Now here's a mini-series that really wants you to buy it. It features some excellent, detailed artwork by David Finch and Danny Miki. It stars virtually every super-powered character in the Ultimate Universe. And big things happen - which in the world of comics means: lots of people die, including some surprisingly big characters.
The story, as written by Jeph Loeb, picks up right where the first issue left off. New York has been hit by a tidal wave, killing and injuring who knows how many people, included some prominent heroes. At the same time, environmental disasters are striking countries around the globe, killing millions.
In Ultimatum, we check in on the events from several different perspectives, and see how the heroes and villains react to the world-wide calamity. Some are just trying to survive, while others are trying to find a way to fight back against the source of the problem - a grief-stricken Magneto, whose children were killed in recent issues of The Ultimates.
It's a walloping big story, but it's also meandering a bit. For example, why would Thor run off to Asgard when the Earth is facing extinction? When did the Hulk become a helpful guy? Was it necessary to give one hero such a gory and gruesome fate?
Well, you get the idea. Certainly big things are happening, and it's going to take some real clever twists to set things right.
So far, I haven't seen much in the way of clever. It's mostly been the usual heavy-handed mass murder, which is a cheap way to get attention. Fixing the problem - now that will take some smart writing.
Grade: B
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