Another Embarrassing Admission

Let's say, hypothetically, a guy was really, really old - like in his 40s even - and he still read comic books. Would that really make him a total geek?

How's that…?

Oh, it would. Well, anyway, there's this really cool book out now called (it's kind of a stupid name but there was an important marketing decision behind it) the Ultimates. It's a super-hero team book, you know, like the Justice League of America, only with Thor instead of Superman and Captain America instead of Batman, like that.

The art on it is by this guy, Bryan Hitch, who draws the photo-realistic thing really well. Every panel is a beauty to behold. It's like every issue plays out visually like a wide-screen summer blockbuster film. And the writer, Mark Millar, is top-notch too. He's this young Scottish guy with a drinking problem who just happens to be a brilliant writer. I'll bet a lot of these guys would like to know if the alcohol causes the brilliance, or does the brilliance necessitate the alcohol? Or is it just a package deal? Doesn't seem to be a coincidence.

But I digress.

Here is an example of the talent at work here: Captain America beating up a naked alien Nazi from last year. (Make sure you scroll to the bottom and enjoy all three pages.)

So issue number 9 (of Volume 2, another marketing decision) just came out and it's got to be the best single book I've read this year. Without geeking out on all the details of comic-book goodness this issue contains, in the end it's the premise that kicks the most ass here.

What it comes down to is: The US Government has been bankrolling and pulling the strings of this group of affiliated super-heroes, The Ultimates. They're out there saving the world from ET's and shit, but what the rest of the world sees instead is the US Govt with a Superhero advantage that totally threatens the balance of power in the world. They actually refer to them as Persons of Mass Destruction.

Imagine if we could send Superman to Afghanistan with his superspeed and X-Ray vision to pick up Osama's sorry ass? Mission Accomplished in 30 seconds, start to finish. In this storyline, that's exactly the kind of power imbalance the rest of the world is looking at when they see The Ultimates in action.

So what does the rest of the world do? They form their own 'coalition of the willing' to slap The Ultimates down with a team of international super-creeps, ostensibly to keep the US from continuing to 'threaten' our world neighbors. They successfully attack The Ultimates, invade America and depose our civilian government; there's even one scene eerily (and no doubt deliberately) reminiscent of the toppling of the statue of Saddam.

(It remains to be seen whether an unexpected insurgency will rise up to make the international super-creeps' lives miserable, but the story still has a few more issues to go.)

What's amazing to me is that I didn't see the allegory coming till now. I'd seen hints of it, but the fullness of it didn't really came home till I read this issue.

I just can't say enough about the craft involved in the creation of this book. It not only dazzles the eye, but it packs an intellectual punch that the average Joe on the street wouldn't expect from what is popularly considered quite a disposable form of entertainment.

Ultimates, Vol 2, #9 Recommmended!

If you're curious, go to amazon and search out one of the trade paperbacks (which collects a number of previous issues in one edition). If the words-n-pictures format doesn't throw you, you'll find this book a worthwhile entertainment.