The Avengers get trounced by Ghost Rider, whose nightmarish origins prove to have terrifying implications for the Ultimates' leaders.
The Good
Revising Ghost Rider so he's got a specific group of powerful satanists he's seeking vengeance on puts an interesting (and potentially relevant) spin on his origin; making him more of an anti-hero in the Ultimate universe opposed by good guys and bad guys alike. Along that note, I like the range of gray morality presented, here - - it makes characters like Tony Stark and Nick Fury that much more interesting by given them very real feet of clay (even if it doesn't always work.)
The Bad
This whole thing is just messy, and that's especially disappointing in light of how clear and streamlined the Ultimates was when it first rolled out. I'm especially baffled by the inclusion of "the Spider" as he seems like just the sort of convoluted, continuity-produced character these series were supposed to avoid. While it's a great novelty to have Punisher included in this line-up, he comes off as way too cavalier for a grim vigilante (even if the Ultimate one's different than the 616 one.) It would've been interesting to maybe comment on how he's a spirit of vengeance too, since Ghost Rider has a unnatural kind of omniscience, but we just get a gag and quip instead. The Punisher and lot of other characterizations' seem to be really out of whack, going for rude shocks in their dialogue that don't make a lot of sense for the characters. I'm particularly thinking of the way Sharon Carter gets pranked, how "Nerd Hulk" is such a moron and that really bizarre revelation about Nick Fury's relationship with the new Black Widow.
The Verdict - 2/5
I get the sense that this was written with an aim to see what ridiculous things could be gotten away with, rather than truly trying to tell new, continuity-free stories with these concepts. It's a real shame, since it flies in the face of what this whole imprint was designed to do. Instead of clearing things up and getting to the core of these characters, like Ultimate Comics Spider-Man is doing, this is just a mess of "shocks."
This issue was really bizzare. I like Ultimate Avengers because its always way out and fun. The next issue is really gonna have to straighten out this story for me. Hated the "Spider", I was just like"What...ok then".
I respect your opinion, BUT (and this is a big butt) i think youre being a bit harsh. Sure this wasnt the best issue, but the characters were fine. Dont dis the issue, dis the series, Too many unrecognized characters not getting enough face time. But there are 3 or 4 (cant remember) chapters to this story [Ultimate Avengers, Ultimate Avengers 2, 3 and so on] and most of the same cast through all stories. Maybe later on youll get to know more of the characters and appreciate them. I read it three times after reading your review to understand what you were talking about, and i felt like each of the characters were fine, along with their interactions. Its not the same as 616 and these are how their characters are. The Spider got more light in this issue and had (what it seems like) the most dialogue in the entire issue. We dont know this character yet so you cant really judge him. Nerd Hulk never looked stupid. He was asking a psychic questions the entire time he was in the issue. And if you read the last couple of issues youd understand why the Punisher is the way he is. And he had like 6 lines (not much to judge). anyhow... you feel the way you feel... and I (the die-hard ultimate fan) feel the way i feel. and because this was more of an informational issue... I WOULD GIVE THIS A 3.5
" I respect your opinion, BUT (and this is a big butt) i think youre being a bit harsh. Sure this wasnt the best issue, but the characters were fine. Dont dis the issue, dis the series, Too many unrecognized characters not getting enough face time. But there are 3 or 4 (cant remember) chapters to this story [Ultimate Avengers, Ultimate Avengers 2, 3 and so on] and most of the same cast through all stories. Maybe later on youll get to know more of the characters and appreciate them. I read it three times after reading your review to understand what you were talking about, and i felt like each of the characters were fine, along with their interactions. Its not the same as 616 and these are how their characters are. The Spider got more light in this issue and had (what it seems like) the most dialogue in the entire issue. We dont know this character yet so you cant really judge him. Nerd Hulk never looked stupid. He was asking a psychic questions the entire time he was in the issue. And if you read the last couple of issues youd understand why the Punisher is the way he is. And he had like 6 lines (not much to judge). anyhow... you feel the way you feel... and I (the die-hard ultimate fan) feel the way i feel. and because this was more of an informational issue... I WOULD GIVE THIS A 3.5 "
I think I would have to agree with you here. I think giving the issue a 2/5 is unfair and while I don't think this is the greatest comic I've ever read, I did enjoy it and wasn't upset that I bought it. I'd give it a 3/5.
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