This week the Ultimate Universe inches further to it end with The Ultimates #23 and in the rapid rundown we take a look at The Punisher #3. Face front, True Believers! The Marvel Rundown begins now!
Cover Art by Dike Ruan & Neeraj Menon
The Ultimates #23
Writer: Deniz Camp
Artist: Stipan Morian
Letterer: VC’s Travis Lanham
Cover Artist: Dike Ruan & Neeraj Menon
“There was a time when the old gods lived…and there was a time when the old gods died. So that something new could come after.”
Ragnarök has come for Asgard as Thor, Sif, and Surtur carry out their uprising against the Maker’s chosen puppet, Loki the All-Father.
I have been neglecting my reading of the Ultimate Universe, especially since Marvel announced it was going to end abruptly in the coming weeks. It has stymied my enthusiasm for what was my favorite line at Marvel. Well, I deeply regret not reading more of the Ultimates sooner. Writer Deniz Camp’s work is at a level that is rivaled by few in the industry today. The Ultimates #23 is no different. Camp eschews traditional comics form of panels and gutters, and along with artist Stipan Morian, instead opts to craft this epic story book style full of glorious one to two-page splashes full of action that convey the literary epic nature of the saga.
The way Morian illustrates each page not only tells a full story on its own, but also look gorgeous, deserves all the praise. Morian’s talent for natural storytelling provides us with pages that look simultaneously effortless and careful in its intent. The page composition is constructed with such meticulous detail. The way it brings the eye across the page, complemented by Travis Lanham’s excellent word placement, helps make the story easy to follow even without a line of text. Each layout exudes a sense of emotion and kinetic energy of a war between the gods that few comics have ever been able to convey. There is a line in the issue that states that when the gods wage war minutes become millennia and eons become seconds and Morian nails that ethereal pacing.
Morian’s figure work is equally fantastic in the issue. The emotions and body language of the main cast is astounding. The fierce determination in Sif’s eyes is piercing. The grief, rage, and resolve in Thor is palpable. Heck, the look on Thor and Loki’s faces as the inevitability of Ragnarök becomes clear just cements the magnitude of the moment.
These last few issues of the Ultimates have largely served as a resolution for the main heroes in this broken world. These are worlds where brothers, sisters, and friends have been turned against one another. This is a world that has become tainted and rotten to the core due to the Maker’s influence. The emotional pain of the heroes as they slay their fallen brothers in a bid to fix this fallen world of the cancer is underlined by Camp’s line “One soul for a billion”. There is a real sense of an epic saga and just old fashion comic book pulp to this issue. Camp’s use of poetic meters drives home the epic nature of the tale. The reveal that the whole issue is narrated by the god of stories, Loki, is befitting.
I cannot praise The Ultimates #23 enough. As a standalone tale, it works perfectly as a one-shot Ragnarök epic. In the grand scheme of Ultimate Universe’s impending end, it underscores the scale and scope of this epic conclusion. The marriage of art and writing elevate this issue above and beyond other ends of the universe stories. Deniz Camp and Stipan Morian deserve all the comic work they want. It’s just that great.
Final Verdict: BUY
Rapid Rundown
- The Punisher #3
- Writer Ben Percy’s Punisher continues to be the visceral and gritty grindhouse comic that you would expect. Percy pushes the Punisher to his breaking point by trying to recover from the lingering effects of Micro’s brainwashing. Artist José Luis Soares Pinto delivers an excellent dark and grisly comic as the Punisher does Punisher things. The stuff with Jigsaw was surprisingly violent and makes me wonder what constitutes a Marvel comic to become a Red-Band title because jeez. Real New 52 Joker energy here. Anyway, the series continues to be unabashedly what a Punisher comic tends to be, love or hate it, but I definitely love it. Percy is a perfect fit for this title.
Can’t wait for next week’s books? Catch up with past editions of the Rundown!
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