The Ultimates #1: How Far They’ve Come

The first installments of any periodic storytelling are always difficult. The adage of TV pilots being the most difficult episode of a show to write perseveres for a reason. Not only does the first part need to set a tone, world, and characters but it also has to be a compelling hook to keep the audience engaged. Network sitcoms often struggle with this, and it’s the reason why many take a few episodes/parts to find the footing before reaching a comfortable groove. The best pilots or first episodes offer all those things fully baked and show an immediate voice that carries onward into the later stories. Those notions of a compelling opening reverberated while reading the last debut of the first wave of Ultimate titles. 

The Ultimates #1 – written by Deniz Camp with art by Juan Frigeri, colors from Federico Blee, and lettering by VC’s Travis Lanham – picks up from the end of the Ultimate Universe one-shot and the Ultimates Free Comic Book Day issue. The core team of the issue is Iron Lad (the teenage Tony Stark equipped with the Immortus Engine), Doctor Doom (the Reed Richards of this universe), a recently unfrozen Captain America, a hurt Thor, and a no-nonsense Sif. Making their plans for the Maker’s inevitable return in 24 months, the group spends the majority of the issue discussing the merits of kickstarting the age of heroes for this universe. 

Stark makes a disastrous attempt to realign heroes with their origin stories, making a very limited number of successes (Spider-Man being the prime example). His idea to form an Ultimates network of heroes resisting the Maker’s World Council is a colossal failure in the v1.0 stage, but after bringing in two new heroes, The Wasp and Ant-Man, the v2.0 offers hope. The couple are exterminators unwilling to deal with living things like Moleoids and both experience a sense of wasted potential throughout the issue. A fight with Captain Britain’s forces becomes the catalyst the bug-themed heroes need, joining forces with the Ultimates to fight for the future. 

Camp solidifies a rock-solid concept and execution into a tight 30-page script. From the jump, this issue lays out the stakes for both the character level and the fate of the world. Doing so allows the high concepts of time travel and the meta nature of an alternate reality to feel grounded and relevant as the story goes on. So much of the current Ultimate line feels built out of the cultural consciousness idea of fate and purpose being robbed from the current generation, and Camp crystallizes that theme in less than 10 pages. It’s a momentous task that showcases how strong of a handle they have on this world and narrative, instantly propelling the book forward. That theme reverberates throughout the issue, becoming a cacophony of narrative thrust once Hank and Jan are introduced. 

It is also a testament to the writing that Camp can make discussions in front of a whiteboard with plans and timelines such a gripping read at the moment. What could easily pass off as expository beats instead become opportunities for characters to shine, especially in the conflicting natures of Stark and Doom. In another universe, these two figures are colleagues and friends but thanks to the Maker’s influence on this world, the dynamic is much more muddled. There’s a lingering tension that permeates this version of the team that extends throughout, and various points of life experiences make for a compelling start to the evolving team dynamics. With Camp’s promise of new Ultimates showing up in every issue, it will be fascinating to watch how they cause ripples in this environment. 

The ripples are by far the most exciting part of the new Ultimate Universe, which not only gets to play with the expectations of the 616 world but also twists the original Ultimate’s perspective. The shift of turning the Ultimates into underground freedom fighters versus the government-sanctioned super(weapon) team of the Millar/Hitch era is inspired, making a screaming statement on the seats of power in a chaotic world. The first antagonist of the run, Captain Britain, is an excellent pairing as a manifestation of imperial power and military might. He feels more in line with the original interpretation of an Ultimate, and by putting into conflict with the team, spells out the change in perspective. 

While the writing is excellent on all accounts, it is bolstered and reinforced by Frigeri’s linework. Matching some of the cinematic energy of Hitch’s work on the original Ultimates, Frigeri brings a layer of grit and imperfection that seems fitting to the universe. Everything feels slightly off like having every piece of furniture in the room moved two inches to the left. That choice creates a compelling effect that serves as a subconscious reminder of the Maker’s influence even as he is trapped away for the next two years. 

From the opening splash to the series of wide panels, the book moves at a thumping pace, never wasting time or space on the uninteresting. Frigeri frames conversations between Stark and Doom like beautiful expressions of action in the wide, narrow panels. The blocking and compositions resemble the works of Stephen Spielberg, who understood how important the use of space when providing exposition can be. However, Frigeri’s ability to break up the exposition with a variety of layouts remains awe-inspiring, as the book quickly adapts a nine-panel grid or overlaid panels when needed. It’s a variety that ensures motion is always present, giving the book a high-octane feeling even when the beats are slower. 

Frigeri brings that same level of care to the action beats of the book, which carry an intense, slick level of motion and movement. When an item slams into a car, new powers are unlocked, or damage is done to a body, it feels real and grounded with a touch of the exaggerated for a strong effect. The striking of that balance ensures the action still feels akin to an Avengers/Ultimates level of storytelling while embedding itself into the established world. Sure, time travel, genetic engineering, and Norse magic occur at the tip of a hat but a punch or explosion carries repercussions on a character’s body. That choice to illustrate through reaction shots, focus on close-ups, and tweaking of anatomy elevates the book’s visuals to stand status. 

Much of the elevation is a direct result of Blee’s coloring, which adds to the more exaggerated elements of the superheroes. The book doesn’t shy away from bright, flashy colors, shedding the muted palette of a gritty superhero approach. As a result, the issue expands into colors like deep blues for the energy beams and technology hues, deep reds for emotional action beats, and warm oranges of non-natural lighting. Stark technology gives a specific hue that stands akin to arc reactor technology that extends through the various Ultimate titles. The tone used by Matthew Wilson in Ultimate Spider-Man echoes here in Blee’s tones, which not only adds to the cohesiveness of the universe but highlights how much the world as a whole progressed.