Cataclysm - Ultimates #1

Writer - Joshua Hale Fialkov

Art - Carmine Di Giandomenico, Lorenzo Ruggiero, Wil Quintana

Man, things are starting to look really bleak for the Ultimate universe.  This is a universe that was built on gritty realism to some degree, so it is to be expected.  What we get here is far more than that.   Where the beginning of this event excels is in the stakes.  The gravity of the situation at hand is conveyed to the reader on multiple levels as both story and art show the hopelessness at hand.   The story may not be the best or the art the tightest, but we get a feeling that reads much better than the book itself.  I think Cataclysm is going to be greater than the sum of its parts.

Galactus, to me, has always been a difficult character to write.  The balance between the threat level and the necessary level of "beatable" is difficult to strike.  Some stories succeed and some fall short.  Cataclysm seems to shun the concept of "beatability" and give us Galactus unleashed.  This is a welcome change and the Ultimate Universe is the perfect location for it to occur.  

So, that's the good.  What's not so good?  Well, do we really need four series devoted to this event?  Give me a nice biweekly cohesive story that brings all the stories together instead of a main story with three side events.  I'd love an "Age of Ultron" style approach to the storytelling.  I want more Galactus.  His threat seems to be more of a character than he is at this point.  A lot is being built up regarding his strengths, so I hope the creative teams don't back down.  The only way this can end is Galactus eating Ultimate Earth.   Anything else will be a letdown of Ultimatum proportions.

The Verdict...

Good, but not great.  Pick it up a bit faster, Marvel.  More Galactus.  More destruction.  I want the Ultimate universe to go out with a bang and I don't want to regret buying the finale.