The Ultimates

In 2000 the Marvel universe was updated for a modern audience, where the characters were placed in a more realistic and belivable world, for example, Giant man is a wife beater, Thor was kept in a mental asylum for beliving he was the god of thunder, and Iron Man is only doing this dangerous superhero work becasue he has a brain tumour, and says he only has five years left anyway.  This I think was one of the best things to happen to Marvel since Stan Lee stated working on Captain America #3 in 1941. THey are my favouraite series of comic books, not only for their fantastic re-invented stories and incredible artwork, (pictured here by Bryan Hitch) but also for their fantastic scripts. I can find very little flaws in these comics, but the only ones i do find relate to the character Thor. 

 I'll start by explaining that Thor is my favouraite Marvel charcter, and I think he is brilliant in these comics and written and drawn perfectly, the only flaws I find are the ideas in him. For starters i think he should still have his huge red cape, I feel its part of the iconic look of the character, but I could forgive that generally easily, but what i dislike is that is ablities and hammer Mjolnir are just made by technology, which I think makes him more like Iron man. Then, unexplainably, Mjolnir is just written in as the mystical hammer were all used to, and suddenly Thor has his powers without relying on technology. I thought I'd missed an issue but as far as I've researched its just written in.

 And lastly, Mjonir can only be picked up by someone who is worth to lift it. And in the Ultimate comics Magneto can lift it becasue it has metal in it. This I think was a mistake becasue not only is it uneccessary (as Magneto does nothing with it) but its distracted Thor from being origonal or unique in anyway. in past comics Captain America has lifted it, Hulk has and now Magneto, whats the point in Thor if everyone can lift it? I think it should be limited to him and only him.

That said, I still think that the Ultimate universe has been the best I've ever read, and its mighty conclusion, 'Ultimatuim' is a ladmark in comic book history that ended the series in the finale that it deserved. with out spoiling it, I'll simply leave it with a fantastic quote from the comic. "When God didn't like what he created, he washed it away in 40 days and 40 nights. I will do it in three."