Broken Frontier

Ultimate Enemy is the latest event from Marvel’s Ultimate imprint, which promises to introduce a new threat to the Ultimate Universe.

Writer Brian Bendis pulls together a diverse cast including Spider-Woman (the female clone of Peter Parker), the Fantastic Four, and Nick Fury, all of whom have already undergone some serious trials and tribulations with events such as Ultimate Power and Ultimatum. Bendis’ signature Ultimate character, Spider-Man, does not make an appearance in this first issue, but we can be sure he will show up soon.

The scope and source of this newest threat is as yet undefined; our heroes are seemingly being drawn together by a series of attacks on NYC, and some of the heroes in particular, namely Reed Richards and Nick Fury seem to be targeted especially by a mysterious individual holding a grudge. Given their history, and the fact that the attacks on the city involve a gigantic biological monstrosity, one might think the mysterious foe would be arch-genius Victor Von Doom, but that may be too easy.

As usual, Bendis does a good job of introducing the characters. Spider-Woman in particular has a somewhat convoluted history, and in just a few pages, Bendis is able to organically convey to us via her internal monologue that she herself was made in a lab, and has reason to distrust people who engage in such activities. The core of the Fantastic Four dynamic is also effectively conveyed in a scene between Ben Grimm and Sue Storm where her relationship with Reed is explained at the same time that the tragedy of Grimm’s existence is highlighted. Even Nick Fury‘s role as a super-spy is neatly summed up for us with just a few key words of dialogue, some cool gadgets, and a Mission Impossible disguise.

If there’s a weakness in the issue, it’s that it’s mostly setup. We get the attacks from the mysterious villain, but not much more to move the plot forward. We’ve been told that Ultimate Enemy will comprise a 4-issue miniseries that will be the first of a trilogy, similar to Warren Ellis’ Ultimate Galactus trilogy. Given the pace of this first issue, that may be somewhat glacial for most readers.

The other problem is one that’s been facing the Ultimate Universe for several years now, ever since the regular Marvel Universe came back to prominence under Bendis himself. With all the attention now focused on the regular Marvel Universe, there is a decreased sense that events in the Ultimate Universe matter. Years ago, there was talk of the Ultimate and Marvel Universes merging, with much of the Ultimate continuity being adopted; but one never hears that talk anymore. Instead of being the edgier, anything-can-happen alternative to the Marvel Universe, the Ultimate Universe is now seemingly just one more alternate reality. Thus, no matter the scope of the threat it faces now, it’s hard to make it seem important.

Still, Bendis and artist Rafa Sandoval are giving it a good effort here. Sandoval’s bulbous, oozing bio-monster is visually engaging, and he keeps his depictions of the Ultimate U regulars consistent with their portrayals to date. If the creative team can manage to introduce some new elements in this miniseries that reinfuse the Ultimate Universe with a sense of relevance and purpose amid Marvel’s growing publishing slate, that will have to be considered a major success for what was once Marvel’s flagship comics line.