Reviewer: Tim Sheridan
Story Title: Doom: Part 6
Written by: Warren Ellis
Pencilled by: Stuart Immonen
Inker: Wade Von Grawbadger
Colors: Dave Stewart
Letters: Chris Eliopoulos
Asst Editor: Nick Lowe
Editor: Ralph Macchio
Publisher: Marvel Comics
This book lost a lot of hype this year, and that’s totally understandable. It was just not as good as anyone was hoping. We had a lot of hype because it was written by Bendis and Millar, but then they left. Then we had more hype because Warren Ellis was taking over for a year, in the midst of his “sell-out” phase (his words, not mine, I like him). Ellis’ take on the book was quite different from Bendis and Millar’s. It was not so much the big epic the first arc was. What Ellis did was brought us into the world of the characters. And you know what? That was kind of slow.
Sure, there were some great action scenes, but it all didn’t really hold up too well, at least month-to-month. I was disappointed in a book, but I still had hope for it. Warren Ellis has proven to be a very talented writer, so I had to have a little faith in him. And Stuart Immonen is a great comic storyteller, so I was delighted to see him get this gig.
But onto the issue at hand.
Finally this storyline paid off. This was by far the best issue of the series. It brought the story to a very satisfying conclusion, had the feel of a traditional FF story, but also showed us some very big differences between the Ultimate FF and the one that’s been around for 42 years.
The issue showcased a battle between Doom and Reed, but also featured a lot of the two of them talking at each other. While I think the story could have benfitted if this happened a few months ago, it was still very enjoyable. It had the feel of an old west shootout to me, with a psycho-babble vibe.
The Reed Richards of the Ultimate Universe showed himself to be a bit more ruthless and mean spirited than the one in 616 (or whatever the uberfanboys are calling it now). I like this new Reed. He’s a bit more gutsy and tough than we’ve even seen him before in this series, though I guess that is what happens when someone uses “deathbreath” on your girlfriend.
Anyways, eventually Doom shows in a very bizarre way just how he is a born ruler, and then the army shows up. Yeah, it was almost that quick in the comic too. The story ends in a very satisfying way, leaving it open for Doom to return (and oh yeah, you know he will). But not before Reed bests him one more time, both physically and mentally.
This issue saved the series for me. While it’s not my favorite of the Ultimate books, stories like this show off the strengths of the line.
Final Word: A very smart, good looking brawl showcases the best issue of this series.
