The Ultimates: Against All Enemies [Mass Market Paperback]

Alex Irvine (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 28, 2007 | Series: Ultimates

Stark Industries has developed a technology to detect the alien Chitauri using on-the-spot DNA screening. The American defence department intends to make the technology widely available, but someone in the government puts a stop to it. Captain America sees the government's suppression of the Stark technology as evidence that the people making such decisions are themselves compromised. Using as his model Franklin D. Roosevelt's executive orders during World War II, he begins to gather power to himself and those Ultimates and government officials sympathetic to his authoritarian approach so that power can be concentrated in the hands of those capable of taking quick and decisive action. Hank Pym, who desperately wants back on the Ultimates team, has been feverishly working with his ants in the hopes of finding something that will help defeat the Chitauri. When his ants attack one of his research assistants, who turns out to be a Chitauri, Captain America resolves his differences with Pym and the new team begins work on what they call Operation High Hopes.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Pocket Star (August 28, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1416510710
• ISBN-13: 978-1416510710
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 4.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #943,186 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Native of Ypsilanti, Michigan. Writer of books, comics, games etc. Fan of Detroit sports, any and all soccer. PhD, former professor. Father of three. Resident of Maine. Favorite writers, in no particular order: Cervantes, Borges, Murakami, Dick, Pynchon, Herriman, Chaucer, Kelly. Ask me again tomorrow, the list would be slightly different.

Some favorite books, not written by people on the previous list (but all written by people who might have been on the list on a different day), and again in no particular order: Sarah Canary, Gould's Book of Fish, Geek Love, Midnight's Children, Song of Solomon...

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars The team is Ultimates... The story is not Ultimate, December 23, 2007

By 

Madelyn Pryor "Goblyn Queen" (Mesa, AZ United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Ultimates: Against All Enemies (Mass Market Paperback)

Ultimates: Against All Enemies uses characters from the Marvel comic book series the Ultimates. Characters include Captain America, Wasp, Giant Man/Ant-Man, Thor, Hawkeye, and Nick Fury. The comic book stories are grim and gritty. Mark Millar and Brian Hitch know how to pen a story that makes you want to claw out your eyes in sorrow and weep with glee all at the same time. If you have not read the graphic novels, stop reading this review and grab them. Ultimates vol. 1 is ISBN 0785110828 and Ultimates 2 is ISBN 0785121382. Ok, now I will continue assuming you know something about the Ultimates and that is why you are thinking about spending 8 of your hard earned dollars and several hours of your life reading this book.

This story takes place after the first Ultimates series and after the first Ultimates Paperback: Tomorrow Men. While it is not necessary to have read the first paperback before you read this novel, you must read the first Graphic Novel or you will be lost, confused, and even more disappointed with your reading experience. The villains of the first series, the Chitauri, are back for more mayhem. For those who don't know, the Chitauri are alien shape shifters, and they can take the form of anyone they eat. After infiltrating key positions around the globe, they are ready to strike back at the humans, and it is up to the Ultimates to stop them!

If you're a fan of the comics, this probably sounds pretty familiar. That's because it is the same story line as issues 7-13 of Ultimates, the same material reprinted in Ultimates: Homeland Security. Ultimates: Against All Enemies does not give us new material, it takes something Millar made successful and re-wraps it for paperback consumption, leaving those of us who love and adore the Millar Ultimates to wonder why we spent our time and money instead of simply re-reading Ultimates Volume 1.

To make matters even worse, (and yes, it can be worse) the characters are not Irvine's own, so I allow for some discrepancies of continuity. However, there are so many between Ultimates vol.1, Ultimates: Against All Enemies, and Ultimates vol. 2 that it creates distraction from what little story there is. The character development of this Ultimate Captain America is interesting, and there is some further shaping of Ultimates Iron Man's character, but that is about all. Furthermore, other characters like Black Widow, and Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver are left out. I think there could have been use for them.

At the end of the day, Ultimates: Against All Enemies offers nothing new, it just regurgitates the great work of Millar and Hitch. If you love the characters and just want a fix until Ultimates 3, then go ahead, but be warned. If you have never read Ultimates, then go grab Volume 1 and you will not be disappointed.

Side note: Ultimates are definitely PG 13 and up. I would not recommend this for very young readers, like those under 12.

Overall, I would recommend this as a light vacation book for hardcore Ultimates fans.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Solid Sequel, October 1, 2007

By 

David Keith "FurNTats" (Indiana) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Ultimates: Against All Enemies (Mass Market Paperback)

OK. This here's the 2nd novel to be based on the Ultimates comic book. Both of the novels fit in between the 2 comic book collections, and this novel is a direct sequel to the first novel. So yeah, this is for readers of the Ultimates comic books. If you haven't read those before you read this; you should.

The Ultimates are basically a new take on the old Marvel Comics, The Avengers. It's a more adult version than the old Avengers.

Nick Fury and his SHIELD lead the team of Ultimate heroes which include the wife-beating Giant Man/Antman, the alcoholic Iron Man, the mass murdering Hulk, the government-paid serial killer/assassin Hawkeye, as well as Capt America, Thor and the Wasp.

The Ultimates is all a bit over the top in premise, but here the author does well with what he has to work with. It's an alien invasion and the Ultimates must stop it once again. It fits well with the other Ultimates creations, and is a fairly entertaining read.