That game is rapidly consuming hours of gameplay, and I still feel like I've only just scratched the surface. Kudos, Bethesda - your game truly was worthy of all those shiny awards it pulled in. Now if only they'd release the expansions for PS3.
In Marvel news, as of today the Ultimate Universe has officially been restarted. I picked up Ultimate Comics Avengers # 1 and Ultimate Comics Spider-Man # 1 today, and I feel compelled to share my initial thoughts.
First of all, it's important to remember the point behind the reboot of the Ultimate franchise. It originally existed as a more accessible means to pull in readers without requiring any previous knowledge of the characters or their long, often convoluted histories. After a few years on the market and several hundred issues, (between the titles with the Ultimate imprint) the characters were beginning to become bogged down in backstory nearly as much as their 616 universe counterparts.
So Marvel decided they would hire Jeph Loeb, the literary equivalent to a wrecking ball, to go in and perform an enema on the Ultimate universe. The result was messy, painful to read, and seemed to radically transform characters with little to no explanation, but it got the job done... I guess. Now Marvel can start all over again with new directions, new mythos, and hopefully, new readers in addition to those it hasn't lost with Ultimatum.
** ARRR! THAR BE SPOILERS AHEAD **
Ultimate Comics Avengers # 1
Mark Millar and Bryan Hitch's Ultimates was the title that originally drew me in to Marvel's Ultimate Universe. It was a title that reimagined characters from the Avengers as grittier, (ultimately) flawed versions of their 616 counterparts. Those flaws made them more relatable, more relevant, and in a lot of ways, more interesting to read about.
In an Ultimates comic, Captain America would bootstomp an already surrendered foe just to make a point. The Hulk would literally bite the head off of an invading skrull and eat it, and Hank Pym and Janet Dyne have an abusive relationship where the only rule to their violent arguments is 'no superpowers'. Yet despite Millar's alternate take on the characters, the essence of each has always remained fundamentally the same.
Then everything changed with Ultimatum; some heroes suspiciously acquired traits from their 616 selves, (ie.,Thor's sudden change of dialect) while others reacted completely out of character (Janet Dyne, the Wasp, died as a result of having her innards eaten by a grossly deformed Blob).
Ultimate Comic Avengers # 1 sees Mark Millar return to breath the life back into his horribly misappropriated characters. Six months have passed since Magneto flooded New York, the city is rebuilding, the Ultimates have lost three key members, and a now S.H.I.E.L.D.-less Nick Fury is back. It's clear that things can never go back to the way they were, and to punctuate that point, this first issue has Captain America go AWOL as a result of a startling discovery about the son he never knew he had.
From Cap's dialogue to the early-on exchange between Nick Fury and Hawkeye, it's vastly refreshing to see the key elements of the Ultimates franchise return to character. Like being reunited with old friends, only with less handshakes and hugs and more violence and surprising plot revelations.
This comic features the first Ultimate universe appearance of the Red Skull, who is reimagined with a different look and a truly innovative backstory that has me super excited to read more. Remember that startling discovery I mentioned about Cap's son? Turns out a certain crimson-faced villain may have been born right around the end of World War II.
Sadly, Bryan Hitch has not returned to pencil this chapter of the Ultimates (now Avengers, though they have yet to be dubbed that in-comic). Carlos Pachecho, however, proves that the heart of Bryan Hitch's pseudo-realistic style can be suitably co-opted by a talented substitute. Hopefully the rest of the separate artists on this volume continue add their own flavor to the series without degenerating into anything remotely resembling Joe Madureira's soulless over-the-top envisioning of the characters in Ultimates 3.
All in all, I loved Ultimate Comic Avengers # 1. All that's left to say ont the subject is thank you, Mark Millar.
Ultimate Comics Spider-Man # 1
After that lengthy discourse on Ultimate Comics Avengers, I don't know how I could possibly follow it up with an equally worded review about volume 2 of Ultimate Spider-Man. The fact is, Brian Michael Bendis had a great run throughout volume 1, from beginning to end. He wrote Spider-Man as a teenager before a superhero, and built a series about a fan favorite character that could please loyalist fans as well as appeal to just about anyone.
Loeb didn't get to bastardize Bendis' closely guarded incarnation of Peter Parker, so analyzing any returns from a departure of character is moot here.
What would be significant to look at is Bendis' decision to continue volume 2 with Aunt May's nephew still wearing the Spider-Man tights. For a long while there, Marvel encouraged speculation that a new character would be donning the red-and-blue superhero pajamas. While this might have been an interesting avenue to explore, long time fans will be pleased to read this is in fact not the case. At least, not yet anyway.
Ultimate Comics Spider-Man has Peter Parker working at a fast food joint, trying to make ends meet while still galavanting about as his wisecracking alter-ego. The difference now is that, thank to a tell-all article by J. Jonah Jameson praising Spider-Man for his exploits over the years, Spidey is now widely regarded as a hero of the people.
With issue # 1, Bendis lays the groundwork quite well regarding where he wants to take the series. Old friends Kitty, Gwen Stacy, and Johnny Storm each have their moment in the comic, informing us that there will still be a focus on 'the ol' gang'. A new vigilante is introduced, apparently the Ultimate version of the Hood. Similarly, Spider-Man's newest arch enemy makes his cameo as Mysterio, who cements his status as a total badass early-on by pushing the Kingpin out of a window to his apparent death.
My only complaint about this comic is unfortunately a big one. I hate, hate, hate how David Lafuente draws Spider-Man. I'm wary about taking the comic, visually, in a cartoony-manga-esque light to begin with, but drawing Spidey as a midget with a button face just comes off as ridiculous. I've seen more realistically proportioned drawings of Spider-Man in Marvel Babies.
** end spoilers. **
Oh, and in case I gave you the impression that the new Ultimate titles were the only comics worth buying - think again!
Deadpool # 13 came out, redeeming my faith that there's at least one writer currently out there who can write a Wade Wilson so hilariously that I actually laugh out loud reading it. Daniel Way, along with new series artist Shawn Crystal, tells a tale of pirates, the high seas, and the seduction of a blind vixen at a party resort. Oh, and Bob from H.Y.D.R.A. is a parrot.
The Marvels Project # 1 also hit shelves, with Ed Brubaker revisiting Golden Age Marvel characters (the original Human Torch, Namor, Nick Fury, Captain America, and Angel) to tell a classic story of espionage and the beginnings of the Marvel Universe. Seems promising so far.
Fables TP Vol. 12 The Dark Ages was released today, which is all I'm going to say on the subject since anyone who's read my blog before will already be sick of hearing me gush about my love for Willingham's long-running Vertigo title. Seriously though, Fables is awesome.
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