THE ULTIMATES 2 #1

By: Tony Whitt
Review Date: Wednesday, December 08, 2004

After a clandestine mission to save hostages in Iraq, Steve Rogers comes to grips with the negative press attention paid to S.H.I.E.L.D's use of superheroes outside the country and his own relationship with Janet Pym. The press really gets ugly, though, when they get information that the identity of the Hulk has been known to S.H.I.E.L.D the whole time, and that Bruce Banner has been living in their custody.

As you might expect, that's only the tip of the enormous plot iceberg that is THE ULTIMATES 2 #1. As he did with the first volume of this series, Millar has woven together several complex plot strands and fused them together with a strength of characterization that other Marvel books outside the Ultimates line often lack. Millar's Steve Rogers, for example, is not "our" Steve Rogers he still can take offense at "potty mouth" language and nudity in the movies, but his sense of morality is a bit off when it comes to the question of dating a married woman. Bruce Banner still has that underlying rage we all know and love, yet he has the sense of humor to crack a SILENCE OF THE LAMBS joke with a Hank Pym who worries about the name "Ant-Man" being too stupid-sounding. And then there's Thor, whose meeting with his old friend Volstagg warning him about his friends turning against him is seen only by him in a public restaurant, no less. Unlike other Ultimate characters, whose basic personalities tend to be not far different from their "regular" versions, these folks are every bit the "alternate takes" on established characters that we were always promised by this range.

The other major thing going for Millar is how recognizably the Ultimates' world is our world, complete with a war in Iraq, cover-ups by the government, muggings in the streets, and holier-than-thou NEW YORK TIMES op-ed columnists. Sure, those things may exist in the "regular" Marvel Universe, but there those elements feel grafted on to a universe that doesn't need them, that only includes them when it's necessary to make a political statement or to comment on world events. In the Ultimates' universe, however, these elements are part and parcel of the whole package, and Millar takes his time to make sure we know it. An equal amount of care is taken by Hitch and Neary, whose artwork I must say has vastly improved since the first volume. In those earlier issues it was possible to see odd expressions on characters' faces, for instance, but not here. ULTIMATES 2 may yet prove the adage that the sequels to Hollywood films since that's really what both volumes are are often better than the originals.

Questions? Comments? Let us know what you think at feedback@cinescape.com.