Comments on: Aha! So THAT’s What the Ultimate Line of Comics Was Missing!

By: chroom

chroom — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 05:33:40 +0000

I know JoeMad has this huge fanbase that will buy whatever has his name on it, but having him replace Bryan Hitch seemed like a slap in the face. A big manga-lovin’ slap in the weirdly-distorted, angular, plastic-looking face.

(Of course, it’s easier to buy all of a given artist’s work when he’s drawn about eight full issues in the last 15 years or so, I guess.)

By: Blackjak

Blackjak — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 14:47:03 +0000

As Dave points out, if the want to really be seen as “Ultimate” comics, then they should ALL be brilliant…

GET the big name writers (the ones known for coming up with new and innovative ideas, NOT the Jeph Loebs…)
The artists should suit the mood of the comic and be able to meet deadlines (or if they are known to be slow, solicit their arc well in advance and rotate them with another similar artist.)

Ultimates vol.3, for example, dropped the ball not just from having Jeph Loeb take over the writing (turning it into Avengers 616-X-rated) but I also really don’t think Joe Mad’s artwork suited the book as a follow-on to the first two volumes…

By: Graeme White

Graeme White — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 12:09:39 +0000

THAT MADE NO SENSE

By: fanboy d

fanboy d — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 21:22:17 +0000

i’m not sure that i don’t think that it’s not that dumb

By: Dave

Dave — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 21:20:13 +0000

@Lawrence-

Fair point.

Still, I’d argue that they were two indy-ish guys whose names were coming up a lot in the trade presses and were receiving almost universally positive reviews (I know it’s mindboggling to think of a time when Bendis got nearly all positive reviews, given the level of internet pissing and moaning now, but yeah, there it was. Perils of fame and all that.) and Wizard was hailing the Authority as something like the greatest fight book in twenty years. I think often, with guys like that, the buzz comibined with a jump to the mainstream is often the excuse many need to finally check them out. So maybe a modern version would be more like turning the Ultimate U. over to Grant Morrison, Garth Ennis, Kieron Gillen and Brian Wood, but I think the sales results would be similar.

By: Ian A.

Ian A. — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 19:24:55 +0000

It beats putting “new” in front of all the titles.

I’m surprised they didn’t rebrand it “New Ultimates”

Uh...I'm pretty sure Loeb's writing a book called New Ultimates, not to be confused with Millar's mini-event title, Ultimate Avengers.

By: Bombshell

Bombshell — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 18:51:48 +0000

I’m surprised they didn’t rebrand it “New Ultimates”

By: Brian

Brian — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 17:58:31 +0000

@Michael– You almost made me spit my drink out with laughter. Well-played, sir, well-played.

By: Anthony Cheng

Anthony Cheng — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 17:30:55 +0000

Ultimate Marvel is a victim of its own success. The mood and tone established in those books have so permeated 616 Marvel that there’s no storytelling difference anymore. Rebooting, rebranding, whatever it is makes sense because the alternative is the death of the imprint, just like Marvel Knights stopped making sense once Quesada became EiC.

I’m personally glad Ultimate comics will continue to exist, if Marvel’s only alternative is ‘Dark Reign.’

By: Graeme White

Graeme White — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 17:17:48 +0000

Really? It’s a different line? That explains so much. To think, all that time wasted on working out where in Marvel continuity the Ultimate titles fitted.

(Can I just point out that that was sarcasm before everyone jumps on me)

By: Biggles

Biggles — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 17:07:36 +0000

Will this make it easier for me to ignore them completely?

By: Lawrence

Lawrence — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 13:38:38 +0000

@Dave

Neither Millar or Bendis were considered big names when they came to the Ultimate line. They had some buzz about them with Authority and Torso (respectively), but I don’t think many people initially picked up the titles on name-recognition.

By: JackKing

JackKing — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 09:08:57 +0000

Andrew-TLA: Ultimate Wolverine Vs Hulk is done. You can order issues 4 & 5 in this month’s Diamond catalog.

By: Hank

Hank — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 06:38:22 +0000

It could be a trademark thing. They had to start a line called “ultimate” or anyone could call a book “Ultimate [name of hero’”

By: Jake

Jake — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 06:05:15 +0000

It beats putting “new” in front of all the titles.

By: Dave

Dave — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 05:46:54 +0000

Seriously, the reason the Ultimate line was initially successful was because Marvel took all of their current creators whose name recognition alone was enough to float a series and put them in the same corner. At one point, you had

Millar/Hitch on Ultimates

Warren Ellis on Fantastic Four

Brian K. Vaughn on Ultimate X-men

Bendis on Spider-Man

There is no trick to this. If Marvel wants to see the Ultimate line do this again, get Grant Morrison, Garth Ennis, Ed Brubaker, and Matt Fraction to each take a series.

Anything else is Spider-Man Chapter One with a new hat on.

By: Andrew-TLA

Andrew-TLA — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 05:36:45 +0000

@Matt – But there are original characters in the Ultimate universe! Like the Forever People-wannabes from UFF, or Geldoff. And, of course, the Sensational Character Finds of 2002, Hawk-Owl and Woody!

I’m starting to think this reboot means they hope people will finally stop asking about Ultimate Wolverine vs. Hulk.

By: Michael

Michael — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 04:15:27 +0000

Ultimate actually means “last.” So apparently, the past nine years everyone’s really been reading “The Penultimate Spider-Man.”

By: Beta Ray Steve

Beta Ray Steve — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 03:27:11 +0000

If only we could get those great Ultimate characters without all their Ultimate baggage…

By: Ricardo

Ricardo — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 03:14:23 +0000

Well, I was away from Marvel for some years and I didn’t know what the Ultimate line meant until I researched online. So, it isn’t a bad stretch to say that it is probably very confusing to noobies. I, for one, thought Ultimate meant “the best” or something like that.