Ultimate X

Pretty Art Adams art from ULTIMATE X!
Pretty Art Adams art from ULTIMATE X!

I hated Ultimatum, and you know our feelings about Jeph Loeb.  But damn, I love me some Art Adams.  Though there’s an X in the title, Loeb says in his interview with CBR that, “This isn’t a book about mutants, superheroes or anything you’re expecting. It’s about life in the Ultimate U after a devastating event, and the hard choices we make for the greater good…. Mutants have been outlawed. Captain America is a fugitive. The Fantastic Four have gone their own ways. This might be the perfect time for ‘evil’ to seize the opportunity.”

Sounds like an Ultimate Dark Reign, now that the regular Marvel U one is ending, doesn’t it?

In the Ultimate Universe, mutants are not a step forward in evolution, but were actually created by the government, which will apparently come into play in this series.  Loeb says that the book, unlike Ultimatum, is about hope.  I’m happy to hear that it (hopefully) won’t be the downer that Ultimatum was.

New Ultimates

Frank Cho art from NEW ULTIMATES
Frank Cho art from NEW ULTIMATES

Spinning out of the current Ultimate Avengers storyline is this New Ultimates series from Jeph Loeb and Frank Cho.  Refered to Loeb in his interview with CBR as the “only superhero team left in the Ultimate Universe,” who will being some of the more superhero-y stuff that the Ultimates wouldn’t be involved in. Sounds like Iron Man is going to be a big factor in the team, after losing much of his finances and having a hard time with the events of Ultimatum.  Nick Fury is missing, leading the Ultimate Avengers as a covert ops team.

coughdarkreigncough

I’m guessing we’ll see a split of the Utimate Avengers team after Millar’s current run on the title, as this team seems to have Captain America, based on preview art.