Ultimate War #1-2
By Mark Millar and Chris Bachalo
Published by Marvel Comics
If you're going to do these crossover mini-series -- and clearly they'll be a mainstream staple as long as there are mainstream publishers -- this is the way to do it.
Ultimate War features the regular writer of not one but both the titles crossing over, it ties in with the continuity of the titles, and most importantly, it maintains the tension and excitement of the parent books, Ultimate X-Men and The Ultimates.
Things start off with a bang in issue #1's opening sequence, a terrorist attack that destroys the Brooklyn Bridge (and definitively puts an end to post-11 September sensitivity). The event is told in a "widescreen" technique that favourably recalls DC/Wildstorm's The Authority (which Millar used to write), and firmly establishes the high stakes game that Magneto is playing -- an attack on humanity that quite logically pits the government-sponsored Ultimates against the X-men, who secretly were harbouring Magneto but couldn't manage to keep him in their secret custody.
Probably the thing that had me most reluctant to pick this series up, despite my enjoyment of the Millar-penned Ultimates, was the choice of penciller. Chris Bachalo had a nice run on Uncanny X-Men a few years back with writer Steven Seagle, but his more recent Steampunk was perhaps the most incomprehensible mainstream comic book I have ever tried to read.
For the most part, Bachalo sets aside his penchant for abstraction, instead adjusting his style to more comfortably complement Millar, who has worked with some of the best and most appealing mainstream artists in recent history -- people like Bryan Hitch and Frank Quitely. Any reader comfortable with those styles and endeared to Millar's cynical-but-thrilling storytelling style is almost certainly going to like Ultimate War. Bachalo's style here is especially well-suited to rendering The Ultimates, and when the time comes for Bryan Hitch to move on to other projects, I'd put Bachalo on the short list of possible replacements if I were asked.
Issue #2 has a surprisingly effective opening sequence, a conversation between Janet Pym and Jean Grey's father, as the Wasp tries to get a lead on where the X-Men might be hiding out. We get a nice look at the mutants in their sub-standard hideout, before Magneto launches an assault on The Ultimates. The actual full-page shot of Magneto in action is an unfortunate example of Bachalo's worst instincts, all flash and no substance (and therefore no impact other than that in the dialogue), but the rest of the action in the sequence is very well handled, and the concluding moment of Captain America vowing to come after both Magneto and the X-Men comes off as fresh and convincing, an extraordinary moment for a superhero comic in the 21st century. Grade: 4.5/5
Ultimate Spider-Man #32-33
By Brian Michael Bendis and Mark Bagley
Published by Marvel Comics
Bendis continues to establish his Earth-1 Spider-Man (it's hard not to think of the old-Marvel titles as taking place on Earth-2 now, isn't it?) as a hero for a new era, utterly convincing and yet completely respectful of the mythos established decades ago by Stan and Steve.
In #32, Peter Parker is outraged that someone has usurped his identity to commit crimes that have had an horrific impact on his personal life, as well. Peter's confusion and desire for justice is well-played, a portrait of a teenager who's been done wrong and is not sure if he has the right to revenge himself, or how far he should go if he does. I wasn't fond of the Earth-1 Gwen Stacy when Bendis and Bagley first introduced her, but she's nicely portrayed here as a girl who's been abandoned by some of her family and just suffered a terrible loss. The conflict her circumstance creates between Mary Jane and Peter is well handled, and far more interesting a dilemma than any supervillain could present -- a reminder that Bendis and Bagley have placed the emphasis on characterization first, which is why this book has thrived.
In the following issue, we have the beginning of a story that will introduce the Ultimate version of a character that represents a lot of what was wrong with Marvel for a long time. Venom was a murderer presented as an anti-hero, who was over-hyped and over-marketed in holo-foil, variant cover excess that can be found now in quarter bins across the nation.
Bendis rebuilds the villain from the ground up, starting not with a costume and a half-baked marketing plan, but with a character. One with a history intertwined with Peter Parker and his family, one possibly full of secrets, one that may actually make Venom a Spider-Man villain worthy of his existence. Bendis and Bagley hint at possibly a dark past for Eddie Brock way pre-dating his pending transformation into Venom.
I've said before that I don't regularly buy Ultimate Spider-Man and that's mostly just because I don't have an overwhelming need to have the character in my life on a regular basis. I can't deny, though, that every time I've looked at this title, it's an entertaining read that does the character justice and impresses me with its approach. I may have to start checking in more often. Grade: 4.5/5
Firebreather #1
By Phil Hester and Andy Kuhn
Published by Image Comics
Hellboy meets Powers in this new superhero title from Image, one of many planned for 2003.
Duncan is a young half-dragon, half-human who's just trying to fit in. He's got scales and wings, and is certain he won't be accepted by most of the people in his new high school. And he's right. He also appears to have a hard-assed Nick Fury type dedicated to destroying him.
Hester's script is light and entertaining, with an emphasis on introducing the characters and their situation -- in the old days this was how a first issue was always done, but these days, something of a (welcome) rarity. Kuhn's art is more Oeming than Mignola, but it has a wonky charm all its own and definitely tells the story well. The high school setting is convincingly conveyed, and Kuhn's artwork and colours by Bill Crabtree nicely contrast the airy nature of the daytime scenes with some of the moodier moments.
I don't know how many more superhero books we need, but at least this one works a sub-genre that hasn't been done to death, and does it with charm and personality. A nice start for a new title, marred only by some fairly hard-on-the-eyes lettering. Grade: 4/5