Broken Frontier

Today sees the release of Jeph Loeb’s first work in the Ultimate Universe since tearing it down with Ultimatum.  Is Ultimate X a continuation of that or the start of his rebuilding of their world?

BROKEN FRONTIER: Questions dealing with anything going on in the Ultimate Universe these days, especially when talking with you must begin with Ultimatum. While no one can doubt that the book accomplished its overall goal, it was met with mixed fan and critical reaction. Are you ever worried about possible backlash against you when you step back into this world as a writer?

JEPH LOEB: Of course. Every time I start a project I try and bring out the best I have.

My hope is that ULTIMATE X is such a different flavor that if you prefer the writing I did on things like SUPERMAN FOR ALL SEASONS and SPIDER-MAN BLUE this will be more to your liking.

BF: As a follow up to that, many times I’ve heard in the comic book realm that you have to break, and in some instances literally beat down, a character so you can bring him back up again to even loftier heights.

If we consider the Ultimate Universe that character and Ultimatum the first step of that, do you have a full complete goal in the rebuilding of the Ultimate Universe and is Ultimate X the first step in that direction?

JL: Ultimate X is a story about hope and rebuilding. The goal that we set out with Ultimatum -- myself, Mark Millar, Bendis, Joe Quesada and Dan Buckley -- was to bring about something that could only happen in the UU. There was and will be no reset button. Peoples lives were changed and we want to reflect that. You're seeing it in Ultimate Spider-Man and Ultimate Avengers. Ultimate X is the next step, followed by New Ultimates. Those are the core four books.

BF: In an interview I did with Mike Carey before he took over Ult.Fantastic 4, he mentioned that he loved working in the Ultimate Universe because it was like writing the Marvel Universe through a looking glass. Up until recently this meant taking existing characters and “ultimatizing” them (for lack of a better term). And that joy of “double vision” definitely carried over to the readers as well.

I know from reading the Ultimate line that seeing how existing Marvel Universe characters would be brought over and redefined was a very exciting aspect. As a writer in the post-Ultimatum Ultimate Universe, does that dynamic still exist? Is it something that you look forward to playing with when writing an Ultimate book? Does the post-Ultimatum status quo make it more or less fun to play with readers expectations of these items? And do you more enjoy introducing new characters into this universe than re-imagining existing ones?

JL: What has changed is the Universe itself. This is a place where real death has come and it has real consequences. The challenge now is telling  stories
of the triumph of the human spirit. What I like best about the UU is how closely it mirrors "our" universe. In a post 9/11, post Haiti, post next cataclismic thing -- how do we go on? And we still do! That's what makes the heroes step forward.

How we find hope even when it seems impossible. Ultimate X comes from that place.

BF: The cover image that was released with the solicitation for Ultimate X showcased one teenage male character (presumably) leaving his high school. The image showcases him as an outsider – hood pulled over his head, separated in the foreground away from the rest of the students – but one thing stands out in particular – the 3 claws. 3 claws has always been a sign of Wolverine in anything Marvel publishes, but he’s dead as of Ultimatum.

Speculation has been centered on 2 major things – his return, to the reveal of Ultimate Daken (even if Daken has 2 claws) to my personal pet theory, Nate Grey (the implications of which could cause my head to explode). How much input into the design of the image did you have and how much fun has the speculation on the topic been to follow?

JL: The book is a total collaboration between myself and Arthur Adams. Arthur did many many sketches for each of the characters (we hope to include those
in a collection some day) before we got to where we are. I couldn't be happier.

BF: The more recent and talked about image from the book was the one that Marvel released as a teaser, revealing one new character each day for a week.
The characters ranged from familiar looking (the black haired female seems to have the Scarlett Witch hex balloons around her hand and head and the fire female) to the unknown (a werewolf with wings?) to the known but incredible surprises (you cannot tell me that isn’t Art Adam’s Joe Fixit).

Did you help them select the order the characters were released? Was there any particular one you were interested in seeing the reaction to?

JL: Marvel came up with the ad campaign and it really worked getting people talking about the book. What excites me is that we will meet each of those
characters in order as the group comes together.

There are many surprises people will have when they read Ultimate X -- not the least of which is that this isn't a team book -- not in any traditional sense.

BF: Combining the last few questions in a sense, you’ve stated that this is not a mutant book or a team book but a book about existing in the post-Ultimatum Universe. But the first image showcased one character; the full teaser highlighted what can only be taken for a team; and merely using the letter ‘X’ in the title will make people think of mutants.

Was there an obvious purpose behind all of these choices that will make sense over the course of the series? Or was this just the ultimate way (if you’ll excuse the pun) to play with fan expectations and pique their curiousity?

JL: Each story will go delve into the characters' lives -- who they are and why they are the focus. How they come together, what they want -- these are all the challenges Arthur and I face. Hopefully, the readers and fans will come along for the ride.

BF: Art Adams… ART ADAMS… ART FREAKIN ADAMS!!! (regaining composure and breath) Do you consider yourself the luckiest writer in the world when it comes to getting artists attached to your books? Was he an obvious choice in your mind for this one or do you hold some sort of elaborate contest for artists that want to work with you and he won this time?

JL: Arthur was the only choice. I knew the kind of book I was writing and I've known Arthur for a long time. I wanted to bring him something that was interesting enough for him to do interior work. We had fun on the HULK, but those were short stories. He's on ULTIMATE X for the long haul and I couldn't be more proud of what he's accomplished. Stunning stuff.

I should also give a shout out to Peter Steigerwald and the Aspen Color Team who are doing digital inking and color over Arthur's super detailed pencils.
It's nothing short of remarkable. And Comicraft's Albert Deschesne is doing the lettering and design with such incredible care. Everyone is bringing their A-game.

BF: There is one question that I always hate asking but always must be asked. And especially with an artist like Art on the book it has to be asked. The schedule for this book says it will be released bi-monthly. Even so, how can a guarantee be made to excited fans that it will come out on time so that they’ll keep buying?

Especially in the new Ultimate Universe where we’ve been shown that anything can happen, can we be sure we won’t run into a situation like what happened recently in the Marvel schedule (i.e. Who Will Wear the Shield and Siege both releasing before Captain American Reborn is finished)?

JL: We're doing our best. When you see the incredible detail that Arthur has put into each issue, you can see why it is so special. Coupled with that, the bi-monthly schedule will help.