The Good
Well, this is one "holy crap" issue of THE ULTIMATES, in a good way. Unless you've been hiding under a rock , you know that the Ultimate universe has been turned upside-down, and in the last issue, Captain America was elected President of the United States of America, and guess what he does in this issue? He takes action like nobody's business.
Issue #16 of THE ULTIMATES is a dream for so many people fed up in real life with politics. Captain America does a whole bunch of things I wish I could, but at what cost? That's the question I keep asking myself, as I flip through the pages. Sure, he's turning the American government into something completely new, and it seems like it's for the better, but I have a bad feeling about all of this.
Writer Sam Humphires delivers a mass amount of dialogue into your eye sockets, yet this book flows like a forced simile on a comic book review website. He does a fantastic job at keeping dedicated fans entertained and keeping this book open enough for new readers to jump right in. We're in the middle of a huge story, and yet, I could say this is a good time for a new reader to jump on. Sure, I'd say pick up the old issues, but you could easily start here.
Well... This ending was awesome, and no, I'm not talking about Captain America cleaning house anymore. We finally get to find out a bit more about this Morez character, and it's a bit of a shocker. I'm super-excited to continue reading this.
I like Luke Ross' close up work. It's great and full of some great details. You get a good sense of emotion from everything he puts into it. Also, the last page looked awesome as well. He's great at setting up panels as well. He keeps it dynamic. None of this straight on, medium shot for every panel business. Ross mixes it up. He keeps it fresh and interesting from page one all the way to the end. I love how many times we get to see Cap punch people in the face here as well.
The Bad
New issue, different artist, but same problem with the art: inconsistency. Aside from that last page and the close-ups, the art was everywhere. There were even a few panels were the actual style changed and it looks as though someone else drew it. The best example of this is when Cap is swearing in a President. We have a great looking splash page that is this awe inspiring moment, and it looks like someone else came in to draw Cap's face. Everything in that panel looks like Ross' work, except that face.
The Verdict
This book rules. I know that's such a lame statement, but it really fits. I really enjoyed everything about this issue. Sure, I had some problems with the artwork here, but overall, that really didn't matter since I was so hooked in and along for the ride. A lot of craziness happens here, and you'd be best to check this book out. As I've stated numerous times, The Ultimate line of Marvel books is the best Marvel has going for it, so there is no reason not to read this.
Overall, I highly recommend this issue.