Wasn't the Ultra-humanite some woman with her brain transplanted into the body of an albino gorilla?
Wasn't the Ultra-humanite some woman with her brain transplanted into the body of an albino gorilla?
It was a man, actually. Ultra was Superman's first real "super villain" and a recurring threat in the early days. He was essentially a beta version of Lex Luthor (he was even bald). Eventually, he began transplanting his brain into various bodies; the albino gorilla being the most recognized. If you want to read a good story with him from the modern era, check out the pre-52 Power Girl series. That book makes Ultra into a pretty fun villain, with some really creepy undertones, and the lovely art of Amanda Conner. Couldnt tell you issue numbers, but he shows up a few times until the Brightest Day/Generation Lost tie-ins.
"We all know the truth: more connects us than separates us. But in times of crisis the wise build bridges, while the foolish build barriers. We must find a way to look after one another, as if we were one single tribe."
~ Black Panther.
It was one of the best Superman stories I've ever read ... absolutely brilliant!
The only problem was the flashback sequences were drawn by 3 different artists (Aaron Kuder, Jae Lee and Scott Kolins). I understand if artists can't always meet the deadlines and therefore require a fill-in ... but had it been planned a bit better and each flashback was drawn by the same artist (ie Kolins) while all the present tense stuff was by Kuder, thereby displaying consistency, then 'Horrorville' would definitely be a masterpiece for years to come ... I mean, it's still brilliant but the fact that it just fell short of perfection by an inch is a bit frustrating
Pak is phenomenal. Hopefully post-Convergence he can break loose a little bit and really do something big on his own without it necessitating a crossover. Doomed is better than it should be but still suffers from that cross-title schizophrenic feeling where too many writers and their voices are kind of overlapping and it's not insular and focused enough.
I want to see some progressive build-up over multiple nominal length arcs.
Retro315 no more. Anonymity is so 2005.
retrowarbird.blogspot.com
That is exactly what the franchise needs. I've said it for four years now, the Superman franchise had built a terrible reputation by the time the 52 rolled around and the majority of readers avoided his titles. It's going to take a lot more than Geoff Johns on an eight issue stint for people to realize that Superman is worth reading again. Leave Pak on the book, let him do whatever the hell he wants, keep crossovers to an absolute minimum, and keep it that way for a long length of time. That's the only way Superman's crap reputation is going to be absolved. And it wont happen overnight. But, if DC can manage to just leave Pak where he is for a while, it will happen. Any attempts to rush that process will fail, as we just saw with Johns. DC's biggest writer, and even he couldnt get an adequate rise in sales.
Superman's not broken (anymore) but people aren't going to magically realize that instantly. They need it to be proven to them, and a long, celebrated run is what it will take. Just ask Green Lantern.
"We all know the truth: more connects us than separates us. But in times of crisis the wise build bridges, while the foolish build barriers. We must find a way to look after one another, as if we were one single tribe."
~ Black Panther.
With how Johns bailed, it does seem DC kind of threw him in last minute, and as you say to try and bump up sales, that'll also explain why Johns name wasn't in those adverts where there was pic of Superman saying Romita is coming or something like that. It got sales from about 35k to 50k so not bad, with #38 selling out. I for one enjoyed that short run (first real dip into new 52 Superman).
With all the praise that Pak and Kudar are getting (haven't read their run yet, trade waiting) I am surprised DC didn't switch them to main book and do a Snyder and Daniel (for Batman and Tec) especially now Johns left, does seem a missed opportunity.
"Yes...Mondo Cool"- Vegeta.
I don't really consider Superman having a "main" book anymore, but if there is one it would be Action anyway.
Last edited by Sacred Knight; 02-10-2015 at 04:41 PM.
Didn't see this thread.
This was excellent as a conclusion and completely cement Pak/Kuder's run as one that people need to watch.