Tony and Natasha are on the eve of their wedding... but when Nick Fury makes his move against the mysterious traitor that's been plaguing the team, the team will never be the same! Also, Captain America and Wasp hit a serious snag in their relationship...is this the end for the Ultimate Universe's hottest couple? Is this the beginning of the end for the Ultimates? Collects Ultimates 2 #7-13.
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Along with Brian Michael Bendis, Mark Millar has been one of the key writers for Marvel Comics in the 21st century. After proving himself in the '90s as a talent to watch while writing for DC Comics and the UK comic 2000AD, his arrival to Marvel came at a time when Ultimate Spider-Man had just shot up the sales charts. It was in this environment that Millar made his first major contribution to Marvel with Ultimate X-Men, as Millar integrated forty years' worth of X-Men history, characters and lore into a solid two-year run, making the companion title to Ultimate Spider-Man every bit the creative and commercial success. Next up was The Ultimates, a new rendering of the Avengers that was to continue building on the success of the Ultimate line. He and artist Bryan Hitch pulled it all off in spades: The Ultimates and its sequel, Ultimates 2, were ensconced at the top of the sales charts every month; what's more, they were critical successes, as well. Meanwhile, Millar was invited to enter the regular Marvel Universe to take a stab at two of its most iconic characters: Spider-Man and Wolverine. Paired with industry heavyweights to draw his stories -- Terry Dodson on Marvel Knights Spider-Man and John Romita Jr. on Wolverine -- Millar brought the same fast-paced and cleverly constructed plots with which his Ultimate fans were already familiar. Amid building a small library of Millarworld indie comic books -- including the titles Chosen and Wanted, the latter of which was turned into a Hollywood blockbuster starring Angelina Jolie -- he managed to write Civil War, the epic seven-issue miniseries that definitively reshaped the landscape of Marvel's heroes. Kick-A**, a Marvel Icon project done in tandem with John Romita Jr., made an impressive impact on the sales chart before also being adapted for a major motion picture. In addition, Millar has reunited with Civil War artist Steve McNiven in both the pages of Wolverine and their creator-owned book Nemesis.
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17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
So how do you top this now?,
By H. Bala "Me Too Can Read" (Just moved to posh Marina Del Rey, CA - where if you drop a quarter, why, you just keep on walking) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER) (REAL NAME)
This review is from: The Ultimates 2, Vol. 2: Grand Theft America (v. 2) (Paperback)
How do you top a superhero title that has already been lauded as, pound for pound, possibly the most thrilling, the most action-packed, and the most panoramic in scope? Why, by eliminating the "possibly" from that last sentence, of course. Hot damn! Can I pleeeease talk about the Ultimates for a minute? Do I even have to persuade you to pick up the second volume of ULTIMATES 2? Because this must've been the one where both Mark Millar and Bryan Hitch stopped taking their meds and proceeded to go full out berserk. After these awesome concluding seven issues, I don't really know how they could possibly improve on things.
THE ULTIMATES 2, VOL. 2: GRAND THEFT AMERICA collects issues #7-13, and it's early on apparent that this creative team's ability to generate awe and glee from their readers remains impeccable . Basically, the events which unfold here are what could happen if real life superheroes existed and are sponsored (read: bossed around) by the U.S. government. In view of the very tense current events, the Ultimates are mandated to target certain countries (*ahem* the Middle East) and rid them of their nuclear capabilities. This, naturally, doesn't sit too well with several foreign powers, who're already agitated with the Great Satan, as it is, their state of anxiousness being even further heightened by the U.S.'s mobilization of strike forces consisting of Giant Men and armored Rocketmen. No surprise, then, that the fallout is the creation of a retaliatory task force, codenamed the Liberators, which boasts super powered representatives from China, Russia, and the Middle East. Interestingly enough, the Liberators are thick as thieves with Loki, whom Thor claims as his brother and the God of Mischief (but, then again, Thor being loony, no one takes him seriously). The Liberators' master plan (or is it Loki's?) is soon applied, and, in a shockingly brief span of time, the Liberators and their forces have humiliatingly laid low the Ultimates, taken into custody the other costumed heroes (the X-Men, the F.F., Spidey, etc), inflicted unthinkable casualties and structural damage, and decisively taken control of New York and Washington, D.C. The rest of this series then tells of how the Ultimates, our military troops, and the rest of the superhero community eventually repel the invasion. Meanwhile, there's sufficient breathing room for the personal story arcs, so why not catch up with all the soap opera? Firstly, Cap and the Wasp's romance plummets to its nadir, even as Janet, bored and tired of hanging out with the elderly, sneaks behind Steve's back to have lunches and fun conversations with her ex-hubby, the Ant Man. Natasha, the Black Widow, preps for her upcoming nuptials with Tony Stark. Thor, still believed to be suffering from dementia, is yet incarcerated in the Triskelion and drops dire warnings on Tony. And Nick Fury remains grumpy and eyepatched. Anyway, by the end of this epic arc, hearts will be broken, bones will be broken, the issue of whether Thor is a nutjob or a messiah will be settled indisputably, the traitor within the team will be revealed, Cap will meet his Middle Eastern counterpart, and Bing Crosby will be dissed. What ballsy writing! Mark Millar writes himself into a corner and then exhilaratingly extricates himself from the mess. He dreams on a massive scale and, consequently, folks like him (and Warren Ellis) continue to sweep fanboys (like me) off their feet. Not only do we have an all-out invasion at our very doorstep, seemingly unparalleled in scope and devastation (although, of course, we've seen the likes of it before in THE AUTHORITY), but almost as a coda, we're even treated to a whiff of Ragnarok. Needless to say, the all-encompassing action opens the door for a host of other Ultimate superheroes to make cameos. Millar allows his cast to cut loose as he reminds us once again that these characters possess abilities near incomprehensible to normal ken. It's pretty humbling to see humans grow to the size of an edifice or shrink to a gnat-like substance, or summon lightning and fly in armor. Uncertainty also wafts in the air as the rampaging Hulk stages a late appearance; I wasn't quite sure which side he'd end up on, even though Banner states that he'd reached an accomodation with his inner green child (but we've heard that before). In Millar's hands, Clint Barton, who'd always been deemed a secondary character, shows off his wares with staggering results. I just became a big fan of Ultimate Hawkeye in these seven issues; in fact, he's my favorite character here. Millar gives Clint Barton ample chances to shine even as he shreds the poor man's life to tiny bits. Hawkeye demonstrates that, even shorn of all weaponry and in shackles, he's still frighteningly lethal. The mainstream Marvel Universe marksman's got nothing on this savage Ultimate version. Millar is partnered up with artist Bryan Hitch. Millar can write all the stories he wants, stories which can be shocking and momentous and sweeping, but, without Hitch's cinematic art, it just wouldn't have the same "oomph." Hitch is peerless when it comes to depicting widescreen mayhem. Here, he's given license to go bonkers as he gleefully creates images (and many splash pages) of wanton destruction, massive slaughter, and furious, bone-crunching, no-quarter-given melees. Simply awesome. So, I'll ask it again: how can Millar and Hitch improve on this? The answer is: they're not even going to try. Having set the watershed mark, they're moving on. There is an upcoming ULTIMATES 3 but it'll be written and drawn by a different team, writer Jeph Loeb and artist Joe Madureira. I say "Good luck" to the newcomers, they've got Shaquille O'Neal size shoes to fill.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Awesome - a must read for fans!,
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Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: The Ultimates 2, Vol. 2: Grand Theft America (v. 2) (Paperback)
This volume caps the series and is a Must Read for fans of the Ultimates. The artwork is superb,the story exciting with the sort of writing that is new to the world of comics: real emotions and situations, real relationships that span months (not single issues!) all in a sci-fi world that's not all that different from our own. (Well, okay, the whole super powers thing isn't commonplace around here... but other than that...!)
Great fun, very involving - go get it!
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
the ultimates2, vol.2 Grand theft America,
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Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: The Ultimates 2, Vol. 2: Grand Theft America (v. 2) (Paperback)
this is a must have. if you are a fan of mark millar or Bryan Hitch then you will enjoy this title a long with the ultimates and ultimates 2 vol. 1.
It is a great revisit of the classic avengers with a up-to-date look and feel. Underneath the new look and feel lies the heart and ideas that the original avengers supplied for the readers and views of the comic for over 40 semi years.
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