Review by Frank Plowright
Mark Millar gave superhero comics a considerable jolt with The Ultimates, where a taut, rocket-paced cinematic vision was allied with an artist able to deliver the planned spectacle. Four years later he revisited the Ultimate universe to write Ultimate Avengers. Carol Danvers now runs S.H.I.E.L.D., and therefore the Avengers, rather than Nick Fury, and that’s all you really need to know to leap from The Ultimates to here to discover whether Millar can go home again.
It’s the same form of widescreen action, and just because between then and now the Avengers have actually appeared on movie screens makes The Next Generation no less thrilling when the set pieces arrive. It’s Carlos Pacheco on the art, not Bryan Hitch, but this is proper A-grade Pacheco rather than just layouts.
The primary plot is the introduction of the Red Skull to the Ultimate universe, and with it the opportunity to remould him, so Millar ensures he arrives with a secret ending the opening chapter. That secret causes Captain America to go rogue in search of answers, and a new team of Avengers are needed to hunt him down. As Iron Man is no longer reliable, they’re the work of his smarter older brother Gregory Stark.
There are nice moments to The Next Generation, but it’s not the great lost Millar masterpiece calling out for re-evaluation. Too much is staged to look good, but lacks the logical foundations. The obvious example is Captain America’s trajectory after meeting the Red Skull. It’s designed to present the thrill of him coming up against the Avengers, and to show, if needed, how incredibly capable he is, even when facing off against people with infinitely greater power. The result is a thrilling chase through Paris. Yet to get him to that point we’re asked to believe that rather than trust people he’s fought besides to see him right, he needs to cut all ties and go rogue. Is that relevant? To many readers the clumsy set-up will be overlooked as the remainder delivers so emphatically.
Be warned, it’s not seen on panel, but there are some extremely nasty moments in building up Red Skull as a complete scumbag, and some are a little too glib. Much the same might be said about the replacement Avengers and the replacement Stark. It all leaves The Next Generation as a frustrating outing that shines in places, with the conclusion exemplifying that. A massive threat has been built, and it’s finished all too easily, yet the epilogue sequences prove Millar hasn’t entirely lost his mojo. He continues with Crime and Punishment.
Alternatively, both can be found in Ultimate Avengers by Mark Millar.
