This is the cover...of the first issue! The FIRST thing we saw on the stands from this series, was this very image. When word came around that Joe Madureira (Ma-Duh-Reh-Ruh) was coming out of semi-retirement (video game concept art had him) to work on a Marvel title, we all thought it would be Spiderman. Turns out, he had an even bigger fish in mind. The Ultimates is about an alternate reality that's much more seriousface than 616. Kind of like Reality television for superheroes. I am not a fan. The first two volumes were mindless fluff, so when Jeph Loeb took the reigns of the third series, I did not expect "Watchmen-with-Avengers". I'm not sure why other people did. The series has never been about anything but set-ups for big fights that have lackluster resolutions, but just because it had that Reality TV feel, people felt like it was much more substantive than it was. You will hear more of this rant when I review Ultimates 1&2...this is about Ultimates 3. I love Jeph Loeb. He's brilliant. His stories are not always The Long Halloween, but if its not meant to be something seriousface, Loeb WILL provide thrills and chills. Madureira is the genius voice of a generation. Plain and simple. People complain about him missing deadlines, but i feel as though its always worth the wait (...whith the exception of Battle Chasers #6...wtf was that?!). Ultimates 3 was very corny. It half-heartedly tried to keep the real-world pretense of the original series and failed. It half-heartedly spun a mystery plot that no one cared about. Fail....However, Mad opted go straight from pencils to digital colors. This maid for a very unique and dynamic visual style. Win! The hardcover has no "special features" which was not only a fail, but unexpected since we'd seen
concept art in wizard long before the series began. The high quality of the print ads an extra dimension of awesomeness to the colors of Chris Lichtner. Win... average those up and you get: Win!
Huh? Amazing artwork is not enough to carry a 5 issue miniseries? My reply to that is: STFUDIAF!! Obviously it IS enough because even you bought it! Get your priorities straight!
Now I totally wouldn't have gotten the hardcover, since it has nothing the floppies didn't have, if it weren't for the fact that the relative unpopularity of the title has dropped the pricedramatically. Is Ultimates 3: Who Killed the Scarlet Witch worth the $25 cover price? Only to Madureira fans. Is it worth the $10 bargain bin price? Hellz yeah! That's all I have to say about that.
Amazon has plenty of copies...its gorgeous...really.
(more of my "Madureira is awesome" rant when I review Battlechasers)
