Marvel's "Ultimate line"

[Big Dick McGee]

In exchange for some DVDs of the Tenant Doctor Who series, Darthsikle lent me his whole box of Marvel Ultimate comics.

I'm just reading them in alphabetical order, so far I've finished Ultimate Adventures, Ultimate Daredevil & Elektra, Ultimate Elektra, and five issues of Ultimate Fantastic Four.

My impressions are mixed. While I liked Adventures and the DD/Elektra comics, they felt old. I expect a certain amount of that, inasmuch as the stories are just re-tellings. But they don't even really feel updated so much.

Another observation is that Brian Michael Bendis can't write dialogue for shit. He's worse than early Stan Lee. People rave about how "real" his dialogue is; however "real" dialogue doesn't translate well to any entertainment medium. I mean, he fills his comic with word balloons with stutters, repetition, etc. It takes a fucking hour to read one of his books, and you feel like nothing's being said.

I hope the stories improve soon, or I might give up.

 

[Voltage]

Interesting.

I've read and enjoyed Ultimate Spider-Man since issue number one.

It's not epic, groundbreaking writing, but Ultimate Spider-Man is more Spider-Man than the alien running around in the comics that used to star the original Spidey.

Voltage

 

[Captain Jack]

Interesting.

I've read and enjoyed Ultimate Spider-Man since issue number one.

It's not epic, groundbreaking writing, but Ultimate Spider-Man is more Spider-Man than the alien running around in the comics that used to star the original Spidey.

Voltage

Agreed. Ultimate Spider-Man is my FAVORITE comic. MJ is a hottie, and is perhaps more true Spider-Man than any other version out there.

 

[Big Dick McGee]

I read the first 10 or so issues of Ultimate Spider-Man. I'm sorry, but I just can't get past Bendis' obsession with "real teenager" dialogue. The fawners will say, "But that's how real teenagers talk" to which I say, "that's why I don't listen when teenagers open their mouths." Do you really need a page full of word balloons that say the same thing over and over? Ugh.

I will say that I am currently reading the Ellis/Kubert run on Ultimate FF, and liking it a lot. Ellis knows when to curb the dialogue and let the artwork speak for itself.

 

[Captain Jack]

It's mellowed down in the more recent issues, especially after they knocked off Gwen Stacy.

 

[Donovan]

Try the Ultimates: the avengers version. It's twisted and funny as hell in spots, and you never saw a group of more self-absorbed asses in your life (without going online, that is). The Ultimate Hulk especially reclaims his rightful mantle as the most fearsome monster in the comic world, and I'd hate to be Freddy Prinze LOL

 

[DarthSikle]

It's mellowed down in the more recent issues, especially after they knocked off Gwen Stacy.

She's Bacccckkkkk

 

[Big Dick McGee]

I gotta finish that box and get it back to you so I can get caught up!