Why you should jump into DC and Marvel's newest frontier

[Author: Matteo Marcenaro]

Long before time had a name, the world could be defined by its rivalries: light and dark, life and death, good and bad, and, of course, DC and Marvel.

These two titans have clashed as long as they’ve existed, often following in each other’s footsteps and trends (one may turn an eye to Crisis on Infinite Earths being counterbalanced by Secret War, and then Secret Wars being imitated by Convergence).

In the past year, a new frontier of this conflict has opened

Long-time fans of Marvel comics may recall the Ultimate Universe, an initiative running for 17 years (1999-2016), debuting as a way to get new readers engaged in a fresh, modern, and easy-to-dive-into version of Marvel canon… and ending as a casualty in a big event, with only a handful of characters and ideas being considered salvageable.

And then the decade after 2016 happened

Comics have changed: a new market from the East, previously small and uncompetitive, has grown huge and threatens to push out the Western monoliths. People tire of escapism and yearn for stories to inspire them in an ever-more-complicated world. And so, from the ashes of the old, led by the man who put down its predecessor, a new Ultimate Universe is born. And, of course, the Distinguished Competition is rising to the challenge.

Looking at it a year in, this new frontier is shaping out to be one of the most interesting environments in comics, for fans both old and new.

Both universes share a similar premise: an alternate, younger version of the main continuity, whose fate has been influenced by a cosmic villain in a bid for power, stripping our familiar heroes of much of what makes them who they are, only for them to still find a way to shine bright as beacons of hope in a much darker world, with a clock ticking down until a face-off with the ultimate threat of their universe. Both are headed by all-star creative teams, with two of the greatest superhero writers of the twenty-first century (Scott Snyder and Jonathan Hickman) determining the direction of the universe and writing its flagship title.

What makes the Ultimate Universe and Absolute DC so unique and interesting?

Firstly, the continuities are a (mostly) fresh start: while there may be details that serve as Easter eggs or dramatic irony, they’re both fully beginner-friendly even for those who’ve never consumed Western superhero comics before. And for longtime fans, each title is familiar yet taken into new and interesting directions; one needs only to look as far as Ultimate X-Men, written with Peach Momoko’s distinct style, almost resembling a Junji Ito story; or to Absolute Wonder Woman, best summarized as “Punk Wonder Woman vs. Kaijus.”

Secondly, while the continuity is new, it is being built quickly, distinctively, and well, and it is meant to last (unlike many classic superhero comics, wherein retcons are the rule of the day). The serialized plot is building over time, creating a streamlined and interesting universe in which anyone can truly get invested.

And, of course, the quality of the talent behind these runs cannot go unmentioned: some of the greatest writers of this generation, working in tandem with spectacular artists, are bringing something truly new, unique, and hitherto unseen in major superhero comics.

How to get into it?

One might pick Ultimate Spider-Man, the story of a middle-aged millennial dad realizing he truly was deprived of the life he was supposed to have, and now faced with the chance to become who he was always meant to be; Absolute Batman, seeing a Bruce Wayne who never had money rise up to fight violence from the streets; Ultimates, in which a team of weakened and hurt would-have-been heroes join to face a conspiracy running the modern world; Absolute Wonder Woman, whose heroine, raised in Hell, yet strives to save humanity from ancient and secret giant monsters in fights that can best be described as “metal”; Ultimate Black Panther, in which an updated version of the cultural icon fights a guerrilla war with ancient Egyptian gods in a plot inspired by Dune; Absolute Superman, where the Last Son of Krypton struggles to protect the downtrodden of the world from the corporations and governments that would oppress them; and the aforementioned horror-lite Ultimate X-Men, set in Japan and inspired by the Nipponic tradition of comics.

A quarter of the way into the twenty-first century, our heroes are changing to match the anxieties and fears of this coming age, and I strongly recommend to all readers to join along for the ride.