Cover Art for Ultimate Impact: Reborn #1
Written by Chris Condon
Art by Stefano Caselli
Colors by Marte Gracia and David Curiel
Letters by VCs Joe Sabino
Cover Art by Ben Harvey
Ultimate Impact: Reborn #1 places Miles Morales in the spotlight spinning out of the events of Ultimate Endgame. This is a series that took me by surprise and by the end of this debut issue, I was really intrigued by the implications of its events. What happens when ultimate power falls into unknowing hands? Ultimate Impact: Reborn #1 begins to dissect that question in what is a fantastic first issue. Let’s get into it. Spoiler Warning for Ultimate Impact: Reborn #1 Now In Effect.
A Terrifying Threat Looms as the Ultimate Universe finds New Life
Our story opens in the Negative Zone, Universe-6160, as a being known as Hostilicus The Devastator gives a disturbing speech to his legion of followers. Hostilicus considers Annihilus to be some sort of god and he tells his legion of followers they must “cleanse the cosmos” for him. We immediately have our big bad for the story set up and with Hostilicus’s design, there's absolutely no way someone like that can have a good bone in their body. He’s dark grey, with dark armor and blazing red eyes to go with long white hair. One of the most inherently evil looking characters I’ve seen in a minute. We’ll check back in with Hostilicus and his band of merry men at the end of this issue but for now, we head to Brooklyn, New York on Earth-616 where someone slept through their alarm…
We join Miles Morales as he finally wakes up after five missed calls from Tony Stark. Miles was supposed to get four origin boxes to Tony early that morning but of course, that class Spider-Man luck rears its head at the worst possible time. Miles quickly gets into this suit and heads to see Tony as fast as he with boxes in tow. There’s no way it's going to be that easy though is it? Miles doesn’t make it very far as he’s attacked by The Spot in a battle that will span almost the entirety of the issue. For anyone who might be reading this and not sure what the origin boxes are and what they do all you need to know is that when they are opened they can grant someone the powers of a legendary superhero or supervillain. The issue then settles in as we get pages of Miles’ continuing battle with The Spot interspersed with little stories that introduce us to some everyday people who are about to have their worlds turned upside down.
First, we meet a dad with a good heart in Jersey City. Next, in Midtown, Manhattan, we meet a reporter named Paulina who’s facing a decision no journalist should ever have to make. Central Park is the site of our next introduction; we meet two teenagers named Lola and Max. Max’s thoughts dwell on the vastness of the cosmos but Lola can’t be bothered, she just wants to think about what’s “right in front of her.” Finally, in Lower Manhattan, we meet Orson Boothe. A desperate man who will do anything to get the money he needs. Five very different people with different ideals, different dreams and different motivations. We’ll check back in with them in a minute.
Miles’s fight with The Spot dominates the other parts of this issue and man, is it gorgeous to look at. The Spot’s popularity has boomed over the past few years due to his role in the Spider-Verse films so it's no surprise to see him show up in a book of this magnitude. Miles’ fight with The Spot in this issue primarily stems from the fact that someone hired him to steal the Origin Boxes from Miles. Miles and the Spot fight through the alleys of the city as they fight for control of the Origins Boxes back and forth. The fight ramps up over the course of the issue with Miles digging into his venom powers to keep The Spot at bay. Eventually the fight reaches its massive climactic ending as The Spot drags Miles into his dimension.
The Spot finally takes the Origin Boxes with them both inside his dimension but in one last shot, Miles pulls himself close to The Spot and stabs him with his venom sword. The problem is, Miles can’t full the sword free and his venom causes an explosive reaction within The Spot and the Origin Boxes and everything gets ejected from The Spot’s dimension. So where did those Origin Boxes get to? Time to revisit those people we met earlier.
The four Origin Boxes pop out right next to five people that we met throughout the issue and all of them open the boxes. We only see the man from Jersey City transform but you can be sure that the power that all five of these people just acquired is going to have far reaching effects. Remember, these people all have completely different lives. There's no guarantee that they’re all going to turn out to be heroes. It’s going to be very interesting to see how these five impact the Marvel Universe going forward and what their possible roles will be in the upcoming Armageddon event as well. Our issue closes with Hostilicus claiming victory in another battle for his god Annilhilus.
Thoughts on the Issue and Rating
I have to hand it to writer Christopher Condon. He’s got me invested in this story from issue one. Everyday people suddenly getting access to some of the greatest powers in the Marvel Universe is a really cool concept and one that I really can’t wait to see play out. Miles being the featured character of this story was a great choice and it's no shock why this character has risen to the heights he has in the world of superhero comics and media. His banter with The Spot is great and I loved the writing of his internal dialogue as well. I haven’t read much of Condon’s work prior to this issue but I’m digging his narrative and I like the choices made in this first issue to hook readers in.
I gotta tip my hat to artist Stefano Caselli. Caselli’s art makes this issue hum whether it’s the fantastic fight scenes with Miles and the Spot, or the mini-stories with the five new people. A personal favorite page of mine is the page where we see the people open the boxes. There’s no dialogue but everyone’s expression says more than enough about how they feel. Marte Gracia and David Curiel’s colors work really well throughout the issue whether it's the darker tones of a reporters office in Midtown, Manhattan, the Spot’s colorful dimension, or the neon lit streets of New York City during a thunderstorm.
I think this first issue did a great job of setting the tone right off the bat. Some events take a little while to get going but right from the jump the Origin Boxes are out in the open and new pieces have entered the never ending game. What are each of these people going to do with their powers? How big will their roles be in Armageddon? How will Miles’ role in the story continue to evolve? I can’t imagine Tony Stark is gonna be happy when he finds out what happened. So many fun things to contemplate as the wait for the second issue begins.
Ultimate Impact: Reborn #1 is a fantastic opening issue from writer Chris Condon. With wide ranging consequences, a great lead character in Miles Morales, and some fantastic art from Stefano Caselli, this issue delivers and asks us all: What would you do if ultimate power landed in your lap? I’m very excited to see where this story goes and I’m very much looking forward to issue #2.
Rating: 8.5/10