One thing that can be said about Marvels Ultimate line is that well… anything goes. And if you’ve been reading ULTIMATES… you’ll know what I’m talking about. Starting July in ULTIMATE COMICS ULTIMATES #13 is Divided We Fall… a story stretching across all three Ultimate books. This story began in ULTIMATE COMICS ULTIMATES #10 which was the first issue that saw co-writer Sam Humphries and artist Luke Ross joining Jonathan Hickman. This issue had former Fantastic Four leader Reed Richards eradicating Washington D.C. decimating the U.S. government to the point where the off-site Secretary of Energy became next in line for the presidency.
“That’s something you can’t get away with in the mainline Marvel books, or in the movies, the cartoon shows, the video games—any place where they tell stories about Marvel characters,” says Humphries of the incnident. “I’ve always looked at the Ultimate Universe as a place that is fundamentally different. Characters are bigger, stakes are higher, and fate is more extreme. Day to day life has sharper edges.”
“It’s like the Earth’s axis is tipped one inch further to the left—you’d never be able to measure it, but everything about living on the planet would be irreversibly affected.”
ULTIMATE COMICS ULTIMATES #11 hits shelves next Wednesday May 30th and we will see S.H.I.E.L.D under new leadership with their top operatives on the run as fugitives.
“The previous president removed Nick Fury and put a new guy in his place,” Humphries recounts. “Then an attack on Washington vaporized most of the United States government. The world security agency doesn’t know which way is up anymore. They’ve got an identity crisis, and to paraphrase Marshal McLuhan, the less identity we have, the more violence we see.
“[But] Nick Fury is always in control. Even when you rip S.H.I.E.L.D. away from him and put him on the run, he’s still the man with the plan.”
And while this is all going on the other Ultimates will have their own issues to face. The worst off of them all being Tony Stark. Tony has discovered his dormant brain tumor has returned and with comes growing hallucinations.
ULTIMATE COMICS ULTIMATES #12 will be hitting shelves June 27th and with it we will see Hickman take his final bow. Humphries will take over the title full time… but will definitely not be ignoring the path Hickman has set the book on.
“Jonathan’s been crushing it on ULTIMATES with some huge developments,” he says. “I’d be a fool not to work from what he’s set up—it’s a world rife with potential and big moments. At the same time, Hickman has maintained from our very first conversation that it’s imperative for me to write what I’m interested in writing instead of trying to ape or continuing someone else’s work. What you’re reading now is a true blend of two perspectives on the Ultimates.”
And finally as stated above… starting in July… Divided We Fall.
“The thing about Divided We Fall is that the books are interconnected, but not interwoven,” Humphries explains. “All the books are experiencing the same chaos, but each book gives you a different point of view. What Miles Morales sees isn’t what Thor sees isn’t what Rogue sees. So each book tells the same larger story, but they can be read independently of each other.”
I can say that i’ve definitely been reading all of the Ultimate books and right now they’re great and this is definitely looking like something that I will be looking forward to.
ULTIMATE COMICS ULTIMATES #10 is on stands now. Get it. Read it.
Source: Marvel