The Revolution enjoyed Ultimate Power #1. I am a huge fan of Land and Ryan’s gorgeous artwork so I knew that I’d like this mini-series even if Bendis only delivered an average storyline. I think Bendis has created an interesting little premise for this mini-series. I’m fairly confident that Ultimate Power #2 is going to be a pretty solid read. All right, let’s do this review.
Creative Team
Writer: Brian Michael Bendis
Penciler: Greg Land
Inker: Matt Ryan
Art Rating: 10 Night Girls out of 10
Story Rating: 7 Night Girls out of 10
Overall Rating: 8.5 Night Girls out of 10
Synopsis: We begin with Spider-Man and Kitty Pryde web-slinging across Manhattan. They see the Baxter Building suddenly erupt in an explosion. We cut to the Fantastic Four brawling with the Squadron Supreme. The members of the Squadron Supreme are all talking complete gibberish. Spider-Man and Kitty Pryde drop in to help out the Fantastic Four with their fight against the Squadron Supreme. Kitty Pryde calls Storm on her cell phone and tells Storm to get the rest of the X-Men and quickly come to the Baxter Building to help them.
This fight is a real monster fight that goes on for twelve pages. Finally, the members of Squadron Supreme regain their ability to speak normally. We learn that traveling through dimensions messed with the Squadron Supreme’s ability to talk.
Suddenly, a lightning bolt blasts Hyperion and we see that Nick Fury and the Ultimates are on the scene. Nick Fury tells the Squadron Supreme that they are under arrest. The brawl continues with the Squadron Supreme holding their own against the combined forces of the Fantastic Four, the Ultimates and Spider-Man.
Then the X-Men appear on the scene to give more firepower to our heroes in their fight against the Squadron Supreme. Reed Richards tells the Squadron Supreme that they are no outnumbers and outgunned. Reed asks the Squadron Supreme to please stop fighting and tell them why they are here.
Hyperion then tells Reed Richards that he is under arrest for crimes against humanity. Evidently, Reed destroyed their entire world. Reed says that is impossible. That he doesn’t even know them. Power Princess then shows Reed one of his inter-dimensional probes that he launched in issue #1.
Nick tells Reed that he hopes Reed hasn’t done what Nick specifically asked him not to do. Hyperion then yells that Reed destroyed their world and will now answer for what he has done. End of issue.
Comments
The Good: Ultimate Power #2 was a blast to read. Bendis turned in one incredibly action packed issue. Seriously, the entire issue except for the final two pages was one insane fight. This is actually quite unusual for Bendis. I have found that Bendis prefers to deliver extremely wordy and talky issues that are dialogue heavy and focus more on character interaction than massive flashy brawls.
Ultimate Power #2 was a pure popcorn issue. Nothing more than one incredibly entertaining fight. This issue read like a summer blockbuster movie. What made this fight so much fun was that Bendis acted like a mad scientist who kept throwing more and more ingredients into a boiling mixture. First, Bendis adds Spider-Man and Kitty Pryde to the fight. Then after a few more pages, Bendis introduced Nick Fury and the Ultimates into the fight. And just when you thought the fight couldn’t get any crazier, Bendis brings the X-Men into the brawl.
The fight was excellently paced and plotted. Bendis constructed a multi-layered fight that had a nice rhythm and gradually increased in intensity and scope as the issue progressed. I was rather impressed. I never thought that Bendis could pull off an exciting fight of this scale. For a minute there I thought I was reading a Mark Millar book rather than a Bendis book. Bendis certainly showed his range with this issue.
Of course, we got supplied with the always dependable Bendis dialogue full of fast paced witty quips being fired back and forth between the various characters during this wild fight. Bendis is a master of the humorous one-liners and this issue is certainly no exception.
And Bendis definitely dropped a big bomb on the reader with this ending. We learn that one of Reed Richards’ seemingly innocent probes that he launched in issue #1 led to the entire destruction to the Squadron Supreme’s world. What a cool twist. It certainly hooked me into wanting to read the next issue.
Plus, Bendis astutely picks up on the main theme that makes Reed Richards such an intriguing character. Reed is an unparalleled genius who truly only has the best intentions for the world around him. Unfortunately for Reed, his best intentions only lead to horrible results for those around him. Reed has turned his closest friend into a monster and has now destroyed an entire world in trying to cure his close friend. It should be interesting how Bendis handles how Reed deals with all of this.
As always, Land and Ryan crank out some absolutely stunning artwork. I love their style. I know some people don’t dig it and I just don’t know why. People may complain that it is too static for their tastes. Not for me. Land and Ryan’s art is flat out beautiful. It is wonderfully detailed and textured. I could stare at their panels for hours on end.
The Bad: I don’t give a damn how many super speed punches Stanley lands on the Thing. The fact is that a hundred punches a second would never make the Thing say “Ow.” Stanley doesn’t have super strength or invulnerability. Hitting the Thing, who is highly indestructible, would be like punching an unbreakable brick wall a hundred times at super speed. All that would happen is that Stanley’s hands would be broken and bloody messes.
Overall: Ultimate Power #2 was an absolute blast to read. Bendis is delivering an enjoyable storyline. Combine that with Land and Ryan’s wonderful artwork and you have the ingredients for a fun little mini-series. I would definitely recommend giving Ultimate Power a chance.