The Good
This is how tie-ins should be done! The Ultimates battle it out with Gah Lak Tus and Tarleton, who is controlling them. This is one action packed issue as everything comes to a head here. What makes this issue, and tie-in, as a whole, so dynamite is that it plays so well off of the main story without repeating any information from the event. Writer Josh Fialkov does a wonderful job at giving the reader a look into what the other Ultimates had to struggle with during this event, and that they had their own villain to fight.
This issue is filled with some fantastic action sequences, including Hercules physically beating Tarleton to a pulp. It's incredibly satisfying, since the prior issues dealt with Tarleton betraying all of humanity to join Galactus in his conquest of Earth, and by conquest, we mean "dinner party." Readers have spent the past month feeling all is lost with the Ultimate Universe, but this gives readers a lot of hope for the future. If they can beat Tarleton, they may have a small shot against Galactus.
This issue has an incredibly awesome ending as one hero sacrifices himself and ends up becoming something else. Something better. It's a bummer to see some of these characters go, but Fialkov gives one of them new life here, and hopefully, this character will play a bigger part during the rest of Cataclysm.
Once again, Carmine Di Giandomenico does a stellar job on the art here. It really gives us this fantastic full piece full of emotion and adventure. Giandomenico really hits the whole emotional gamut on these characters' faces as they deal with some tough situations. He has a few great looking splash pages, including the final page reveal, which are full of fantastic detail and really get an emotional reaction from the reader.
The Bad
Ultimate Agent Coulson... It's only a brief moment, but he feels so forced. If it was any other agent of S.H.I.E.L.D., I'd be fine with it, but because it's Coulson in the Ultimate Universe, it feels forced in by editorial.
The Verdict
Not only does this mini-series tie up incredibly nicely, but on its own, it's an incredibly exciting read. It's an amazing compliment to CATACLYSM: THE ULTIMATES LAST STAND, and the strongest of the tie-ins. Fialkov really nails it here and with the art of Giandomenico, this is one stand-out mini-series, and Ultimate fans will really enjoy it.
11 Comments