Note: This review contains a major spoiler, if you haven’t read the issue yet, you probably shouldn’t read this yet. Unless you don’t care about that sort of thing.
Last we left off in the Ultimates, Jonathan Hickman has been picking up the pieces of Jeph Loeb’s mess that he made of Ultimate Thor, in the pages of the Ultimates. Thor who had been left powerless was given a redesigned version of his super soldier armor so that he could go on a suicide mission to stop the rapidly expanding City the Children of Tomorrow had built.
The issue starts off with a bang as Thor teleports directly into the city and begins fighting the Children of Tomorrow as he discovers them doing experiments on Ultimate Captain Britain, who he manages to save. Thor than presses on fighting, and finds himself beaten, only to discover who is the leader of the Children of Tomorrow (Which doesn’t get revealed to us quite yet, but more on that later.) Thor and Captain Britain get beaten pretty badly, and then the man hallucinated Odin and then all of Valhalla. Where he is told that he actually is Valhalla now. It ends with Thor and Captain Britain getting out alive, and giving Nick Fury, Hawkeye, a debrief, where he reveals to them and us that the man who is the “Creator” of the Children of Tomorrow, Ultimate Reed Richards.
Hickman has been doing a brilliant job cleaning up this mess. I actually am finding myself caring about the Ultimates again. I also am really enjoying the focus on Thor. Sometimes, I feel in the 616 the Norse speaking gets to be too much, and I find myself opting out of the book. I am very intrigued to see what Hickman has up his sleeve, and also stoked to see that Ultimate Reed is back, and what kind of psychotic plans he has for the City and the Ultimates.
Esad Ribic’s art has also been outstanding, his reveal shot of Reed was great, also loved the splash of Thor seeing Valhalla. This one is a must read, for any fan of the Ultimates, Ultimate Thor, and Ultimate FF.
Story 9/10
Art 9/10
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