I picked up the latest issue of the Ultimates recently. At this point, I’m not sure how long I’m going to stick with it. When the series started, I was in to it. I’m not enough a comic nut to be offended by the way Marc Millar has reinterpreted some of the characters. And I totally dug his rewrite of Thor. The first six or seven issues had some good stories and clever dialog but at a crucial point the series failed.

[Stop reading now if you don’t want the plot ruined for you].

The point I’m referring to was the revelation that evil shapeshifting aliens are on Earth, have been for a very long time, and are responsible for many of the most terrible episodes in humanity’s history. And of course it was really aliens behind the Nazis.

I was quite disappointed that this was what the series had been building towards. Aliens controlled the Nazis, that’s the best they could come up with? I must say, I hate it when stories try to tritely explain away the evils of mankind. “Oh, the holocaust wasn’t our fault, it was those damned shapeshifting Nazi aliens!”

I’ve kept up with the Ultimates in the hopes that this whole story arc will be an elaborate double bluff or something and that the actual interesting plot will be revealed soon. After issue 12, I don’t think my hopes will be realized.

On the other hand, Courtney Crumrin continues to be delightful.