The Ultimates #3

Cover by Kaare Andrews

The Ultimates #3 (October 26, 2011)

Writer: Jonathan Hickman

Penciller: Esad Ribic

Colorist: Dean White

Letterer: Clayton Cowles

I’m still really enjoying this series though I am completely unfamiliar with the Ultimates universe. That is most likely a failing on my end but so far, Hickman hasn’t lost or totally confused me.

Rather, he has spun a very exciting story arc. The Ultimates #3, in particularly, feels very cinematic. It could easily be translated to the screen as an action-packed, epic, explosion-filled thriller; yet it still has a great storyline and well-drawn character depths. I cared about all the central figures in this issue, Thor, Hawkeye, Nick Fury and Iron Man, in particular. They were very dynamic and rather atypical. For example, Nick Fury had an intense moment of defeat and even Thor suffered from resigned, embittered vengeance. There was very much a sense of a team effort, which I greatly enjoyed, in the S.H.I.E.L.D. helicarrier; based, however, on the frenetic assault on our agents and Europe, this isn’t always enough.

Daredevil #5

Cover by Marcos Martin

Daredevil #5 (October 26, 2011)

Writer: Mark Waid

Penciller: Marcos Martin

Colorist: Javier Rodriguez

Letterer: Joe Caramagna

So somehow I missed Daredevil #4 and didn’t even realize it right away. This should’ve upset me but instead, I shrugged and figured I would continue on from Daredevil #5.

This implies that Waid’s Daredevil series can be read at random and individual issues are weak. That is not true. If anything, my complete engrossment in Daredevil #5 without even knowing I had missed #4 signifies Waid’s strength as a writer. He gave me a coherent, gripping new storyline that could’ve been enjoyable to a completely new reader but still drew just the right amount from its immediate predecessors for those who have been with the series from the beginning.

Legion of Monsters #1

Cover by Juan Doe

Legion of Monsters #1 (October 12, 2011)

Writer: Dennis Hopeless

Penciller: Juan Doe

Colorist: Wil Quintana

Letterer: Dave Lanphear

I’m always on the lookout for unfamiliar and new series, especially ones that I can start fresh with as a reader. So I was excited to see Legion of Monsters #1 on the newsstand and, as a big classic monster movie fan, was terribly intrigued. Once again, I have no background with these characters but I assumed that this Legion of Monsters is a sort of contemporary throwback to the pulpy horror comics of the 1950s and 1960s. It definitely had the feel of those comics but with some very modern concepts, as well.

Legion of Monsters #1 starts rather forebodingly, with an unnamed narrator explaining that a serial killer is targeting teenage girls in suburban England. The police are baffled, however, because they are erroneously looking for a human serial killer rather than a supernatural one. Luckily, Elsa Bloodstone, our teenage monster hunter and narrator, is on to this villain and decides to lure him her own way.

Red Skull: Incarnate #4

Cover by David Aja

Red Skull: Incarnate #4 (October 27, 2011)

Writer: Greg Pak

Penciller: Mirko Colak

Colorist: Matthew Wilson

Inker: Mirko Colak

Letterer: Clayton Cowles

This has been the weakest thus far in the Red Skull: Incarnate series. That is particularly disappointing as this is the penultimate issue and should’ve whetted my appetite for the insane upcoming conclusion.

Don’t get me wrong; the last panel promised an exciting last issue with a crazy-sounding plan that I shan’t give away here. I only wish that the build-up to this final panel had been more exciting and had more plot to it than simply waiting around for Johann Schmidt to drop the crazy-plan-bomb.

The Ultimates #2

Cover by Kaare Andrews

The Ultimates #2 (September 28, 2011)

Writer: Jonathan Hickman

Penciller: Esad Ribic

Colorist: Dean White

Letterer: Clayton Cowles

In another review of this comic, it was called “high concept.” That was exactly the term I was looking for after reading The Ultimates #2. It was bothering me for a while.

“High concept” can be analogous with “gimmicky” which in turn, can be viewed as “weak.” The Ultimates #2 was definitely out there with its gimmick but Hickman managed to craft a thoroughly strong and compelling storyline. I was confused by some of the backstory and just where within this universe the totally neutral villains spring from and what they plan to do; however, I was intrigued by these villains, the Tomorrow People, simply because they are some of the most unique and compelling bad guys I’ve encountered in a long time.