Tag Archives: jonathan hickman

Ultimate Invasion #4 is a rushed clunker of a finale

Posted on by Leave a comment
Ultimate Invasion #4

War breaks out as timelines and universes collide! Iron Man must choose between the lesser of two evils – the Maker or Kang. But what secret does Iron Man know about the men behind the masks? And at the end of it all, the world outside your window will be forever changed! Ultimate Invasion #4 wraps up this miniseries delivering the end to this chapter and the beginning of so much more.

The “Ultimate Universe” has been hinted at and danced around for quite some time since its teased destruction. In Ultimate Invasion, writer Jonathan Hickman has been building the foundation for its official return and a clear relaunch of that line. Unfortunately, at only four issues, Ultimate Invasion has felt rushed giving us a surface level introduction to the world.

The finale has Howard Stark deciding what to do about the Maker and getting to know the mysterious masked man next to him. There’s a lot teased, hinted at, and danced around, with decisions made to get things rolling and wrap up this chapter of the story. And, as a big event, it sort of works. But, like a summer popcorn movie, this is one to not really think too much about. It relies on visuals and blockbuster moments instead of the more interesting nuanced themes that make you think that Hickman is known for and excels at. It teases so much and so many interesting things but relies heavily on its visuals to distract from its thin delivery.

Unfortunately, the art by Bryan Hitch is just distracting. With ink by Andrew Currie, color by Alex Sinclair, and lettering by Joe Caramagna, the visuals are bombastic and blockbuster but without much that’s interesting. The use of the same characters over and over feels like the goal is to just fill up spreads as opposed to deliver an interesting narrative through visuals. I didn’t find myself drawn to anything in particular but enjoyed the art from a high level view. Hitch’s art in general is hit and miss for me and in this case it’s a general miss.

The draw of Ultimate Invasion #4 is its setup of a new Ultimate Universe. It does that and does that pretty well. But, the issue, and series as a whole, rushes through explanation and background of key characters and moments delivering a reading experience that feels like the Cliff’s Notes version of a series rather than laying a strong foundation and groundwork. Add in a cover price of $8.99 and it’s hard to really recommend the single issue. This is an event as a whole that might be better as a collection.

Story: Jonathan Hickman Art: Bryan Hitch
Ink: Andrew Currie Color: Alex Sinclair Letterer: Joe Caramagna
Story: 6.75 Art: 7.0 Overall: 6.85 Recommendation: Read

Marvel provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

Purchase: TFAW – Zeus Comics – Kindle

New recruit Mia discovers her magic potential in G.O.D.S.!

Posted on by Leave a comment

At the crossroads of science and magic, agents of opposing factions operate on the behest of the pantheon of abstract cosmic beings such as Eternity, Infinity, and the Living Tribunal. This October, they emerge from the shadows as their war erupts into the wider Marvel Universe in Jonathan Hickman and Valerio Schiti’s G.O.D.S.!

The highly-anticipated series will introduce fans to an exciting new cast of characters, some of which readers have already met this summer in special bonus pages in select titles! These foreboding interactions with your favorite heroes have generated all kinds of questions!

From powerful mystics to daring scientists to chaos bringers, these characters exist outside the fight between good and evil and devote their time to upholding the very building blocks of creation. They may be new to readers but they’ve been scheming and clashing with each other for eons and are privy to startling truths your favorite heroes and villains wish they knew! This week, some of the major players of G.O.D.S. will be spotlighted in special teasers and concept art.

Fans have already been acquainted with the mystically gifted members of THE-POWERS-THAT-BE and the scientifically focused followers of THE-NATURAL-ORDER-OF-THINGS. Now, meet a young girl caught in between them both: Mia! Magically inclined but coveted by THE-NATURAL-ORDER-OF-THINGS, Mia’s extraordinary destiny is within her reach, but the greater forces of the universe might have other plans… 

The cast of G.O.D.S. brace for an uncertain future in Phil Noto’s G.O.D.S. #3 cover!

Posted on by Leave a comment

Marvel’s pantheon of cosmic entities have faithful servants that walk among us as members of two opposing factions: the powerful mystics of THE-POWERS-THAT-BE and the brilliant scientific minds of THE-NATURAL-ORDER-OF-THINGS. For eons, they’ve clashed and schemed with all of reality hanging in the balance until they formed a fragile pact. Now, a mysterious rogue agent by the name of Cubisk Core has shattered that uneasy peace, and this secret war will come out of the shadows for the first time in Jonathan Hickman and Valerio Schiti’s G.O.D.S.! Check out superstar artist Phil Noto’s stunning new variant cover for issue #3 that spotlights the main cast of the title.

The highly-anticipated series will introduce fans to an exciting new cast of characters, some of which readers have already met this summer in special bonus pages in select titles.  These characters exist outside the fight between heroes and villains and devote their time to upholding the very building blocks of creation. All week long, the major players of G.O.D.S. have been spotlighted in special teasers and concept art: Wyn, servant of The-Powers-That-Be; Aiko Maki, Ninety-Seventh Centivar of The-Natural-Order-of-Things; Dimitri, chained apprentice The-Powers-That-Be; Mia, a magic girl caught between The-Powers-That-Be and The-Natural-Order-of-Things; and Cubisk Core; a Proto-Mage with an insidious agenda. See them all together in Noto’s cover and learn about key terms in the G.O.D.S. mythos with a new encyclopedia teaser image! 

Jonathan Hickman and Valerio Schiti revolutionize the abstract cosmic beings in Marvel’s G.O.D.S.

Posted on by Leave a comment

At the core of the Marvel Universe there exists a pantheon of omnipotent forces that shape the very building blocks of reality! Many of these strange beings have been around since the earliest days of Marvel Comics, but befitting their roles in the cosmos, their motives and natures have been beyond reach and comprehension… until now! This October, writer Jonathan Hickman and artist Valerio Schiti will dramatically tear down the established celestial hierarchy and build it back up with fantastic new purpose in G.O.D.S.. The series will debut showstopping new looks for these entities, one of which fans can see right now in a new teaser image!

In this once-in-a-generation title, Hickman and Schiti have boldly reimagined the cosmic entities including Chaos, Eternity, Infinity, the Living Tribunal, Oblivion, and Order. For the first time in Marvel Comics history, readers will see these primal concepts manifest as ordinary people in order to navigate the world and interact firsthand with humanity. Despite their more down-to-earth appearances, their gravitas and power remain as they scheme, clash, and strike deals, all part of a complex system that keeps the universe in balance. But that system is more fragile than anyone would care to admit, and there’s some among them who desire nothing more but to see it shatter!

Check out the first of Schiti’s new designs, a street-level human design for the living embodiment of that balance, the In-Betweener, alongside its respective original appearance by creator Jim Starlin.

Enter this daring new vision of the Marvel Universe this October!

In-Betweener G.O.D.S.

Cubisk Core disrupts the system and ushers in a new age in G.O.D.S. #1

Posted on by Leave a comment

Marvel’s pantheon of cosmic entities have faithful servants that walk among us as members of two opposing factions: the powerful mystics of THE-POWERS-THAT-BE and the brilliant scientific minds of THE-NATURAL-ORDER-OF-THINGS. For eons, they’ve clashed and schemed with all of reality hanging in the balance until they formed a fragile pact. Now, a mysterious rogue agent by the name of Cubisk Core has shattered that uneasy peace, and this secret war will come out of the shadows for the first time in Jonathan Hickman and Valerio Schiti’s G.O.D.S.!

The highly-anticipated series will introduce fans to an exciting new cast of characters, some of which readers have already met this summer in special bonus pages in select titles.  These characters exist outside the fight between heroes and villains and devote their time to upholding the very building blocks of creation. This week, some of the major players of G.O.D.S. have been spotlighted in special teasers and concept art. Today, it’s time to meet the character who wants to bring it all down—CUBISK CORE! To usher in a new age, Cubisk will have to unleash a Babylon Event, a rare occurrence with the potential to annihilate every last aspect of reality! 

Preview: Ultimate Invasion #3 (of 4)

Posted on by Leave a comment

Ultimate Invasion #3 (of 4)

(W) Jonathan Hickman (A/CA) Bryan Hitch
Rated T+
In Shops: Aug 30, 2023
SRP: $5.99

After KANG descends upon the City of Tomorrow, the Illuminati must regroup! IRON MAN has a heart-to-heart with Tony Stark! DOCTOR DOOM – the anti-Maker – prepares his own plans to deal with this evil Reed Richards… and the Ultimate Universe that the Maker thought he had rebuilt frays at the edges as they prepare for cosmic war!

Ultimate Invasion #3 (of 4)

Meet Dimitri, chained apprentice of The-Power-That-Be, in G.O.D.S. #1

Posted on by

At the crossroads of science and magic, agents of opposing factions operate on the behest of the pantheon of abstract cosmic beings such as Eternity, Infinity, and the Living Tribunal. This October, they emerge from the shadows as their war erupts into the wider Marvel Universe in Jonathan Hickman and Valerio Schiti’s G.O.D.S.!

The highly-anticipated series will introduce fans to an exciting new cast of characters, some of which readers have already met this summer in special bonus pages in select titles. From powerful mystics to daring scientists to chaos bringers, these characters exist outside the fight between good and evil and devote their time to upholding the very building blocks of creation. They may be new to readers but they’ve been scheming and clashing with each other for eons and are privy to startling truths your favorite heroes and villains wish they knew! This week, some of the major players of G.O.D.S. will be spotlighted in special teasers and concept art.

On Friday, fans got to know Wyn, Avatar of THE-POWERS-THAT-BE! Now, meet his reluctant apprentice, Dimitri! Although he follows Wyn, Dimitri’s true loyalties lie with the scientific ways of THE-NATURAL-ORDER-OF-THINGS. His partnership with Wyn represents the fragile alliance between the greater forces of the universe, but Dimitri is no mere pawn! In the pages of G.O.D.S., he’ll embark on his own quest to discover his startling history, one that will take him beyond the purview of both parties!

Meet Aiko Maki, the high-ranking leader of the Natural-Order-of-Things, in G.O.D.S. #1

Posted on by

At the crossroads of science and magic, agents of opposing factions operate on the behest of the pantheon of abstract cosmic beings such as Eternity, Infinity, and the Living Tribunal. This October, they emerge from the shadows as their war erupts into the wider Marvel Universe in Jonathan Hickman and Valerio Schiti’s G.O.D.S.!

The highly-anticipated series will introduce fans to an exciting new cast of characters, some of which readers have already met this summer in special bonus pages in select titles. From powerful mystics to daring scientists to chaos bringers, these characters exist outside the fight between good and evil and devote their time to upholding the very building blocks of creation. They may be new to readers but they’ve been scheming and clashing with each other for eons and are privy to startling truths your favorite heroes and villains wish they knew! This week, some of the major players of G.O.D.S. will be spotlighted in special teasers and concept art.

On Friday, fans got to know Wyn, Avatar of THE-POWERS-THAT-BE! Now, meet his opposition, and ex-wife, Aiko Maki! While Wyn deals with magic and the likes of Doctor Strange, Aiko honors the rules of science and calls Mister Fantastic and Black Panther colleagues.

Stay tuned for more G.O.D.S. character spotlights next week!

Enter the world of G.O.D.S. with new variant covers and preview pages

Posted on by

On October 4, everything you think you know about Marvel’s cosmology will be shattered by two of the industry’s greatest modern visionaries in G.O.D.S., an epic new series from the minds of writer Jonathan Hickman and artist Valerio Schiti! Yesterday, retailers attended a special video conference and learned firsthand just how ambitious this highly-anticipated saga will be. Fans can see all five covers for the debut issue and experience a thrilling new lettered preview!

The five G.O.D.S. #1 covers include stunning spotlights on new character Aiko by Peach Momoko and Ejikure, a dramatic group shot by Mahmud Asrar, and a humorous take on new character Wyn by Skottie Young. Wyn and Aiko are devoted members of THE-POWERS-THAT-BE and THE-NATURAL-ORDER-OF-THINGS, opposing factions that serve the omnipotent forces of the Marvel Universe including Eternity, Infinity, and the Living Tribunal. For eons, these groups have operated in the shadows—what has finally brought their existence to light? Fans can see exactly what in an all-new preview! Behold a Babylon Event, a rare occurrence that has the potential to upend the cosmic pantheon! With all of reality hanging in the balance, see a gathering of magic and science users unleash everything they have against eldritch horrors while Wyn attempts a more unconventional solution…

Take your first steps into this daring new side of the Marvel Universe by picking up G.O.D.S. #1 when it hits stands on October 5.

« Older Entries