Nas-T!
Well-Known Member
Heya!
Wizard did this in a relatively recent issue. They had articles on all the Ultimate projects (including the trilogy) and had little sidebars where they "graded the trades".
I thought I'd start a thread where we could do the same. I'll start it off by naming as many trades as I can remember in order of series (so first USM, then UXM, and so on) and give em a grade.
The grading process isn't in numbers but in letters (like in school) and, according to me, you can't grade anything lower than a G.
I will, of course, only be grading the arcs I can actually remember properly. I'll get back to the others as soon as I've reread them more recently or something. I also don't own every single issue (like DIrishB does) so, while I'll include stuff like "Ultimate Daredevil & Elektra" I won't grade those either. That's up to you.
Now...on with the show!
Ultimate Spider-Man:
Vol.1: "Power & Responsibility"
Vol.2: "Learning Curve"
Vol.3: "Double Trouble"
Vol.4: "Legacy"
Vol.5: "Public Scrutiny"
Vol.6: "Venom"
Vol.7: "Irresponsible"
Vol.8: "Cats & Kings"
Vol.9: "Ultimate Six"
Vol.10: "Hollywood"
Vol.11: "Carnage"
Vol.12: "Superstars"
Vol.13: "Hobgoblin"
Vol.14: "Warriors"
Ultimate X-Men:
Vol.1: "The Tomorrow People"
Vol.2: "Return to Weapon-X"
Vol.3: "World Tour"
Vol.4: "Hellfire & Brimstone"
Vol.5: "Ultimate War"
Vol.6: "Return of the King"
Vol.7: "Blockbuster"
Vol.8: "New Mutants"
Vol.9: "The Tempest"
Vol.10: "Cry Wolf"
Vol.11: "The Most Dangerous Game"
Vol.12: "Hard Lessons"
Vol.13: "Magnetic North"
The Ultimates:
Vol.1: "Superhuman"
Vol.2: "Homeland Security"
Vol.3: "Gods & Monsters"
Ultimate Fantastic Four:
Vol.1: "The Fantastic"
Vol.2: "Doom"
Vol.3: "N-Zone"
Vol.4: "Inhuman"
Not sure how the rest will be collected so:
"Crossover" and "Tomb of Namor"
Ultimate Adventures:
Vol.1: "One Tin Soldier"
Ultimate Daredevil & Elektra:
Vol.1
Ultimate Elektra:
Vol.1: "Devil's Due"
Ultimate Marvel Team-Up:
Vol.1:
Vol.2:
Vol.3:
The Ultimate Trilogy:
Vol.1: Ultimate Nightmare
Vol.2: Ultimate Secret:
I decided to grade them after listing them because I don't know how the quoting system will work for the rest of you. Oh well...
Ultimate Spider-Man:
Vol.1: "Power & Responsibility" - The arc that introduced the concept, the universe and a brand new Spider-Man all at once! The characters and dialogue were all new and inventive and, despite being spread across 5 issues, the origin was very well done. Unfortunately, the arc's main villain was Norman Osborn doing a Hulk/Abomination-riff complete with hideous purple pants and a belt that was just...inexplicable! The best moment for me had to be when Spidey is falling to his death and he suddenly realizes he has webs! - A-
Vol.2: "Learning Curve"
Vol.3: "Double Trouble"
Vol.4: "Legacy"
Vol.5: "Public Scrutiny"
Vol.6: "Venom" - The beginning of this arc gave us an amazing new slant on Eddie Brock, making him a dark and bitter mirror for Peter. The aspect of Peter and Eddie's joint legacy was beautifully touched on and we were introduced to the mystery of what really happened to Peter and Eddie's parents. Then Eddie used the suit to become a walking cancer cure glob who didn't speak much. Yay! - C+
Vol.7: "Irresponsible" - After being promised a brand new villain all we got was a Latverian FES with a kooky accent, a generic set of superpowers and a haircut that would make the members of "Guns N Roses" proud! The X-Men popped by for a unique comedy experience and made up for Geldoff...but was anyone else feeling the lack of tension in an arc where the supposed villain did...nothing...? - C-
Vol.8: "Cats & Kings" - I like to look at this arc in two parts. One is "Kings" and the other is "Cats". As far as "Kings" goes, it was awesome! Peter gets his panties in a bunch over the very real issue of Wilson Fisk being back in NYC and J. Jonah Jameson's revelation about his dislike of Spidey is great.
The second half of the arc, which sort of focuses on the Black Cat, is a bit weaker as it seemed to be designed purely for the gags and entertainment...right up until the end where one of Kingpin's secrets is revealed to the readers.
If the second half was taken on its own as more of a fun arc, then it would've worked. As it stands, it being saddled with the first half (a slightly more serious arc) it doesn't go so well. - C-
Vol.9: "Ultimate Six" - What started out strong soon developed into complete farce when an extra issue was added to the mini for no particular reason except sales. The art was on-and-off for me and yet more villains discovering Spidey's secret identity just to force some tension was just plain dumb. The fight with The Ultimates was pretty good, but did anyone expect the Six to do anything against The friggin' Ultimates!? I didn't! And Harry Osborn swearing vengeance was just...ugh... - D
Vol.10: "Hollywood" - A completely light-hearted arc in which Doc Ock (probably my favorite USM villain) turns up seeking even more revenge on the webbed-one. Plus cameos by Mysterio, Sam Raimi, Tobey Maguire and Avi Arad make the whole story!
And then there's Ock talking to his metal arms and a final issue worth all the laughs and what Fury did was just so cool. And Gwen discovers Peter's secret in a laid back final issue! - B+
Vol.11: "Carnage" - Another grand beginning turns to mush when Gwen dies at the hands of Carnage: a slushy mix of Curt Conners' Human-Lizard DNA, Venom AND Peter's blood...great! Ben Reilly being a black guy was hilarious, but that joke and the further points on Peter's legacy are all that make up for this nonsense. - D-
Vol.12: "Superstars" - The first Wolverine two-parter was utter BS but the Human Torch story was touching and the Dr. Strange one started off stupid but cleaned up nice in its second part. - C+
Vol.13: "Hobgoblin" - The return of creepy Harry Osborn was well done and finally seemed to add some real tension to the title. But an unbelievable retcon and Harry turning out to be a schizo who inexplicably transforms into a giant grinning mute piece of cheese when he hears a codeword he's heard before makes no sense...and then just gets worse.
The final issue with MJ dealing with her breakup from Peter was what helped save the whole idea of them breaking up. That and Mark Raxton being a "Ramones" fan with a band that sang "Molten Man" as a song!! - D+
Vol.14: "Warriors" - Bendis' saving grace is a return to the type of story he does best. As long as he lets the remaining plotthreads from this tale hang for a while, he's got himself a hit. Great guest appearances by crazy Moon Knight, bullet-catching Shang-Chi and, uh, Danny Rand don't hurt much either! - B-
Taking a page out of Bass's metaphorical book, I'm gonna be a lot shorter with the commentary now.
Ultimate X-Men:
Vol.1: "The Tomorrow People" - A! Awesome arc with good action, good character introductions and a mix-match of some of the cooler X-Men from the various incarnations of the team. Plus: Magneto was bad ***! The art switch was there, but hard to notice unless you looked closely.
Vol.2: "Return to Weapon-X" - B-! It was a good arc but the mysteries of Weapon-X were revealed waaay too soon. Plus the artist that finished up the arc wasn't that good. The only person who can follow a Kubert completely successfully is an Immonen, right?
Vol.3: "World Tour" - C+! Proteus was a very weird mix of Legion and Proteus but I think it was exactly the kind of Ultimatization that should be done more often (take two things that work and stick them together!) if done properly. Bachalo pretty much ruined this arc with his horrible art and Colossus' moments of doubt, though relevant, felt like they just didn't fit in with the arc as a whole. (So much for the shorter commentrary!).
Vol.4: "Hellfire & Brimstone" - D-! Who knows what was going on here! A stupid Ultimate Phoenix was nicely covered by the introduction of Kitty Pryde, the fights between Cyclops and Wolverine and Magneto's return...but just barely. Oh well, at least Millar killed the Hellfire Club before they became too important!
Vol.5: "Ultimate War" - Bad art and a very strange lack of X-Men vs. Ultimates type stuff until the very end. The last issue was good, but it was also filled with tons of Deus Ex Machinas...the main one being Iceman who suddenly had a HUGE power boost only to claim (in the next arc no less) that he'd never frozen anything as big as a power plant before!
Vol.6: "Return of the King" - B-! A great story but with Finch's crappy fill-ins. Multiple Man and Forge were great and Magneto's plan was awesome...but then the X-Men showed up and kicked his butt but good. Great arc except for the resolution of the Wolverine plot (which felt like Millar JUST had to do it for Bendis).
Vol.7: "Blockbuster" - F-! Wolverine and his Amazing Friends was a waste of my time and was barely able to call itself an Ultimate X-Men arc. And what do we get in return for this drivel? Ultimate Dum-Dum Doogan!?
Vol.8: "New Mutants" - F+! Another waste save for the powerful issue where Wolverine (gag) kills a mutant kid for Fury. Beast, arguably the most freely and well developed character in the entire book, is killed for no reason in an attack by machines that were destroyed by the X-Men, like, 30 issues ago!
Vol.9: "The Tempest" - C! An offbeat start to Vaughan's run, but it was a MAJOR step up from Bendis (except for Vaughan always praising him in some way) and, like Fuzzy B said, the amount of little plot points dropped off in this arc to later be picked up and used is awesome! Plus Sinister throws Xavier down a flight of stairs! YAY! Features the best Iceman/Cyclops exchange of dialogue EVER!!
Vol.10: "Cry Wolf" - D! Kubert's art looked wrong for the book. Gambit was annoying. Rogue was cute as a button...but annoying. Storm and Wolvie hook up only to not hook up and people leave the team left right and center. Plus the villains were The Fenris Twins! The Fenris Twins!? WHO!?!?
Vol.11: "The Most Dangerous Game" - B+! Ultimate Longshot is a complete b*st*rd and i love him for it! The ultimatizations, the twist ending and Dazzler and Angel hooking up make this an awesome read!
Vol.12: "Hard Lessons" - C-! An average mix of a pretty good Xavier story, a weird Rogue/Gambit story (the annual is in this arc, right?) and a pretty good Wolverine/Storm story. All in all, it ties things up nicely for the next arc. Plus: Syndicate is probably the coolest original mutant character (in terms of powers) since Grant Morrison did "New X-Men".
Vol.13: "Magnetic North" - A+! Arguably one of the best arcs of this entire series. Vaughan manages to throw more intense edge-of-your-seat moments into the arc than before. The only thing that didn't sit well with me was that he didn't use Mystique in any way, shape or form before this arc...which seemed stupid.
The Ultimates:
Vol.1: "Superhuman" - A+! A brilliant start to the Ultimate Universe's best series and characters! As if it wasn't doing well by #4, Ultimate Hulk MAKES the entire arc worth it!
Vol.2: "Homeland Security" - A! The team's new enemies are a race of Alien Nazis. Can you beat that?! Then there's the fighting, the explosions, the tension, the new members AND another grand appearance by the Hulk!!! Plus, Janet Pym spends a few issues naked!
Vol.3: "Gods & Monsters" - A! The series was back and it was better than ever! A great read complete with drama, realism, twisted romance and action...and the damn comedy with them Defenders and Pym.
Ultimate Fantastic Four:
Vol.1: "The Fantastic" - D-! The origin itself was clever but the whole arc was Bendis with Millar's name for the tourists! Kubert's art is good, but it doesn't suit the nature of the book. Especially not when its accompanied by a Hitch cover or two. The resolution doesn't live up to the word "resolved" and nothing about the villain or anything he babbles about is clearly defined.
Vol.2: "Doom" - C+! It felt stretched out and could have easily sacrificed some of its content to give the issues to the much more deserved N-Zone arc. Ultimate Doom was just silly, but at least he had some entertaining dialogue! Loved the bit where he shot Ben in the chest with the rocket launcher. Unfortunately, the ending was pretty rushed because of the amount of time it took the story to get to that moment. Immonen's art was good though. And Reed's explanation of the accident...and his lack of internal organs...was AWESOME sci-fi stuff!
Vol.3: "N-Zone" - B-! A good arc plagued by its decompressed nature. It also made a good few jumps in the timeline. Nihil was cool, but his defeat was also a little too quick. It suffered from the same timing issues as Doom, except that here it could've been longer instead.
Vol.4: "Inhuman" - The two-parter by Mike Carey was great! The art style suited the story even though it felt like, when I was watching Reed, I was watching Kevin from "Sin City". An "A" for the Mad-Thinker! The Annual was just wasted potential and felt rushed and silly (E).
Not sure how the rest will be collected so:
"Crossover" Though this may change after Millar's run is complete, it seems like it deserves a "C-" for a good start, an average middle and a weak end.
and
"Tomb of Namor" Also deserves some time to percolate, but it was just too wacky with its overexposed and unbelievable sci-fi (perfect for the 616 FF, but not the UFF) and the ending was a complete waste. So a "C" would do.
Ultimate Adventures:
Vol.1: "One Tin Soldier" NEVER READ IT.
Ultimate Daredevil & Elektra:
Vol.1 NEVER READ IT.
Ultimate Elektra:
Vol.1: "Devil's Due" I HATE Elektra and this was just a waste. Further squandering of Ultimate Matt Murdock.
Ultimate Marvel Team-Up: - This entire series was wasted potential and served to mess up the timeline completely. Sheyah whatever! A "G+" for the whole thing, saved only by #11.
Vol.1:
Vol.2:
Vol.3:
The Ultimate Trilogy:
Vol.1: Ultimate Nightmare Good tension for nothing but a nice intro to Ultimate Vision and great creepy Red Guardian. The change in art wasn't too noticeable so it worked out fine. B-!
Vol.2: Ultimate Secret: Started out great with McNiven and Ellis but the lack of MCV's art in the second half and Ellis' loss of the desired tone for the mini made it fizzle. Also, the ugly Kree was just kinda weird.
RIGHT! Back to finish up that USM stuff soon.
Wizard did this in a relatively recent issue. They had articles on all the Ultimate projects (including the trilogy) and had little sidebars where they "graded the trades".
I thought I'd start a thread where we could do the same. I'll start it off by naming as many trades as I can remember in order of series (so first USM, then UXM, and so on) and give em a grade.
The grading process isn't in numbers but in letters (like in school) and, according to me, you can't grade anything lower than a G.
I will, of course, only be grading the arcs I can actually remember properly. I'll get back to the others as soon as I've reread them more recently or something. I also don't own every single issue (like DIrishB does) so, while I'll include stuff like "Ultimate Daredevil & Elektra" I won't grade those either. That's up to you.
Now...on with the show!
Ultimate Spider-Man:
Vol.1: "Power & Responsibility"
Vol.2: "Learning Curve"
Vol.3: "Double Trouble"
Vol.4: "Legacy"
Vol.5: "Public Scrutiny"
Vol.6: "Venom"
Vol.7: "Irresponsible"
Vol.8: "Cats & Kings"
Vol.9: "Ultimate Six"
Vol.10: "Hollywood"
Vol.11: "Carnage"
Vol.12: "Superstars"
Vol.13: "Hobgoblin"
Vol.14: "Warriors"
Ultimate X-Men:
Vol.1: "The Tomorrow People"
Vol.2: "Return to Weapon-X"
Vol.3: "World Tour"
Vol.4: "Hellfire & Brimstone"
Vol.5: "Ultimate War"
Vol.6: "Return of the King"
Vol.7: "Blockbuster"
Vol.8: "New Mutants"
Vol.9: "The Tempest"
Vol.10: "Cry Wolf"
Vol.11: "The Most Dangerous Game"
Vol.12: "Hard Lessons"
Vol.13: "Magnetic North"
The Ultimates:
Vol.1: "Superhuman"
Vol.2: "Homeland Security"
Vol.3: "Gods & Monsters"
Ultimate Fantastic Four:
Vol.1: "The Fantastic"
Vol.2: "Doom"
Vol.3: "N-Zone"
Vol.4: "Inhuman"
Not sure how the rest will be collected so:
"Crossover" and "Tomb of Namor"
Ultimate Adventures:
Vol.1: "One Tin Soldier"
Ultimate Daredevil & Elektra:
Vol.1
Ultimate Elektra:
Vol.1: "Devil's Due"
Ultimate Marvel Team-Up:
Vol.1:
Vol.2:
Vol.3:
The Ultimate Trilogy:
Vol.1: Ultimate Nightmare
Vol.2: Ultimate Secret:
I decided to grade them after listing them because I don't know how the quoting system will work for the rest of you. Oh well...
Ultimate Spider-Man:
Vol.1: "Power & Responsibility" - The arc that introduced the concept, the universe and a brand new Spider-Man all at once! The characters and dialogue were all new and inventive and, despite being spread across 5 issues, the origin was very well done. Unfortunately, the arc's main villain was Norman Osborn doing a Hulk/Abomination-riff complete with hideous purple pants and a belt that was just...inexplicable! The best moment for me had to be when Spidey is falling to his death and he suddenly realizes he has webs! - A-
Vol.2: "Learning Curve"
Vol.3: "Double Trouble"
Vol.4: "Legacy"
Vol.5: "Public Scrutiny"
Vol.6: "Venom" - The beginning of this arc gave us an amazing new slant on Eddie Brock, making him a dark and bitter mirror for Peter. The aspect of Peter and Eddie's joint legacy was beautifully touched on and we were introduced to the mystery of what really happened to Peter and Eddie's parents. Then Eddie used the suit to become a walking cancer cure glob who didn't speak much. Yay! - C+
Vol.7: "Irresponsible" - After being promised a brand new villain all we got was a Latverian FES with a kooky accent, a generic set of superpowers and a haircut that would make the members of "Guns N Roses" proud! The X-Men popped by for a unique comedy experience and made up for Geldoff...but was anyone else feeling the lack of tension in an arc where the supposed villain did...nothing...? - C-
Vol.8: "Cats & Kings" - I like to look at this arc in two parts. One is "Kings" and the other is "Cats". As far as "Kings" goes, it was awesome! Peter gets his panties in a bunch over the very real issue of Wilson Fisk being back in NYC and J. Jonah Jameson's revelation about his dislike of Spidey is great.
The second half of the arc, which sort of focuses on the Black Cat, is a bit weaker as it seemed to be designed purely for the gags and entertainment...right up until the end where one of Kingpin's secrets is revealed to the readers.
If the second half was taken on its own as more of a fun arc, then it would've worked. As it stands, it being saddled with the first half (a slightly more serious arc) it doesn't go so well. - C-
Vol.9: "Ultimate Six" - What started out strong soon developed into complete farce when an extra issue was added to the mini for no particular reason except sales. The art was on-and-off for me and yet more villains discovering Spidey's secret identity just to force some tension was just plain dumb. The fight with The Ultimates was pretty good, but did anyone expect the Six to do anything against The friggin' Ultimates!? I didn't! And Harry Osborn swearing vengeance was just...ugh... - D
Vol.10: "Hollywood" - A completely light-hearted arc in which Doc Ock (probably my favorite USM villain) turns up seeking even more revenge on the webbed-one. Plus cameos by Mysterio, Sam Raimi, Tobey Maguire and Avi Arad make the whole story!
And then there's Ock talking to his metal arms and a final issue worth all the laughs and what Fury did was just so cool. And Gwen discovers Peter's secret in a laid back final issue! - B+
Vol.11: "Carnage" - Another grand beginning turns to mush when Gwen dies at the hands of Carnage: a slushy mix of Curt Conners' Human-Lizard DNA, Venom AND Peter's blood...great! Ben Reilly being a black guy was hilarious, but that joke and the further points on Peter's legacy are all that make up for this nonsense. - D-
Vol.12: "Superstars" - The first Wolverine two-parter was utter BS but the Human Torch story was touching and the Dr. Strange one started off stupid but cleaned up nice in its second part. - C+
Vol.13: "Hobgoblin" - The return of creepy Harry Osborn was well done and finally seemed to add some real tension to the title. But an unbelievable retcon and Harry turning out to be a schizo who inexplicably transforms into a giant grinning mute piece of cheese when he hears a codeword he's heard before makes no sense...and then just gets worse.
The final issue with MJ dealing with her breakup from Peter was what helped save the whole idea of them breaking up. That and Mark Raxton being a "Ramones" fan with a band that sang "Molten Man" as a song!! - D+
Vol.14: "Warriors" - Bendis' saving grace is a return to the type of story he does best. As long as he lets the remaining plotthreads from this tale hang for a while, he's got himself a hit. Great guest appearances by crazy Moon Knight, bullet-catching Shang-Chi and, uh, Danny Rand don't hurt much either! - B-
Taking a page out of Bass's metaphorical book, I'm gonna be a lot shorter with the commentary now.
Ultimate X-Men:
Vol.1: "The Tomorrow People" - A! Awesome arc with good action, good character introductions and a mix-match of some of the cooler X-Men from the various incarnations of the team. Plus: Magneto was bad ***! The art switch was there, but hard to notice unless you looked closely.
Vol.2: "Return to Weapon-X" - B-! It was a good arc but the mysteries of Weapon-X were revealed waaay too soon. Plus the artist that finished up the arc wasn't that good. The only person who can follow a Kubert completely successfully is an Immonen, right?
Vol.3: "World Tour" - C+! Proteus was a very weird mix of Legion and Proteus but I think it was exactly the kind of Ultimatization that should be done more often (take two things that work and stick them together!) if done properly. Bachalo pretty much ruined this arc with his horrible art and Colossus' moments of doubt, though relevant, felt like they just didn't fit in with the arc as a whole. (So much for the shorter commentrary!).
Vol.4: "Hellfire & Brimstone" - D-! Who knows what was going on here! A stupid Ultimate Phoenix was nicely covered by the introduction of Kitty Pryde, the fights between Cyclops and Wolverine and Magneto's return...but just barely. Oh well, at least Millar killed the Hellfire Club before they became too important!
Vol.5: "Ultimate War" - Bad art and a very strange lack of X-Men vs. Ultimates type stuff until the very end. The last issue was good, but it was also filled with tons of Deus Ex Machinas...the main one being Iceman who suddenly had a HUGE power boost only to claim (in the next arc no less) that he'd never frozen anything as big as a power plant before!
Vol.6: "Return of the King" - B-! A great story but with Finch's crappy fill-ins. Multiple Man and Forge were great and Magneto's plan was awesome...but then the X-Men showed up and kicked his butt but good. Great arc except for the resolution of the Wolverine plot (which felt like Millar JUST had to do it for Bendis).
Vol.7: "Blockbuster" - F-! Wolverine and his Amazing Friends was a waste of my time and was barely able to call itself an Ultimate X-Men arc. And what do we get in return for this drivel? Ultimate Dum-Dum Doogan!?
Vol.8: "New Mutants" - F+! Another waste save for the powerful issue where Wolverine (gag) kills a mutant kid for Fury. Beast, arguably the most freely and well developed character in the entire book, is killed for no reason in an attack by machines that were destroyed by the X-Men, like, 30 issues ago!
Vol.9: "The Tempest" - C! An offbeat start to Vaughan's run, but it was a MAJOR step up from Bendis (except for Vaughan always praising him in some way) and, like Fuzzy B said, the amount of little plot points dropped off in this arc to later be picked up and used is awesome! Plus Sinister throws Xavier down a flight of stairs! YAY! Features the best Iceman/Cyclops exchange of dialogue EVER!!
Vol.10: "Cry Wolf" - D! Kubert's art looked wrong for the book. Gambit was annoying. Rogue was cute as a button...but annoying. Storm and Wolvie hook up only to not hook up and people leave the team left right and center. Plus the villains were The Fenris Twins! The Fenris Twins!? WHO!?!?
Vol.11: "The Most Dangerous Game" - B+! Ultimate Longshot is a complete b*st*rd and i love him for it! The ultimatizations, the twist ending and Dazzler and Angel hooking up make this an awesome read!
Vol.12: "Hard Lessons" - C-! An average mix of a pretty good Xavier story, a weird Rogue/Gambit story (the annual is in this arc, right?) and a pretty good Wolverine/Storm story. All in all, it ties things up nicely for the next arc. Plus: Syndicate is probably the coolest original mutant character (in terms of powers) since Grant Morrison did "New X-Men".
Vol.13: "Magnetic North" - A+! Arguably one of the best arcs of this entire series. Vaughan manages to throw more intense edge-of-your-seat moments into the arc than before. The only thing that didn't sit well with me was that he didn't use Mystique in any way, shape or form before this arc...which seemed stupid.
The Ultimates:
Vol.1: "Superhuman" - A+! A brilliant start to the Ultimate Universe's best series and characters! As if it wasn't doing well by #4, Ultimate Hulk MAKES the entire arc worth it!
Vol.2: "Homeland Security" - A! The team's new enemies are a race of Alien Nazis. Can you beat that?! Then there's the fighting, the explosions, the tension, the new members AND another grand appearance by the Hulk!!! Plus, Janet Pym spends a few issues naked!
Vol.3: "Gods & Monsters" - A! The series was back and it was better than ever! A great read complete with drama, realism, twisted romance and action...and the damn comedy with them Defenders and Pym.
Ultimate Fantastic Four:
Vol.1: "The Fantastic" - D-! The origin itself was clever but the whole arc was Bendis with Millar's name for the tourists! Kubert's art is good, but it doesn't suit the nature of the book. Especially not when its accompanied by a Hitch cover or two. The resolution doesn't live up to the word "resolved" and nothing about the villain or anything he babbles about is clearly defined.
Vol.2: "Doom" - C+! It felt stretched out and could have easily sacrificed some of its content to give the issues to the much more deserved N-Zone arc. Ultimate Doom was just silly, but at least he had some entertaining dialogue! Loved the bit where he shot Ben in the chest with the rocket launcher. Unfortunately, the ending was pretty rushed because of the amount of time it took the story to get to that moment. Immonen's art was good though. And Reed's explanation of the accident...and his lack of internal organs...was AWESOME sci-fi stuff!
Vol.3: "N-Zone" - B-! A good arc plagued by its decompressed nature. It also made a good few jumps in the timeline. Nihil was cool, but his defeat was also a little too quick. It suffered from the same timing issues as Doom, except that here it could've been longer instead.
Vol.4: "Inhuman" - The two-parter by Mike Carey was great! The art style suited the story even though it felt like, when I was watching Reed, I was watching Kevin from "Sin City". An "A" for the Mad-Thinker! The Annual was just wasted potential and felt rushed and silly (E).
Not sure how the rest will be collected so:
"Crossover" Though this may change after Millar's run is complete, it seems like it deserves a "C-" for a good start, an average middle and a weak end.
and
"Tomb of Namor" Also deserves some time to percolate, but it was just too wacky with its overexposed and unbelievable sci-fi (perfect for the 616 FF, but not the UFF) and the ending was a complete waste. So a "C" would do.
Ultimate Adventures:
Vol.1: "One Tin Soldier" NEVER READ IT.
Ultimate Daredevil & Elektra:
Vol.1 NEVER READ IT.
Ultimate Elektra:
Vol.1: "Devil's Due" I HATE Elektra and this was just a waste. Further squandering of Ultimate Matt Murdock.
Ultimate Marvel Team-Up: - This entire series was wasted potential and served to mess up the timeline completely. Sheyah whatever! A "G+" for the whole thing, saved only by #11.
Vol.1:
Vol.2:
Vol.3:
The Ultimate Trilogy:
Vol.1: Ultimate Nightmare Good tension for nothing but a nice intro to Ultimate Vision and great creepy Red Guardian. The change in art wasn't too noticeable so it worked out fine. B-!
Vol.2: Ultimate Secret: Started out great with McNiven and Ellis but the lack of MCV's art in the second half and Ellis' loss of the desired tone for the mini made it fizzle. Also, the ugly Kree was just kinda weird.
RIGHT! Back to finish up that USM stuff soon.
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