Marvel

Black Panther is Jesus Christ on a Bike

Marvel’s Ultimate Universe

Cam

Marvel’s Ultimate Universe is coming to a close once again. Started two years ago, there was always a timer in the background of the whole alternate publishing line, and nothing was different for the title of Ultimate Black Panther. Wakanda’s leaders have been forced into action by The Maker’s lackeys, Lord Khonshu and Lord Ra, who are attempting to dominate the entire African continent. With the help of Killmonger and Storm, Black Panther has the colonizers all but defanged, though a greater evil has reared its head...

Deniz Camp's Ultimates Rise Up

Marvel’s Ultimate Universe

Cam

Deniz Camp’s Ultimates is one of the hardest mainstream superhero comic series I have sat down to review. A book steeped in Marvel’s Ultimate Universe, with both an unconventional story structure and frequently shifting art style, readers are forced to accept that reading Ultimates is a distinct experience from the typical superhero comic...

Ultimate Spider-Man: Family Business

Marvel’s Ultimate Universe

Cam

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...

Fight Demons from the Past in Ultimate Black Panther: Darkness and Light

Marvel’s Ultimate Universe

Cam

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...

You Lose, America in Ultimates Volume 2: Power to the People

Marvel’s Ultimate Universe

Cam

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.

Bryan Edward Hill’s Ultimate Black Panther Bites Off a Lot in Volume 2: Gods and Kings

Marvel’s Ultimate Universe

Cam

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.

The Unforgivable, Inevitable Sin of Jonathan Hickman’s Ultimate Spider-Man

Marvel’s Ultimate Universe

Cam

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.