Ultimates 3
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Ultimates 3 | |
 Cover to Ultimates 3 #1. Art by Joe Madureira |
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| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
|---|---|
| Schedule | Monthly |
| Format | Mini-series |
| Publication date | December 2007 - |
| Number of issues | 5 |
| Creative team | |
| Writer(s) | Jeph Loeb |
| Artist(s) | Joe Madureira |
| Colorist(s) | Christian Lichtner |
Ultimates 3 is a five-issue monthly comic book mini-series. The third installment in the Ultimates series, it was published in late 2007 and early 2008. It is written by Jeph Loeb and illustrated by Joe Madureira and colorist Christian Lichtner.
The title has been suffering from delays with issues being held back several months. As of June 10th, 2008, two issues are yet to be shipped with issue #4 being three months over due.[1]
Contents |
[edit] Publication history
Following the success of the first two miniseries, Ultimates and Ultimates 2, which ran from March 2002 to April 2004, and from December 2004 to May 2007, respectively, Ultimates 3 premiered December 5, 2007, and will last five issues. The story, "Sex, Lies, & DVD", is set two years after the end of Ultimates 2.[2]
Jeph Loeb stated that his approach to the Ultimate universe is an to use the opportunity to do "something that can't and won't be done in the Marvel Universe." After meeting with the writer Brian Michael Bendis, editor Dan Buckley and Editor-in-chief Joe Quesada, it was decided to enact a storyline that would eventually become "Ultimatum", into which Ultimates 3, Ultimate Power, Ultimate Origin, Ultimate Fantastic Four and Ultimate X-Men will tie in and crossover.[3]
In an interview Joe Madureira stated he wanted his Ultimates work to be more fluid, with a greater focus "on energy and silhouettes than on cleanliness." He also stated his favorite character to illustrate in the Ultimates series has so far been the Blob, followed by Venom.[4] In his early character sketches, Madureira noted that Captain America's costume will be made to be more similar to his Marvel 616 counterpart.[5]
[edit] Plot
The Ultimates, now operating from Tony Stark's mansion, are dealing with the fallout of a sex tape depicting Tony and the Black Widow that has been leaked to the media and on the Internet. Tony has retreated into alcoholism as a result. The Wasp is now the leader of the team. Thor has begun a relationship with Valkyrie. Tensions are high amongst the team, with Captain America frequently butting heads with Wasp, and Hawkeye having a death wish after the loss of his family. Also, Wasp notes that Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch are in an incestuous relationship. Suddenly, Venom launches a surprise attack on Tony Stark's mansion, demanding to know where an unspecified "she" is, much to the confusion of the Ultimates, who manage to defeat Venom. Later, as Pietro and Wanda walk about the town, a bullet is fired as they pass by Radio City Music Hall. It is designed to bypass Pietro's speed, and weaves about, eventually ripping through his palm and hitting Wanda, filling her lungs with blood, resulting in her death, despite a passing doctor's best efforts.
Hawkeye, searching for Black Panther, runs into Spider-Man, and suspecting that he had something to do with Venom's appearance, engages the web-slinger, but is called back to the mansion by Captain America. Magneto and the Brotherhood of Mutants (Blob, Sabretooth, Mystique, Multiple Man, and Lorelei) attack the Ultimates' mansion, and with the help of a despondent Quicksilver, absconds with Wanda's corpse. Right after doing so, Wolverine appears, telling the Ultimates that they have an even bigger problem.
He says he knows Magneto loved Wanda, as does Pietro, and he knows why Magneto took her, and that Wanda could have been his child. Wolverine explains that after "The War", he went to Wundagore, hoping to die. There, he met Magda, Magneto's wife, hoping she could finally kill him. Instead, the two made love, and when Magneto arrived, he attacked Logan, banishing him from Wundagore. Years later, Wolverine had joined the Brotherhood, encountering Pietro and Wanda (who bears a striking resemblance to her mother) once more. Magneto either did not recognize Logan, or chose not to make an issue of their past encounter due to the pain he knew his one-time rival would feel when seeing Wanda. Magneto asked Wolverine to prove his loyalty by killing Quicksilver. Logan sneaked off to stab Pietro and scare him away from the Savage Land, but Wanda summoned dinosaurs into the Savage Land. After Wolverine backs off, Pietro and Wanda decide to say the dinosaurs are genetic experiments to enhance their father's reputation. Wolverine tells the Ultimates that Pietro is protecting the world from his sister. He says some of the team must go to the Savage Land, and Wasp vetoes Captain America's away roster, because she needs Cap help with the inevitable news circus. Hitting the Savage Land, Wolverine tells Black Panther not to get anyone killed, as he's realized someone else is wearing his costume, that someone may just be Cap since the two are never seen together. They meet up with Shanna the She-Devil, Ka-Zar, and Zabu.
Meanwhile, Iron Man returns following his bout with the Blob, and informs the Wasp that he had investigated the origin of the bullet that killed Wanda, which he says came from Stark Enterprises. He then stuns Wasp unconscious, and removes his faceplate, revealing that he is a robot posing as Stark.
[edit] Reception
Ultimates 3 #1 was ranked first in December 2007 Top 300 comics with preorder sales of 131,401.[6]
Richard George from IGN.com called the book a "reasonably decent experience" although the issue "falters on its own merits". George found various elements of the book "awkward", and "bizarre", including the first six-to-eight page sequence, the introduction of new characters without explanation, the dialogue and characterization, and the lack of an illustration of how two years have passed since the last Ultimates arc. George called Joe Madureira's pencils "stunning", but lacking in panel-to-panel fluidity or logic with respect to characters' poses. George did not think highly of Madureira's storytelling, and thought that Lichtner's coloring created an "odd haze and muted quality", which was less suited to Madureira than to Hitch's art. The other reviewer from IGN.com, Bryan, scored the issue 3.1 out of 10, and criticizing the lack of subtlety as being "tasteless", and the book as a "brainless and almost offensive exercise". IGN gave the book an overall score of 6.6 out of 10.[7]
Jason Michelitch from popcultureshock.com awarded the issue a C-, opining that Madureira's manga-influenced art, which was groundbreaking in the 1990s, now looked trite, given the ubiquity of manga in the 2000s. Michelitch perceived Lichtner's coloring as characterized by a "muddy-brownish red over everything, turning all the visuals into a non-dynamic mush." Michelitch also found fault with Jeph Loeb’s writing, saying that the mature material was inappropriate for children.[8]
Jon Judy from comicsbulletin.com was more receptive of the comic, giving it four and a half bullets, and stated the new series is off to a "very, very good start". He praised most of Loeb's dialogue, and felt Madureira's art was "cartoony enough not to be a distraction but detailed and dark enough to fit the feel of the book." Fellow comicsbulletin reviewers Shawn Hill and Kevin Powers were less impressed, each giving the book two bullets each. Hill criticized the inconsistent rendering of Wasp, and poor characterization of the characters, which he saw as indistinguishable from their Marvel 616 counterparts, though he enjoyed the appearance by Valkyrie. Powers criticized the lack of explanation for the appearance of Black Panther and Valkyrie, and how the various situations and characters felt out of place, though he praised Madureira's art, and expressed curiosity as to where the story would lead.[9]
Ultimates 3 #2 was ranked 7th in January 2008 with preorder sales of 105,070.[10]
James Donnelly from popsyndicate.com was critical of the second issue, stating "This is a bad bad series that shows no signs whatsoever of getting better." [11]
Ultimates 3 #3 dropped in the sales February 2008 ranking to 5th with preorder sales of 97,210.[12]
Rokk Kirrin from Rokk's Comic Book Revolution rated the art 7 ouf of 10, and the story 4 out of 10, with an overall rating of 5.5 out of 10. The reviewer enjoyed Madureira's artwork, but was disappointed with the coloring, opining that it gave the book a "very dim and muddy look". He was critical of the bad characterization of characters, especially of Hawkeye.[13]
[edit] References
- ^ ULTIMATES 3 #4. Marvel.com (catalog indicates a March release date). Retrieved on 2008-05-27.
- ^ Ultimate Marvel Sampler #1; 2007; Page 1
- ^ Brady, Matt. CCI: ULTIMATE CHANGES: LOEB TALKS "ULTIMATUM" AND ULTIMATES 3". comicbooks.org. Retrieved on 2008-03-07.
- ^ Casey, Todd. [WWLA PREVIEW THE WIZARD Q&A: JOE MADUREIRA]. IGN.com. Retrieved on 2008-03-20.
- ^ Images » Ultimates VOL 3. joemadfan.com. Retrieved on 2008-03-24.
- ^ Top 300 Comics Actual--December 2007. icv2.com. Retrieved on 2008-03-07.
- ^ George, Richard. Ultimates Vol. 3 #1 Review. IGN.com. Retrieved on 2008-03-20.
- ^ Michelitch, Jason. Ultimates 3 #1. popcultureshock.com. Retrieved on 2008-03-20.
- ^ Judy, Jon. Sunday Slugfest – Ultimates 3 #1. comicsbulletin.com. Retrieved on 2008-03-20.
- ^ Top 300 Comics Actual--January 2008. icv2.com. Retrieved on 2008-03-20.
- ^ Donnelly, James. The Ultimates 3 #2. popsyndicate.com. Retrieved on 2008-03-20.
- ^ Top 300 Comics Actual--February 2008. icv2.com. Retrieved on 2008-03-20.
- ^ Krinn, Rokk. Comic Book Review: Ultimates 3 #3. comicbookrevolution. Retrieved on 2008-03-20.
[edit] See also
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