Everything looks super sized; the cast, the sets and even the explosions, the wide shot 18 seconds in is particularly impressive. Director Joss Whedon is keeping his cards pretty close to his chest, and the trailer shows less than it feels like it does; but he does introduce the main characters and the villain, so it’s enough to get me excited.

Oh, and if your wondering where the hell is the Hulk, just wait to the end. Check out the trailer below and get back to us with your thoughts.

Download HERE

Discussion Includes:

This series has been the definition of hit-and-miss for me. But I’m happy to write that this issue is a fantastic return to form…because it’s absolutely ridiculous. It’s downright ludicrous and that has to mean something when you read comics about men dressed as bats or silver surfers from space on a weekly basis.

I know I can’t judge this as a normal comic book anymore. I can’t relate to any of the characters or sympathize with their problems or feel that strongly about the ‘issues’ that this storyline is dealing with. When it really flies it’s an action packed satirical cartoon, cracking jokes and skulls with equal aplomb. My problem is that Mark Millar’s first two volumes of the Ultimates did this with heart and brains that made the reader care a little more when the fists weren’t flying. Was it Bryan Hitch’s epic artwork? Was it the 13-issue format that took time to develop characters and story? It’s a mystery.

Now that the secret villain of the series has been laid bare the fights come thick and fast and they are loaded with some startling surprises. Hulk pills! Korean Spiderman! Ultimate Ultimate Team-Up! I was grinning from ear to ear reading this wondering how it could any more absurd. I just hope that the conclusion is big and noisy enough to distract me from its shortcomings.

Joe Read.

Marvel says:

Marvel is pleased to present your first look at Ultimate Comics Ultimates #1, from the critically acclaimed creative team of Jonathan Hickman and Esad Ribic! Iron Man, Hawkeye, Nick Fury & Thor are back together after the monumental events of Ultimate Comics Fallout! One of the biggest villains that ever faced the Ultimate Universe has returned. But with a teammate out of action, can the remaining members save the world as they struggle to find their place in the Ultimate Universe?   Ultimate Comics Universe Reborn kicks off this August in Ultimate Comics Ultimates #1!

ULTIMATE COMICS ULTIMATES #1
Written by JONATHAN HICKMAN
Art by ESAD RIBIC
Cover by KAARE ANDREWS
Variant Cover by ESAD RIBIC
ON SALE – 24/08/11

Can you notice any differences in the costumes? And is that our first glimpse of Mark Ruffalo as the Hulk in the background? Let us know what you think…

Ultimate Avengers vs. New Ultimates #4

Let me make it clear: I do not enjoy writing bad reviews. This site is dedicated to good comic books and if we can’t find anything nice to say, we won’t say anything at all. However I have committed to covering the Death of Spiderman and I mean to stick it out until the bitter end.

So previously the Ultimate Avengers were having a big fight with the New Ultimates when Spiderman jumped out of nowhere and took a bullet for Captain America. The timing of that moment was brilliant and the possibilities for where the story could go were numerous and tantalizing. That is why I had to read this installment twice in a row and then pinch myself, because that potential has been completely squandered.

The real-time technique that’s being used to dramatic effect in Ultimate Spiderman right now is abandoned half way through this issue and makes the tie-in of these two titles seem pointless. Something like this might not even matter if the heroes weren’t even more unlikeable than usual. A badly wounded Spidey disappears in the middle of the fighting and none of the Ultimates seem to care? No, they’re all sitting around back at Tony Stark’s penthouse (cue Seinfeld theme) and he barely gets a mention.

By the end its clear that Mark Millar is once again going through the motions. The reveal of the villain in the last few pages felt too familiar to be surprising and any impact intended for the shocking last minute ‘death’ is spoilt if you’re able to turn the page and see the cover for the next issue.

The best thing I can say is that this chapter reveals how everyone’s favorite wall-crawler gets from Ultimate Spiderman #157 to #158. Otherwise I recommend that you skip it and read them instead.

Joe Read.

As usual, Marvel have something to say about their intellectual property…

Marvel is pleased to present your first look at Fear Itself #3 (of 7), from comics superstars Matt Fraction and Stuart Immonen! As The Worthy’s campaign of mayhem burns worldwide, Sin comes closer than ever at completing the one task her father never could – the complete conquest of the Marvel Universe! With Thor locked away in Asgard, will Captain America and the rest of the Avengers fall to the forces of Fear Itself? And what fate awaits the hammer that fell on Yancy Street? The tide of war runs blood red as Earth’s Mightiest Heroes learn the true price of the Serpent’s war this June, only in Fear Itself #3 (of 7)!

FEAR ITSELF #3 (of 7)
FEAR ITSELF #3 (of 7) IMMONEN VARIANT )
FEAR ITSELF #3 (of 7) CAMUNCOLI VARIANT
Written by MATT FRACTION
Penciled by STUART IMMONEN
Cover by STEVE McNIVEN
Variant Cover by STUART IMMONEN
Variant Cover by GIUSEPPE CAMUNCOLI
On Sale – 1/06/11

The Avengers will be released on May 4th 2012, so there’s not really that much to do in just over a year. Only make a massive blockbuster with a huge cast of the worlds biggest movie stars portaying incredibly well loved characters for an audience that is notoriously hard to please… Whedon you have all my faith!

Keep checking back for further Avengers film updates!

Will Pond.

Ultimate Avengers vs. New Ultimates #3

The injection of humour in this chapter makes it a big improvement on the last. Millar’s ‘Balls to the Wall’ style works best when satirizing the kind of Michael Bay blockbusters it appears to imitate. If he forgets to put that tongue in cheek then we get what happened in issue 2. The ridiculously rapid pace of the action here completely disregards any cloak and dagger subtlety that could be explored in the mystery of who the traitor is. However rather than being a hindrance this element helps drive the story towards a brilliant twist, which I will not spoil here.

My gripes with this one are not huge. The jokes about Tony Stark’s alcoholism had worn thin after the first six issues of the Ultimates but Millar insists on flogging that dead horse. It’s a shame to see it after writers like Warren Ellis have proven the character can be developed in interesting ways and not just sidelined for comic relief. While we’re on the subject, why does the Iron Man armour now look just like it does in the movies? It should be the other way around! Then again how can I expect common sense in a comic where Captain Britain and the director of S.H.I.E.L.D. are gushing over David Cameron?

For more on the shocking ending of this issue, stay tuned for my review of Ultimate Spiderman #157, coming soon!

Joe Read.

Your First Look At FEAR ITSELF #2

Marvel is proud to present your first look at Fear Itself #2 (of 7), from comics megastars Matt Fraction and Stuart Immonen. The comic blockbuster of 2011 is here and fans and critics everywhere are asking “Who are The Worthy?” Seven hammers of unfathomable power have fallen to the far corners of the Earth and the race is on to see who will be the Serpent’s champions. With the Asgardians leaving the Marvel Universe to fend for itself, can the Avengers repel a foe that gets stronger the more he’s feared? The Marvel Universe’s worst nightmare comes true this May as the event iFanboy.com calls “a huge, epic story that is exactly the kind that comic books are made for” continues, only in Fear Itself #2 (of 7)!

FEAR ITSELF #2 (of 7) (MAR110612)
FEAR ITSELF #2 (of 7) IMMONEN VARIANT (MAR110613)
FEAR ITSELF #2 (of 7) McNIVEN VARIANT (MAR110614)

Written by MATT FRACTION
Penciled by STUART IMMONEN
Cover by STEVE McNIVEN
Variant Cover by STUART IMMONEN
Variant Cover by STEVE McNIVEN

On Sale – 4th May 2011