Five years ago, Marvel and Tsuburaya announced they would publish a series of Ultraman comics. To say I was excited was an understatement. Ultraman is a character I literally grew up with, thanks to a series of VHS tapes my dad brought home, so seeing a modern-day take on the character was too good to pass up. Add in the fact that they were being written by Kyle Higgins and Mat Groom, who had written multiple Power Rangers comics in addition to launching the Massiveverse, and my excitement shot through the roof. Now, that saga has finally come to an end with The Fall of Ultraman #1.
The Fall of Ultraman #1 sees Shin Hayata and the Ultra Guard trying to figure out how to defeat the United Science Patrol’s director, Morheim, who is secretly an alien. Hayata feels frustrated that he hasn’t been able to make any progress… until a future version of one of his colleagues arrives with a definitive answer to the ongoing conflict. But is this future set in stone? More importantly, does it hold victory or defeat for Ultraman?
When you look at a title like The Fall of Ultraman #1, you expect a massive battle in which Ultraman sacrifices himself in a blaze of glory. That’s technically the case, but most of the action takes place in the aforementioned future vision. This is a double-edged sword; on the one hand, anyone who picks up this comic will be getting plenty of Ultraman battles. On the other hand, it feels like four to five issues’ worth of story has been packed into a single one-shot, making me wish that this got the double-sized treatment that other comics have been receiving.
Marvel
Despite the narrative’s brevity, Higgins and Groom deliver poignant messages that speak to the core of Ultraman. Chief among them is the power of unity, not just between Hayata and the Ultra that shares his body, but in the Ultra Guard and their ability to overcome any danger. That unity even plays into the end of the issue, where the Ultras resolve to continue partnering with humanity — which reflects the long line of Ultramen that’ve graced our television screens over the years.
A character like Ultraman deserves a truly epic artist, and Davide Tinto steps up to the plate. Tinto’s no stranger to sci-fi epics thanks to his work on Star Trek: Lore War, and he even helped illustrate part of Marvel’s Ultraman saga with The Mystery of Ultraseven. Throughout a series of splash pages, he brings that expertise to good use. Ultraman and his allies are shown battling Kaiju, dueling deadly space gods, and engaging in feats that shake the heavens themselves, and it all looks incredible under Tinto’s pencils.
Espen Grudentjean and Ariana Maher also bring their own artistic flair to the table, particularly when it comes to the Ultras. Each one has a different hue thanks to Grudentjean, and a different form of speech thanks to Maher; Ultraman’s words and shade carry his siganture red and white hue, while the rest of the Ultras carry the golden aura you’d expect from beings of pure light. It’s a great way to tie into the themes of how humanity has shaped Ultraman, and how they’ve shaped him in turn.
The Fall of Ultraman #1 might be a bit too brief for my tastes, but there are plenty of moments where it delivers some truly poignant parables. Higgins and Groom have crafted a truly unique take on Ultraman that’s worth reading in its entirety.
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