Comics The future of the ultimate universe

[Eddie Brock]

For everyone who thinks the ultimate universe needs to come to an end I got the perfect solution for ya, don't read it. Nobody is putting a gun to ya head and making you read it.

Excellent point.

 

[kguillou]

I think the only reason this is even a debate is because of the incrediblee job marvel has done re-inventing itself lately. Think about it, one of the purposes of the ultimate universe was to create a more realistic, more updated world that superheroes could live in. Civil War has pretty much "updated" the 616 to more modern realistic standards. It's probably even more realistic than ultimate right now.
The thing is, theres SOOO much going on with the 616 universe now, its hard to even care what happens in the ultimate verse.I still think there's alot of life in the ultimate verse left, but i think Marvel has put 90% priority on re-inventing the 616 universe and basically starting a new beginning. Something that the ultimate universe was made for. if 616 continues on this momentum, it might end up killing the utlimate world (in terms on sales).

 

[Secret_Riddle]

Why kill it? It exsists solely as an alternative line..let it stay that way, and as for USM, as soon as the revolving door of writer/artist starts in 5 years or less, the world that bendis/bagley created will slowly fade anyway so in the end just let it exsist beside 616.

 

[Eddie Brock]

616 sales will not demolish Ultimate sales. USM is STILL one of the best-selling comics, period.

 

[Donald Thomas]

616 sales will not demolish Ultimate sales. USM is STILL one of the best-selling comics, period.

Aloha,
That's true. Very often Ultimate SM beat Amazing. The point to remember is that this interveiw was not from someone at Marvel. No one at Marvel has said anything about cancelling the Ultimate line.And even the people who were interveiwed said that Ultimate SM should stay.Just remember that no alternate Universe at Marvel has lasted as long as the Ultimate Universe. Sales numbers will tell the story.So just like the fans of Spider-girl kept it alive even though it had low sales numbers, so the fans of Ultimate SM and other Ultimate titles can keep them alive.And the Spider-girl fans didn't do it with NEGATIVITY-they did it with support.
Spidey rules

 

[imdaly]

I think one thing that will ALWAYS make USM as an "easier" storyline to follow compared to 616 Spidey is that there's only one Spider-Man title. Sure there was Ultimate Team-Up, and a couple minis here and there (Ultimate Six), but otherwise if you want to know what happens next for Peter, you just read the next issue.

That's when 616 Spidey starts getting difficult to follow: when he started having multiple ongoing titles going at once...and THEN even having cross-over stories from one to another.

The Ultimate-verse works so well because it's streamlined. There's no "Ultimate Spider-Man" with "Ultimate Amazing Spider-Man" and "Ultimate Peter Parker: Spider-Man", etc. It's just "Ultimate Spider-Man". One title. One creative team.

There's no criteria to be fan; you just have to like Spiderman! lol

Though it does help if you know how to spell Spider-Man's name correctly.

 

[Prison Mike]

Though it does help if you know how to spell Spider-Man's name correctly.

Damn it. I keep forgetting that dash! lol Sorry. It's Spider-Man.

 

[Prison Mike]

Though it does help if you know how to spell Spider-Man's name correctly.

Damn it. I keep forgetting that dash! lol Sorry. It's Spider-Man.

 

[Prison Mike]

Though it does help if you know how to spell Spider-Man's name correctly.

Damn it. I keep forgetting that dash! lol Sorry. It's Spider-Man.

 

[Prison Mike]

sorry about triple posting!

 

[hulkamania85]

Ya know, I can't understand why USM is still so popular. It's trash. It's unmitigated padded out crap writin'.

Similar arguments can be made for how gimmicky 616 Marvel has been the last few years. Special events lose their shock value when they happen every 6 months.

I've been reading Ultimate Marvel the last few years while losing track of 616 Marvel because current Marvel takes a lot of work to keep up with, and with school I haven't had the time. All this House of M/Civil War/Dissassembled/Whatever comes after Civil War is really hard to keep track of. Civil War sounds like it was a good idea, but since it was sandwiched between other "huge universe shattering events buy all 100 tie in issues!" it hasn't had nearly the impact it could have had. I mean, there's big stuff going on now, don't get me wrong, but it could have been even more huge if people weren't already burnt out on special events.

So that's why I read Ultimate Spider-Man and Ultimate X-Men, because it is pretty easy to keep track of. Although I would wish they'd age Peter a little, he has already faced most of his rogues gallery in the course of a year. Ultimate X-Men looks like it will get interesting again with Bishop looking to form a new X-team, now let's hope they keep it simple with just that potential spinoff.

 

[Shin-Natsume]

well, the last page basically reveals that

Spoiler

charles is alive and being imprisoned by cable and his future guys

so sooner or later this will lead to a huge monumental battle...

 

[Dark Spidey]

My biggest concern regarding Ultimate Spider-man. Is that it started out as a modern re-imagining of the original character, with the purpose of inducting new readers to an updated, easily accessible, continuity-free Spidey. Who would then hopefully begin to crossover into reading the real Spider-man. In the real Marvel Universe.

Which i'm sure many did. And it would have been perfect too. If this had been a finite series.

But one hundred and seven issues later. This is where I believe Ultimate Spider-man begins to be detrimental to the integrity of the Spidey-mythos. To a point where it almost contradicts the titles original mandate. Because I worry, that the movie generation (those who's first real exposure to the character is seeing his stories played out on the big screen and then wanting to discover the comics) aren't bothering with the classics anymore. Instead they're busy reading through sixteen trade paperbacks of Ultimate Spider-man stories.

I worry that the new comers are taking Ultimate Spider-man to be the definitive comic book version of the character.

 

[Guybrush]

To be truely honest, I never felt there is a strict defenition of a character. In any type of entertaiment, wether its the comic themselves, the movie version or the cartoon version. After all Spider-Man is a fictional character and every person can decide for themselves which of his portrayles he prefers.

I'm pretty sure some people would say the 90s cartoon version is Spidey, some will say the movie version is, some will say the 616 version is and some will say the ultimate version is. I think it all comes down to is personnal preference.

There isn't any real Spider-Man or fake Spider-Man, all the portrayles are unique in their own way and its nice to have options to choose from which one you prefer. I prefer USM but I respect and enjoy his other version as well and can understand why most will prefer the 616 titles, because they grew up on it and for them it the defenite version.

I see no problem having more then 1 pararell version of the same character, quite the opposite I feel it just adds to the legacy.

 

[Prison Mike]

I also think that there isn't a real strict definition of Spider-Man. I was first introduced to the character through the 90s cartoon. After that, I read a comic here and there but once the movies came out, it brought me back to the comics. I only recently started reading the Ultimate universe. I enjoy it a lot and think it has a nice twist on the original comics.

 

[MattXG]

So let me get this straight, the argument is that now people who want to start comics will be discouraged by the 107 issues they have to read in order to catch up? If that's correct, then how did ASM survive 539 issues? I'm sure that people started ASM around 100, and they never had any problem.

Agreed and I like to know that I'm getting the total story. Which means if I'm going to pick up a book...I gotta know the story from the beginning. So for the 616 that would mean starting at issue #1.

And with the 616, you aren't just talking about Amazing. You're talking about Spectacular, Sensational, Web of, Marvel Knights, ect. ect. ect.

And then on top of that you have all the freaking crossover events, Civil War, The Other, ect. ect.

And I'm a bit of an art ****e and frankly, the 60's, 70's and 80's and even early 90's stuff is just painful to my eyes since I'm used to the absolutely beautiful art that has been produced these days.

I love the Ultimates, USM, and UXM (though the last couple of arcs have sucked -- I think it has started to turn around with the Cable arc though) and I'm just starting in on UFF.

I would hate to see the Ultimate Universe bite the bullet. No real reason I think. Between the tpb's and actual comic books its still selling pretty well I think. I just wish they'd do some more crossover events like the 616. You know to generate a bit more buzz.

 

[shinlyle]

And I'm a bit of an art ****e and frankly, the 60's, 70's and 80's and even early 90's stuff is just painful to my eyes since I'm used to the absolutely beautiful art that has been produced these days.

?!?!

Dude....the 60's thru the 90's gave us Steve Ditko, Jack Kirby, John Romita, Ross Andru, Erik Larsen, Todd McFarlane, John Romita Jr. , Al Milgrom, Keith Pollard, Rick Leonardi, Mike Zeck, Humberto Ramos, Mike Weiringo, Pat Oliffe, Alex Ross, Lee Weeks, and pretty much EVERY great Spider-Man artist that has ever drawn the title...including Mark Bagley, who drew a SLEW of Amazing Spider-Man issues before USM was even a glint in Marvel's eye!!

The only artists to really strut their stuff in this decade(or century, for that matter) are Mike Deodato (who came from the nineties, but didn't draw Spidey until this decade), Clayton Craine, and Angel Medina...oops, Medina drew "Web of Spider-Man" back in the Clone Saga days.

Sorry, but for an "art ****e", you just discredited alot of legendary artists.




Back to the USM debate.

Honestly, I LIKE USM, but it's just nowhere near as good as Sensational Spider-Man is nowadays, IMHO.

 

[Guybrush]

Its less about the quality of the pencilers but no doubt the inkers are much better then in the past. Also the overall paneling and presentation have improved.

The style of the art was much more cartoonish as well.

 

[Arkady Rossovich]

I think the Ultimate Universe will end,but by that time only USM will remain.

 

[MattXG]

?!?!

Dude....the 60's thru the 90's gave us Steve Ditko, Jack Kirby, John Romita, Ross Andru, Erik Larsen, Todd McFarlane, John Romita Jr. , Al Milgrom, Keith Pollard, Rick Leonardi, Mike Zeck, Humberto Ramos, Mike Weiringo, Pat Oliffe, Alex Ross, Lee Weeks, and pretty much EVERY great Spider-Man artist that has ever drawn the title...including Mark Bagley, who drew a SLEW of Amazing Spider-Man issues before USM was even a glint in Marvel's eye!!

The only artists to really strut their stuff in this decade(or century, for that matter) are Mike Deodato (who came from the nineties, but didn't draw Spidey until this decade), Clayton Craine, and Angel Medina...oops, Medina drew "Web of Spider-Man" back in the Clone Saga days.

Sorry, but for an "art ****e", you just discredited alot of legendary artists.
.

I'm not sure if it is the artists' fault or the printing tech at the time or what...

But go to a store, pick up just about any tpb of anything in the last 7 years....

Then pick up something from the 80's....


HUGE difference. The art these days is just so much more clear, so much more colorful, so much more beautiful....

Perhaps technology is to blame...I dunno. Its just the truth my eyes tell me...

 

[Themanofbat]

I look at old Spidey art by Romita Sr. or Ross Andru or Keith Pollard and I see beautiful Spider-Man pictures...

While some of today's art is great, some of it is extremely painful (why is Liefield still drawing books? ), it doesn't compare to the powerful imagery of the late 60's & 70's... when comics were drawn by good artists who could tell a story with their art, and not just supply us with candy-coated poster art like the Image artists of the 90's.

Just my two cents...

 

[Themanofbat]

To be truely honest, I never felt there is a strict defenition of a character. In any type of entertaiment, wether its the comic themselves, the movie version or the cartoon version. After all Spider-Man is a fictional character and every person can decide for themselves which of his portrayles he prefers.

I'm pretty sure some people would say the 90s cartoon version is Spidey, some will say the movie version is, some will say the 616 version is and some will say the ultimate version is. I think it all comes down to is personnal preference.

There isn't any real Spider-Man or fake Spider-Man, all the portrayles are unique in their own way and its nice to have options to choose from which one you prefer. I prefer USM but I respect and enjoy his other version as well and can understand why most will prefer the 616 titles, because they grew up on it and for them it the defenite version.

I see no problem having more then 1 pararell version of the same character, quite the opposite I feel it just adds to the legacy.

I can see where you are coming from but there is a fault in your opinion.

While it's true that many people will have their first tastes of Spider-Man from varying sources, we have to remember that NONE of those varying sources would exist if it weren't for the original 616 Spider-Man. And it is THIS Peter Parker that the legendary character that is Spider-Man will continue to be built on, and all others will be based upon.

And that folks... is merely MY two cents on that...

 

[Spider-Gamer]

I can see where you are coming from but there is a fault in your opinion.

While it's true that many people will have their first tastes of Spider-Man from varying sources, we have to remember that NONE of those varying sources would exist if it weren't for the original 616 Spider-Man. And it is THIS Peter Parker that the legendary character that is Spider-Man will continue to be built on, and all others will be based upon.

And that folks... is merely MY two cents on that...

*steals your two cents*

 

[shinlyle]

I look at old Spidey art by Romita Sr. or Ross Andru or Keith Pollard and I see beautiful Spider-Man pictures...

While some of today's art is great, some of it is extremely painful (why is Liefield still drawing books? ), it doesn't compare to the powerful imagery of the late 60's & 70's... when comics were drawn by good artists who could tell a story with their art, and not just supply us with candy-coated poster art like the Image artists of the 90's.

Just my two cents...

That's what I'm saying! Whatever happened to artists who could convey the stories and emotions and work with the words? I love the occasional splash page as much as any other guy (I'm an artist as well, so I love drawing them), but an artist who can convey from panel to panel the conflicts, fights, and emotions of the characters without having to take an entire one-page scene to do it, that is truly a master of the medium, IMHO.

Romita's storytelling alone is unparalleled. That, and, of the splash pages he did, he did the most memorable in comic history...

Anyone want to post it?
(hint: ASM#50)

I don't recall any splash page as fondly remembered in the past 10 or 20 years, let alone as widely known!

Not knocking the newer artists, but I just think that the flashiness took over somwhere in the 90s, and the storytelling was left behind....alot of artists today can tell a story with pictures as well as those of old, but Mike Weiringo and the like don't get anywhere near the press as the Micheal Turners and Jim Lees of the world.

 

[Themanofbat]

*steals your two cents*

*** shakes fist in anger ***