Comparing the Ultimates: Millar, Loeb, Hickman, Humphries

[Chaos_Alfa]

Cool now to get us back on topic....by the way I never was arguing against that it could be Brian...


Is it true that Hickman's arcs are only going to be 4 issues?

The structure of Ultimate Comics: Ultimates is going to be:

Unless I misinterpreted what Hickman meant when he said that "the next year of the book would consist of a "four issue arc" followed by a "few single issues" and another "small-to-medium-sized arc", then more single issues, then finally a "large arc" to finish off the year.

Source: Interview with Hickman at ifanboy.com

The first one is gonna be 4 issues. If it's written and structured anything like Hickman's past stories, all issues will pretty much just bleed into each other and all you will get is a change in title from arc to arc. The tone will remain basically one big plot.

Hickman said he was going to do Ultimate Comics: Ultimates different compared to Secret Warriors and FF and that he doesn't have an end point in mind like he had/has for Secret Warriors and FF.

[wyokid]

The structure of Ultimate Comics: Ultimates is going to be:


Source: Interview with Hickman at ifanboy.com

Sweetness!

[Brian M.]

He doesn't have an end point, but each plot will probably build on each other. I'm sure there is some end point for the stories he's current plotting, maybe not an end point for the book.

[Robbie_Jee]

LOVE YOU BENDIS!

[Robbie_Jee]

How is this not answering the question? I had thought something that was 100% plausible and you didn't agree with it, I wasn't the only one who didn't know if it was Brian.

Ok, where are the plot holes in The Ultimates 1 and The Ultimates 2?

[Chaos_Alfa]

He doesn't have an end point, but each plot will probably build on each other. I'm sure there is some end point for the stories he's current plotting, maybe not an end point for the book.

Not really an argument against it, but here is the source.

Hickman was asked whether he had a "master plan" for the ongoing, and said he did not have an end point in the way that he did for "Fantastic Four" and "Secret Warriors." "I know where I'm going to be for the next year, certainly," he said, adding that the first year would likely feature more than 12 issues. "I can tell you what the first five arcs are, beat for beat."

[wyokid]

Dude...I don't even know what to say. He's not a recurring supporting character. He's someone who will likely never be mentioned again. Forgetting Ultimate X for a moment, which I will admit had some redeeming qualities, did you seriously like Loeb's other Ultimate work?

The Ultimates 3: What I had always want The Ultimates to be, a non-stop action story. Hickman is so far continuing it, but it's too early to tell. All I wanted was something fun to read and Millar never gave me that.

Ultimatum: Killed off several characters I hated and was an irreversible slaughter of heroes which was something I have always wanted to see.

New Ultimates: Best The Ultimates story yet.

So yes, I did.

Okay, yes, you've said that. What, specifically, do you disagree with?

I don't agree that they could be told.

[PhilUrich'sFlamingSword]

The Ultimates 3: What I had always want The Ultimates to be, a non-stop action story. Hickman is so far continuing it, but it's too early to tell. All I wanted was something fun to read and Millar never gave me that.

Ultimatum: Killed off several characters I hated and was an irreversible slaughter of heroes which was something I have always wanted to see.

New Ultimates: Best The Ultimates story yet.

So yes, I did.

Okay, well...I'll just say that I, and the vast majority of people, could not disagree more. If what you want out of the Ultimates is a non-stop action story, then that says to me that you dislike thoughtful, well-put-together and, dare I say, REALISTIC stories (within the context of comic books, that is), and have apparently misunderstood the idea of what the Ultimates were supposed to be from the very beginning.

I don't agree that they could be told.

Okay, I'm going to reply like you here: But...I already told you how they could have been told (Just messing with you Wyo...you know I love you man. You once gave me the hose. Well, more than once, actually)

[wyokid]

Okay, well...I'll just say that I, and the vast majority of people, could not disagree more. If what you want out of the Ultimates is a non-stop action story, then that says to me that you dislike thoughtful, well-put-together and, dare I say, REALISTIC stories (within the context of comic books, that is), and have apparently misunderstood the idea of what the Ultimates were supposed to be from the very beginning.

Before I read The Ulitmates I was told it was like a summer blockbuster in comic form. I went in expecting non-stop action. To me New Ultimates WAS thoughtful, well-put-together and, dare I say, REALISTIC. As for me not liking realistic stories Maus and, more recently, Code Word: Geronimo are two of my favorite comics. Actually to better prove a point, I want you to read a story I wrote:

Page 19

Pan 1: a mid-20s African-American male wearing baggy blue jeans and a white hooded sweatshirt is sitting on the right-side on a wooden bench in the park.

Thought box: I miss running

Pan 2: A young attractive blond woman in tight red short-shorts and a red sports bra runs by the man on the bench.

Thought box: It was always the one thing I looked forward to in the mornings.

Pan 3: we leave the man on the bench to follow the runner who passes by an fat old woman pushing a double stroller

Thought box: It's when I got to relax and think about my life.

Pan 4: the woman continues running through the park

Thought box: My mother had told me "Don't you trust him Casey! He'll bring you nothin' but pain!"

Pan 5: Casey runs past a golden retriever

Thought box: She never liked David to begin with, said I was too good for a rat like him.

Pan 6: Casey is taking a drink from a water fountain

Thought box: when we're teenagers we never listen to our parents. We always just assume they don't know what the hell they're talking about.

Pan 7: Casey is stretching her quads.

Thought box: So of course I thought my mom was just spitting things out of her ass again.

Pan 8: Casey continues to run again

Thought box: I was wrong

Page 20: full page spread of Casey on a hospital bed giving birth her face is in agony.

Page 21

Pan 1: Casey continues running in the park.

Thought box: The last time I ever saw David was the day I told him about Sarah.

Pan 2: Casey approaches the park bench from the first page, the man is still sitting there.

Thought box: He told me, swore to me, that he would be there for the child. That night he packed his stuff and was gone for good.

Pan 3: Casey sits down on the left side of the bench.

Thought box: Thankfully my mother was understanding and agreed to raise Sarah until I was capable of doing so myself.

Pan 4: Casey stretches her head and arms backwards.

Thought box: Life was very stressful for me after David left. There I was, 18 years-old, no job, still living in my mother's house, and already a parent.

Pan 5: Casey is staring to the left while the man on the right checks her out

Thought box: Some days were excruciatingly painful for me. One night I was rushed to the hospital after cutting my radial artery. I couldn't take it anymore. I needed a way out. A way to relieve myself of stress.

Pan 6: Casey turns her head to the right and the man quickly looks to the right pretending he wasn't just gawking at her.

Thought box: a friend of mine suggested that I run, so I did.

Pan 7: Casey stands up

Thought box: I've been running every morning for six years now

Pan 8: Casey jogs away from the bench

Thought box: I miss running.

Page 22: full page spread of Casey's decapitated head. Behind it in silhouette an alien can be seen.

Cap 1: Ours No More

Cap 2: Part 3

Cap 3: Morning Pains

Cap 4: To Be Continued...

What do you think of it?

Okay, I'm going to reply like you here: But...I already told you how they could have been told (Just messing with you Wyo...you know I love you man. You once gave me the hose. Well, more than once, actually)

Don't make me do it again (man that sounds dirty)

[Plawsky]

The Ultimates 3: What I had always want The Ultimates to be, a non-stop action story.

It might not be non-stop, but Millar's Ultimates has tons of action. Both volumes end with four straight issues of the Ultimates vs the Chitauri and Liberators, respectively. Plus, there's the Hulk and WWII action sequences in Ultimates (all while introducing a dozen characters) and the Middle East, Thor and Defenders action in Ultimates 2.

New Ultimates: Best The Ultimates story yet.

And yet, it wasn't non-stop action.

I don't agree that they could be told.

Why not?

Armor Wars could have been the fallout from just about anything bad for Tony.

Ultimate Thor took place long before Ultimatum.

Spider-man's stories didn't even deal with Ultimatum; he's teamed up with Bobby and Johnny before, and they could have had any number of reasons for moving in with him.

The only signs of Ultimatum in New Ultimates were the Pyms' absence and Thor's death. The Pyms could have quit, and Thor could have died without Ultimatum.

Ultimate X could have happened any of a thousand ways. Yes, Ultimatum happened to be the reason that Jean was on the run, but it's not hard to come up with a way to make mutants hated.

As for One More Day - Peter simply could have gotten a divorce. Or MJ could have died. He didn't have to make a deal with the devil.

[wyokid]

They wouldn't BE the same stories then.

[Plawsky]

They wouldn't BE the same stories then.

With the exception of a few sentences here and there, you could tell almost all of them the exact same way. All of the character motivations could be exactly the same. The only thing that really depends on Ultimatum is Jean's change into Karen. Other than that, it would just take changing a few words to not reference the events of Ultimatum.

[wyokid]

The whole reason FF disbanded was ULTIMATUM. Also by chaining sentences you are making it a different story.

EDIT: Not sure why my phone capatilized that...

[superchick]

I want 616 Thor in the Ultimate universe.

What 616 Thor? Read 616 Thor over the years and you will see how vastly he has changed. I prefer the early Thor and I think Ultimate Thor (as shown by Millar/Hickman) is the best monthly Thor we have right now. He has a distinct voice. 616 Thor is personalityless and a mass of testosterone and nothing more right now.

[wyokid]

So far Hickman's Thor isn't like Millar's or Loeb's Thor at all...