Hickman Ultimate Universe (Earth 6160) General Discussion and Spoilers

[Frontier]

Can’t really say that this has really alleviated any of my concerns with this book especially with them talking of how this is gonna be slow and won’t have super hero style battles. And that they say there will be a team eventually, it doesn’t fill me with confidence that we’ll be seeing a team any time within the first year of this book. And even once that finally happens, what exactly is this team even supposed to be about in this universe when there’s no gonna be any super hero battles?

Maybe they'll be more of a Runaways-esque group.

[vitaminbee]

Well it seems that the X-Men don't exist in this universe yet and this is the beginning of them forming this universes equivalent. I do wish it sprinkled some more character seeds near the end. Tease some characters we will be seeing as it does feel very Armor heavy - but I think it'll be good once it's been a few more issues.

[juffuj5]

I think everyone will be happy if Iron Lad appeared in #2 to give Hisako an X-Men uniform

[Plawsky]

Generally I'd agree because I hate "house style" homogenized stuff, but it feels like this Ultimate Universe has a very specific purpose and mission statement for existing and is meant to tell an overarching story between these titles, so to have one be so disjointed in style and story from the rest feels pointless. Being that this is meant to be a smaller, more focused line that spins out of a single premise and story, it seems weird to have one of the main titles have virtually nothing to do with the rest of it.

Its one of those things where I'm not saying it's bad or anything, but it feels like it should just be it's own thing like Demon Days. If it isn't really utilizing or adding to the uniquely Ultimate Universe elements, why bother making it a part of that universe, you know?

And just speaking for myself, I find the main X-books pretty much unaccessible with the endless crossovers and years of retcons and tangled continuity, so I was hoping for a title with some of the familiar characters I know and like, but that fit into this new world and without having to know decades of messy continuity or follow 15 titles. I love having a Spider-Man title where I get to follow a new take on Peter from the beginning. I was really hoping to get that with X-Men, but a manga about Japanese schoolgirls is just not my thing.

I guess, in summation, if you're going to make it so different from the rest of the line, why make it part of the line at all?

I mean we still don’t know where it’s going to end up. I have no doubt it’ll eventually be part of the overall UU story. But I don’t care if it’s not all one big crossover to begin with - and tbh I wish USM and BP weren’t either. I’m very happy to see these books develop on their own.

[Kurolegacy]

I think everyone will be happy if Iron Lad appeared in #2 to give Hisako an X-Men uniform

Not sure if you’re being sarcastic given that it was said there’d be no uniforms though I do question why Tony and Reed didn’t make it a priority to also seek out those who’d be connected to the X-Men as they did with Peter, Thor and Cap especially given how the X-Men are a group who have been instrumental in saving the world right alongside these other heroes.

[Ultimate Captain America]

I guess they wanted to see if 6160 had legs to stand on its own beyond Hickman's setup. Ultimate X-men felt like a good guinea pig as Hickman didn't seem to have a specific idea for them.

Then it was quite a bad way to test that. Let's say that the comic is a failure and nobody buys it. Can the modern Ultimate comics be blamed, if the X-Men are so far removed from the shared plot? Hickman may say, "they failed because they were their own thing, and had nothing to do with my project", and who would refute him?

[juffuj5]

Not sure if you’re being sarcastic given that it was said there’d be no uniforms though I do question why Tony and Reed didn’t make it a priority to also seek out those who’d be connected to the X-Men as they did with Peter, Thor and Cap especially given how the X-Men are a group who have been instrumental in saving the world right alongside these other heroes.

Yeah I was joking, I think the Ultimates book will follow the team trying to find more heroes. I’ve got a hunch that most of the members of the 616 Illuminati are dead aside from T’challa and Reed. EDIT: Oh yeah Tony’s alive nvm EDIT 2: AND Dr. Strange is listed as a captive

[the illustrious mr. kenway]

I would especially love to see Surge make a comeback, too. Considering the entire Academy X generation took on and took down Nimrod at one point . . .

Krakoa should've used them better. I'm hoping Brevoort's era does but I rather not get my hopes up.

Wasn’t going to get Ultimate X-Men, because the premise made it seem totally disconnected from the rest of the Hickman overarching plot, but I decided to get the first issue and give it a chance. As a Peach Momoko comic I thought it was great - beautiful art. As an X-Men comic it was… well really this is not an X-Men comic. It should be called Ultimate Armor because this isn’t a team book or really even about mutants at all. Unlike USM and UBP which have clear ties through the Maker’s Council, this feels like it’s set on its own Earth. This will be the first Ultimate book to get cancelled/relaunched I expect, because right now the appeal for me is seeing Momoko’s interiors and once she has to start bringing in filler artists the plot isn’t strong enough to carry it. It’s written like a manga with very sparse details, which works when you’re coming out weekly, but for a monthly comic it’s too decompressed.

Yeah, even as someone into manga and urban fantasies- this didn't have enough to keep my interest. I found myself getting bored pretty fast.

Then it was quite a bad way to test that. Let's say that the comic is a failure and nobody buys it. Can the modern Ultimate comics be blamed, if the X-Men are so far removed from the shared plot? Hickman may say, "they failed because they were their own thing, and had nothing to do with my project", and who would refute him?

I felt Ultimate Spider-Man's approach was a better way to go. There's connective tissue but it's not defined by it.

[Kurolegacy]

Yeah, even as someone into manga and urban fantasies- this didn't have enough to keep my interest. I found myself getting bored pretty fast.

As someone into manga, one big flaw that I felt with this first issue is the pacing in that it seemed to use a weekly manga style pacing but on a monthly title. Manga can get away with this because of chapters releasing on a weekly basis but when you only get one issue a month with barely more pages than you get on a weekly manga, you gotta use your page space more efficiently otherwise it’s gonna take ages to get anywhere.

[Ultimate Captain America]

Yeah I was joking, I think the Ultimates book will follow the team trying to find more heroes. I’ve got a hunch that most of the members of the 616 Illuminati are dead aside from T’challa and Reed. EDIT: Oh yeah Tony’s alive nvm EDIT 2: AND Dr. Strange is listed as a captive

And now that we have mentioned them... are the Illuminati so useless that the Maker escaped in their faces and they STILL couldn't find him?

[juffuj5]

And now that we have mentioned them... are the Illuminati so useless that the Maker escaped in their faces and they STILL couldn't find him?

I think we’ll see a crossover later down the line. Miles will be the key to finding him, he has his card after all

[Huntsman Spider]

Krakoa should've used them better. I'm hoping Brevoort's era does but I rather not get my hopes up.



Yeah, even as someone into manga and urban fantasies- this didn't have enough to keep my interest. I found myself getting bored pretty fast.



I felt Ultimate Spider-Man's approach was a better way to go. There's connective tissue but it's not defined by it.

Cosigned. Very much cosigned. I'd have even taken a Marvel Unlimited digital comic that explored their perspective on things, especially since the whole point of Academy X post-House of M/Decimation was that the adult X-Men had utterly failed their charges, who were now going to have to step up and save themselves, if not the rest of the world. Kind of dovetails with the original Ultimate Spider-Man having as one of its major themes the personal and societal damage done to the younger generation(s) by the hypocrisies, corruption, and other moral failings endemic to the adult world, particularly those of adults in positions of power.

And now that we have mentioned them... are the Illuminati so useless that the Maker escaped in their faces and they STILL couldn't find him?

Considering the Illuminati's track record throughout most of their published existence . . .

[the illustrious mr. kenway]

And now that we have mentioned them... are the Illuminati so useless that the Maker escaped in their faces and they STILL couldn't find him?

That's Hickman's escape route in case this era folds quickly.

[Refrax5]

I mean we still don’t know where it’s going to end up. I have no doubt it’ll eventually be part of the overall UU story. But I don’t care if it’s not all one big crossover to begin with - and tbh I wish USM and BP weren’t either. I’m very happy to see these books develop on their own.

It's not that it needs to be a crossover, but considering that this universe is built on a specific premise, it feels pointless to do a book that's a totally different style and with only a tangential connection. It just feels like it should be it's own thing, rather than making it this very awkward addition to something that's very specifically defined.

I don't really know how Spider-Man or Black Panther could have developed on their own, given that their stories exist only by what Hickman established. The whole premise of this universe is that the Maker altered it and screwed up everyone's destinies. Having the books ignore that defeats the purpose of the entire line.

And I only know by what Momoko said. There will be some kind of team eventually and maybe no superhero battles. She also said that it wouldn't have much connection to the other books. So, again, it just seems pointless to include in this line. I'm not against the content of the book, but find it baffling to make it part of a setting that the main creative doesn't seem interested in using.

[juffuj5]

It's not that it needs to be a crossover, but considering that this universe is built on a specific premise, it feels pointless to do a book that's a totally different style and with only a tangential connection. It just feels like it should be it's own thing, rather than making it this very awkward addition to something that's very specifically defined.

I don't really know how Spider-Man or Black Panther could have developed on their own, given that their stories exist only by what Hickman established. The whole premise of this universe is that the Maker altered it and screwed up everyone's destinies. Having the books ignore that defeats the purpose of the entire line.

And I only know by what Momoko said. There will be some kind of team eventually and maybe no superhero battles. She also said that it wouldn't have much connection to the other books. So, again, it just seems pointless to include in this line. I'm not against the content of the book, but find it baffling to make it part of a setting that the main creative doesn't seem interested in using.

I feel like you took that “no superhero battles” out of context, sounds like she meant constant action, issue 1 had a confrontation at the end, and the preview art for issue 2 shows Maystorm fighting back against the shadow monster. She just wants to take her time building up a team, don’t see an issue with that