The Ultimates, Vol. 1 [Hardcover]

Mark Millar (Author), Bryan Hitch (Illustrator)

Product Details

• Hardcover: 376 pages
• Publisher: Marvel (May 24, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0785110828
• ISBN-13: 978-0785110828
• Product Dimensions: 10.9 x 7.4 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (73 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #754,464 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

43 of 44 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The original Avengers reassemble as the Ultimates, June 10, 2003

By 

Lawrance M. Bernabo (The Zenith City, Duluth, Minnesota) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Ultimates Vol. 1: Super-Human (Paperback)

"The Avengers" was the one Marvel Comic from the Golden Age that never really clicked for me. Since I liked the "X-Men" and "The Fantastic Four" I know it was not an inherent aversion to superhero groups. But the roster of the Avengers seemed to go to extremes. They started out power heavy with Thor and Iron Man and then went ultra light with Hawkeye and the Scarlet Witch. Coming up with villains was always a problem because you needed opponents that justified all those heavyweights. Remember, when the Avengers were first created they accounted for half of Marvel's titles.

That being said, on balance I liked "The Ultimates," the new and improved 21st century version of the Avengers written by Mark Millar ("Ultimate X-Men") and penciled by Bryan Hitch ("Justice League of America") more than the original, although certainly there are things you have to take with a grain of salt. Part of the way these Ultimate titles work is that they are aware of the characters and stories that existed in the "real" Marvel Universe and try to play off of them in new and interesting ways (admittedly, with mixed results). There is also a concerted effort to take the time to tell the tales, so that an encounter with a specific villain has a multi-issue arch, which works well with these trade paperbacks. Volume 1, "Super-Human" has to do with the formation of the group and their first collective effort to bring down the Hulk, collecting the first five issues of the series. The idea is that Bruce Banner's days as the Hulk are behind him and he is in charge of the government's effort to update the super-solider formula that created Captain America way back when. In charge of the proceedings is Nick Fury, who I believe first popped up looking like Avery Brooks with an eye-patch in the pages of "The Ultimate Spider-Man."

The story begins with the final mission of Captain America during World War II, but after that point is told in media res, with all of the superheroes who make up the Ultimates already recognized as superheroes, albeit with one large exception. The Captain America thread is the best of the bunch, with Steve Rogers getting caught up on his life 57-years later and free from that annoying guilt over the death of Bucky Barnes. It is too early to tell about Iron Man and the Tony Stark who is living the highlife and seeking adventure for very personal reasons. When the Hulk finally makes his appearance I had problems reconciling his beer-guzzling sex-driven rampage with the idea he was killing dozens of people and leveling Manhattan to get at Freddie Prinze Junior; putting a comic twist on the Hulk does not work for me (but the fear of Betty leaving Bruce Banner alone was good). Then there is Thor, "a New Age guru who may either be the living son of a Norse god...or a lunatic with a big hammer." How they are going to make this one work will be interesting. Then there is the case of Henry and Janet Pym, a volatile relationship that is heading towards the dark side and offers the Ultimates their key soap opera elements (Janet makes the big mistake of making Hank look small).

The result is good but not great, but then the entire Ultimate line point out by Marvel has proven itself to be worth at least a look by the faithful, whether you were around when the Marvel "Pop Art" books hit the stands in the early 1960s or have come to them in the age of comic book shops. Hitch's artwork sets a nice tone for the stories, especially when Thor starts going into his Thunder God routine and the opening World War II sequence. Whatever you think of Millar's innovations, you have to admit the end product comes together and is totally in the spirit of the Ultimates approach to retelling the great adventures of the original core group of Marvel characters.

24 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars ULTIMATE ORIGINALITY!, January 20, 2003

By 

M. Grant "MacGyver of the Books" (Detroit, Michigan) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Ultimates Vol. 1: Super-Human (Paperback)

The Ultimates is as original as a "re-imagining" of characters can get. This TPB collects the first six issues of the series and re-introduces us to the characters of: Captain America, Iron-Man, Thor, Giant-Man, and the Wasp. Each of the characters is handled well and Mark Millar does a good job of setting the tone of the series...which starts off slow and then powers forward to the conclusion of Issue #6.

On the weakness front we have Millar's usual M.O. of rushed storylines and too many characters. Unlike his run on Authority or Ultimate X-Men he has just enough characters to juggle without too much confusion (Thor is the only lacking character in the TPB). The only other problem that readers may face when diving into The Ultimates is that it does not tell a complete tale. This TPB was rushed out while the title is enjoying an immensely popular run so there is no 'end' to the stroyline...but there is one heck of a set-up for what will undoubtedly unfold in the second TPB.

But let's look at the strengths of the Ultimates:
1) A great WWII intro with Captain America as well as a new take on the Cap - Bucky friendship.

2) A great twist on why millionaire Tony Stark would want to be Iron-Man.

3) The strong use of SHIELD and Nick Fury in setting up the Ultimates...and then the hilarious idea that..."Now that we have a superhero team...what happens if we never have any villains to fight?"

4) A good battle with The Hulk (who is much more enjoyable to read when instead of saying "Hulk Smash!", we get..."I'm gonna rip off your head and #@!& down your neck!" It scared me.

5) Domestic violence between Giant-Man and the Wasp which was handled more powerfully than anything I'd read in a long long time. Rereading the scene and reading between the lines only helps demonstrate that these are heroes with "real world" troubles.

All in all I recommend The Ultimates. While not as strong as Brian Michael Bendis run on Ultimate Spider-Man, it does outshine the Ultimate X-Men and 95% of the comics and TPB's being published today.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Avengers Re-Imagined, March 15, 2006

By 

Rene Ritchie "author, Legends of Wingchun" (Montreal, Canada) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Ultimates, Vol. 1 (Hardcover)

Story: Mark Millar, coming off a successful--if controversial due to its timing--run on Wildstorm's The Authority, helped launch Marvel's 21st century brand and is thus perhaps the perfect fit for its signature book, the Ultimates.

While some might suggest Ultimates runs too close to Authority, given the same writer as its second run, and the same caliber as the paramount heroes of a company, where Authority was a deconstruction--and almost parody--of the upper echelon of super-heroes, the Ultimates are a reconstruction.

Captain America was still frozen in ice at the end of WW2, Iron Man is still an alcoholic, Thor still the son of Odin (maybe), Hulk still a raging monster, Giant Man still giant, and wasp still tiny, only more so than ever. This Captain America doesn't forget the solider part of super-soldier, and fights (and kills) like a soldier. This iron man requires a team to get into and out of his armor, more like a jet-pilot than a guy in metal tights. This Thor is a hippie-esque environmentalist, maybe more madman than Norse god, and will only fight to save what he believes in. This Hulk, while perhaps a little too close to Alan Moore's Mr. Hyde in League of Extraordinary Gentleman, is a murderous cannibal. And this Giant Man and the Wasp take the domestic violence and abuse angle a far more realistic, and hence disturbing degree.

Set in modern times, with modern politics--including Dubbya as President, and Larry King referring to Captain America as a Person of Mass Destruction, its all familiar enough to be accessible, yet new enough to be refreshing.

The plots flow well, if a little decompressed at times, the dialog is smart if trendy, and it brings both the chills and the thrills in dynamic fashion.

Art: Bryan Hitch produces amazing action sequences (having, along with Warren Ellis, pretty much brought 'Wide Screen Violence' into the comic lexicon during the first run of the above-mentioned Authority), distinct characters, excellent historical/technical renderings, and effortless 'camera' work. When rushed, however (as the scheduling sometimes seems to make him), his anatomy can tend towards the distorted, and his faces towards the less than appealing. And, while his panel-to-panel continuity is amazing, some of his splash pages, especially those close-up on a single face, often cut the flow (though that may be Millar's script at work).

Laura Martin does her usual spectacular job on colors, and the lettering never intrudes, which is the best thing lettering can ever do.

Bonus Material: I was hoping for more here. Joss Whedon penned the intro, in typical, whimsical, style. There is a brief and somewhat insightful commentary by Millar and Hitch, but script pages (which many other collections boast) would have been nice as well. There are some pinup-like character designs, but nothing extensive. I would also have loved to see Millar's original pitch for Ultimates, and character sketches/behind the scenes development material would have made it truly Ultimate.

Good: Excellent re-imagining of Marvel's premiere super-team with gutsy twists on characterization and the tackling of controversial issues, along with some of the best set-pieces ever put to comics.

Bad: Some pacing issues, especially in the choice of splash-page placement and focus.

Overall: Highly recommended.