Looks nice but did it really deliver?
I must admit, I'm not the greatest fan of the Ultimate Universe, sometimes feeling a bit patronised by characters smugly referencing modern culture and every character trying to be grittier and more 'real' than the last. That said, I thought post-Ultimatum would be a good chance to explore the characters that have currently survived the cull (Johnny uses alliteration, it's super effective) I've read the previous two installments and I think it's fair to say they were enjoyable romps.
I should point out at this stage that if you're going to get this book, picking up the other two whilst not necessarily essential, certainly helps in terms of emotional investment in the characters.
The plot itself seems a fairly standard one: Mysterious attacks from an unknown source lead heroes to unite. I think it's the simplicity of the plot that I have a little trouble with if I'm honest. The entire time you can't help shake the feeling you know exactly where it's going. The amount of plot within the book is also a sticking point. If I were to try and spoil the book for someone, I feel I could do so in about three sentences; the fact is that not a lot actually happens. That said, the dialogue does save a lot of face for the book (Noting especially Carol Danvers here) which you get a real sense of tone and speed with the odd bit of humour thrown in. The art is where it picks up brownie points though, with a few big splashes being a lot more than memorable. The last page neatly sums up how I feel about this book: It looks great and has little dialogue but at the same time it's piqued my interest just enough to consider picking up the next installment.
I don't know whether it's because I've already bought the first two comics and feel invested in this story arc or because of the slight twists of mystery that are keeping me interested. I can just sum my feeling for it as a vague 'Yeah, sure, it's alright' Probably a 3 out of 5 if you haven't read the first two.
1 Comments