Ultimate Origins #5 Cover

I might just be one of the few people that are generally excited about Ultimatum. This is, of course, the first major cross-over event in the Ultimate universe. Being that I have a great amount of love for the Ultimate U, despite the recent disappointing releases in Ultimate Fantastic Four, Ultimate X-Men and Ultimates, I still really love the fresh take on all things Marvel. But, before Ultimatum, we must dive deeper into the history of the Ultimate universe. This is where Ultimate Origins comes in.

This month’s conclusion wraps up the mystery of the Watcher. In addition, it finishes the back stories of Nick Fury and Wolverine, and concludes the origins of the mutants, and finishes up telling about Xavier and Magneto‘s past. In other words, it wraps things up and gets us ready for Ultimatum. Or does it?

Click through for the full review.

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Earth X TPB cover

Well if you didn’t know this you do now. I love Alex Ross. I buy comics that he did the cover of just because his painting is amazing. The comic Marvels is my favorite book ever. But Marvels has enough praise, this review is of something else he was involved in. Earth X is Ross’s theory of the end of the marvel universe. This was inspired by DC’s Kingdom Come at Ross painted for. Ross was asked in 1997, in Wizard, what his vision for the end of Marvel would look like when everyone had super powers. What will the characters be like when everyone has superpowers?

Based of Ross’s notes and sketches Jim Krueger wrote Earth X (first issue came out in 2000), a 14 issue series (12 issues, a 0 issue and one issue numbered X). Earth X is a compelling story that whips around from the beginning of earth, to WWII, to the beginning of the Fantastic Four, and to the present–years into the future from the present Marvel universe. The story explains everything from why people have powers, to how Galactus chooses which planets to devour. My favorite part of the story is how it ties everything together from the beginning of time, to the end. It makes this world, where all these characters are invincible and all powerful, quite believable.

After the break I’m going to divulge some of the plot so beware. (more…)