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The Ultimates (Collected Editions) #4
The Ultimates 2, Vol. 2: Grand Theft America
Tony and Natasha are on the eve of their wedding... but when Nick Fury makes his move against the mysterious traitor that's been plaguing the team, the team will never be the same! Also, Captain America and Wasp hit a serious snag in their relationship...is this the end for the Ultimate Universe's hottest couple? Is this the beginning of the end for the Ultimates? Collects Ultimates 2 #7-13.
168 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2007
8 people are currently reading
380 people want to read
About the author
Mark Millar
1,521 books2,570 followersMark Millar is the New York Times best-selling writer of Wanted, the Kick-Ass series, The Secret Service, Jupiter’s Legacy, Jupiter’s Circle, Nemesis, Superior, Super Crooks, American Jesus, MPH, Starlight, and Chrononauts. Wanted, Kick-Ass, Kick-Ass 2, and The Secret Service (as Kingsman: The Secret Service) have been adapted into feature films, and Nemesis, Superior, Starlight, War Heroes, Jupiter’s Legacy and Chrononauts are in development at major studios.
His DC Comics work includes the seminal Superman: Red Son, and at Marvel Comics he created The Ultimates – selected by Time magazine as the comic book of the decade, Wolverine: Old Man Logan, and Civil War – the industry’s biggest-selling superhero series in almost two decades.
Mark has been an Executive Producer on all his movie adaptations and is currently creative consultant to Fox Studios on their Marvel slate of movies.
His DC Comics work includes the seminal Superman: Red Son, and at Marvel Comics he created The Ultimates – selected by Time magazine as the comic book of the decade, Wolverine: Old Man Logan, and Civil War – the industry’s biggest-selling superhero series in almost two decades.
Mark has been an Executive Producer on all his movie adaptations and is currently creative consultant to Fox Studios on their Marvel slate of movies.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 98 reviews
September 24, 2018
This was actually better than I remembered it.
There were some pretty crazy moments including the arrest of Captain America and uncovering the traitor that's been hinted at for a while now.
Oh man, and the thing with Hawkeye! Brutal!
But after seeing how it all played out, he's definitely badass enough to be on the team. He remeinded more of a Bullseyeesque character when he killed a roomfull of dudes with his goddamn fingernails .
There's some pretty dark imagery in this but it's nicely balanced with stuff like Scarlett Witch continually flirting with Pym's Ultron-bots. Heh.
I liked that the bad guy was who he was because of stuff that the Avengers were part of, and I thought the sentiment of why everything happened rang true enough.
As to some of the more spoilery stuff?
Ok, from the few other titles I've read in the Ultimate universe, these first 4 volumes seem to be the best. I may continue, I may not, but I think you could stop here and be satisfied if you wanted.
There were some pretty crazy moments including the arrest of Captain America and uncovering the traitor that's been hinted at for a while now.
Oh man, and the thing with Hawkeye! Brutal!
But after seeing how it all played out, he's definitely badass enough to be on the team. He remeinded more of a Bullseyeesque character when he killed a roomfull of dudes with his goddamn fingernails .
There's some pretty dark imagery in this but it's nicely balanced with stuff like Scarlett Witch continually flirting with Pym's Ultron-bots. Heh.
I liked that the bad guy was who he was because of stuff that the Avengers were part of, and I thought the sentiment of why everything happened rang true enough.
As to some of the more spoilery stuff?
Ok, from the few other titles I've read in the Ultimate universe, these first 4 volumes seem to be the best. I may continue, I may not, but I think you could stop here and be satisfied if you wanted.
May 19, 2012
Let’s see… America gets invaded by a coalition of rogue nations who have built up a small army of super humans, and they’re led by a pissed off radical Muslim. It’s almost like Mark Millar is just a pen name for Glenn Beck.
I kid, I kid. Actually all the set-up work in the previous volume Gods & Monsters pays off nicely here. With a couple of the Ultimates apparently dead, one locked up for being crazy town banana pants, another arrested for being a traitor who led a deadly attack on a fellow team member’s family, and the entire world angry at the US for using the team to disarm a Middle Eastern country, it’s the perfect time for an all out attack on the US. Almost as if someone had orchestrated all these events…
This one is big on the super powered action and the scale is epic. Millar does a nice job of creating an atmosphere of doom and defeat so that it’s extra sweet when the good guys start fighting back. The Oh-Hell-Yeah! moments come fast and furious then.
This one has some fairly disturbing moments of violence and is definitely geared towards adults and not the kids.
I kid, I kid. Actually all the set-up work in the previous volume Gods & Monsters pays off nicely here. With a couple of the Ultimates apparently dead, one locked up for being crazy town banana pants, another arrested for being a traitor who led a deadly attack on a fellow team member’s family, and the entire world angry at the US for using the team to disarm a Middle Eastern country, it’s the perfect time for an all out attack on the US. Almost as if someone had orchestrated all these events…
This one is big on the super powered action and the scale is epic. Millar does a nice job of creating an atmosphere of doom and defeat so that it’s extra sweet when the good guys start fighting back. The Oh-Hell-Yeah! moments come fast and furious then.
This one has some fairly disturbing moments of violence and is definitely geared towards adults and not the kids.
June 7, 2018
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4 stars
The Ultimates 2 Issues #7 - 13
Boy, oh boy, oh boy!!!!
That was an epic finale!!!
Sheesh. A lot happened but I don’t want to spoil it.
The traitor in SHIELD broke my heart. That was too hard to read.
They were just all broken to pieces. Broken from the inside because of distrust and deceit 💔💔
Great story. Beautiful graphics.
The Ultimates 2 Issues #7 - 13
Boy, oh boy, oh boy!!!!
That was an epic finale!!!
Sheesh. A lot happened but I don’t want to spoil it.
The traitor in SHIELD broke my heart. That was too hard to read.
They were just all broken to pieces. Broken from the inside because of distrust and deceit 💔💔
Great story. Beautiful graphics.
June 27, 2019
Again, I'm convinced people love this series because they like the plot - not because they like the characters.
Anyway, usual Ults rant aside, I liked the art in this one. Thor and Tony remain the only sympathetic characters in this universe. Although, I do find Cap really interesting to read about.
I hated having to read an entire issue revolving around Hank Pym. I really hate this character. I found it hard to care during his interludes afterwards, as well. Even worse, the decision to have Jan dump Cap and go back to him. I can hear someone saying "but that's how it works. Unfortunately, spousal abuse victims often go back to their husbands". To which I'd ask - do you really think this series cared all that much about the cycle of abuse and portraying things realistically? The same series that turned Natasha into a honey pot that only knew the word "comrade" or Valkyrie into a nineteen year old that would knowingly pursue Hank Pym after his very publicized domestic violence issues or Jan who continuously shrunk down and wound up naked in several battles? You really think Millar cared about accuracy?
But, I digress. I think the final battle in the first Ultimates series was overall a lot better. Cap fighting with a lightsaber was just a bit much for me, to be honest. It didn't help that Tony was barely in the final battle in this one.
Anyway, it's... Ultimates. You know you're walking into a mess beforehand.
Anyway, usual Ults rant aside, I liked the art in this one. Thor and Tony remain the only sympathetic characters in this universe. Although, I do find Cap really interesting to read about.
I hated having to read an entire issue revolving around Hank Pym. I really hate this character. I found it hard to care during his interludes afterwards, as well. Even worse, the decision to have Jan dump Cap and go back to him. I can hear someone saying "but that's how it works. Unfortunately, spousal abuse victims often go back to their husbands". To which I'd ask - do you really think this series cared all that much about the cycle of abuse and portraying things realistically? The same series that turned Natasha into a honey pot that only knew the word "comrade" or Valkyrie into a nineteen year old that would knowingly pursue Hank Pym after his very publicized domestic violence issues or Jan who continuously shrunk down and wound up naked in several battles? You really think Millar cared about accuracy?
But, I digress. I think the final battle in the first Ultimates series was overall a lot better. Cap fighting with a lightsaber was just a bit much for me, to be honest. It didn't help that Tony was barely in the final battle in this one.
Anyway, it's... Ultimates. You know you're walking into a mess beforehand.
July 21, 2010
4.5 stars. This was an incredibly well done story arc and a ton of fun to read. Very entertaining though also quite dark, especially for a Marvel product (e.g. quite a few people die and in some fairly violent ways).
Anyway, the basic story is that a group of "enemy" countries (Russia, China, North Korea, Iran to name a few), fearful of the Ultimates allegience to the U.S. devise a plan to create their own super-hero group, take down the Ultimates from the inside and launch an unprecedented attack to cripple the U.S. Behind all of this is Thor's brother Loki whi is secretly pulling the strings in order to create chaos.
Anyway, the basic story is that a group of "enemy" countries (Russia, China, North Korea, Iran to name a few), fearful of the Ultimates allegience to the U.S. devise a plan to create their own super-hero group, take down the Ultimates from the inside and launch an unprecedented attack to cripple the U.S. Behind all of this is Thor's brother Loki whi is secretly pulling the strings in order to create chaos.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 11, 2024
(Read in 2007, review from 2024)
3.5 rounded up. Again this has a lot of the problems of the last volume with incredibly unlikable characters (Ultimate Cap, Wasp, and Black Widow come to mind) or incredibly stupid (Nick Fury just believes the evidence against Cap and accuses him of being a phony). Also I really think Millar's political messaging is all over the place. One second this comic is a condemnation of Bush era American politics and then when the foreign-sponsored villains invade it becomes a jingoistic Fox News piece showing the brave American heroes and NATO allies taking down dastardly villains from the Axis of Evil countries (and France???). It's heavy handed and some of the content/dialogue borders on self-parody/would fit in with a Garth Ennis' piece.
Still middle school me went ga ga at the climatic set pieces, can't fault Millar for delivering on that even if the lead-up is kind of dumb. As unlikable as some of the heroes are, each one has a kick ass moment (highlights were Hawkeye taking out a room of baddies with his fingernails, Quicksilver running so fast while grappling with another speedster he liquefies them, and Hulk ripping Abomination apart). The artwork is also phenomenal with a lot of great splash pages in the climax.
It was fun enough for a 2000s superhero comic.
3.5 rounded up. Again this has a lot of the problems of the last volume with incredibly unlikable characters (Ultimate Cap, Wasp, and Black Widow come to mind) or incredibly stupid (Nick Fury just believes the evidence against Cap and accuses him of being a phony). Also I really think Millar's political messaging is all over the place. One second this comic is a condemnation of Bush era American politics and then when the foreign-sponsored villains invade it becomes a jingoistic Fox News piece showing the brave American heroes and NATO allies taking down dastardly villains from the Axis of Evil countries (and France???). It's heavy handed and some of the content/dialogue borders on self-parody/would fit in with a Garth Ennis' piece.
Still middle school me went ga ga at the climatic set pieces, can't fault Millar for delivering on that even if the lead-up is kind of dumb. As unlikable as some of the heroes are, each one has a kick ass moment (highlights were Hawkeye taking out a room of baddies with his fingernails, Quicksilver running so fast while grappling with another speedster he liquefies them, and Hulk ripping Abomination apart). The artwork is also phenomenal with a lot of great splash pages in the climax.
It was fun enough for a 2000s superhero comic.
July 23, 2021
Decent Enough Ending
OVERALL RATING: 4 stars
Art: 4.75 stars
Prose: 4 stars
Plot: 4 stars
Pacing: 4.25 stars
Character Development: 3.5 stars
World Building: 3.5 stars
Fun read. Love that Marvel stuck with Hitch throughout. Great artist.
OVERALL RATING: 4 stars
Art: 4.75 stars
Prose: 4 stars
Plot: 4 stars
Pacing: 4.25 stars
Character Development: 3.5 stars
World Building: 3.5 stars
Fun read. Love that Marvel stuck with Hitch throughout. Great artist.
December 4, 2021
Re-reading this was kind of heartbreaking in hindsight. It's the absolute peak of the Ultimates franchise and then it completely craters once Ultimates 3 happens (won't be re-reading that one).
September 5, 2022
With THE ULTIMATES 2, VOLUME 2: GRAND THEFT AMERICA, Mark Millar delivers on the build-up and foreshadowing in Volume 1 in a big, big way. This is epic. The Millar penchant for ultra-violence is also back, and Bryan Hitch gets to illustrate some fantastic battle scenes including some eye-popping multiple-page images.
Nick Fury gets duped as to the traitor in the midst of the Ultimates, as Thor warned - -"a wolf in the fold". Hawkeye shows why despite no super-powers he deserves his place on the team. What a bad ass, and what a tragic incident.
I don't want to spoil the storyline. I'm just going to say that if you don't want to read a lot of super-hero titles but would like a more adult-themed storyline - - then check out ULTIMATES 2, Volumes 1 and 2.
Nick Fury gets duped as to the traitor in the midst of the Ultimates, as Thor warned - -"a wolf in the fold". Hawkeye shows why despite no super-powers he deserves his place on the team. What a bad ass, and what a tragic incident.
I don't want to spoil the storyline. I'm just going to say that if you don't want to read a lot of super-hero titles but would like a more adult-themed storyline - - then check out ULTIMATES 2, Volumes 1 and 2.
April 24, 2016
The wait for the second half of Mark Millar and Bryan Hitch's Ultimes Book 2 was long. After having moved the release date more times than I care to count (and we are now talking about the release date for the TPB, not the comics per se, which of course alos suffered tremendously from this), I am left with a very divided mind. The story goes all out with Marvel's Ultimate universe's version of the Avengers presenting us with traitors and an attack upon the US by international forces including the Arab community, Russia, China and, I believe, North Korea, not to mention the return of theUltimate Hulk and a BIG scale blow out. Not a story without merits to be sure, and I really liked it. Nor is Millar writing or plotting really a problem, this is still really good. But, and this is a big but, this volume shows the great slip in conception from when the Ultimate universe was started and where Marvel has already managed to land it in only a few years. When created, as I understood it, it was supposed to do two things primarily. One was setting up a cleaner slate, without the humungous amount of continuity that has been been bogging down the regular Marvel universe for some time now, and the other being a more contemporary and realistic take on what would happen if the founding events of the Marvel universe happened today. And the early material of Ultimate X-Men, Ultimate Spider-Man and The Ultimates did this well, in my opinion. By now, however, the new continuity has swamped the Ultimates universe almost to a greater extent than the regular Marvel universe and the sense of a more down to basics grim and gritty take on the storytelling has also lost focus with material spanning from turning some villains into something far too mundane (see some later Ultimate X-Men) or just too plain fantastic, into which the later Ultimates falls, unfortunately.
Thus while the story as such in this volume is well told and good in all manner of ways, the BIG scale finish ends up feeling somewhat muddled... somewhat inconsistent with where it started (one can only consider Orson Scott Card's really good Ultimate Iron Man volume which while very good, somehow in no way reads like the story of the Ultimate Iron Man presented early on by Millar in the Ultimates), and as such, I cannot help feeling that Grand Theft America (and the entire Ultimates Book 2 really) leaves me a lot less satisfied than Book 1 did.
Thus while the story as such in this volume is well told and good in all manner of ways, the BIG scale finish ends up feeling somewhat muddled... somewhat inconsistent with where it started (one can only consider Orson Scott Card's really good Ultimate Iron Man volume which while very good, somehow in no way reads like the story of the Ultimate Iron Man presented early on by Millar in the Ultimates), and as such, I cannot help feeling that Grand Theft America (and the entire Ultimates Book 2 really) leaves me a lot less satisfied than Book 1 did.
December 2, 2013
Well it was nice to get to the payoff for this, after everything that lead us here. Traitors are revealed, innocents die, and unexpected returns turn the tides at just the right moment. If I could put it in movie terms, it seems like this is a Michael Bay movie. That's OK, because it's kinda what you want to see after everything that's happened, but it also kinda leaves you like oh well, that was flashy and lots of boom but a little empty after.
I think the aftermath and the decisions of where to take things from that point are interesting, and I'd read more of the Ultimate Universe.
It was kind of strange to see Ultimate FF and X-Men show up with absolutely no other appearances, and some of the 'super-villains' are laughable, like they put no time into them at all.
Somehow I still gave this book 4 stars, and it's probably because I liked a shoot-em-up crash bang finale.
The real problem is that Millar seems to think Ultimate version means make most of them into assholes.
There are some that I would have liked to read more about but oh well.
Good tie up.
I think the aftermath and the decisions of where to take things from that point are interesting, and I'd read more of the Ultimate Universe.
It was kind of strange to see Ultimate FF and X-Men show up with absolutely no other appearances, and some of the 'super-villains' are laughable, like they put no time into them at all.
Somehow I still gave this book 4 stars, and it's probably because I liked a shoot-em-up crash bang finale.
The real problem is that Millar seems to think Ultimate version means make most of them into assholes.
There are some that I would have liked to read more about but oh well.
Good tie up.
May 10, 2023
Me ha parecido de lo más espectacular que ha dado hasta ahora el Universo Ultimate, y es más, ojalá en el Universo Cinematográfico Marvel hubieran tenido los reaños de coger esta historia y adaptarla. Las versiones del MCU me parecen ahora súper descafeinadas en comparación con esto, de verdad.
Básicamente la historia gira en torno a lo que tiene que acabar pasando cuando el resto del mundo (o al menos parte) decide pararle los pies a EEUU con el uso de superhéroes como armas y recursos de intervención imperialista. Hay giros imprevisibles, traiciones que no me imaginaba y me ha sorprendido a cada página, en verdad.
SPOILER
Y aunque al final ganan los buenos, se aclara quién es el traidor y blablabla ocurre lo que tiene que ocurrir, que es que los superhéroes no pueden servir a un gobierno y acabar siendo agentes con poderes. Demasiado incluso para el Capitán América.
Nota extra: me parece aún más alucinante la interpretación de Robert Downey Jr como Tony Stark en las películas, teniendo en cuenta el poquísimo tiempo en pantalla y el relativamente poco desarrollo de Tony Stark en esta serie, al menos comparado con el resto.
En resumen, una magnífica saga épica que llega a su fin en la mejor tradición del cómic de superhéroes, que es básicamente un cipote gigantesco con montañas de destrucción, tras lo cual todo vuelve a la normalidad en dos días. Es el género, lo tomas o lo dejas.
Básicamente la historia gira en torno a lo que tiene que acabar pasando cuando el resto del mundo (o al menos parte) decide pararle los pies a EEUU con el uso de superhéroes como armas y recursos de intervención imperialista. Hay giros imprevisibles, traiciones que no me imaginaba y me ha sorprendido a cada página, en verdad.
SPOILER
Y aunque al final ganan los buenos, se aclara quién es el traidor y blablabla ocurre lo que tiene que ocurrir, que es que los superhéroes no pueden servir a un gobierno y acabar siendo agentes con poderes. Demasiado incluso para el Capitán América.
Nota extra: me parece aún más alucinante la interpretación de Robert Downey Jr como Tony Stark en las películas, teniendo en cuenta el poquísimo tiempo en pantalla y el relativamente poco desarrollo de Tony Stark en esta serie, al menos comparado con el resto.
En resumen, una magnífica saga épica que llega a su fin en la mejor tradición del cómic de superhéroes, que es básicamente un cipote gigantesco con montañas de destrucción, tras lo cual todo vuelve a la normalidad en dos días. Es el género, lo tomas o lo dejas.
December 5, 2022
Another thrilling, action-packed Ultimates story.
Thor has been arrested and consigned to an insane asylum, Bruce Banner has been executed, Tony Stark is negotiating contracts with the government, Captain America is dating Janet Pym, and some sort of traitor is still threatening the team. Some people are murdered and nobody has any idea who to trust.
Action and intrigue is as good as ever. Millar is great at juggling multiple plotlines and many interesting scenarios are posed. The writing is fast-paced and the twists are shocking. The line between hero and villain becomes more blurry, and the terrorists in the story actually have a coherent plan (or at least it seems coherent to them)
The artwork is pretty good, once again, and the build-up is intelligent. A solid story.
Thor has been arrested and consigned to an insane asylum, Bruce Banner has been executed, Tony Stark is negotiating contracts with the government, Captain America is dating Janet Pym, and some sort of traitor is still threatening the team. Some people are murdered and nobody has any idea who to trust.
Action and intrigue is as good as ever. Millar is great at juggling multiple plotlines and many interesting scenarios are posed. The writing is fast-paced and the twists are shocking. The line between hero and villain becomes more blurry, and the terrorists in the story actually have a coherent plan (or at least it seems coherent to them)
The artwork is pretty good, once again, and the build-up is intelligent. A solid story.
August 5, 2024
My Ultimate Year #13
Dare I say I found a Mark Millar book I like? Don’t get me wrong, there is still a lot of cringe, and I still wish he wrote stories and then hired someone else to write his scripts - this was especially true the first couple issues. However, while some of his prior ultimate books have tended to break readers out of tense moments with obnoxious banter, this one has long sections of incredible action without any of the ick. Hitches art style really shines when the action gets intense as well.
Read for big punching, big moments, big splash pages, and a side of edgelord.
Dare I say I found a Mark Millar book I like? Don’t get me wrong, there is still a lot of cringe, and I still wish he wrote stories and then hired someone else to write his scripts - this was especially true the first couple issues. However, while some of his prior ultimate books have tended to break readers out of tense moments with obnoxious banter, this one has long sections of incredible action without any of the ick. Hitches art style really shines when the action gets intense as well.
Read for big punching, big moments, big splash pages, and a side of edgelord.
December 6, 2025
This was even better than the first Ultimates
September 8, 2017
One by one, the Ultimates are broken physically or spiritually to make them unable to prevent the threat on the US which munts to an all-out invasion that is a beauty to watch. The scale of the thing is impressive, with superpowered beings and robots fighting like it's the end of the world.
The Ultimates and Captain Britain's team carry out a misson in a Middle Eastern country and leave ruin in their wake. A team of assassins led by a secret Ultimates member kills Hawkeye and his family.
The Ultimates and Captain Britain's team carry out a misson in a Middle Eastern country and leave ruin in their wake. A team of assassins led by a secret Ultimates member kills Hawkeye and his family.
July 24, 2016
Loved the art, and I would have given it more stars, but then what happened to Hawkeye was too terrible.
January 21, 2016
Nice well written story and art in this alternate reality series based on Marvel's Avengers. Recommended
April 23, 2021
Whoa - EPIC!!! Things start things off rough when a secret team brutally murders Hawkeye's family right in front of him... then Nick Fury captures Captain America, blamed for the crime... and Black Widow offs Jarvis with a bullet to the forehead right in front of Tony Stark.
It's all part of a massive plan to destroy the Ultimates and bring the US to its knees for the nation's unbridled hubris. Turns out that the Chinese and the Russians - with help from the Axis of Evil, natch - have been building their own super team in secret to take on the Ultimates. There's an evil Iron Man with an army of murderbots, a Commie Thor who wields a hammer and sickle, Loki (of course), the Abomination, a fast lady with a conehead to outrun Quicksilver, a bug-summoning lady with giant horns, an Arab super-soldier who for some reason has Darth Maul's lightsaber to fight Captain America, backed by an entire army of soldiers in super-suits.
A massive bruhaha ensues and it looks like the evil Ultimates are about to destroy the real Ultimates before they even know what hit them! Hulk returns from the dead (after being executed by a nuclear bomb in the last volume) to join the fray. Everybody on the team gets to fight their dark alternate version - bodies pile up everywhere. When it looks like the Ultimates have finally prevailed... it turns out this mind-melting showdown is only the appetizer for an even BIGGER battle!
Thor breaks out of prison for the final clash with Loki - trolls, giants, dragons and all sorts of wicked looking freaks suddenly have his back and the Ultimates clench their fists for a six foot-long splash panel of super heroic glory. WHEW!!! I need a cigarette. This was the best of the Ultimates series I've seen. I heard part 3 is a total dog, but I still might need to check it out after this. EPIC.
It's all part of a massive plan to destroy the Ultimates and bring the US to its knees for the nation's unbridled hubris. Turns out that the Chinese and the Russians - with help from the Axis of Evil, natch - have been building their own super team in secret to take on the Ultimates. There's an evil Iron Man with an army of murderbots, a Commie Thor who wields a hammer and sickle, Loki (of course), the Abomination, a fast lady with a conehead to outrun Quicksilver, a bug-summoning lady with giant horns, an Arab super-soldier who for some reason has Darth Maul's lightsaber to fight Captain America, backed by an entire army of soldiers in super-suits.
A massive bruhaha ensues and it looks like the evil Ultimates are about to destroy the real Ultimates before they even know what hit them! Hulk returns from the dead (after being executed by a nuclear bomb in the last volume) to join the fray. Everybody on the team gets to fight their dark alternate version - bodies pile up everywhere. When it looks like the Ultimates have finally prevailed... it turns out this mind-melting showdown is only the appetizer for an even BIGGER battle!
Thor breaks out of prison for the final clash with Loki - trolls, giants, dragons and all sorts of wicked looking freaks suddenly have his back and the Ultimates clench their fists for a six foot-long splash panel of super heroic glory. WHEW!!! I need a cigarette. This was the best of the Ultimates series I've seen. I heard part 3 is a total dog, but I still might need to check it out after this. EPIC.
March 29, 2018
If you describe what happens in Millar and Hitch's Ultimates, it sounds much worse than it comes across while you're actually experiencing it. Millar has a way of making these things feel more natural than they should, and he's helped a lot by Hitch's realistic, cinematic art style. There is an immersiveness that makes it all work while you're reading.
But for someone used to the more complex, nuanced, positive characterizations from the main Marvel Universe, the way characters are written here is exhausting. "Everyone is terrible" is not a selling point, and Millar's shock jock ways mean that ultimately (heh) Ultimates doesn't use that terribleness to say anything interesting. For all the Bush era politics that this book is infused with, its political statements aren't profound. They're barely even statements. You turned everyone into military industrial complex assholes. And? That's it?
This is just another smug, anti-superhero superhero book, only this one features the Avengers.
But for someone used to the more complex, nuanced, positive characterizations from the main Marvel Universe, the way characters are written here is exhausting. "Everyone is terrible" is not a selling point, and Millar's shock jock ways mean that ultimately (heh) Ultimates doesn't use that terribleness to say anything interesting. For all the Bush era politics that this book is infused with, its political statements aren't profound. They're barely even statements. You turned everyone into military industrial complex assholes. And? That's it?
This is just another smug, anti-superhero superhero book, only this one features the Avengers.
December 27, 2021
The Ultimates 2 Vol 2: Grand Theft America
By Mark Millar (Writer), Bryan Hitch (Penciller)
Published by Marvel, 2006
Synopsis: There is a traitor in the ranks of the Ultimates, who is it and what does this mean for the team? America's enemies are plotting to take advantage of this new development.
Review:
A good ending to Millar's time writing the Ultimates. We have our first Super-Villain showdown (yeah, four volumes in) with the Liberators who are mainly counterparts to the Ultimates. This volume has some page turning moments like the arrest of Captain America, the assault of Washington, the European heroes helping out and the return of Thor. This volume is all action which is fine but i like the quieter moments better with these characters. We get some brutal moments in this book that made me go WTF.
Star Rating = 3,5 stars out of 5
Its not as good as the first volume but still better than the first series, this book was more action oriented than the first volume which was more personal.
By Mark Millar (Writer), Bryan Hitch (Penciller)
Published by Marvel, 2006
Synopsis: There is a traitor in the ranks of the Ultimates, who is it and what does this mean for the team? America's enemies are plotting to take advantage of this new development.
Review:
A good ending to Millar's time writing the Ultimates. We have our first Super-Villain showdown (yeah, four volumes in) with the Liberators who are mainly counterparts to the Ultimates. This volume has some page turning moments like the arrest of Captain America, the assault of Washington, the European heroes helping out and the return of Thor. This volume is all action which is fine but i like the quieter moments better with these characters. We get some brutal moments in this book that made me go WTF.
Star Rating = 3,5 stars out of 5
Its not as good as the first volume but still better than the first series, this book was more action oriented than the first volume which was more personal.
August 2, 2023
I liked this one!
America is invaded by a coalition of nations that they have been interfering in, led by Loki, and destroy the Triskellion. They then decide maybe they'll finally give America a free election. But the Ultimates manage to regroup despite having locked up half their members and the capture of the others.
It still has ultimates problems; women have never been treated well by these books, the twins, hawkeye, and Black Widow are barely characters, and the traitor is also barely a character making their betrayal fairly unmoving. Hawkeye's family also exist purely to die, being introduced on the same page they die, making their deaths upsetting in theory more than practice.
But over all this was a good book and makes the story up to now feel more justified. I still doubt I'll ever like Ultimates 1, but Ultimates 2 at least made me feel less annoyed that I read it at all.
America is invaded by a coalition of nations that they have been interfering in, led by Loki, and destroy the Triskellion. They then decide maybe they'll finally give America a free election. But the Ultimates manage to regroup despite having locked up half their members and the capture of the others.
It still has ultimates problems; women have never been treated well by these books, the twins, hawkeye, and Black Widow are barely characters, and the traitor is also barely a character making their betrayal fairly unmoving. Hawkeye's family also exist purely to die, being introduced on the same page they die, making their deaths upsetting in theory more than practice.
But over all this was a good book and makes the story up to now feel more justified. I still doubt I'll ever like Ultimates 1, but Ultimates 2 at least made me feel less annoyed that I read it at all.
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June 25, 2019“Ultimates Under Siege” could well be the title for the second series. Bruce on trial for murder, Thor denounced as mentally unstable, Cap framed for murder... It’s a “break down the team one-by-one” story we’ve seen before, but wonderfully exciting and intense here. The splash-page heavy final fight accentuates the immensity Millar and Hitch shoot for, and achieve. There’s also a definite post-9/11 commentary, on American fear and international policing. It’s not exactly subtle criticism, but works for the story as the Ultimates (and superheroes in general) become increasingly global.
A great Avengers story, and a great conclusion to Millar and Hitch’s run.
A great Avengers story, and a great conclusion to Millar and Hitch’s run.
December 12, 2025
Lu au format Urban Nomad (3 tomes)
Dans l'ensemble c'est quand même excellent. Millar encrasse les Avengers, pose plein de questions sur leur réelle utilité et les ancre dans un monde bien plus froid et plus sombre que ce que j'imaginais. On sent parfois que ça a été écrit il y a 20 ans mais au-delà de ça, c'est franchement toujours un vrai, vrai plaisir à lire.
Quant aux dessins, il y a pas mal de planches vraiment mémorables et le dessin de Hitch est assez incroyable, y en a pas une à côté.
Dans l'ensemble c'est quand même excellent. Millar encrasse les Avengers, pose plein de questions sur leur réelle utilité et les ancre dans un monde bien plus froid et plus sombre que ce que j'imaginais. On sent parfois que ça a été écrit il y a 20 ans mais au-delà de ça, c'est franchement toujours un vrai, vrai plaisir à lire.
Quant aux dessins, il y a pas mal de planches vraiment mémorables et le dessin de Hitch est assez incroyable, y en a pas une à côté.
November 24, 2018
Ultimately kind of dumb. It seems to exist for a series of images more than anything else.
Things don't really seem to get developed for story purposes, I mean. I guess some of it? But . . . . I don't know.
Things don't really seem to get developed for story purposes, I mean. I guess some of it? But . . . . I don't know.
November 13, 2021
Too over-the-top violent and nihilistic for my mainstream Marvel comix tastes. Sorry. I don't like to see my cherished favorite heroes indulging in such overt authorial dark machinations. Neat idea but pulled off half-assed. I love Millar and his other scathing & violent satires of the superhero realm but not in this fashion. Still glad I read it and am getting semi-closer to my goal of eventually reading all Millar had/has to write.
November 18, 2021
Sharp characterisation and an invigorating climactic battle of the kind Whedon and the Russos could never materialise on-screen. Hitch outdid himself. I'm not a Marvel or Millar fan, but that was a damn good cape book.
January 28, 2022
Real bad. The illustrations were really poor, the writing really trite, and the conclusion pretty unimpressive. I haven't enjoyed any of this Ultimates series and I'm not sad to be finished with them. Wait, there's an Ultimates 3?
February 4, 2024
This volume collects The Ultimates 2 issues 7-13 and is 164 pages. This just might be the single greatest story arc to ever come out of the Ultimate Universe. This should be made into a movie. I won’t spoil anything here, but this is a fun read and I highly recommend it!
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