Ultimate Impact: Reborn #4
Writer: Chris Condon
Artist: Stefano Caselli
Colorist: David Curiel
Cover Artist: Leinil Francis Yu and Dean White
Publisher: Marvel Comics
In Ultimate Impact: Reborn #4, Steve Rogers enters the fray and takes on the powerful Hostilicus.
What about the new characters that opened the Origin Boxes back in issue #1?
Um, yeah, they’re here too…
When Captain America Throws His Mighty Shield…
So it appears that Paulina got the powers of the Ultimate Orb of Agamotto. The actual story hasn’t told us this, mind you, but the recap page nicely offered that bit of information. So she’s now learned that she is mildly precognitive, and uses that to save a guy staring down at his phone from getting squished by a falling girder.
Oh, and she learns her boss is evil (he’s the guy who got the Ultimate Crimson Gem of Cyttorak and is helping Hostilicus).
Most of the issue is dedicated to Steve Rogers getting involved and trying to stop Hostilicus from getting an old S.H.I.E.L.D. helicarrier. He puts up more of a fight than anyone else has in this series, but it’s still not enough.
As for the rest of our cast? Iron Man and Miles Morales pop up towards the end, Frank Castle (remember him from issue #2?) has one panel where he glowers through a window, and Vin, the guy who got the powers of Wonder Man… fixes his front door. Oh, what about Max and Lola, who we last saw as prisoners in the Ultimate Negative Zone? No clue. They could be dead for all I know.
Andy’s Toys
I want to like this book more, I really do.
But it’s hard.
When the series is advertised as introducing a bunch of new characters, and by issue #4 (of 5) I can count the total number of pages devoted to all of them on both hands with fingers left over, it’s not a good look.
Furthermore, when you choose to focus on a group of big-name existing characters instead, but then even those float in and out, that’s not good either. What has Miles Morales done since losing the boxes in issue #1? Frank Castle was in issue #2 and then was gone until one panel here? Iron Man floats in and out for the last couple of issues, and now we’ve got Steve Rogers added to the mix?
The whole thing feels like a superhero version of Toy Story, where the kid wants to introduce his new toys to the existing ones. But then once he starts playing, he decides he likes the old ones better but can’t make up his mind who he wants to play with.
Credit where credit is due—the take on Steve Rogers here is a good one. He’s having a little bit of a crisis of faith from the lead-up to Avengers: Armageddon, but when duty calls, he answers. And throws his shield at bad guys. He’s Captain freaking America, after all, and no matter how mopey he might feel, no bad guys are doing things on his watch.
I wish I had more that I liked about this issue, but… yeah. Cap’s about it. Well, and the art is good. More on that in a minute.
Raise the Titanic
Chris Condon is a good writer, and his character work here is solid for the most part. The problem is, I can go read a book about Iron Man, Captain America, and Miles Morales. I’m here for the advertised new characters. And I had to use Google to remember their names. I don’t know if Condon is to blame or if editorial is, but the balance of this book is way off.
On the other hand, the art from Stefano Caselli is great. He’s got a very fluid sense of motion, which is great when you’re showcasing Captain America and his mighty shield. I have to confess, I miss the days when Cap’s shirt was scale mail, but Caselli brings great detail to the modern, more “army uniform” style for his suit.
David Curiel’s colors are bright and glossy, just what you’d expect from a big event book. The mainline Marvel heroes all look great, and the various power effects are well-rendered. I particularly like the trippy quality to the fish that Paulina sees (they direct her towards whatever is going to happen, I guess?).
Avengers Assemble… Eventually
Ultimate Impact: Reborn #4 is another issue that would be so much better if it wasn’t supposed to be an event book introducing a group of characters. It’s too focused on fitting in as many MCU-synergy characters as it can, and giving a lot of page time to its rather bland villain. I don’t see how everything gets satisfyingly wrapped up in the next, and final, issue—but I’m also not sure that I care.