Writer: Jonathan Hickman
Art: Bryan Hitch, Andrew Currie, Alex Sinclair, and Joe Caramagna
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Release Date: June 21st, 2023
The transformation of the Marvel Universe begins as the Ultimate Invasion #1 kicks off. Superstar creators Jonathan Hickman and Bryan Hitch team up! The Illuminati must form once again to stop the Maker from his plans to destroy – or perhaps rebuild – the universe, with Miles Morales at the center of it all! Bryan’s work on The Ultimates helped redefine super hero comics for the 2000s – wait until you see what he and Jonathan have in store for this decade! Including new data pages by Jonathan Hickman – plus exclusive behind-the-scenes material on the world-building that has gone into this project!
If you’re interested in this comic, series, related trades, or any of the others mentioned, then simply click on the title/link to snag a copy through Amazon as you read The Ultimate Invasion #1 Review.
THE DISPATCH
What does Hickman have up his sleeve? I mean, he basically set the Krakoan Era in motion. And ever since, the X-Men have been prospering pretty well… or at least until he vanished into the ether that is. Well, now he’s back! Hickman is here and ready to quite possibly bring back the Ultimate Universe with a little help from the Maker, which is how the Ultimate Invasion #1 kicks off… with the great escape! As normal, Hickman is clever with his setup, his intention, and his reveal. Others have used the Maker in the past, however, they missed his dynamic and almost seductive personality. Not Hickman! He nails the Maker perfectly in this opener of the Ultimates Invasion #1.
Additionally, Hickman channels his inner Maker himself and showcases his genius in what he gathers in order to build… something while also sending a message to the newly formed Illuminati. Moreover, we discover a unique secret about Miles Morales that I never really knew that he knew. I guess it kind of makes sense. But, the Maker takes the time to explain their common brotherhood. And I guess I never quite connected the dots that Miles remembered his past universe. And if so, why didn’t it take more of a toll on him like it seemed to with the Maker? That’s something I feel like the past Mile Morales writers just didn’t focus on as much BUT it’s again a rather inventive twist that I hope Hickman irons out through the Ultimates Invasion.
Nevertheless, Hickman puts the Maker’s plan in motion showcasing some of his intentions. However, we also get a weird glimpse at something involving another character as Ultimates Invasion #1 comes to its closing cliffhanger. What might be the purpose behind stopping this event? Is it so the Maker can recreate this event for himself? Or is he engineering something bigger?
ART
Bryan Hitch, Andrew Currie, and Alex Sinclair offer up some extremely thorough designs this week. Readers, Ultimates Invasion #1 was BUSY. There was a ton going on and so much more I probably missed. This might sound bad at first and in parts it was a bit hard to handle. Nevertheless, the overall scope of the comic was infiltrated well. The coloring was also a bit unique. The night design was a deep, almost underwater blue while the background coloring was oftentimes bland given the vintage appearance of the 616. Overall, I feel the coloring added an extra layer to the issue that made it feel more important. However, I would have also appreciated a less busy design with more vibrant colors.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Ultimates Invasion #1 does what every good comic event should do, it introduces tons of pomp and circumstance, surrounds itself with big-name characters, provides fans with creative initial story beats, and concludes the issue with tons of questions. However, it’s the questions that I wish to focus on as this issue comes to a close. Hickman understands how to “hook” his audience by providing them with just enough information that it gets readers excited while introducing dozens of interconnected questions to keep fans on the edge of their seats.
Readers, it’s been a long time since we’ve seen The Maker vs Reed Richards. I’m actually shocked it’s taken this long. Fans of Secret Wars should be pumped for what’s to come from this event comic, especially since there has been very little involving the Maker sprinkled throughout comics since Secret Wars. Truthfully, Hickman does a fantastic job grabbing the audience by the back of the neck and ushering them into this next phase. FF fans, Ultimate fans, and Secret Wars fans need to get in on this now. This looks to be something special! Let me know what you think, have a great week, and God Bless!