The Good
The cult of Gah Lak Tus is growing strong and the Ultimates find they may not be able to stop them especially with a familiar villain leading them. Galactus comes to Earth and Sam Wilson is looking for a little revenge after Galactus destroyed Vision.
You don't have to read CATACLYSM #0.1 to know what's going on here, but it's highly recommended because it does tie into what Sam is going through and why he makes a very brash decision. He's the character readers will find themselves really rooting for as he tries to take on the cult himself. Writer Josh Fialkov takes pieces from his run on ULTIMATES and from his #0.1 issue to put together one heck of a story.
Behind the cult of Gah Lak Tus is one of my favorite Marvel characters: M.O.D.O.K. You can imagine my excitement to see this character make an appearance. Aside from Galactus coming to Earth, The Ultimates also have to deal with this cult, who seem to have the ability to brainwash anyone they come into contact with. This really adds to the drama since the team has two threats to deal with and both threats come off as being a little too tough to handle.
It's very nice to see artist Carmine Di Giandomenico working with Fialkov again. The two worked on the previous volume of ULTIMATES, His art style, along with Lorenzo Ruggiero on inks and Wil Quintana on colors, mesh well withe the writing. Giandomenico's art is a little unsettling and really fits the tone of the book well. His villains tend to have creepier looks on their faces and truly feel like menaces. Quintana's color work shines here, especially in explosion scenes where we see the oranges, yellows, and reds fade into each other. Incredibly wonderful work.
The cover by Mukesh Singh is incredibly awesome. Nick Fury looks incredibly tough, and the oversized gun harkens back to the 90s Marvel where everyone was holding super-gigantic guns. The color work and shading are beautiful on here as well. Without a doubt, you'll see this cover on our Best Covers of the Week list.
The Bad
A part of me wants this to tie a bit more into the main story line, but I love this whole side story with the cult so much. This is a fantastic tie in.
The Verdict
It's yet another hit from the CATACLYSM event. Between the main story, the Ultimate Spider-Man tie in, and this, this is turning out to be one hell of a good time, and better yet, there's still an Ultimate X-Men tie-in coming down the pipeline as well. Here, the Ultimates learn that Galactus isn't the only threat, and the stakes are raised as they face him as well as a cult led by one of my personal favorite villains. If you're an Ultimate fan, this is a must have issue, even if it is just a tie-in. Even if you're not reading the Ultimates, this is a book you should really check out because it's that entertaining.
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