22nd June, 2008

KRIS BATHER

Ultimate Origins #1

"Frankly, this series will be like the surprise Iron Man cameo; it won’t mean much to newbies, but will certainly please fans."

It was a wonderful treat to fanboys such as myself to see Iron Man’s box-office success. Not only because it gave the general public awareness of another classic comics character, and faithfully so, but also because of its hidden final scene. In case you didn’t know, Samuel L. Jackson made comics readers hearts jump with glee in a cameo with the excellent Robert Downey Jr. I won’t spoil it for you, but if you wait after the end credits you’ll see it for yourself.

This issue attempts to do the same, but on a grander scale. Marvel wasn’t the first comics publisher to unite their characters in the same world. That honour goes to DC’s 1940’s Justice Society which gathered several of their popular characters together under one title, giving fans more bang for their buck. Marvel are the best at this kind of unity however. They have more superhero (and villain) teams, and guest stars than you can count.

Ultimate Origins is the first issue of a five issue monthly series attempting to explain the origins of Marvel’s alternate line of books. The writer of this series, Brian Michael Bendis, launched the Ultimate line in 2001, with Ultimate Spider-Man. It now comprises several books, all of which are streamlined re-inventions of the regular line, such as Ultimate X-Men and Ultimate Fantastic Four. How Bendis expects to tie in the beginnings of this new, but ever expanding universe in only five issues is anyone’s guess.

It begins with the Ultimate versions of Spider-Man and Bruce Banner (aka the Hulk) chatting in the Manhattan docks before being rudely interrupted by the military. The rest of the issue is set during World War II where we witness a young James Howlett (Wolverine), Wilson Fisk (Daredevil enemy Kingpin) and Nick Fury serving together and getting caught up in some hijinks. Fury is then taken prisoner to become a guinea pig for the U.S government’s new super soldier programme. Then it’s Howlett’s turn; this time, in Canada.

It’s the last few pages that are the most revealing. Here we are shown what appears to be the surprising origins of one of Marvel’s most vital story elements: the mutant. Butch Guice handles the art chores effectively. With the grime and grit of the battlefield, his pencils fit perfectly; though I doubt they will as the stories move through to the more hi-tech present. I’m fond of Guice’s cleaner pencils as seen in his Superman work last decade. Here, his work is significantly more rugged as he inks his own pencils. A crisper inker would have been a better choice. Frankly, this series will be like the surprise Iron Man cameo; it won’t mean much to newbies, but will certainly please fans.

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