Review by Frank Plowright

On the face of it Blade, the Vampire Slayer no less, versus the Avengers might not seem a very enticing prospect, let alone a battle likely to last very long when considering the opposing power sets. However, this is another occasion where Mark Millar is ahead of the game. This is an alternate world’s Avengers, and he must have known the Ultimate universe was due for a radical reshaping, so why not have a few Avengers turned into vampires? And that’s where Blade comes in.

Actually, he’s around right at the start, Millar using the opening sequence to introduce him and show how he deals with vampires. Rapidly, brutally and fatally would be the short description. However, the vampires have new leadership, someone sussed enough to wear one of Iron Man’s discarded suits to wander around in daylight, and Millar’s high concept is that instead of transforming the world one human at a time, he’s targeting superheroes for a bite. Does Blade versus Captain America make more sense now?

There’s been a sardonic undertone to all Millar’s Ultimate Avengers, but Steve Dillon as artist recognises it and plays it up. Not to the point of gurning, but with a sly expression here and there, and he plays the actual jaw-dropping moments brilliantly. He’s not as keen on the full panoramic backgrounds and detail supplied by Leinil Francis Yu in Crime and Punishment, but this isn’t one of those stories where that really matters.

As in the earlier volumes, Millar’s dialogue sparkles, particularly via Nick Fury, and this is a page-turning plot, where those odds rapidly slip away from the Avengers. The ending is brilliant, simple and so well set-up. Genius.

Next up is Avengers vs. New Ultimates: Death of Spider-Man, which is a rubbish book title for a good story, but you can avoid it by picking up Ultimate Avengers by Mark Millar, which contains all four of Millar’s Ultimate Avengers outings.