Ultimate Invasion #1 Review

Written by: Jonathan Hickman
Art by: Bryan Hitch, Andrew Currie
Colors by: Alex Sinclair
Letters by: VC’s Joe Caramagna
Cover art by: Bryan Hitch, Alex Sinclair
Cover price: $8.99
Release date: June 21, 2023

Ultimate Invasion #1 begins a new chapter in the Ultimates Universe when the Maker escapes his secret prison for a chance to live life all over again… with a few, tiny changes.

Is It Good?

Ultimate Invasion #1 gives readers a chance to revisit the Ultimates Universe (sort of) with a new story that threatens all of existence in ways we can’t yet know, courtesy of the smartest man in the universe. For an oversized (and overpriced) issue, Jonathan Hickman’s script and Bryan HItch’s art push all the right nostalgia buttons for folks with fond feelings of the Ultimates line.

Hickman’s script centers on the Maker (an evil version of Reed Richards from the Ultimates universe) who escapes his prison and begins a plan to remake a new Ultimates Universe in his own image by altering or eliminating the origin stories of every hero that could possibly oppose him.

For all the buildup, hype, and anticipation since the return to the Ultimates was announced, the story so far is pretty basic. Evil mastermind escapes, evil mastermind uses freedom to remake existence to his own liking, and mayhem ensues. That’s not to say this wasn’t an enjoyable read. It is, but the story is somehow surprisingly simple.

Hickman earns top marks on practically every aspect of the writing execution. The story is a fast read, exceptionally so given the higher page count. The dialog and character work are on-point, and the narrative flow builds urgency and momentum that pulls the reader along like a strong current. Conversely, there isn’t a wasted scene or plot hole to be found, an increasing rarity in modern comics.

How’s the art? Hitch, Currie, and Sinclair are in top form with powerful character designs and dramatic panel angles. There isn’t a boring medium shot anywhere in this issue, so the issue keeps you visually engaged from the first panel to the last.

The one down point of this issue that stops it from earning top marks is the price and what you get for it. Because the story is so basic, this easily could have been an oversized Avengers issue, as there’s nothing unique about it to say this could have only happened in the Ultimates Universe. Then, this issue is padded with early pencil pages and a few data pages that have little more than a single symbol or phrase. Take all that away, and ten of the fifty-seven pages are pure filler, which makes the cover price unnecessarily high. A higher price should accompany a bigger story, so padding the page count with fluff feels like Marvel is, once again, taking advantage of the readers’ goodwill.

About The Reviewer: Gabriel Hernandez is the Publisher & EIC of ComicalOpinions.com, a comics review site dedicated to indie, small, and mid-sized publishers.

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Bits and Pieces

Ultimate Invasion #1 delivers a fast-paced, action-packed, intriguing story that could have ramifications that affect the entire universe. The stakes are huge, but the plot is super-simple, and the art is fantastic. That said, Marvel justifies the higher cover price with more pages, but too many pages are BTS sketches and blanks, which makes the comic overpriced for what you get.