Review - The Ultimates Volume 2: Homeland Security

Originally believed to have been defeated during World War II, the invasive alien race known as the Chitauri is discovered operating in secret on Earth. With an impending takeover on the horizon, S.H.I.E.L.D. assembles the Ultimates to take care of the threat. However, interpersonal drama and the Chitauri’s uncanny preparedness may prove to be Earth’s mightiest heroes’ downfall.

The Ultimates Volume 2: Homeland Security collects The Ultimates #7-13, written by Mark Millar and illustrated by Bryan Hitch.

For fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Homeland Security will feel familiar. This seven-part arc served as one of the primary sources of inspiration for 2012’s ground-breaking Marvel’s The Avengers. Both center on a S.H.I.E.L.D.-sponsored team of superheroes forming to stop the invasion of the Chitauri, but they diverge wildly in their execution. Marvel’s The Avengers was a triumphant and exuberant film that celebrated heroism, no doubt drawing from Marvel’s primary 616 universe than the more grounded Ultimate Universe. In contrast, The Ultimates is joyless and cynical. It’s filled with grim and inappropriate humour where its filmic counterpart was more light-hearted. As with many of my other reviews of writer Mark Millar’s work, the issue with this series comes down to a narrative that never quite reaches its true potential due to faulty character work and eyeroll worthy dialogue.

I think that the story itself for Homeland Security is actually really interesting and engaging. I like the Chitauri as villains and the backstory they’re given works well. I also find this universe’s version of the Avengers being put together by S.H.I.E.L.D. to be a nice twist to the mythos. As such, the introductions of Black Widow, Hawkeye, Scarlet Witch, and Quicksilver are much more streamlined and comprehensible than their 616 counterparts’. What I don’t like is just how poorly Millar treats the characters he has. For instance, when she’s not being portrayed as the team’s resident markswoman, Black Widow’s sole purpose in the narrative is to flirt with Iron Man. We get a great action sequence early on where she jumps from a building and grabs onto a sniper rifle that’s been dropped from a helicopter to save Hawkeye from an attack, but she’s sidelined after that. Wasp gets a similar treatment. Even though there’s a very brief action scene for her, Homeland Security devotes her panel time to transitioning her from Giant Man’s love interest to Captain America. There’s even an entire issue where Captain America beats up Giant Man for having assaulted Wasp in the preceding arc. Even that conflict is a fumbling mess since it seems like a typical man’s approach to trying to resolving domestic violence – with more violence. There seems to be this idea that readers are supposed to regard Captain America as some kind of saviour for “defending Wasp’s honour” by bashing her abuser’s head in, but it’s symptomatic of the bigger problem with Millar’s approach to the character. His Cap’s solution to everything is to punch it. It’s absolutely exhausting. Let’s also not forget the groan-inducing one-liner Cap spouts towards the end when he says “You think this letter on my head stands for France?” This version practically sweats toxic masculinity. There are also instances of homophobia, like where Iron Man makes joke at the expense of Elton John and where Cap employs homophobia as a means of getting the Hulk further enraged. Truthfully, there’s very little that’s redeemable about Millar’s portrayal of these characters. Why should anyone enjoy this comic when almost all the characters are trash human beings?

Where I have a warmer opinion is Bryan Hitch’s artwork. Though rough and inconsistent at times, he manages to maintain a cinematic style that is energetic and appealing. One of his strong suits remains his rendering of action sequences. Black Widow and Hawkeye’s takeover of a Chitauri hive in New York City serves as an early example of how brilliantly Hitch is able to deliver edge-of-your-seat action scenes. The smackdown between Captain America and the Chitauri leader towards the end is another memorable moment. Hitch also excels at telling a story through expressions and body language. Towards the end of the arc, we get a scene where Wasp and Giant Man have a conversation over the phone while the former is at a salon getting her hair done. It’s tense even from just a visual standpoint. Another moment that emphasizes Hitch’s body language skills is when Bruce Banner and Betty Ross discuss the aftermath of the Hulk’s involvement in the Chitauri invasion. The scene itself is actually quite unsettling since Betty basically admits to finding the Hulk’s literal devouring of aliens to be a turn-on, but Hitch is able to convey that even without Millar’s gross dialogue.

The Ultimates is one of those frustrating books that should be great, but sabotages itself due to poor characterization made by its creative team. It is hopelessly trapped in a perpetual state of trying (and failing) to be hip and edgy. It’s rife with tasteless jokes, riddled with homophobia, and doesn’t respect its female characters. If we stripped away Millar’s dialogue, The Ultimates Volume 2: Homeland Security would be stellar. Hitch’s artwork is really something to behold, his designs are some of my favourites for these characters (across any universe), and we’ve got a fantastic cast. Unfortunately, this arc crumbles under the weight of its toxic masculinity and its significant misunderstanding of how its cast should be portrayed.

RATING: C-

Review: The Ultimates Volume 1 - Super-Human

In the aftermath of Magneto’s attack on Washington, General Nick Fury assembles a team of uniquely qualified individuals to combat any future superhuman threats to humanity. Though the S.H.I.E.L.D.-sponsored Ultimates become the face of heroism in America without ever having thrown a punch, they are put to the test when they must bring down one of their own while the entire world is watching.

The Ultimates Volume 1: Super-Human collects The Ultimates #1-6, written by Mark Millar and illustrated by Bryan Hitch.

Overall, Super-Human is best described as a mixed bag. At its best, it is a cinematic masterpiece that unfolds seamlessly over the course of six issues. At its worst, it seems as if it is written from a frat boy perspective with laughable dialogue and questionable sexist moments. Boiling it down solely to its storyline, this trade gives us an essential reimagining of the Avengers, one which proved so iconic that it served as the primary source material to the early films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It begins with a flashback to World War II, where we see the apparent death of Captain America. It’s atmospheric and captures the tone we associate with that era, which is obviously a testament to Bryan Hitch’s skill as an artist. From there, we’re taken to the present day with Nick Fury assembling a S.H.I.E.L.D.-sponsored superhero squadron. This team – consisting of Iron Man, Giant Man, Wasp, Thor and an unthawed Captain America – become overnight celebrities thanks to the public relations savvy of Betty Ross and a harrowing battle against the Hulk. It’s a truly impressive narrative due to its sheer simplicity and creative reimagining of the Avengers as a government-sponsored military strike force. In fact, some of the most interesting moments occur during downtime when we see the machinations that go into such an operation. Bureaucracy, manipulation of public opinion and (mis)use of science all make for fascinating themes within the mythos of the Avengers. Its pacing is admittedly slow, but once we get to the action in the fifth issue it’s positively explosive.

Bryan Hitch’s art is part of what makes it so easy to describe this collection as filmic. He strives for realness in his work, which is successful a great deal of the time. We see him capable of rendering accurate versions of George W. Bush and Shannon Elizabeth, as well as a Samuel L. Jackson-fied Nick Fury. This also ensures a kind of grittiness to his work and this edge creates a distinctive aesthetic for the world in which the Ultimates operate. Hitch should also be commended for his redesigns of the Ultimates – Giant Man, Wasp and Captain American in particular look really chic and streamlined in the ultra-modern looks Hitch depicts them in. If that weren’t enough, he’s also highly skilled at illustrating action sequences. Devoid of its dialogue, the fifth issue’s Ultimates vs. Hulk battle is a non-stop grudge match that’s tightly choreographed and detailed within every centimeter of the panels.

Where Super-Human loses me at points is the characterization and dialogue crafted by Mark Millar. Millar seems like he’s trying so hard to be irreverent, funny and contemporary with his work here, but instead it comes across as immature and incites more eye rolls than it does laughs. Captain America becomes wholly unlikeable for this very reason. He’s a jerk, plain and simple. He lacks the endearing qualities and quirks that make him so beloved in the main universe. Instead he comes across as a hyper-masculine meathead who is down to sucker punch anyone he deems as an annoyance. Cap is such a DB that he makes Iron Man come across rather favourably, though admittedly Millar doesn’t do much to actually make Tony seem like anything more than an eccentric. Millar’s biggest misstep is issue five. Bruce Banner turns into the Hulk and goes after his one-time girlfriend, prompting the Ultimates to go after him in order to prevent this from happening. Millar depicts Hulk’s motivations as being rather simple – he’s horny and he’s angry. With the former, it’s implied that the Hulk’s reasons for acquiring Betty are sexual. This seems to indicate that what he wants to do is assault her, which is extremely unsettling. What is more disturbing is that this motivation appears to be played off as humorous. The Hulk wanting to sexually assault someone is not funny, neither is the Wasp using her breasts as a distractionary tactic. We also get some weird dialogue with the Hulk expressing his desire to use Giant Man’s skull as a toilet bowl (ew). Millar uses a lot of crude humour that’s very unfunny due to the implications behind them and the level of immaturity that it seems to carry with it. Then there's issue six, which depicts a violent domestic dispute between Hank and Jan. Its sheer level of aggressiveness is really shocking. Millar's dialogue for the event really borders between being exploitative and depicting the realities of abuse. It's difficult to really judge whether the sequence serves to draw focus towards a very important and very prescient issue (i.e. domestic abuse) or whether it's there for shock value. There’s a reason there’s a parental advisory label on the back of this trade. It’s certainly not intended for the same audience that the MCU films are.

I really want to like Super-Human and in many ways I actually do. However, there’s a lot of creative decisions that were made that seem out of place and rather questionable for a series that reimagines the Avengers. Bryan Hitch’s artwork is certainly a reason to celebrate this book. His aesthetic is on point and provides a kind of grit that really draws the reader in. Furthermore, the basic elements of Millar’s conception of the Ultimates are really smart and relevant. His portrayal of this team as S.H.I.E.L.D. agents was really a marvelous idea and the way in which he managed to seamlessly weave Bruce Banner and Hank and Janet Pym into the organization is truly inspired. The pacing and plot are similarly very engaging. It pays homage to the Avengers’ very first issue, while also modernizing and expanding upon it. Sadly, the dialogue and character choices really hinder this collection from an otherwise well-deserved high score. Needless to say, I’m not much of a fan of Millar’s vision of Captain America and the humour he settles on for this series.

RATING: C+