Every hero needs an origin, and the “Captain Ultimate” team deliver with their innocent exuberance and tongue-in-cheek admiration of the comics medium.
Written by Benjamin Bailey and Joey Esposito
Illustrated by Boy “Boykoesh” AkkermanYou’ve seen him in action, but where did the world’s greatest hero come from? For the first time anywhere: the SECRET ORIGIN of Captain Ultimate! An adventure that will take you to the end of time!
“Captain Ultimate,” despite being a little rough around the edges, is a true delight. Bailey, Esposito, Akkerman, and the rest of the team use the Monkeybrain publishing model to deliver a silly, unadulterated book that would likely never work in the cut-throat print market.
This is a true all ages book, with a tone similar to recent Disney/Pixar animated movies. In fact, though not a Pixar property, Rick Mason’s arc is quite similar to that of Wreck-it Ralph. “Captain Ultimate” wears countless other influences on its sleeve. Ricki Ratcliffe, part Lois Lane, part Rita Skeeter, fits the mold of quintessential intrepid girl reporter. The Ultimate Belt could stand in for many comic book weapons, with the Green Lantern Power ring quickly springing to mind. In spite of these common tropes, “Captain Ultimate” never feels derivative, thanks to the earnestness of Bailey and Esposito’s scripting. The duo go a long way toward elevating the hero above generic muscle bound do-gooder.
Taking a bit of a detour from the first two issues, #3 abandons much of the extended task for an in-depth look at the origin of Captain Ultimate. Picking up from last issue, Ricki Ratcliffe has the scoop, and she’s ready to dish. Astute readers may have noticed the character’s earlier appearance in issue #1, after Ultimate’s return. The source of Ratcliffe’s vast Ultimate-related knowledge is unclear, though that’s sure to be a plot point later down the line.
Boykoesh’s art is a bit mixed. The cartoon-like style is a perfect fit for the book’s Pixar-esque tone. Several scenes, particularly the flashback sequences, make heavy use of Ben-Day dots, giving the book a Golden Age feel that is similarly appropriate. Certain segments, such as the wrestling match and the first Captain Ultimate transformation (milk mustache!) look fantastic. However, the technique is used seemingly at random, with some characters and backgrounds lacking the effect. It’s in these cases that Ed Ryzowski’s colors come off somewhat flat. The besieged future, at its worst, looks like a static frame from an early 2000’s flash animation.
While it’s not without flaws, “Captain Ultimate” is shaping up to be a noteworthy addition to the limited number of all-ages super hero comics. Bailey and Esposito hearken back to a simpler time in comic history, before editorial mandate, line-wide continuity, and rabid fan bases. That’s not to say that the book lacks depth or vision, as this issue sets up several potential conflicts for the mustachio’d macho man. There’s still a ways to go until we find out exactly what shape this series will take, but, for now at least, it’s a fun ride to be on.
Final Verdict 8.0 – “Captain Ultimate” #3 is good, clean, imaginative fun that begs to be shared.
