of a cynical Government. The book sports some amazing and truly incredible artwork from Bryan Hitch, which is perhaps the last word in cinematic photo-realism. Hitch describes his Ultimates work as "widescreen, cinematic compositions" and it is simply visually magnificent. The hardcover also comes with a set of nice extras: the histories of both the writer and the artist, the original Bryan Hitch covers for the first six issues and a comparison of the Ultimate versions of the heroes and the regular Marvel Universe versions. This is an excellent book, which provides an excellent updating (if very dark) updating of the classic Marvel team and has some of the most incredible art from the last ten years. ( )

When I'd first read this trade, I'd known practically nothing about the 616verse Avengers or their formation. I still loved these comics, but now that I've read the first several issues of the Avengers title, I love the book even more.

Mark Millar takes the Avengers team and updates them for a more modern time. Captain America is still frozen in a block of ice, Iron Man is still dealing with a health problem that threatens to end his life prematurely (although it's not his heart this time), and the Hulk is still a founding member of the team before the Avengers have to unite against him. So old-time fans of the Avengers will probably enjoy all of the little nuggets of history that have been fashioned to fit into the Ultimate Universe. And for those who are new to comics, it's a great jumping-on point for them. I think that Millar does a great job of fleshing out the team members, especially Captain America.

And there is, of course, Bryan Hitch's awesome artwork to accompany the story. Artwork can make or break a good plot, and Hitch's art makes this "good story" a great one. His faces are especially great - expressive, realistic, and distinctive. He captures the characters wonderfully. ( )

I read this so fast I didn't get a chance to post it in my currently reading list. I liked it but I also just saw the Avengers animated movie a couple months ago so there was some extreme deja vu. This is a new, origins of the Avengers so not a lot happens other than the group forming. But there are some real cool things in it.

First off this was written around 2002 and Nick Fury is black and looks a lot like Samuel Jackson. Then he says, "when they make the movie the only person that could play me is Samuel Jackson." Which, if you watched all the credits in the Iron Man movie, turns out to be a prophesy fulfilled. Also Thor turns out to be a total anti-corporate activist hippy instead of the haughty, holier than thou hero we're used to.

The Avengers was always one of my favorite comics growing up so I may end up reading more of these if I can get them. I'm hoping to see Hawkeye (he is mentioned) show up and I'd like to see what they do with the Wonder Man story line that I only slightly remember from way back when. ( )