(W) Jonathan Hickman (A) Bryan Hitch
The Ultimate Universe is something I missed first time around. The idea that you could update all of the origins of classic Marvel by having their origins take place in the modern day as opposed to the 1960’s was revolutionary at the time, and it provided a level of freshness that Marvel arguably needed at the time.
The idea has always intrigued me, so as soon as I saw the Ultimate Spider-Man was going to start hitting the omnibus format, I knew I had my way in. So far there have been two volumes covering almost 80 issues, and I devoured both of them upon their release. Then I moved onto The Ultimates Omnibus, and wow do Marvel Studios owe Mark Millar and Bryan Hitch some royalties, because they basically set the template upon which the whole MCU has been built. I have picked up the first Ultimate X-Men Omnibus but have yet to indulge.
Which brings us to Ultimate Invasion. Apparently originally the brainchild of Donny Cates (he even gets a special thanks in the credits of the book), it is ultimately (see what I did there?) brought to us from the team of Jonathan Hickman, and original Ultimates artist, Bryan Hitch. And boy does it deliver.
If there’s one thing Hickman specialises in, it is big ideas and broad concepts. He delivered 2015’s Secret Wars which effectively killed off the Ultimate Universe, so maybe it’s serendipity that he revives it. Having revolutionised the X-Men with the Krakoa era, he has now set his sights on the whole Marvel Universe.
Earth 1610 is back, and The Maker, AKA a psychotic version of Reed Richards from the Ultimate Universe, is waging war. A great bulk of the book is spent showing how he has been kept secluded, under arrest and hidden from the world, and how he breaks free from those chains. And he does it in a smart, twisted and gruesome way. His perfect plan is slightly upset by someone he hired not being present and a replacement sent in his place. This small alteration is enough for those in charge to realise that it is no longer Reed Richards in their custody.
Hickman has always been great at juggling a large cast of characters but making each voice unique, and he is on top form here. There are times where I believe Hackman’s ideas can almost be too big and can get away from him slightly (ironically enough he’s in the Marvel Universe to me, what Scott Snyder in the DC Uinverse is to Keith!), but he echoes the original Ultimates Universe tone of Mark Millar brilliantly here, aiming instead for a large scale blockbuster with plenty of twists. He also writes a truly terrifying foe in The Maker, and we are right to worry for the heroes here given what they are up against.
There are more than enough breadcrumbs laid out for us in issue 1, without going into too much specificity regarding The Maker’s plan, but letting us know that the Marvel Universe should be on the highest of alerts.
Bryan Hitch’s art is fantastic here. It’s great having him back in the Ultimate Universe, as you feel right at home with the visual style of the first issue. There are bombastic set pieces, large scale pages, and plenty of great, subtle details in the faces of the characters. I must admit I wasn’t the biggest fan of Hitch’s work recently on Venom, with Cafu coming in and steadying the ship, but this book is simply gorgeous and a major selling point in the admittedly larger cover price.
But the price may have been a little steeper than most modern comics, but I thought it was fantastic value for money given the quality on show. And I can’t wait for the next issues to come out, before a proper rebirth takes place for the Ultimate Universe!