Trade Paperback, 144 pages
Published July 19, 2016 by Marvel
Rating: ★★★
I think my biggest problem with Ultimates Omniversal: Vol I is that I wanted to like it just a little too much. America Chavez punched her way into my heart from the very first time I saw her and it's likewise hard not to adore the former and current Captains Marvel, Monica Rambeau (now Spectrum) and Carol Danvers. Rounding out the rest of the Ultimates team are King of Wakanda, T'Challa, the Black Panther, and Dr. Adam Brashear, an aged supergenius who goes by the name Blue Marvel.
SO many great characters, yet there was something that didn't quite connect with me. Whether it's that the plot didn't feel quite big enough or that the characters didn't interact enough, I'm not truly sure. It's possible that the roles Carol and T'Challa play in multiple other books as well as their own runs had an effect on the storyline. For example, I know the next volume deals with Civil War II. Now, Marvel burned me with the atrocious first Civil War a few years ago and I have absolutely zero interest in reading any other Marvel events ever so I'm not looking forward to that.
That said, there were a lot of things I really liked. America dancing with her date via their phones in the first issue to close a dimensional portal was cute and upbeat. Monica and Carol discussing how Monica feels about her powers and herself was a highlight for me; I want much more of that. I've always found that I relate the strongest to stories that base the emotional narrative on the relationships between the characters.
I also very much liked Adam's backstory and the way it tied in to the present. That he's 87 years old, a super genius, a former soldier, a father, all of that really added an emotional depth. What I'd really like to see is how his age and intelligence cause him to interact with someone like America, who is young, impulsive and likes to punch stuff. There was too much of Galactica just pondering. It felt like six issues of lead-up and personally I'd rather jump into a story.
All in all, Ultimates Omniversal Vol I was enjoyable, but didn't quite live up to its potential.
SO many great characters, yet there was something that didn't quite connect with me. Whether it's that the plot didn't feel quite big enough or that the characters didn't interact enough, I'm not truly sure. It's possible that the roles Carol and T'Challa play in multiple other books as well as their own runs had an effect on the storyline. For example, I know the next volume deals with Civil War II. Now, Marvel burned me with the atrocious first Civil War a few years ago and I have absolutely zero interest in reading any other Marvel events ever so I'm not looking forward to that.
That said, there were a lot of things I really liked. America dancing with her date via their phones in the first issue to close a dimensional portal was cute and upbeat. Monica and Carol discussing how Monica feels about her powers and herself was a highlight for me; I want much more of that. I've always found that I relate the strongest to stories that base the emotional narrative on the relationships between the characters.
I also very much liked Adam's backstory and the way it tied in to the present. That he's 87 years old, a super genius, a former soldier, a father, all of that really added an emotional depth. What I'd really like to see is how his age and intelligence cause him to interact with someone like America, who is young, impulsive and likes to punch stuff. There was too much of Galactica just pondering. It felt like six issues of lead-up and personally I'd rather jump into a story.
All in all, Ultimates Omniversal Vol I was enjoyable, but didn't quite live up to its potential.
