Ultimate Power # 1
Writer: Brain Michael Bendis; Pencils: Greg Land; Inks: Matt Ryan
- Reads like a very typical Ultimate universe story. In fact, it reads more like a Warren Ellis story than one from Bendis. Ellis’s focus is typically on technology and action, and Bendis seems to have taken that same approach rather than his usual concentration on character development and dialogue. Perhaps the typical Bendis approach isn’t viable in a crossover comic given that so many characters must appear, giving each character only a flash to make themselves understood.
- Reed’s use of the monitoring technology opens up real possibilities for a story in the Prometheus vein. But will Marvel do it, or will they follow the typical good-guys-do-something-stupid, bad-guys-appear, bad-guys-beat-up-good-guys, good-guys-win-in-an-unbelievable-final-deus-ex-machina-battle plot. Well, yaaaaawn. Someday it would be nice to see a story where Reed is forced to face how reckless he can be with his inquiries and the danger he places everyone else. If he can do anything, should he? Yep, it’s an age old story, but it would be nice to see. And Ultimate Power be that story, but it’s likely that it won’t be.
- I generally read a lot of the feminist criticism of comics feeling a bit of support for their viewpoint and a bit of skepticism regarding some of their opinions. Greg Land seems to occupy much of their critiques, but I’d never really paid attention to whether or not he really is outrageous in his portrayal of women. Well, Ultimate Power # 1 opened my eyes to that! Check out the Serpent Squad scene from page 2.
All of the women have rather unbelievable bodies and dress, but I’m not sure that some fantasy in a fantastical story is really that bad. None of them are dressed for a fight, but, again, it is a superhero story, so a little bit of the unbelievable isn’t a world ender. What really gets me is the woman on the left in the black leather dominatrix outfit. She’s not fighting anyone while wearing that outfit without her breasts popping out and flopping all over the place. The outfit doesn’t offend me, but it is incredibly stupid. It doesn’t exist to make an interesting character, but only so the reader will say “OMG! She’s so hawt!!!1111111″. How lame.
Some fantasy is fine with me, but, please, keep it within a sane person’s suspension of disbelief, or at least get it to further the story.
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1 Chickity China » Powers # 20 (Vol 2) - Review // Oct 17, 2006 at 10:43 pm
[...] And unlike Ultimate Power # 1, Bendis is writing to his strengths in Powers. He has the time to develop the characters, especially through the well-written dialogue. [...]