The Ultimates #3
Written by Al Ewing
Art by Kenneth Rocafort
Colors by Dan Brown
Letters by Joe Sabino
Published by Marvel Comics
A ramification is defined as “a consequence of an action or event, especially when complex or unwelcome.”
That word can describe all of the issues of a comic or book following a supposedly Earth-shattering event. Ultimates gives us the said Earth-shattering, and it’s only been out for three issues now.
After giving Galactus the Destroyer Life-Bringer a new design and a more worthwhile title, Ultimates #3 picks up on the lasting issues this could bring for the entire cosmos at large, and the first party to notice this is none other than the Shi’ar Imperial Guard. From the start, Kenneth Rocafort’s unique brand of art with Dan Brown on colors is built to give the feeling of anything being possible. Everything that happens is larger than life with a purpose behind it all. Ewing bombards us with scientific terms that normally would require a degree to solve and to work out, but he has the resident team (with a few guest characters) explain all in a way that makes sense for us and them.
The story picks up with the Ultimates in…actual downtime in between missions and waiting to see what’s next. Carol and Monica talk about what it feels like to be powerful and have some casual girl talk ,which is a nice breather before the team’s next (and far more intriguing) mission is dropped in their lap. Blue Marvel essentially calls the Marvel Universe on its stubborn usage of time travel and highlights many events and stories that originated with the Age of Ultron event back in 2013. To do this, they have to go farther than I’m sure any being has actually gone outside of the Living Tribunal or another higher existing being. It all has an urgency and excitement to it that proves why this team is going bigger and better than any other All-New, All-Different Avengers squad on the stands right now. Despite this issue leaning more on scientific terms and going places no other Marvel team has gone before, the Ultimates’ missions still have personal effects on the team, and the next issue could see the operation jeopardized given the high stakes for one team member.
The creative team for Ultimates definitely works in unison. While Ewing gives us the character beats and the story that will keep us coming back, Rocafort and Brown continue to assault our eyeballs with all manner of splash pages, colors, and inter-dimensional transport stars that are greeted by many styles of alien remains and a purple dragon to greet them. The Ultimates #3 proves that a team of past B and C list Heroes can be the next great thing in the right hands.
