Cataclysm: The Ultimates Last Stand (Bendis/Bagley)

wyokid said:
I like his non-Ultimate stuff. His Ultimate stuff just felt like setting up to me so I'm curious about what is next.
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There's set-up and then there's idiotic, illogical characterization and pointless plot lines. This was definitely the latter.

He wrote a 3 issue mini which was essentially pointless, other than to kill off a few tertiary X-Men characters no one cares about anyway. Was the entire point of the alternate dimension they went to merely to take the X-Men temporarily "off the board" during the first three issues of the main Cataclysm title? Again, it's pointless, since they end up showing up in #4 anyway.

And the Rogue/Captain Marvel thing was just stupid. I can forgive the fact they start making out after only just meeting (even though that is stupid), but to do it while your team is being swarmed by Gah Lak Tus drones is just moronic. Doesn't sound like the actions of an individual chosen by the Watcher to serve as protector of the universe and a girl who's spent several years training and fighting with a team of mutants.

I'm not sure what else the guy writes, but it amazes me if his other books are anything approaching a quality read if he's churning out crap like this. I'd be embarrassed as a professional writer to put my name on this series if I were him.
 
DIrishB said:
Agreed. Isn't he writing one of the new Ultimate relaunch titles, Ult FF or New Ultimates? Ugh, if so, that sucks.
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Why? Fialkov is not bad at all and yeah, he's on Ultimate FF.

Also, going by the preview for Cataclysm #4, i can see why Kitty decided to stay with the Ultimates.
 
I enjoyed his Doctor Who work and The Bunker is really cool. I've heard I, Vampire is awesome. Also Alpha: Big Time was surprisingly good despite that Alpha sucks.
 
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So, I just finished reading the main series and the USM tie-in issues. I never read Age of Ultron, so I don't know much about the set up for this, but I thought the main series was decent, but rather anticlimactic/contrived. But that's Bendis' events for you.

The USM issues were great as always, though.
 
Captain Canuck said:
So, I just finished reading the main series and the USM tie-in issues. I never read Age of Ultron, so I don't know much about the set up for this, but I thought the main series was decent, but rather anticlimactic/contrived. But that's Bendis' events for you. The USM issues were great as always, though.
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I wasn't a fan of the event. The USM issues were good, as you said, and The Ultimates tie-in issues were ok, but the Ult X-Men tie-in issues were embarrassingly bad. The main series was extremely lackluster, and I completely agree with the anticlimactic/contrived descriptions.
 
Little late on the ball but just read the main series. I think the solution to defeating galactus was actually pretty simple and straight forward.

My main complaint is that there's no real feeling anymore when characters are killed. It used to be that deaths were meaningful, and characters developed slowly.

This feels a little like someone rolled the dice and decided to kill the thing. Still better then the ultimatum, but every time I get I to a storyline it seems like the series is close to cancellation and someone has to do something drastic.

Late on the ball but this was okay, just frustrating that whenever I think " oh okay this is an interesting new direction lets give that a go" they have to rip it up, kill a main character, replace them with some junior version and call it new ultimate ultimates
 
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themightygwynne said:
just frustrating that whenever I think " oh okay this is an interesting new direction lets give that a go" they have to rip it up, kill a main character, replace them with some junior version and call it new ultimate ultimates
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Because periodical big events and "new directions" are easier than writing consistently interesting stories
 
This is very true. I have all of the ultimate universe, and about 70% I'd happily keep and re read bit there's a few too many poor stories popping up and I'd much rather sell the lot then individual volumes
 
DIrishB said:
Ugh. The Cataclysm - Ult X-men series has been really bad, and the last issue (#3) was atrocious.
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Just read these and would have to agree, can you imagine though he's writing those knowing that ultimate xmen had been cancelled and this is the last comic for a few years and he chose that story...
 
themightygwynne said:
Just read these and would have to agree, can you imagine though he's writing those knowing that ultimate xmen had been cancelled and this is the last comic for a few years and he chose that story...
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Good point. I seriously don't understand how some of these writers think these scripts their writing are good, let alone editorial approving it. Talk about churning out complete crap.
 
Unless it's a story an editor said to go with. A lot of stories aren't just by writers, but stories they're hired thought up by editors.
 
Ice said:
Unless it's a story an editor said to go with. A lot of stories aren't just by writers, but stories they're hired thought up by editors.
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Yeah but the problem wasn't the overall plot of those issues, it was the horrendously stupid writing and characterization. It was amazingly bad. Not quite Ultimates 3 bad, but pretty darn close, and easily qualifies as the second all time worst Ultimate story.
 
DIrishB said:
Yeah but the problem wasn't the overall plot of those issues, it was the horrendously stupid writing and characterization. It was amazingly bad. Not quite Ultimates 3 bad, but pretty darn close, and easily qualifies as the second all time worst Ultimate story.
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Now I'm intrigued.

(I haven't read it).
 
DIrishB said:
Yeah but the problem wasn't the overall plot of those issues, it was the horrendously stupid writing and characterization. It was amazingly bad. Not quite Ultimates 3 bad, but pretty darn close, and easily qualifies as the second all time worst Ultimate story.
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Of course, I wasn't implying the opposite. I was just merely throwing in that sometimes the editors come up with what the writers create, so that it's not entirely their fault.
 
E said:
Now I'm intrigued.

(I haven't read it).
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Well, it is good for a laugh.


Ice said:
Of course, I wasn't implying the opposite. I was just merely throwing in that sometimes the editors come up with what the writers create, so that it's not entirely their fault.
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I get that. But a good writer should be able to make even the most unpalatable editorial dictates somewhat readable. The Cataclysm - Ultimate X-Men issues were really, really horrible. Like I said, the characterization and things the characters did was just moronic. A couple characters start making out while they're about to all be swarmed by Galactus thingamabobs. I can understand being dictated by editorial that they wanted a romance between those characters shown to start, but why do it at that point, instead of slightly earlier in the story when it might've made some sense for them to give into their emotions. I can understand wanting to get a kiss in before the end, but their time would've been far better used to use their powers to fight off the monsters instead of taking the Twilight route.

Seriously, read it and you'll see what I mean. It was terrible.
 
DIrishB said:
I get that. But a good writer should be able to make even the most unpalatable editorial dictates somewhat readable.
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Not always. Case in point: DC. :p

DIrishB said:
Seriously, read it and you'll see what I mean. It was terrible.
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I have, which is why I'm not disagreeing. Again, I was just stating something, not covering for writers or anything like that.
 
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Ice said:
Not always. Case in point: DC. :p
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Alas, I don't read DC beyond some of their Vertigo books, none of the DC proper. I tried some of the New 52 titles a few years ago when it rebooted, but it was such a mess of continuity I couldn't stay with it. Now I read Valiant (and largely force myself to read Ultimate titles until it ends...though Miles Morales is decent so far, and Ultimate FF had an ok second issue).

I have, which is why I'm not disagreeing. Again, I was just stating something, not covering for writers or anything like that.
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I know. Man, it was bad.
 
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