A Nightmare Worth Reading

After reading the first dozen or so pages of “Ultimate Galactus: Ultimate Nightmare,” you get the feeling that something huge is going to happen.

That feeling of anticipation never wanes, despite the fact that you never get to see the title character at all.

The build up alone to the second book, is worth the price of admission all by itself.

Written by Warren Ellis and illustrated by Trevor Hairsine and Steve Epting, the book manages to cater both to the technologically savvy writing of Ellis and the action-scene craving Epting, resulting in a five-issue trade that is full of drama, suspense and intrigue.

With millions around the world committing suicide after a broadcast signal from outer space, depicting the genocide of millions more, is repeatedly shown, both Shield and the X-Men are forced into action to find the culprit. The end result is a sci-fi detective story that features an excellent cast of characters that work extremely well together.

Consisting of Jean Grey, Colossus and Wolverine, Professor X’s team is bickering throughout, with Grey changing her demeanor throughout as they get closer to their target. Great dialogue is featured every step of the way and you’ll be laughing as much as fearing where their next step will take them. On the other hand, the team of Nick Fury, Black Widow, Captain America and Falcon is a bit different, as they have more of an “A-Team” meets “Star Trek Away Team” kind of feel to them. While Fury, Widow and Cap are all cool and have their own parts to play in this story, Ellis makes Falcon so charismatic, intelligent and tough that you’ll find yourself running to the comic book store for back-issues.

One scene in particular captures this moment better than any other, leaving Captain America speechless at his talent as a scientist and a fighter.

In the immortal words of Stan Lee: “Nuff said.”

Because of the great writing, which feels like an Ultimate Avengers and Ultimate X-Men team-up you almost forget about the fact that Galactus is coming. However thanks to excellent scenery art and downright scary villain shots from Epting and Hairsine, you know this is something very much different.

Meeting an incredibly important ally along the way, both teams then begin to release their fate is going to be intertwined and they must work together to overcome it. Soon after, the trade is over and you’re left wondering what will happen, as the sweat beads down your forehead and your mind races with thoughts of the infinite possibilities of what could happen next in your head.

Accomplishing all this, while still setting the scene for the real action, is no easy task, but Ellis and company pull it off, resulting in one heck of a trade that is arguably one of Ellis’ most under-appreciated works to date and a testament to the artistic ability of both Hairsine and Epting.