Dangit.

I don’t want to do this.

I’ve spent the last several years raggin’ on the Marvel Ultimate Universe. I made fun of the laziness of it all, how all the characters and stories were already written and the writers were just retelling the same tales. I made fun of the context, how most of the stories were intereresting only by how they contrasted to the origials. I made fun of the futility, how what was supposed to be a way to get new readers on board with these characters turned into an extremely complicated new universe only comic book fans could appreciate.

But I can’t make fun of the rebooted Ultimate Comics.

Dangit.

Ultimate Comics Avengers so far has been a great step forward for Mark Millar. I feel like I’m watching the slow kid in class, the one who was only concerned with making comics to pitch to movie studios and craming tons of characters into every issue he wrote for Marvel, finally win that spelling bee.

Way to go kid. We always knew the magic was in you.

Ultimate Comics Avengers #2 focuses on the origin of Ultimate Red Skull, a villian reimagined brilliantly. There is almost nothing that relates him to his regular incarnation while at the same time he is certain to be Captain America’s greatest arch enemy. Bravo Millar! You get another gold star on your chart this month!

The art by Carlos Pachelo is like everything that man touches, pure comic book bliss. Weight and motion combine to make these characters feel powerful rather than suspended by wires.

Dangit.

I really didn’t want to like this series, but even with that it won me over big time, which I suppose is the best compliment I can give it. Don’t get left behind, pick up this issue and the last issue. You will be ok knowing next to nothing about the Ultiimate Marvel Universe, this is a fresh start.

Dang.

What I learned today: I could have gone my entire life thinking “Lady Gaga” was some kind of street drug instead of what I know now.