THE ULTIMATE UNIVERSE’S LEGACY LIVES ON! MILES MORALES returned from the Ultimate Universe with a plan: safeguard the ORIGIN BOXES – catalysts for the creation of new super heroes – before they fall into the wrong hands! But the secret is out as Miles’ battle over the boxes engulfs the entire Marvel U! Ultimate Impact: Reborn #1 focuses on the legacy of the latest Ultimate Universe.

Marvel has stated that the current Ultimate Universe is coming to an end. We don’t know exactly what that means or what its fate will be, but something is coming as Ultimate Endgame plays out. Some of what’s next played out in Ultimate Spider-Man: Incursion which had Miles Morales head to the Ultimate Universe to then return with Origin Boxes from the Ultimate Universe that give individuals powers. We’ve seen that these boxes will be key to whatever comes next for the Marvel 616 Universe as they’ve been at the center of the recent Wolverine: Weapons of Armageddon and now Ultimate Impact: Reborn.

Written by Chris Condon, Ultimate Impact: Reborn #1 picks up after the events of Ultimate Spider-Man: Incursion with Miles still in possession of the boxes and attempting to get them to others who will know what to do with them. Of course that doesn’t happen as others are determined to take them. How do they know about them or why do they care about them? That’s not really explained well but instead we get sequences of Miles gaining and losing the boxes as the issue peppers in the introduction of new heroes and villains who will obviously gain abilities from them as well as a threat they’ll need to go up against.

Ultimate Impact: Reborn #1 is mildly better than Ultimate Spider-Man: Incursion but the first issue feels a bit like annuals we’ve seen in the 80s and 90s that introduced new heroes and villains (is this a once a decade thing that needs to be checked off?). The issue isn’t bad but it also doesn’t quite excite, instead delivering a roll with it vibe where it’s best to not think things through.

The art by Stefano Caselli is good. With color by Marte Gracia and David Curiel and lettering by Joe Sabino, you can see what the team is going for visually. It’s clear they attempt to have fun with the villain Spot, giving more of a vibe that we’ve see in the recent Spider-Verse films. The action is entertaining and the characters look good, but the issue lacks a certain sense of tension and build up to its introduction of its new characters. The scenes introducing them are good, but there isn’t an emotional connection either in the narrative or the visuals and their transformations lack a certain punch of magic.

Ultimate Impact: Reborn #1 already feels like a piece of a puzzle much like Ultimate Spider-Man: Incursion, a tale that doesn’t really stand on its own but instead needs to be read as part of a multi-part story. It’s an improvement on the end of the Ultimate Universe (of which Condon wrote the excellent Ultimate Wolverine) but also feels like a pivot dictated as opposed to being organic. We’ll see where it all goes but really, this is one for those interested in the Marvel 616 meta story going on.

Story: Chris Condon Art: Stefano Caselli
Color: Marte Gracia, David Curiel Letterer: Joe Sabino
Story: 7.25 Art: 7.25 Overall: 7.25 Recommendation: Read

Marvel provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

Purchase: Zeus Comics – Kindle