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All New Ultimates 5

Posted by John Klein III on September 26, 2014
Posted in: Review. Tagged: , , , . Leave a comment

All New Ultimates 5

Writer Michel Fiffe

Artist Amilcar Pinna

Color Artist Nolan Woodard

Letterer VC’s Clayton Cowles

Cover Artist David Nakayama

How great is that over!  Glad the logo and other business doesn’t get in the way.

Speaking of great art, Pinna really stepped it up this issue!

Thanks to ComicVine for these first three pages :

All New Ultimates 5 Page 1

All New Ultimates 5 Page 2

All New Ultimates 5 Page 3

Issue opens in Chelsea, New York City.  Spider-Man, Black Widow and Kitty Pryde are fighting some street crimes.  I like these three together as they are the main stars of the title – the A-Listers.

I like Jessica’s new costume, that brown jacket was getting in the way, now it just looks like the black costume of Spider-Man, which works for me with the half face mask.

Since this is a low level street gang, the heroes can banter and have a good time.

Kitty was fighting in the middle of the street, which one shouldn’t do, but she can phase so the car that comes onto her, just goes right on through.

Abandoned Hell’s Kitchen Cathedral, aka, Ultimates Headquarters.  Last issue, Dagger hinted that her and Cloak have never been sexual together without using their powers.  we get a page that hints at what she meant by that.

Midtown Manhattan.  Diamondback, I really like how the characters are introduced with captions as I can’t keep the Serpent Skulls straight.  Crossbones is with her.  They are having Bombshell withdraw money from her account.  Apparently she doesn’t have much money – how could she?

Poor Bombshell is still under Diamondback’s drugs so she is just going through the motions.

The cops we have been following, show up and talk to the three heroes.  We learn official police policy is to not work with the costumed heroes.  But Detective Bridig O’Reilly isn’t a fool, she knows that the Ultimates are the best chance they have to take down the gangs.

Spider-Man gets summoned to HQ via their pagers.

Kitty puts her arms around Black Widow’s neck so that Jessica can swing them over to the church.

Bart Rozum, who is O’Reilly’s Criminal Informant, is high on the drug but reveals where the heroes are headed.  Apparently, their home base is going to be the worst kept secret.

The three heroes meet up with Cloak and Dagger and they are confused as Bombshell must have summoned them but she is nowhere to be found.

This is, of course, a trap, and the lower ranked members of the Serpent Skull come and a fight starts.  Crossbones jumps into the fight as we see Bombshell and Diamondback are in the rafters.

West Side highway Slum.  Scourge is hiding in a closet and overhears two detectives talking about the fight at the church.

Diamondback wants Bombshell to blast Cloak.

Another gang member, Cobra, shows up and brags about how they didn’t bury Poey, they just threw his dead body into a dumpster.

Diamondback makes the mistake of directing Bombshell to aim for Cloak’s head, just like they did with her dead boyfriend.  This snaps Bombshell out of her trance and she just unleashes all of her potential.  The church is on fire and the issue ends with Bombshell promising to kill all gang members.

All New Ultimates 3

Posted by John Klein III on August 6, 2014
Posted in: Review. Tagged: , , , . Leave a comment

All New Ultimates 3

Writer Michael Fiffe

Artist Amilcar Pinna

Color Artist Nolan Woodard

Letterer VC’s Clayton Cowles

I’m starting to really like how when the Penciler / Inker is the same person, Marvel seems to be changing Colorist to Color Artist.  I recognize them doing it and I enjoy it.

Last issue, Jessica got poison towards the end of the issue.  This issue opens with Kitty finding a doctor who helps former SHIELD agents and cures Jessica.  I sort of love how easy and simple this solution is!  Of course they can just fix her, it is a comic.  There is no need to drag that subplot out for issues upon issues.

All New Ultimates 3 Kitty 1

 As the two ladies are looking for a taxi, I recognize something about Pinna’s art style that I wish I didn’t.  He draws people’s irises pretty large.  Like their eyes are nearly full and then their eyes take up 30 percent of their faces.  I’m sure I’m exaggerating but now I can’t notice how big their eyes are.  It isn’t anime eyes, as that I would recognize and move on.  It just seems like cartoon eyes in a comic that I’m not use too.

After school.  Blocks away from Laguardia High.  A group of teenage girls, including Lana – are talking about what to do next.  I didn’t recognize Lana – at all.  Even after she mentions Poey.  Which should have been a dead give away.  I thought it was suppose to be like the Ultimate version of Lana Lang or something.  Which is odd as I’m not much of a Superman fan and I haven’t thought of Smallville in forever.

Lana is going to see her boyfriend, Poey.  We see that in the shadows that Spider-Man is watching.  Which I like how subtle his costume looks in the shadows.  It really is a pretty sweet costume that Miles has.

Lana gets to Poey’s place and we learn that he is selling drugs for his uncle.  She wants to go to the meet site.  Spider-Man has followed her there.  Poey eventually agrees to take her.  She mentions her mother being in jail and it dawns on me that this may actually be Bombshell.

There is a scene with the cops and it makes me realize that I have no interest in the cops nor Serpent Skulls.  I believe it is due to how much I don’t know the team themselves so more characters don’t attract me.  They distract and deny me what I really want, more team interactions.

All New Ultimates 3 Kitty 2

Jessica and Kitty are in their uniforms and they come across Scourge spray painting a wall.  They chase him, he tries to shoot them.  We get Pinna doing that fade effect that I loved from the previous issue as Spider-Woman jumps over a dumpster and lands.  She isn’t wearing that brown jacket so the costume looks somewhat okay.

I called her Spider-Woman but she really is going by Black Widow – I have to watch for that.  She tells Shadowcat to call the rest of the team.

In classic early 24 where Jack Bauer forgot to turn off his cell phone, Spider-Man does the same.  So a room full of drug dealers start shooting at him as his phone wasn’t on vibrate, at the very least.  Bombshell takes advantage of the distraction to start using her power as no one is watching her.

Shadowcat gives chase to Scourge.  Cloak and Dagger show up.  I really like the light trim on Cloak’s … cloak.  It really breaks up the darkness and is a simple yet superb addition to his costume.  Proper Marvel Universe Cloak needs to be told about this!

Scourge gives them the slip and the team has to regroup and be humble by the not-so-victory.

Spider-Man is webbing drug dealers.  The leader of the Serpent Skulls gets knocked out by him and Poey doesn’t notice that his girlfriend has hand blasting powers.  Lana and Poey take off, leaving Spider-Man to wait for the police.  I’m sure once they get there, he’s just going to swing away as the New York City Police do not like superheroes now that SHIELD isn’t covering for them.

Thanks to my good pal, Kaiolino, for screen capping Kitty’s newest costume!  He nailed it on the head with how it looks just like the Generation X uniforms they used way back in 2000!  Minus the flair.  She needs a belt, at the very least.

All New Ultimates 3 Kitty new uniform

So now both Kitty and Jessica both seriously need new uniforms, right after getting new ones!

From Generation X issue 62 – even Monet couldn’t pull it off!

Generation X 62

Cover by Terry and Rachel Dodson

The team regroups and laugh about how they are not quite there as a team yet.  They also joke about how a superhero is dating a drug dealer.  I could go for a full issue of just them as a team, hanging out!

Bombshell and Spider-Man were working as a team the entire time, she’s a double agent!

Black Widow apologizes to Bombshell, she really wants them to be friends.

I think my problem with Pinna’s eyes are that with brown eyes, I don’t notice it, its Jessica’s green eyes that pop with Woodard’s coloring and so I’m noticing the bigness.

I also really like how dense this comic is.  Not even six pages into it, do I have the thought that I’m reading a modern Claremont comic.  Fiffe gets a bunch of dialogue into this comic and I love how it took me actual time to read this issue.  I could go for more of this.  Fiffe also lets Pinna do what he does best and also leaves the art to speak for itself at times.  They really are a great team together!

All New Ultimates 2

Posted by John Klein III on July 6, 2014
Posted in: Review. Tagged: , , , . Leave a comment

All New Ultimates 2

Writer Michel Fiffe

Artist Amilcar Pinna

Color Artist Nolan Woodard

Letterer VC’s Clayton Cowles

I wish the cover version of Jessica’s costume was what was used in the issue itself.  Instead the costume is overly blue with a brown jacket.  It is not ideal.  I’m sure that this cover one is coming soon.

I really like the continued use of their logos being used to introduce the characters.

The opening splash page seems to make this title a little more mature than I thought the title would be.  Something about having a dead body with a bullet to the brain, just laying there in the middle of the page.

There are also some old school throwbacks in the issue.  The use of the technique of showing three Daggets, two faded as we watch her fight – leading to the full image of her kicking a guy, I really like.  Harkens back to my days of Spider-Man, as I would follow each faded image as I tracked all of his jumping around the page.  Great way to show motion and momentum.

Rocket Raccoon is being used for a Dr Pepper ad.

The issue picks right where the previous one ended.  We are still watching a three way stable fight of – Ultimates v Serpent Skulls v New York City Police Officers.

Diamondback, the Skull commander, fights Spider-Man, eventually kissing him.

Bombshell lands near the dead Styx, freaking out on Death Adder, when he mocks her.

The poice are waiting for reinforcements.

I really like how physical Dagger gets.  Lots of hand to hand fighting.

Black Racer stabs Jessica with a needle full of the Skull’s drug.

The reinforcements finally get there, they get in front of their respective pees and open fire on everyone else.

The Ultimates jump through Cloak’s cloak and teleport out of there.

No one is happy with their first outing, once they land on the roof of the church that Cloak and Dagger call home.

Cloak is still recovering from being hit hard.  Bombshell’s powers quit working for a moment, also she has blood on her costume.

Jessica whispers to Spider-Man that he should tell the team about the JJJ thing.  He doesn’t feel now is the right time.  Does J. Jonah Jameson want to support the team?  Financially, I mean.

They keep calling her, Jessica, so I am not sure if she really is going by Black Widow or Spider-Woman.

Bombshell quits the team after getting into an agreement regarding Tony Stark.

Spider-Man asks Jessica about Kitty not being there.  He thought she was joining the team.  Jessica is working on that.

The team goes their seperate ways, promising to meet up next week.

Dr. Stone is walking away from the battleground when the homeless man from last issue kills him.  At first, I thought this was Ultimate Chameleon but it is Ultimate Scourge.  I only know of the one who appeared in Thunderbolts, back in the day.  That guy was the third to use the name.

Ultimate Styx and Stone are dead after only two issues.  That didn’t last long.

We get a scene with the Serpent Skulls.  We learn about their organizational structure.  Crossbones is their leader.  They decide that they are going to start killing all of the other gangs.  They are no longer caring about truces.

I really like the final three pages.  Really great job by Pinna. We pretty much get a montage of various characters as they go about their day.

All New Ultimates 2 Kitty 1

All New Ultimates 2 Kitty 2

Before I continue, do young women who live together, walk around in their underwear?  It seems more like one dude writing it so another dude will draw it.  It seems unlikely to me.

Kitty examines Jessica.  Cloak’s powers seem to be enhanced.

To make Jessica feel better, Kitty agrees to join the team.  It doesn’t make Jessica feel better, as she is experiencing a bad trip with the drug.

Scourge is seen killing criminals.  Next issue is titled, Summer of Scourge, so he is being spotlighted.

I am glad Kitty is going to lead the team, they clearly need her.

 

 

All New Ultimates 1

Posted by John Klein III on May 3, 2014
Posted in: Review. Tagged: , , , , . Leave a comment

All New Ultimates 1

Writer Michel Fiffe

Artist Amilcar Pinna

Color Nolan Woodard

Letterer VC’s Clayton Cowles

I had to add the David Marquez variant to my wishlist.  I rather had bought that cover.

So this title feels like a direct continuation to what has been happening over in Miles Morales’ Spider-Man title.  I know the bulk of the cast comes from that title, and they are throwing in Kitty Pryde to get me to buy it (that, and she is an awesome character!).

As far as I can tell, I’m not missing anything from not getting Ultimate Spider-Man 200 but still, it would be nice to own that comic one of these days.

I really like the use of everyone (minus Kitty as she isn’t shown) to have their own logo font.  Feels very old school.  Cloak and Dagger have the same font they have had since the 80s.  It is a classic logo, so it makes sense to not change it.  Bombshell has a new logo, to me, but she’s a new character to the Ultimate Universe, so that stands to reason.

In Hell’s Kitchen, where Cloak and Dagger live in a church and will be in the headquarters to this new team. Ganke Lee, who is Miles’ best friend, gets mugged by the Serpent Skulls, a new gang in town, taking advantage of the power vacuum and chaos of SHIELD no longer being an entity and the aftermath of Galactus.

Serpent Skulls being the modern (Ultimate) version of the Serpent Society.

Dagger throws a … light dagger into one of the fool’s hands, and it turns black, which must be a power that Ultimate Dagger has that Proper Dagger doesn’t, as far as I know.  Proper Dagger’s light daggers only cleanse the evil from one’s soul but I’m not even sure if that’s the case anymore as I haven’t read an appearance of Cloak and Dagger since Dark X-Men.

Ultimate Dagger seems to be wearing a very tiny jacket, which appears to only exist to help create the cross design of her costume.  It can’t keep her warm.

Ultimate Cloak’s costume has a cool neon light aspect around the outer edges of his … cloak.  Their superhero names really do benefit from being from the 80s, when they could still use one word names for characters.

Cloak and Dagger help Ganke out.  They ask if he can be dropped off somewhere, as he doesn’t want to go to a hospital.  So they call Spider-Man and they meet up in their westside church base.  So they must know Miles’ secret identity or Ganke had Miles’ phone number.  Ganke definitely knows Miles’ secret.

It is nice to finally read something with Miles, as I’ve been curious but Kitty never showed up in his series.  Ganke doesn’t want to have his parents see him, so Miles offers him to spend the night, all weekend long if he wants.  He doesn’t look banged up to me at all but I don’t know.

So the police are trying to follow up on all of these leads.  Roxxon, which is an evil corporation just like it is in the Proper Marvel Universe, is experimenting on people and the drugs they use are now on the streets.  SHIELD isn’t around to keep them in line.

The Ultimates, minus Kitty who isn’t coming or officially part of this team, show up for their first meeting.  Spider-Woman is going to the leader of the team, someone had to step up and she has SHIELD experience.

Bombshell’s real name is Lana.  She has a parole officer.

The church smells like a diaper, a description that I totally know what it means now.

Spider-Woman, who is the lady clone of Peter Parker – it doesn’t come up but this is all I know about her, hands out some old SHIELD communicators.  That should be used only in emergencies, as all they really do is send out signals.

Dagger asks what they should do if they want to actually communicate.  Jessica (Spider-Woman) tells her that they can just text.  Cloak tells her that they do not own phones.  Apparently, the world believes them dead.

Cloak and Dagger, who seem really into this team, want to know if they can have scheduled meetings.  Saturday doesn’t work as that is date night for Bombshell and Poey, whoever that is.

Spider-Woman wants their first quest to clean up the streets.  She has leads on the latest Roxxon drug labs.

Serpent Skulls have found a way to turn the Roxxon drug into a simpler product to mass produce.  It gives people the scales of reptiles.  They have also moved into Bombshell’s neighborhood.

All New Ultimates 1 Shadowcat 1

In Chelsea.  Kitty is crashing at Jessica’s place.  Kitty has deleted all of her online accounts.  All types of people are trying to get in touch with her.  She saved the world from Galactus, on national television, the world is very thankful and want to show their gratitude.  Kitty wants none of it, as it seems like a fad that will eventually go away.

All New Ultimates 1 Shadowcat 2

Jessica updates Kitty about the meeting.  Kitty isn’t feeling like joining, she wants to recharge.  No mention of why she isn’t with the X-Men or leading Utopia.

Kitty is using her phasing powers like crazy all around the house.

Jessica wants Kitty to cut her hair.

Hell’s Kitchen.  We are introduced to the Ultimate versions of Styx and Stone, who I know as 90s enemies of Wolverine and one time threat to Spider-Man when he was Ricochet during Identity Crisis.  Which was loads better than DC’s version.

Bombshell lives in state funded housing.  I wonder where her mother is, as she had similar powers as her daughter.

Serpent Skulls start a fight with Styx and Stone, right outside her home.  She signals her team.  She jumps in to break up the fight.

Jessica shows up in a new costume, new haircut and new name – Black Widow.  She has a jacket now, to go with Bombshell and Dagger.  Three different jacket types.

Cloak and Dagger show up.  Dagger is about to attack Jessica, so she has to tell Dagger who she is.

Cloak gets hit by one of the Skulls and can’t talk.  Spider-Man shows up and punches the Skull.

The cops who have been tracking the Skulls show up, making things worse.  Now that SHIELD is no longer, heroes are not protected.

Issue ends with too many players on the field as the leader of the Skulls show up, Diamondback.

Next issue’s cover implies Black Widow gets a second costume.