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A review by coffeeandink
Ultimate Comics: The Ultimates, Vol. 1 by Jonathan Hickman
3.0
Read in single issues.
Hickman carries forward Millar's virtues of not being afraid to make huge changes to the status quo, while he is somewhat better at making fewer of the characters complete assholes. Ultimates Nick Fury is a scary scary man, but I am okay with that. I wish there was less blowing things up and more character interaction, but I am not sure my expectations are particularly in line with where the Ultimates line wanted to go, so I can deal. Hickman's dialogue is sometimes weirdly clunky, but the quickly developing plots and the building undercurrents of bigger changes are fascinating. And I feel like Hickman is actually critiquing some of the issues Millar just got off on -- Cap is having grave reservations about his former role as a symbol and its inspirational effects (dare one hope May Parker going off on him has chastened him for real?), Tony Stark is dealing with a group of people even more ruthless than he is and facing up to the collateral damage he has caused and dismissed, Thor is forced to confront difficulties godhead has made invisible to him.
There are even fewer women in major roles than in Millar's run, but honestly I find the side-lining a lot easier to take than Millar's misogynistic stereotyping.
The racist Yellow Peril stereotyping of China is just terrible, though.
Quite like the artwork, though the switch between the initial artist and the second one who likes woodcut-like cross-hatching is startling.
Hickman carries forward Millar's virtues of not being afraid to make huge changes to the status quo, while he is somewhat better at making fewer of the characters complete assholes. Ultimates Nick Fury is a scary scary man, but I am okay with that. I wish there was less blowing things up and more character interaction, but I am not sure my expectations are particularly in line with where the Ultimates line wanted to go, so I can deal. Hickman's dialogue is sometimes weirdly clunky, but the quickly developing plots and the building undercurrents of bigger changes are fascinating. And I feel like Hickman is actually critiquing some of the issues Millar just got off on -- Cap is having grave reservations about his former role as a symbol and its inspirational effects (dare one hope May Parker going off on him has chastened him for real?), Tony Stark is dealing with a group of people even more ruthless than he is and facing up to the collateral damage he has caused and dismissed, Thor is forced to confront difficulties godhead has made invisible to him.
There are even fewer women in major roles than in Millar's run, but honestly I find the side-lining a lot easier to take than Millar's misogynistic stereotyping.
The racist Yellow Peril stereotyping of China is just terrible, though.
Quite like the artwork, though the switch between the initial artist and the second one who likes woodcut-like cross-hatching is startling.