[TheBlueMarvel]

@Phantomcrow

My initial understanding of the Ultimate Universe was that it offered popular writers and illustrators a space where they could experience greater creative freedom. A place where Marvel could keep great talent within the ‘stable’, but allow them to work on new projects once they had grown bored of the main ‘brand’. While I’m not sure how true any of that is, I can sympathize with things becoming stale for talent (and readers) after long runs on titles. I grew up reading and collecting Epic Comics along with mainline Marvel titles (DC too, but this is a Marvel topic thread). Epic was Marvel’s line geared more toward the adult reader (although kids like me were also drawn in) and the storylines were often grittier and represented a departure from the standard superhero fare. I read and loved books like Dreadstar, Alien Legion, Marshal Law, and Void Indigo. I was also ok with the ‘New Universe’, ‘Marvel Knights’, and ‘Marvel Max’ as they came along. I get creating a fresh space for ideas. What I don’t get is re-creating the same characters with a twist in a parallel universe. I cannot get around the feeling that what is being presented is simply a re-tread of familiar material. At least with Epic and New U., the characters were new/different. With M. Knights and M. Max, the ‘lesser-knowns’ were featured and the theme was adult. In my opinion, Ultimate is a giant ‘What If?’ comic universe. This seems potentially messy when considering continuity, and for me, continuity is huge. Looming continuity issues, for both Marvel and DC, have made it hard for me to justify collecting. For the past 5 yrs., I’ve redirected the money I spent on weekly books to figs and selective TPB’s. For those that like the Ultimate Universe, more power to you. I’m a bit of a relic as it pertains to comic collecting; I don’t really fit the demographic of today’s fan. Please don’t misunderstand; I’m not bitter about any of this. I have a boatload of great memories with all of these characters and I’m willing to watch a new generation carry the torch. The current direction is just not for me whether it’s Ultimate or mainstream Marvel (or DC and 52 for that matter).