Iron Lad realized that the Maker influenced the world by ensuring heroes didn’t exist. Now he works with Doom to try and make things right in The Ultimates #1 by Marvel Comics!
THE ULTIMATES #1
Writer: Deniz Camp
Artist: Juan Frigeri
Colorist: Federico Blee
Letterer: Travis Lanham
Editor: Wil Moss
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Cover Price: $5.99
Release Date: June 5, 2024
Previously in The Ultimates: The Maker used time travel to prevent anyone from becoming a superhero and established The Maker’s Council to rule from the shadows. Under the moniker, Iron Lad, Tony Stark has teamed up with Doom, Captain America, Thor, and Sif to try and set things right. However, the Council attacked New York City, and Tony and his allies barely escaped with their lives. They are now framed as terrorists.
The Ultimates #1 starts with Tony and Reed Richards, currently known as Doom, working together to devise a time travel plan to give people superpowers. Unfortunately, the plan failed. Most people didn’t answer Tony’s call or couldn’t control the powers they had. Throughout this, we see Tony’s monologue as they deal with the consequences of their actions but ultimately decide to take more direct action.
Hank and Janet Van Dyne work as exterminators, but Hank has nightmares of ants talking to him. After they reject a job that would involve killing a family of Moloids, they discuss their future in their work van. Suddenly, their van is stopped by Iron Lad and accidentally destroyed by Thor. Hank then reveals that he got Tony’s message six months ago and has the tools to give them superpowers. Iron Man and his team begin to fight Captain Britain while the Van Dynes decide what they will do. Janet immediately accepts her powers and joins the fight, but Hank needs more convincing from Captain America. Eventually, he accepts his powers and turns the tide of the battle with a colossal stomp.
The Ultimate Universe has had a few misses with the story for me, but it started to pick up in recent months. So when The Ultimates #1 title came out, I had a fair amount of uncertainty. For the book’s first half, I found myself not terribly interested in Tony and Reed discussing the future. When Hank and Janet were introduced, I became a little more engaged in this interpretation of the characters, especially their conversations with each other. The little journal entry at the end of the comic from Tony Stark’s perspective, where he is ranting at his father, hit the mark for me. This one-page wall of text provided more insight into Tony Stark’s actions. The Ultimate Universe does a great job of humanizing the characters in a way that appeals to my sensibilities. It addresses issues I want to discussed in storytelling and excites me to see how people will deal with them. With that in mind, I returned to the problem and had a newfound appreciation for the story. Great work here.
The art in this book is standard Marvel fare, but I really like the design of Thor, despite his minimal page time, and the Van Dynes. Their costumes and personalities really showed on the pages they were featured on. But then again, Reed is behind a Doom mask, so maybe that isn’t a great comparison. Still, the creative team did a good job.
There are many good things coming out of The Ultimate Universe with many unique ideas. The Ultimates #1 continues that momentum and promises a lot of new, unique interpretations of some of the most iconic heroes. Great work here, and I look forward to many of the titles in this new universe. 4 out of 5 stars for The Ultimates #1 by Marvel Comics!
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The Ultimates #1
The Ultimates #1 provides a unique modern retelling of the setting while introducing iconic heroes into this new universe.
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Christopher Rondeau is a storyteller based in Tulsa, OK. Finding himself with little work, he ended up creating a job as a Game Master full time on the internet. Chris spends most of his days reading everything he can, writing bad fiction, and watching old Digimon cartoons with his daughter. Sometimes you can find him Dungeon Mastering a podcast or streaming on twitch. Recently, he has completed his Master's degree with a focus on collaborative storytelling. Find out more at https://rondeaucreator.com