Writer: Brian Michael Bendis
Artist: Mark Bagley
I have been looking forward to this event starting properly for a while now, and last weeks Ultimate Comics: Cataclysm #0.1 issue got me even more excited. I will however be disappointed if this is the true end for the Ultimate Universe as although Ultimate Comics: Spider-Man has been the only good one as of late, it will be sad to see the Universe cease to exist.
Plot
As Galactus starts to destroy New York, S.H.I.E.L.D., Spider-Man (Miles Morales) and the Ultimates try to fight back, but these heroes have never fought anything like this before.
Review
This was a brilliant start for the event, as although it wasn't as spectacular as I hoped it would, it was still very exciting. Brian Michael Bendis did an amazing job of catering for all readers with this, as anyone who only read Age of Ultron get to see some continuation from the end of that, with the build-up of Galactus also being followed-up on, whilst also catering for new readers. I did however feel that the issue tried to be too exciting too fast, as although I love action in comics there wasn't a lot of natural set-up, as although there has been set-up prior to this, it still felt rather sudden. Bendis would however as usual create some good dialogue, and especially in the Spider-Man sequence, with plenty of drama as well.
The artwork on this issue was also amazing as although it wasn't the best work that I've seen from Mark Bagley, it is still some outstanding artwork. The detail in Bagley's art throughout was generally to a very high standard, as although there would be the odd imperfection, as well as some weird expressions it would overall be very consistent, with Galactus himself looking phenomenal. I also really enjoyed the layout of Bagley's artwork as it was very unique and dynamic, adding a lot of impact and suspense, especially when Galactus was about. I also loved how Bagley handled the action in this issue as well, and overall the only small quibble I had was the odd awkward facial expression.
This issue would start with Miles and his best friend Ganke talking about him seeing Galactus during the events that brought him to the Ultimate Universe. I really enjoyed this interaction as it allows anyone that didn't get the chance to read Hunger to feel like they can still easily start reading this series. I also enjoyed the interaction itself as a whole, and how even though Miles has seen a lot of crazy stuff, it is still questioned whether he's going crazy or not. I also felt that the sequence as a whole would also add a hint of humour to the issue, but overall it was mainly good for continuity reasons.
Not long after this Galactus would attack New York with Miles and Ganke being in the middle of it, so obviously Miles would try to do something as Spider-Man. Now Galactus' attack itself was very exciting, though there wasn't much depth or emotion to it, as although Galactus has always been a character that has let his actions speak for him, the lack of depth and emotion would lower the tone of the sequence slightly, with it relying too much on it's explosive and impactful nature. It was however interesting to see that Galactus isn't messing around and I look forward to seeing how his part in this story develops.
Now Spider-Man wouldn't be the only person to try and stop Galactus as S.H.I.E.L.D. and the Ultimates would also get involved, though the Ultimates would take a while getting there. Now it would be the reaction of S.H.I.E.L.D. director Monica Chang that would interest me the most, as it would show just how serious the situation is, as well as show the typical angry nature that S.H.I.E.L.D. has during a crisis. The thing I liked most about the Ultimates involvement however would be to see most of the Ultimate version of the Fantastic Four react to Galactus not knowing who he is, and I hope we eventually get to see Galactus' reaction to this version of the Fantastic Four.
Final Verdict
This was a very good start for the event, as although it felt like a little too much too quickly it would still have a lot of exciting moments, showing that this event will be far from dull. It will however need to slow down a touch if it wants to become a great story though, as the high pace is a little too much. I would however still highly recommend this issue and can't wait for the next.
