The Ultimates: Against All Enemies Review

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(More customer reviews)Ultimates: Against All Enemies uses characters from the Marvel comic book series the Ultimates. Characters include Captain America, Wasp, Giant Man/Ant-Man, Thor, Hawkeye, and Nick Fury. The comic book stories are grim and gritty. Mark Millar and Brian Hitch know how to pen a story that makes you want to claw out your eyes in sorrow and weep with glee all at the same time. If you have not read the graphic novels, stop reading this review and grab them. Ultimates vol. 1 is ISBN 0785110828 and Ultimates 2 is ISBN 0785121382. Ok, now I will continue assuming you know something about the Ultimates and that is why you are thinking about spending 8 of your hard earned dollars and several hours of your life reading this book.

This story takes place after the first Ultimates series and after the first Ultimates Paperback: Tomorrow Men. While it is not necessary to have read the first paperback before you read this novel, you must read the first Graphic Novel or you will be lost, confused, and even more disappointed with your reading experience. The villains of the first series, the Chitauri, are back for more mayhem. For those who don't know, the Chitauri are alien shape shifters, and they can take the form of anyone they eat. After infiltrating key positions around the globe, they are ready to strike back at the humans, and it is up to the Ultimates to stop them!

If you're a fan of the comics, this probably sounds pretty familiar. That's because it is the same story line as issues 7-13 of Ultimates, the same material reprinted in Ultimates: Homeland Security. Ultimates: Against All Enemies does not give us new material, it takes something Millar made successful and re-wraps it for paperback consumption, leaving those of us who love and adore the Millar Ultimates to wonder why we spent our time and money instead of simply re-reading Ultimates Volume 1.

To make matters even worse, (and yes, it can be worse) the characters are not Irvine's own, so I allow for some discrepancies of continuity. However, there are so many between Ultimates vol.1, Ultimates: Against All Enemies, and Ultimates vol. 2 that it creates distraction from what little story there is. The character development of this Ultimate Captain America is interesting, and there is some further shaping of Ultimates Iron Man's character, but that is about all. Furthermore, other characters like Black Widow,and Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver are left out. I think there could have been use for them.

At the end of the day, Ultimates: Against All Enemies offers nothing new, it just regurgitates the great work of Millar and Hitch. If you love the characters and just want a fix until Ultimates 3, then go ahead, but be warned. If you have never read Ultimates, then go grab Volume 1 and you will not be disappointed.
Side note: Ultimates are definitely PG 13 and up. I would not recommend this for very young readers, like those under 12.
Overall, I would recommend this as a light vacation book for hardcore Ultimates fans.

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Product Description:
The Ultimates are a cadre of Super Heroes employed by the U.S. government to face threats to humanity too powerful for conventional operatives to handle. Led by General Nick Fury, the roster includes billionaire playboy Tony Stark, better known as Iron Man; Captain America, a World War II super-soldier whom fate has thrust into the twenty-first century; an environmental activist who claims to be the Norse god Thor; and Janet Pym, a scientist whose mutant powers allow her to shrink to the size of a wasp.
The alien shapeshifters called the Chitauri were defeated by the Ultimates in a decisive battle, but suspicious activity leads the Ultimates to believe that not all of the aliens were destroyed in that cataclysmic attack. Stark Industries has developed a means of quickly and easily detecting Chitauri DNA, but the federal government refuses to adopt the technology, claiming that if the tech is widely available, the Chitauri will find a way to fool it.
Frustrated by the government's seeming unwillingness to protect its own people, Captain America takes matters into his own hands, leaking the technology so that it can be manufactured and distributed throughout the country. His radical actions sow discord among the Ultimates and within the highest levels of government, raising a troubling question: Could this disunity and chaos be playing right into the Chitauri's hands?
Meanwhile, Hank Pym, who desperately wants back on the Ultimates team, has been feverishly experimenting with his ants in the hopes of finding his own alternate method of detecting the Chitauri. When he appears to be successful, it could spell doom for the alien menace -- but only if the Ultimates can finally set aside their differences long enough to recognize their true enemy....

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Irredeemable Ant-Man - Volume 1: Low-Life (v. 1) Review

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(More customer reviews)Take a complete jerk, make him a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, and then give him an Ant-Man suit, and what happens?

The answer is: THIS BOOK, and Robert Kirkman carries through with this premise very, very well.

At first, I thought Eric O'Grady, the man who eventually becomes the irredeemable Ant-Man would be completely unrelatable, and, just a giant jerk. Well. . . he IS a complete jerk, but the strange thing is that I found myself sympathizing with this guy. He may be selfish, and he may be greedy, but at the core of his character is just an average guy who's trying to make a way in life. There's a chilling repetition of panels that made me feel so sorry for him. The characterization is incredibly deft.

Everything is plotted very well, from Eric's life as a SHIELD agent, to his experiences with the Ant-Man suit, to the death of his best friend, and then his adventures as the Ant-Man. There's a great style of humor in the book. For example, SHIELD agents have to train to say "Blast!" instead of an "F***!", because they're going to be out there in the public with field work. There's also a great talking ant who appears in the beginning of every issue to recap the story for us. That ant is fantastic.

All in all, this is a great unconventional superhero book. If you're looking for a laugh with insightful and relatable characters, something that deviates from the norm of blockbuster comics and does it well, then this is for you.

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Product Description:
Introducing the world's worst super hero! When a low-level S.H.I.E.L.D. agent gets a hold of Hank Pym's new Ant-Man suit, you know the Marvel Universe is in trouble. He's not concerned with saving the world or helping others. He's concerned with getting through the day and getting a leg up on life. He's not going to use his powers responsibly, he's going to use them for the betterment of himself. He's Ant-Man, a new "hero" for the modern world. If you thought Robert Kirkman pushed the boundaries of what could be in a Marvel Comic with Marvel Zombies just wait until you see what he does in The Irredeemable Ant-Man! Collects Irredeemable Ant-Man #1-6.

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Irredeemable Ant-Man - Volume 2: Small-Minded (Irredeemable Ant-Man, Volume 2) (v. 2) Review

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(More customer reviews)Eric O'Grady (AKA the Irredeemable Ant-Man) continues to amaze me.

His lies are remarkably masterful, and he always gets away with them, in the end. If he were to use his skills for malice, he would be an astounding super-villain, but he doesn't. He only uses his powers to get by in life, and that is strangely relatable.

Here, he uses his talents to join a super-hero group and even garner a new love interest. Later, he gets caught up in World War Hulk, and hilarity ensues when he fights the not-so-Jolly Green Giant. Concluding the book is his finally getting caught by his arch-nemesis. . .

At the heart of these stories, however, is Eric O'Grady's utter character. This is a man who constantly lies, but he only does it to get by. Particularly interesting is the fact that Eric in this book admits all his faults. He admits who he is, and he wants to be a better person, but can't. HE CANNOT. This is a man who is helplessly trapped within his character, and that was amazingly insightful to read.

The humor continues as well. When Eric befriends the Black Fox, they have a hilarious pastime together. Superhero-ing to Eric continues to be nothing but "fun and awesome," and it is just so amusing to see him shirk all responsibility for the sake of his well-being.

A great book if you're looking for some laughs, a great book if you want strong characters, a great book PERIOD.

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Product Description:
Eric O'Grady has found himself in need of a little employment. It costs money to be on the run from the law. Luckily Damage Control is on the lookout for someone who can safely sift through rubble for survivors. Don't worry, though - he'll still have plenty of time to spy on the ladies like the despicable human-being that he is. Plus: Why fight super-villains when you can watch attractive ladies take their clothes off in the privacy of their own homes? Our little Irredeemable Ant-Man has got it made! That is, until he realizes that the current subject of his perverted voyeurism is none other than Carol Danvers - otherwise known as Brian Bendis' and Frank Cho's The Mighty Avengers' Ms. Marvel! Collects Irredeemable Ant-Man #7-12.

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