Ultimate Universe: One Year In #1

[superboyprime]

"I would say I’m doing research more about the world around us and trying to draw as much of that as I can in a fictional way, which I think is the core mission statement of really any Ultimate book for me just because of what Mark and Bryan did in the original. It’s not to say that you’re going to see US President Biden in this book or anything like that, but you’re definitely gonna see, like I said, I’m trying to draw from the real world and maybe some lesser known parts of real world history and maybe some very obvious satire of real world issues. So it’s kind of a mix of all those things. So yeah, I would say Planetary and Global Frequency in terms of some of the structure of the book, but the actual substance of the book is the world I see around me." - Deniz Camp

Comments

[thanekos]

I love how Nick Fury's " willful atrocity committer who grows a conscience about it " story is just theater for the people who want to keep committing the atrocities - because that's what characters like him are, ultimately.

(Also Emmanuel da Costa, the sneering old tick gorging himself on youth to keep himself alive - the most real of the monsters.)

[huntleyhaverstock]

There are literal, actual billionaires who are either publicizing how they're doing what da Costa is doing here -- trying to stay young with infusions from younger men and/or relatives -- or are (most likely erroneously) rumored to be doing so.

[panthyr]

That's because billionaires will always choose the cruelest method of achieving the same results. https://news.berkeley.edu/2020/06/15/diluting-blood-plasma-rejuvenates-tissue-reverses-aging-in-mice/

[panthyr]

Of course, in daCosta's case it's for the superpowers.

[aperturedreams]

And they keep doing it when there's not even any scientific evidence it works in humans and plenty that it doesn't

[cygnia]

Like the guy who sold goat gonad implants
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/adventure/article/documentary-interview-medicine-science

[mister_terrific]

Oh yes. My wife has a biography of him and his ilk. The interesting thing about Brinkley is that he had a million-watt radio station straddling the US and Mexico, ostensibly to promote his products, but eventually the station (technically, its successors) started blasting rock and roll across the airwaves, hosted by among others one Wolfman Jack.

It's a pretty crazy, fascinating story.

[full_metal_ox]

The interesting thing about Brinkley is that he had a million-watt radio station straddling the US and Mexico, ostensibly to promote his products, but eventually the station (technically, its successors) started blasting rock and roll across the airwaves, hosted by among others one Wolfman Jack.

🎶 “I heard it, I heard it, I heard it on the X!” 🎶

—ZZ Top, paying tribute to Border Blaster stations (Mexican radio station call letters begin with “X”.)

[mister_terrific]

Beloved wife dug out the book:

Charlatan: America's Most Dangerous Huckster, the Man Who Pursued Him, and the Age of Flimflam by Pope Brock

https://a.co/d/aTZ2Odg

Another interesting related fact re: the radio stations; he sold a lot of airtime to evangelists, who in turn had gospel groups performing, such as the Carter Family...including June Carter, who married one Johnny Cash.

[full_metal_ox]

Another interesting related fact re: the radio stations; he sold a lot of airtime to evangelists, who in turn had gospel groups performing, such as the Carter Family...including June Carter, who married one Johnny Cash.

In a fever, hotter than a pepper sprout.

[cainofdreaming]

20s were crazy time for cross-species implantation. https://www.vice.com/en/article/monkey-testicle-transplant-serge-voronoff/

[full_metal_ox]

Remember the 1979 film The Thirst, in which the protagonist discovers her familial ties to an international vampire cult seeking eternal youth through blood-drinking (1), and keeping herds of lobotomized human cattle in clean white industrial facilities for the purpose? Disturbingly plausible; I recall one cultist’s comment that vampirism is the ultimate aristocratic act.

(1) The appearance of a lot of the participants suggests dubious success.

[scorntx]

Was not expecting to feel sorry for Nick Fury going in to this one.

We saw that Roberto (or someone who looked like him) was around back in Ultimates issue 2, and back when issue 5 came out there was already theorising about what might've become of him.
This is worse.
(I was just figuring dead or imprisoned somewhere.)

Saw a thing suggesting this depiction of Nick was basically what happens if regular Nick Fury (or at least, early Kirby-Steranko Fury) was put in the place of Ultimate Nick Fury and didn't agree with it.
Not really seeing it, to be honest.

The issue also uses quotes from Ennis' depiction of Fury in Fury: Max (just, sanitised and de-Ennised a little), but I don't think that's a specific shot at that version of Nick either.

[beyondthefringe]

This is a pretty dark story. I mean yeah, Nick Fury -- or apparently one or more of his clones -- has done lots and lots of truly awful things to recognizable characters in the service of awful people... but to be perpetually caught in this cycle of developing a conscience, attempting one final moment of self-destructive redemption/retaliation against the awful people, only to be one step behind them all along...

While I'm not up on the entire Ultimate Reboot (I just don't even bother with Ultimate X-Men), it's certainly a drastic and yet thought-provoking new take on the concept, and thankfully one decently removed from the wide-screen cynical original take.

Though I wouldn't mind if the entire project had an expiration date rather than be allowed/forced to run indefinitely.

[scorntx]

Given the premise is based on a supervillain futzing with reality and the heroes trying to change it back, an expiration date seems baked in to the whole concept.
Issue #8 even addresses it, pointing out the potential for everything to end on a DC-style reboot ending.

(Ultimate X-Men is really weird, and I'm not 100% convinced it didn't start off as a separate project that got just melded with NUU along the way.)

[shakalooloo]

Every issue of The Ultimates does end with a countdown to when The Maker will return and the shit will hit the fan, so there is a built-in end point. What happens beyond that, I'm looking forward to finding out.

[lbd_nytetrayn]

Am I the only one a little bugged that they're called the "Ultimates", rather than the "Avengers"?

Also: I guess (a) Fury killed Ultimate Power Pack? Who else we got in that montage?

[deh_tommy]

From the looks and sounds of it, he also assassinated baby Black Bolt (and maybe Lockjaw) and gave Hank Pym brain damage.

[beyondthefringe]

So here we see that he:
Zapped Keith Kincaid from orbit. (Thor ally/former Avengers doctor on call)
Somehow acquired Falcon's flight harness
Arrested Howard the Duck
Arrested Omega the Unknown
Hunted down Devil Dinosaur, 3-D Man, and the Golden Age Vision
Killed Mantis
Assassinated Black Bolt and untold other Inhumans
Murdered Power Pack
"Cripples" Hank Pym somehow (though as we've seen, Hank and Janet still took on their hero personas eventually)

One question I have though is: what DID happen to Clint Barton, who apparently rejected the Hawkeye identity and walked away? It feels like he could still show up somehow...

[scorntx]

(Knew the name Keith Kincaid sounded familiar!
... ooh, Thor ally killed by lightning. That's evil.)

Falcon's flight harness was from one of Tony's "origin boxes", which H.A.N.D. grabbed.
Probably best not think what happened to Sam.
He's probably fine. Just doing social work on a remote island somewhere.

Given Ultimates issue 5 conspicuously avoids mentioning Clint Barton by name, thinking there's a twist coming along somewhere.
Like Tony was planning to give it to Barney, or typical AU shenanigans and it was going to be Bobby Morse...

[scorntx]

It's a little strange they're the Ultimates, yes, but issue #7 seemed to give an explanation that makes some sense.
And some explanation's better than none at all.
(Though given Tony's involvement, could've easily accepted he named it because he's a teenager and thought it sounded cool.)

[shakalooloo]

They're not called the Avengers because Jan wasn't on the naming committee.

[jlbarnett]

blergh

[thezmage]

I'm sure I might think differently if I read the whole issue, but seeing one page essentially demonizing (not sure what the exact word I want to use is, this should get my point across though) social welfare programs in one panel and then talk about media pushing "pro-status-quo messaging" in the very next panel seems a bit contradictory

You know if the Maker was really smart he'd already have an Ultimates team out there doing "radical" things to "make a difference" and "fight against the secret rulers of the world" (or W/E) that solely exists to funnel supposed reactionaries into the status quo. Maybe he's already doing that, but it's hard to believe there would be room for the real Ultimates if he did

[full_metal_ox]

Exactly; EvilCorp will be more than happy to supply your “EAT THE RICH” T-shirts.

[thanekos]

True, but that presupposes an EvilCorp that " cares " enough to do it.

These powers that be drug the populace, feed them comforting narratives - and if anyone says " Um..? " after that, they kill 'em and then manufacture justifications.

Spending time and money on " bread and circuses " for radicals would be a waste for them - at most another sideshow, and they've already got their yearly Nick Fury Revue.

[thezmage]

And that leaves you open to Ultimates, which I think we all know are going to wreck the Maker's shit before too long

EDIT: Also, just saying, I thought we were doing social commentary here. The way revolutionary groups can be used to prop up the status quo should really be part of that social commentary.

[scorntx]

Think the Maker might be just smart enough to realise having a fake team of superheroes runs the risk of them becoming legitimately heroic and turning on him. Or skipping the first part and just turning on him.
He does have a track record in that department.
(Not that they'd necessarily succeed, but it'd still be an unnecessary hassle.)

[thezmage]

I'm sure he'd be fine, just like with Nick Fury.

If The People's Front of Judea betrays you they'll just spend their time fighting the Judean People's Front.