The Good
The country is still rebuilding itself after it split apart. Captain America is the president, and the Ultimates are pretty spread across the country.
We are treated to a great opening scene featuring Wonder Man, Vision, Tigra and Quake looking for Osama Bin Laden. It's a great action sequence, and it's nice to see the new team of Ultimates on the move. Plus, I'll read any book with Wonder Man losing it.
I love President Captain America, especially in this issue. He's a total jerk and tough guy. He's constantly standing around like he's pissed off and he's viciously cold to everyone around him. He actually comes off as a leader with who has the potential to become a terrible dictator.
This is all building to California vs America. While someone raging war against the US was just recently done, I like how this is going. California doesn't want to play by America's (Captain) rules, and they seem to have their own agenda. This is a story I am extremely excited to see play out.
Briefly, we see Sue Storm, Thor, and Monica Chang working with one of the Infinity Gems they located on an Ex-Hydra base. The New Avengers book is also dealing with the Infinity Gems as well. It leads me to believe something even bigger is going on between both of these worlds. And maybe I'm jumping to conclusions, but since they're heading to the moon, does that mean we'll be seeing Uatu? Again, that's a big jump, but a jump I want to happen.
The Bad
I've really lost interest in this book over the past few months, and while this issue has piqued it once again, I'm still not completely in. The book feels a bit scattered and misplaced. The team is completely spread a part, so this book does its best to cover everyone, but what you actually get is a bunch of singular great stories that get limited space in this book so they feel condensed, out of the focus, and just ok.
I'm still so-so on young Tony Stark: The Tumor. Every time I decide I don't like the character, and I think the idea stinks, the character does something in the issue that redeems itself. We see that here, at the end of the issue. It's a cool moment, but I'm still not really a fan of the character.
The Verdict
This book has been very close to getting dropped the past few months, but this issue has me back on board. I like the California vs America tension that is building here, especially because Captain American is completely cold to them. While I still think this book is a bit scattered, and I'm not really into young Tony Stark: The Tumornator, I feel like this book is finally getting back on track to awesome.
Overall, I recommend this book.