Cover Art for Ultimate Impact: Reborn #2
Written by Chris Condon
Art by Stefano Caselli
Colors by Marte Garcia and Davic Curiel
Letters by VC’s Joe Sabino
Cover Art by Leinil Francis Yu and Dean White
Ultimate Impact: Reborn #2 begins moving the pieces across the board in what has become a very intriguing series. After Miles Morales’ battle with The Spot last issue, a bunch of origin boxes were launched out in the world and found new hosts to take on legendary powers. This issue deals with each host coming to terms with their abilities in very different ways and features a great parallel storyline starring The Punisher. I had a good time with this one. Let’s get into it. Spoiler Warning Now In Effect for Ultimate Impact: Reborn #2!
Recap of the Issue
The issue opens with Miles reminiscing on the events of the last issue and how he knows he needs to find help for this massive problem he's helped create. The origin boxes are out in the world, and he needs to know where they went. After our exposition time with Miles, we get to our first newly powered person: Vin, the father in Bayonne, New Jersey, who is known as “Wonder Man.” He’s in immense pain at his job site, and when his friends come to check on him, he turns to them and screams as his eyes glow red with power. Clearly, he’s having a rough time with the transition.
Next, we check in with Paulina over at Boothe Media in Manhattan. An almost psychic force from this little red orb slams her into the wall of the ladies’ room. When her co-worker goes to check on her, she looks up, and she sees a zombified version of her with demonic creatures surrounding her, backed by hellfire. Understandably, she’s insanely freaked out. Orson Boothe, the man behind Boothe Media, begins using his new “good luck charm,” a shard of the Gem of Cyttorak, which longtime comic fans will know is typically how the Juggernaut obtains his abilities. Boothe uses the shard to help him secure an investment for his media company but he’s got some dastardly plans beginning to form behind the scenes…
Next, we check back in with Lola and Max as they debate what to do with the two bracelets that appeared for them. Lola wants to pawn hers off, make some quick money, and get back to their normal lives, but Max feels more drawn to his bracelet and doesn’t want to rid himself of it so quickly. They clink their bracelets together as they say their goodbyes and appear to fuse together into a new being with grey-ish skin. We check back in with Vin in Jersey as his boss tells him to take the day and get some rest, and finally, Orson decides to hit up Central Park after he sees a breaking story he wants to be a part of. We’ll check back in with Orson in a minute, but it’s time to find out what Frank Castle has been up to this issue.
Frank spends the first part of his time during this issue freeing victims of human trafficking from some vile men just looking to make more money. Frank hunts down the men responsible for kidnapping the women and deals with them the only way he knows how: with a targeted dose of brutality. He murdered three men in a hail of bullets and tossed their leader out of the window of his sky-rise apartment. Frank escapes from the Police and ends up in Central Park when the issue takes a massive turn: Hostilicus has made his way to Earth. Frank and Hostilicus engage in a wild battle all over the park before Frank realizes he needs to retreat. Orson Boothe makes his final appearance and tells Hostilicus he has a deal to make with him: he will provide powerful weapons to Hostilicus as long as he gets a “front seat to the carnage.”
Thoughts on the Issue
This issue featured a lot of the Punisher, and it was great to see Frank deal out some of his patented brand of justice. I wouldn’t have selected him as my first choice to be involved with this cosmic-level threat in Hostilicus, but I can’t lie, the scene of Frank fighting this super-powered alien in the middle of Central Park is really badass. I’m not sure how much more we’ll see of him going forward here, but hopefully, this isn’t the last time he will show his face in this series.
I liked the developments of the main storyline in this series. In Jersey, all Vin wants to do is provide a great life for his daughter, and with this new power raging within him, he feels like he’s going off the rails a little bit. He seems to be afraid of the power and what it could do to him. He might be the kindest of the bunch to get their new powers, and I hope Vin gets a hold of his powers and gets to do some more good in the world. This new “Wonder Man” has me intrigued for sure. In Midtown, Paulina must be scared out of her wits seeing demons, zombies, and horrifying visions in front of her. I can’t even imagine what she’s dealing with as that mysterious red orb continues to resonate with her. This issue did a good job of showing how its not going to be all sunshine and daisies as these characters come to terms with their newfound strength.
Checking in with Lola and Max, they seem to be dealing with things a lot better than our previous characters did, but we haven’t seen what happens after they clink those bracelets together yet. All we saw was a grey-ish arm raised in the air, and right now, we can assume the two friends have morphed together into a single being. As far as strange feelings go, I can’t imagine what’s going on in the heads of these two. Finally, we get to Orson Boothe, and this guy has fully embraced his inner dark voice. Not only does he use his shard to get money for his media company to grow, but he also convinces Hostilicus to begin growing a partnership. Booth is using the great power he obtained and embracing his darkness. I have a feeling his partnership with Hostilicus is going to be deadly going forward.
As for the art in this issue, I thought the art team did another great job. The action scenes featuring the Punisher look fantastic, and as I said before, it's a joy to see him battle Hostilicus in the park. I enjoyed the artist's renditions of Vin’s power and Paulina’s power, and how both are represented as being so overwhelming to the bearer. I liked how Boothe’s power manifests on the page as just red eyes. There’s that saying that the eyes are the window to the soul, and Boothe’s soul seems to be evil as hell, knowing what his intentions are.
Ultimate Impact: Reborn #2 deals with the uncomfortable truth that not everyone with great power has great responsibility. From a girl in Midtown seeing hellish nightmares to a corrupt would-be media mogul, the range of characters in this series has been fun to read. Also featuring a great side-story with the Punisher, issue #2 was a solid addition to the series.
Rating: 7.5/10