This week was a nice week. 16 books is a good haul these days.. most of them I’ve been anticipating. So far there’s been some good stuff cooking from Marvel and DC as of late. DC’s Absolute Power has been a monster, along with Marvel’s Venom War. As for book of the week, it was no contest…
Comic Book of The Week:
The Ultimates #4
Camp / Noto
….
This issue, we get the tragic backstory on Ultimates member Doctor Doom, who is this universe’s Reed Richards. Camp give us an interesting narrative, deconstructing Reed “Doom” Richard using time jumps three periods running in parallel. In the present, we get Iron Lad confronting Doom about his absence from fighting alongside the team. Another time chronicles the lead-up to Reed’s attempt to create this universe’s Fantastic Four, which ended in the tragedy of the deaths of Sue, Johnny and Ben. And the third showing The Maker, the original Ultimate Universe’s Reed Richards, revealing it was he to threw a monkey wrench into the creation of the FF.
The whole book is heartbreaking, showing why Doom joined the Utlimates… whether it’s out of revenge, or the possibility of reversing with The Maker did to this universe. There are no notes anyone could gibe Camp on this story. This might be the best issue of comics I’ve read so far this year. Phil Noto takes over art duties for Juan Frigeri and the book doesn’t miss a beat. If anything, the artwork is a lot more cleaner than the regular artists, which we could play into the tone of the book. I really loved it, but I think Frigeri’s art is that this book needs.
This might be my first 5/5 this year. I really liked this book. I’m hoping Camp give us character studies on each of the heroes in future books. Some could argue that the book is going to slow, plot-wise. But i think that’s by design, since we get each book gives us a countdown to the impending return of the maker. As of this book, we have four months to go. I’m hoping the Maker’s return leads into the Ultimate Universe’s first Ultimate-wide crossover. Time will tell!
Rating: 5/5
Best of The Rest:
