Ultimate Fallout #6
Cast your mind back to 1985, and the first reboot that DC underwent in the wake of the Crisis On Infinite Earths. For a few months, writers on certain titles seemed to have free reign on certain titles; able to compose whatever story they liked, and damn the consequences. Because, basically, there were none.
We can see this happening once again in many of the flagship DC titles, specific examples being the Justice League and the Justice Society. Now I have been quite critical of the former recently; we all know that substitute Leagues never tend to succeed, and despite a promising start, James Robinson has not delivered a satisfactory treatment of the characters that were not already in his stable. I have no complaints regarding Mikaal the Starman or Congorilla, and to a certain extent Supergirl, as James mirrored in her temperament what was happening with her in the rest of the universe.
Dick and Donna, not so much. With Dick, Mr Robinson was similarly limited in regards any character development since really Dick’s home is in the Batman titles. Donna, not so much. This was her only platform, and although the character has moved forward, there was little examination of the process.
The stories themselves were nevertheless enjoyable, the recent Eclipso saga was fun, but felt more like a summer crossover than a spotlight story. Now in the final issue of this incarnation, Mr Robinson has allowed his imagination to run riot as if he was Grant Morrison, and delivered a number of throwaway one-page sagas to give his team the send off he feels they deserve.
Which has only left me feeling a little cheated. Not just due to the sudden release of Donna’s anger, but these are stories I would have loved to see. Thanagar invading Saturn? We can never get enough Jemm, Son Of Saturn. And on the subject of gems, the Battle For Gemworld, against the forces of Mordru and Dark Opal. Now there is a story I long to see, but we never shall. We do not get to see enough Amethyst either, as I have said before.
This was a good issue, with character development and the traditional big concepts we expect of the JLA, yet one cannot escape the sensation of something missing; a sensation that was present in Mr Robinson’s entire run and was practically underscored this month. A element of ‘and heeeeeeeere’s what you could have won!”
Looking at excellent titles such as Power Girl that have been lost in the relaunch; this is a line wide sensation, and eager as I am to see the DCnU, I cannot help but mourn the loss of decades of stories. (At least two decades, but I thought Infinite Crisis was to return lots more pre-COIE stories to continuity. What was the point of that?) Hopefully, the JSA will end up trapped in some hell or other as their storyline concludes, and we will see them again in a few years. I want both JSA’s, the current version AND the Earth 2 version.
Ultimate Fallout by comparison, has masterfully re-engaged my interest in the Ultimate universe. Where else can you see Captain America slapped down by Aunt May? Or Nick Fury humbled by Mary Jane Watson? The entire six issues have been a roller coaster of emotion and revelation, and I think may well have changed the face of the Ultimate universe, so I am once more hooked. If you have missed the series, as soon as it is collected, grab it! It packs bang for its buck.
