Review by Ian Keogh

Since pitching Ultraman into a Marvel series some readers may have wondered if it’s the Marvel universe, a question co-writers Kyle Higgins and Mat Broome answer definitively in the opening pages here. It isn’t. Spider-Man appears and is out of place having been dragged to another universe only to find Shin and Kiki pointing guns at him. Before then, though, the writers have dropped another big surprise featuring a Marvel mainstay.

There’s much explanation needed in the extended opening chapter. Broome and Higgins summarise what happened during The Mystery of Ultraseven (main cast discovering the organisation they work for is infiltrated and corrupted), and introduce the Avengers. Their appearance seems random at first, but there’s a neat reason for their presence needing to rectify a mistake, and as seen on Francesco Manna’s sample art, Tony Stark in particular mixes well. What seems obvious to him is a new idea for the main cast.

Manna isn’t entirely comfortable with superheroes, and his versions of the Avengers are variable, some strong and others weaker. He also fails to maximise the idea of them taking on kaiju. Otherwise it’s his usual neatly conceived art and the most important aspect is ensuring Ultraman himself has power and presence, which is the case.

While not reaching the excess of previous books, Higgins and Broome still tend to overwrite, not able to contract as efficiently as would be desirable. Working for the first time with characters outside the world they’ve created they deliver authentic voices and some smart lines for individual Avengers. They move the plot along well, escalating the threats while also building the mythology around Ultraman, and their inclusion of Galactus is a clever ploy, introducing both a massive threat and someone a similar size to our hero. It’s well resolved also, and in an unconventional way. The final page is twee and feeble, but as it’s only a single page that doesn’t greatly affect matters.