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Post by hondobrode on Jun 15, 2016 23:42:24 GMT -5
I really liked the Ultimate line.
Things really happened and it was cool seeing different, daring takes.
I liked the line far better than the rest of Marvel's line. Even the weaker titles and issues were still interesting to me.
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Post by Roquefort Raider on Jun 16, 2016 7:22:58 GMT -5
DC does reboots, Marvel doesn't, but they have this, which is kind of similar, an updated version of the classic characters. Also, not being the "real deal", you can be more daring, both with the characters as well as with the surroundings. I think that in that regard it was a very good idea. The official concept of a "new line that's more accessible to new readers by not being bogged down by decades of continuity" made absolutely no sense to me, since (a) if a long backstory was truly a problem, it would be impossible to tell any story about, say, the Roman empire or World war II, and (b) the new line would obviously get its own continuity in a matter of just a few months. But you're right : since these stories were not "real", it was possible to do just about anything; exactly like what I would expect from a Marvel Universe movie. Not being limited by the necessity to keep Big Name characters around for the sake of merchandizing, it was perfectly all right to make anyone a villain or to kill major characters for good. A Marvel Universe movie is just what I got with the two first volumes of the Ultimates, the only title I really enjoyed. (Because yes, despite the potential of the line, I only enjoyed one title). It worked so well that the Avengers films were much closer to the Ultimates than to the Avengers, even without mentioning Samuel L. Jackson. In those first two volumes, we had a Tony Stark who's dying, with no indication that some Deus ex machina is going to cure him so that he can go on for decades of adventures; a Thor who might just be schizophrenic instead of an actual Norse god, a Hulk who killed hundreds of people, some real geopolitical changes brought about by the presence of super-beings, and all without the imperious necessity to restore the status quo by the end of the adventure. I'm not sure that the "Ultimatum" event was all that well-handled (haven't read it, but critics seem to really dislike it) but it was a logical development with real repercussions. I'd much rather have that kind of separate universe created every decade or so than have a reboot of the "official" line. That allows us to have our cake and eat it too! |
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Post by Ozymandias on Jun 16, 2016 7:50:50 GMT -5
DC does reboots, Marvel doesn't, but they have this, which is kind of similar, an updated version of the classic characters. Also, not being the "real deal", you can be more daring, both with the characters as well as with the surroundings. I think that in that regard it was a very good idea. The official concept of a "new line that's more accessible to new readers by not being bogged down by decades of continuity" made absolutely no sense to me, since (a) if a long backstory was truly a problem, it would be impossible to tell any story about, say, the Roman empire or World war II, and (b) the new line would obviously get its own continuity in a matter of just a few months. But you're right : since these stories were not "real", it was possible to do just about anything; exactly like what I would expect from a Marvel Universe movie. Not being limited by the necessity to keep Big Name characters around for the sake of merchandizing, it was perfectly all right to make anyone a villain or to kill major characters for good. A Marvel Universe movie is just what I got with the two first volumes of the Ultimates, the only title I really enjoyed. (Because yes, despite the potential of the line, I only enjoyed one title). It worked so well that the Avengers films were much closer to the Ultimates than to the Avengers, even without mentioning Samuel L. Jackson. In those first two volumes, we had a Tony Stark who's dying, with no indication that some Deus ex machina is going to cure him so that he can go on for decades of adventures; a Thor who might just be schizophrenic instead of an actual Norse god, a Hulk who killed hundreds of people, some real geopolitical changes brought about by the presence of super-beings, and all without the imperious necessity to restore the status quo by the end of the adventure. I'm not sure that the "Ultimatum" event was all that well-handled (haven't read it, but critics seem to really dislike it) but it was a logical development with real repercussions. I'd much rather have that kind of separate universe created every decade or so than have a reboot of the "official" line. That allows us to have our cake and eat it too! And yet, they brought ultimate Peter back (I'm still wondering what for). If you take a look at the graphs, you'll notice that, out of 700+ comics, only 6 raise above a 7 ( Ultimates v1 #5 and Ultimate Comics Ultimates #1-4 and 9). In fact, 21 of the 23 comics that reach a rating of 7, come from either Ultimates v1, v2 or Ultimate Comics Ultimates. The weight they've had on the Avengers movies, is well deserved. Ultimatum was ok, but the thing that stood out, was that repercussions weren't downplayed, once the event was over. |
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Post by Arthur Gordon Scratch on Jun 16, 2016 9:08:16 GMT -5
I bought the first 15-20 issues of Ultimate Comics Ultimates but because I was moving around twice when those came out, I only got to read issue one. Who read it and how was the series in general? Ozy seems to love it, but any other thoughts?
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Post by Ozymandias on Jun 16, 2016 11:43:46 GMT -5
If you don't mind spoilers, I can post the last two pages of #2. If you don't like that, I don't see a good reason why you should like the rest.
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Post by thwhtguardian on Jun 21, 2016 8:53:37 GMT -5
I've actually been reading through the Ultimate line on Marvel Unlimited and I came across a plot thread I forgot about...what ever happened to Betty Ross? Did anyone ever do anything with her after they turned her into She Hulk in Ultimate Hulk Vs. Wolverine?
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