The stakes for the third volume of Jonathan Hickman’s Ultimate Spider-Man could not have been higher, personally, for me, in terms of reading comic books. As a casual fan of the web-slinger’s comics, the first two entries into the series were impressive and kept me on the hook. However, I saw much more profuse praise from across the comics landscape, and I was forced to reckon with the idea that Peter Parker and his associated world might not be a good fit for me...
Marvel’s idea of an Ultimate Universe, an alternate publishing line where heroes and teams are given revamped, often modern, backstories and skewed characterizations, is self-indulgent in and of itself. This is particularly true of the initial Ultimate line launched in the early 2000s, which kept characters firmly grounded in their traditional selves, but with tweaks and changes to make them feel more edgy, and of the times. 2023’s Ultimate Universe has not stuck to such creative limitations in general, with the scope of reimaginations among existing characters being much broader...
Deniz Camp was far from subtle in the comparisons he was drawing between the struggles of the Ultimate Universe’s premier superhero team and real-world forces of oppression and resistance within the initial half-dozen issues of Ultimates. In the subsequent six issues, there is no change in the confidence behind the series, but its focus becomes a lot tighter and more transparent.
In the first six issues of Ultimate Spider-Man, writer Jonathan Hickman, artist Marco Checchetto, and the team round up the most infamous editorial constraints placed on the character of Peter Parker, and then ignore them.
The war for Africa continues in Bryan Edward Hill’s Ultimate Black Panther Volume 2: Gods and Kings. Picking up where the first six issues left off, readers find Black Panther and the nation of Wakanda engaged in a continent-wide conflict with Lord Ra and Lord Khonshu. The duo of demigods works under The Maker and is determined to subjugate Africa while their leader finds himself locked inside The City following the events of Ultimate Invasion. In response, the nation of Wakanda has emerged from its isolation and is resisting the invading force.
A direct continuation of the events in Ultimate Invasion and the ostensible centerpiece for Marvel’s newest universe, Deniz Camp’s Ultimates is a necessary read for anyone invested in the Ultimate line of comics. The book focuses on an alternate version of Marvel’s headline team, The Avengers, known as the Ultimates.
Spider-Man is one of the many comic characters that exist far beyond the limits of their source material. From Superman and Batman, to Wolverine, there are any number of heroes that are well known in pop culture, despite only a fraction of their fans reading the books of their origin. A Spider-Man fan is likely to have never opened a Marvel comic in their life. Broad popularity has the unfortunate ripple effect of locking the characters into a brand, and entrenches specific associated attributes, even when they become detrimental in terms of story. Peter Parker gets the Peter Pan treatment, in part to ensure he has a properly marketable age for his fans’ demographic. Stasis of story and character is one of the most common problems flagged by avid comic fans. It is emblematic of the unbalanced relationship the books and authors find themselves in with their own creative spawn. There is much to laud about Ultimate Spider-Man, but the work’s ability to shake away the ankle weights of expectation is perhaps its most remarkable feat.
Part of 2024’s relaunch of Marvel’s Ultimate Universe, a reboot of Black Panther in an alternate universe makes a lot of sense on paper. The hero has become a household name thanks to the 2018 movie, which effectively showcased the strength of the character in a modern context. There is an opportunity to present Black Panther stories from a clean slate, divorced from the Kirby-Lee originated continuity, which many of their other creations would not benefit from as much. Great power and great responsibility are core to classic Marvel books, but applying the motto to modern colonialism is something the originators never quite proved able or willing to tackle.
The Marvel Graphic Novel line of comics started in 1982 and ran until 1993. The oversized, standalone graphic novels were a mixture of familiar company characters and creator owned experiments, presented in a higher quality format than the typical comic of the time. The collection includes at least seventy five titles, with only the first twenty being officially numbered by Marvel. Ranging from beloved, lauded graphic novels to some of the most obscure books put out by the publisher, the collection is one of their most varied in terms of genre, art, and story. This first iteration of our rankings of the MGN books includes the initial twenty titles.
Peach Momoko’s Ultimate X-Men is not the typical mutant formula with a twist but a twist on the usual formula. By infusing the series with personality while avoiding the tried and true tropes of the genre, Momoko puts out a superhero title that does not compete with its peers but distinguishes itself from them.
