Ultimate Universe...Dead or Alive?

[Amazing_Bag_man]

I don't know if this was mention before or was already posted but....

 

Here is a rather interesting article of the possible demise of the Ultimate Universe.... weblink below

 

 

 

IGN: THE END OF THE ULTIMATE UNIVERSE?

 

I'm glad I did not fall for those series at all,no pun intended but 'ultimately' one had to survive!!

[Pirate]

it's been dead to me for most of those 6 years

[deathlok]

I hope it does die. Possibly one of the worst ideas Marvel has had in the past 10 years.

[Amazing_Bag_man]

At the time of it's hype I almost bought an Ultimate Spider-man 1 cgc copy at it's inflated price...thankfully I backed out on it. This goes to prove that modern books has not proven it's self as good investment or worthy book in the long haul.

[MegaMatt]

I pretty much agree with the article. The Ultimate line has had it high points and low points. However, anything that gave us Marvel Zombies is forever in my debt. And I still love Ultimate Spidey. Ultimate X-Men is pretty bad these days, as much a fan of Kirkman's I am. I just think that they should move Ult. Spidey, Ult. Venom, Ult. Kingpin and Ult. Mary Jane over in the the regular Marvel Universe. I think that would be awesome. Heck, imagine is they brought over Ult. Captain America to replace our now dead one. Or Ult. Hulk for that matter.

[Kevin Boyd]

I buy Ultimate Spider-Man and Ultimate X-Men for a friend and read them. I agree with the assessment that Ultimate Spider-Man is the only keeper in that rotten bunch. Ultimate FF sank like a stone at the end of the Millar/Land run. They could cancel UXM and UFF and I don't think a single tear would be shed for them. USM could very well be concluded and while I think a few fans would miss it and complain, it wouldn't be for very long.

 

It's easy to bash the Ultimates, but when Volume II is finished and finally published as a single hardcover I think there will still be a lot of fans of the Millar/Hitch ultimate books. There's no need for a Volume III.

[12c_Comic]

Ultimate what....the end......

 

R.I.P.

[AnthaiHERO]

good read. the ultimate i found worth keeping was spider-man, but i could live without it. i'm content with the ongoing asm.

[the blob]

i think you've figured how captain america comes back. they're merge the two universes. ultimate versions will battle the non-ultimate versions for survival rights, the beyonder will step in and create an Earth II so there won't be too much bloodshed where some ultimate versions will go and some non-ultimates will go (the ones we don't care about)...(obviously they'll have to call it something else)...Galactus will then eat the Earth II

[deathlok]

I buy Ultimate Spider-Man and Ultimate X-Men for a friend and read them. I agree with the assessment that Ultimate Spider-Man is the only keeper in that rotten bunch. Ultimate FF sank like a stone at the end of the Millar/Land run. They could cancel UXM and UFF and I don't think a single tear would be shed for them. USM could very well be concluded and while I think a few fans would miss it and complain, it wouldn't be for very long.

 

It's easy to bash the Ultimates, but when Volume II is finished and finally published as a single hardcover I think there will still be a lot of fans of the Millar/Hitch ultimate books. There's no need for a Volume III.

 

My beef with the Ulitimate Universe (UU) has nothing at all to do with the stories, art, or characters, but ratehr with the concept of it. Rather than correct or refine the regular Marvel Universe (MU), Marvel chose to pursue a less complicated, re-telling of the MU. The problem comes in when trying to develop new stories for the UU. Now we have two very different histories of the same characters.

 

The UU has just as many of the same continuity problems that the MU has. A reader cannot just pick up a title and know what has preceded it. Which was the mani comlaint of the MU for creating the UU.

 

I think the UU was a success in bringing in new readers with the UU. Two problems arise with this. Do new readers of the UU titles, become readers of other MU titles? Maybe. What happens when Marvel discontinues the UU, will we lose those readers who were attracted to the UU?

[testinadical-migration]

I pretty much agree with the article. The Ultimate line has had it high points and low points. However, anything that gave us Marvel Zombies is forever in my debt. And I still love Ultimate Spidey. Ultimate X-Men is pretty bad these days, as much a fan of Kirkman's I am. I just think that they should move Ult. Spidey, Ult. Venom, Ult. Kingpin and Ult. Mary Jane over in the the regular Marvel Universe. I think that would be awesome. Heck, imagine is they brought over Ult. Captain America to replace our now dead one. Or Ult. Hulk for that matter.

 

The day they merge the regular Marvel Universe with the Ultimate Universe is the day I never buy another modern Marvel again, no matter who's writing it

[jordanscott]

I pretty much agree with the article. The Ultimate line has had it high points and low points. However, anything that gave us Marvel Zombies is forever in my debt. And I still love Ultimate Spidey. Ultimate X-Men is pretty bad these days, as much a fan of Kirkman's I am. I just think that they should move Ult. Spidey, Ult. Venom, Ult. Kingpin and Ult. Mary Jane over in the the regular Marvel Universe. I think that would be awesome. Heck, imagine is they brought over Ult. Captain America to replace our now dead one. Or Ult. Hulk for that matter.

 

The day they merge the regular Marvel Universe with the Ultimate Universe is the day I never buy another modern Marvel again, no matter who's writing it

 

It's comming.

 

As noted above...and I thought the same thing reading the article...this is how they bring back Steve Rogers.

[Kevin Boyd]

My impression of the Ultimate Universe is that it was conceived as a "do over", a fresh playground, and conceived without any real thought towards where things would be a few years down the line. Now that it has been established that it is one of the many different alternate realities that exist in the Marvel Multiverse, Marvel has trivialized the UU into being just another "alternate earth" storyline that can be wiped clear or ignored at any given time. It's the "New Universe" with more familiar faces.

[deathlok]

My impression of the Ultimate Universe is that it was conceived as a "do over", a fresh playground, and conceived without any real thought towards where things would be a few years down the line. Now that it has been established that it is one of the many different alternate realities that exist in the Marvel Multiverse, Marvel has trivialized the UU into being just another "alternate earth" storyline that can be wiped clear or ignored at any given time. It's the "New Universe" with more familiar faces.

Which is what I was saying. So what happens when Marvel stops printing UU titles? Do we lose those readers who began reading comics with the UU books? Does UU fall by the wayside of titles like New Universe and 2099? It seems as if the very thing that the UU was created for, is the same things it has fallen victim to.

[Aces]

I don't know if this was mention before or was already posted but....

 

Here is a rather interesting article of the possible demise of the Ultimate Universe.... weblink below

 

 

 

IGN: THE END OF THE ULTIMATE UNIVERSE?

 

I'm glad I did not fall for those series at all,no pun intended but 'ultimately' one had to survive!!

 

I deecided to sell all my Ultimate trades ( I had every one in print).

The tipping point for me was when they ruined the Ultimate Silver Surfer.

Other low points were the X-men as noted by others.

 

The high points were the Ultimates I and II and the Zombies along with most of the FFs and ASMs.

 

Pizzes me off to no end they never did a Ultimate Thor mini at least...

And the 6 month wait for Ultimate Wolv vs Hulk issue 3???

[followtheleader]

I guess it's just me, but I don't see it.

 

First, why does it have to be either/or? They both can and have co-existed.

 

Secondly, the Marvel Universe counterparts are not really that much better. MU FF has been pretty mediorce for a very long time. I'd chose UFF over it any day. I mean, how long has it been since Land left? Not that long. The Thanos storyline was definitely different and the coloring was very poor. But it wasn't any worse than the MU FF. As a whole, the 35+ issues of UFF are much more entertaining than the last 35+ issues of MU UFF.

 

Many may disagree with me here, but MU ASM has been sub-par for a long time too. The Spider-IronMan suit, revelation of Peter's identity, Gwen Stacy/Osborn storyline, the totem storyline, and many others have been pretty aweful. Now, I'll agree that U-ASM, since the Carnage storyline, has been re-gurgitating old characters into the Ultimate Universe and pretty sub-par itself. The Wolverine-Spiderman story was also aweful. But it still serves the purpose of not being NEARLY as convoluted as MU ASM. Especially since many of the changes have, IMO, negatively impacted the character and made him even more transparent. Again, I'd rather read a 50% solid rate on the last 100 U ASM than, in my IMO, and much lower percentage for the ASM title.

 

I can see the complaints on U X-men. My biggest issue is that they are writing alternate versions of the regular universe (no originality). But I like seeing Cable the way he's supposed to be. Not knowing his motives, his technology, whether he's villian/hero/self-interested, and so on. Making him a Wolverine of the future, that was the lame move. I enjoyed the Magician storyline. Again, hokey at times and I see why people didn't necessarily like it. But it was new and different. Throughout the run, the characters motivations and identity were mysterious (which kept me interested). In my opinion (and take it coming from a huge X-men fan), MU X-men is the most convoluted of any Marvel title to an outsider. Not to mention, both main X-titles have been beyond sub-par for years. Even now, they are not stellar. But I will agree that they are better than the Ultimate version.

 

That being said, why cancel them? If it is in a TRUE effort of focusing talent and ideas on the core books, great. Otherwise, work on making these books solid and unique. Not, the Ultimate version of the Dark Phoenix. I want to see new characters, settings, plots, etc. But this is as applicable to the Ultimate line as it is MU. Sorry, it just seems like a give-up attitude when other titles have lingered for ages.

[Detroit MIke]

I enjoy the Ultimate Spider-Man books, but it's a good time to scrap the UU. At least conclude the Hulk/Wolverine story!

 

[KEY ISSUES Comics]

I buy Ultimate Spider-Man and Ultimate X-Men for a friend and read them. I agree with the assessment that Ultimate Spider-Man is the only keeper in that rotten bunch. Ultimate FF sank like a stone at the end of the Millar/Land run. They could cancel UXM and UFF and I don't think a single tear would be shed for them. USM could very well be concluded and while I think a few fans would miss it and complain, it wouldn't be for very long.

 

It's easy to bash the Ultimates, but when Volume II is finished and finally published as a single hardcover I think there will still be a lot of fans of the Millar/Hitch ultimate books. There's no need for a Volume III.

 

My beef with the Ulitimate Universe (UU) has nothing at all to do with the stories, art, or characters, but ratehr with the concept of it. Rather than correct or refine the regular Marvel Universe (MU), Marvel chose to pursue a less complicated, re-telling of the MU. The problem comes in when trying to develop new stories for the UU. Now we have two very different histories of the same characters.

 

The UU has just as many of the same continuity problems that the MU has. A reader cannot just pick up a title and know what has preceded it. Which was the mani comlaint of the MU for creating the UU.

 

I think the UU was a success in bringing in new readers with the UU. Two problems arise with this. Do new readers of the UU titles, become readers of other MU titles? Maybe. What happens when Marvel discontinues the UU, will we lose those readers who were attracted to the UU?

I agree - that was my problem too. I saw it as 'lazy' to write these stories instead of cleaning house in the regular Marvel Universe. However, I could swallow it better if it were done in an Elsewheres format instead of several on-going series, which inevitably get watered down... I say keep the UU, but cancel the ongoing series and only publish quality mini-series. Wait, that won't happen, because it'll make less $$$ than several on-going series. *sigh*

[WOXL]

That being said, why cancel them?

 

Marvel has never ever indicated the Ultimate line should be cancelled. All the discussion here is based on an arcticle at IGN where one dude thought the Ultimate line should be cancelled.

 

I've liked most of the Ultimate titles I've read. My favorites are Spidey and the Ultimates. I'd love to see more Ultimates but at the rate the book comes out, I hardly see the point in it. Even though I read all the issues, I never really felt much connection to Ultimate X-Men or UFF. I imagine all the books are still profitable so we won't be seeing any cancellations anytime soon.

 

-Bob

[deathlok]

I guess it's just me, but I don't see it.

 

First, why does it have to be either/or? They both can and have co-existed.

 

They can both exxist, which is what we have now. However, the quality is diminished for both, which is what we have now.

 

I would rather have the UU non-existant, and have Marvel go back to focusing on their core titles. Stop the major cross-overs for a time, and just get better writers and stories.