Ultimate Galactus trilogy
Encyclopedia
The Ultimate Galactus Trilogy is a collection of three comic book
limited series
published by Marvel Comics
. All three series are set in the Ultimate Marvel
universe and are written by Warren Ellis
. The series showcase the arrival of the planet-eating entity Gah Lak Tus on Earth.
to May 2006
, the three series were titled Ultimate Nightmare (#1 - 5, Oct. 2004 - Feb. 2005), Ultimate Secret (#1 - 4, May - Dec. 2005), and Ultimate Extinction (#1 - 5, Mar. - July 2006). They were all written by Warren Ellis
of Transmetropolitan
, Planetary
, and The Authority fame, after signing an exclusive two-year work-for-hire contract with Marvel Comics
.
Ultimate Nightmare is a five-issue comic book
limited series
. Issues 1, 2, 4 and 5 were penciled by Trevor Hairsine
(noted for working on the Ultimate Six
limited series with Brian Michael Bendis
), and inked by Simon Coleby
who has previously worked on Marvel UK
's Warheads
series in the 1990s. The third issue was drawn by Steve Epting
. Ellis notes that "Ultimate Nightmare was originally intended as a set-up for a big Ultimate-line event that Mark Millar
was going to do. Mark, however, has had health issues for some time, and that and his workload led to him bowing out and me once again being asked to step in and help out. And then, while I was getting into Nightmare, Joe Quesada
had the idea of turning this event into a trilogy...So I needed to come up with a credible second step in the trilogy fairly quickly."
Ultimate Secret is a four-issue comic book limited series with art by Steve McNiven
. It was scheduled to print monthly, but due to Ellis and McNiven's other concerns (among other things, McNiven is drawing the current arc of New Avengers) it was delayed, and didn't finish until near the end of 2005.
Ultimate Extinction was five-issue (it was originally to be six) limited series began in January 2006, cover dated March, and was illustrated by Brandon Peterson
. Despite fan speculation and argument to the contrary, the comics in the Ultimate Galactus trilogy and recently published reference materials clearly state that the events of Ultimate Extinction take place before the second volume of The Ultimates.
disrupts the world's communications systems, filling televisions and computer monitors with images of death and destruction that cause thousands of people to commit suicide
. The broadcast ripples across the psychic
plane, and attracts the attention of S.H.I.E.L.D.
and Charles Xavier
, with both tracing the source to the Tunguska wasteland in Russia
, the site of a massive comet crash
over a century ago. S.H.I.E.L.D. Commander Nick Fury
leads a team of heroes - Captain America
, Black Widow and Sam "Falcon
" Wilson - on a reconnaissance mission, while Professor X
sends the X-Men Jean Grey
, Wolverine
and Colossus
to investigate. Neither team is aware of the other's involvement.
The two teams trace the signal to an abandoned complex built in the era of Communist Russia, and encounter an army of mutated humans, all engineered by a now-defunct Soviet super-soldier project designed to create versions of Captain America. Two characters who make appearances, though un-named, are Ultimate Unicorn
and a version of Ultimate Red Guardian
. After defeating the humans the two teams meet, with Fury's team capturing the X-Men and then discovering the source of the broadcast - a sentient, self-repairing robot called Vision
. Vision explains that it traveled to Earth 100 years ago, and when its ship malfunctioned it crashed in Tunguska and was later captured by the Soviets, who amputated portions of its body and grafted them onto Soviet Army volunteers to create experimental super-soldiers. Vision has repaired itself enough to communicate with the world, and warns Fury of an impending threat: the Eater of Worlds, called Gah Lak Tus. The X-Men subsequently escape and Fury's team takes the Vision back to S.H.I.E.L.D for further analysis.
installation in New Mexico
investigating revolutionary methods of space travel is attacked by the alien Kree
. This forces resident scientist Dr. Philip Lawson to change to his true identity of Captain Mahr Vehl
and battle the attackers. Although able to successfully defend the installation, Mahr Vehl is rendered unconscious and is eventually questioned by Fury. Mahr Vehl explains he is a member of the Kree himself, and that they have been observing Earth
to determine if humanity poses a threat to the Kree in the larger galaxy
. Observing mankind's violent nature, Mahr Vehl reveals that the Kree have recently decided to confine humanity on Earth until the entity Gah Lak Tus can destroy them, thus ending the potential threat. Realizing that other Kree will be coming and that the threat the Vision foretold is now very real, Fury summons the Fantastic Four
and the Ultimates
.
A Kree force attacks the installation soon after, but is stopped by a combined team of heroes. Another team of heroes - with Mahr Vehl's aid - storm the Kree ship while the aliens are on Earth. The commander, Yahn Rgg, activates the self-destruct mechanism, but not before Mahr Vehl hacks into the ship's database and downloads its contents into his memory banks. With the information gained from both Vision and the Kree, Fury contemplates how to deal with the coming threat of Gah Lak Tus.
The heroes Captain America, Falcon, Iron Man and Mahr Vehl have several battles with Gah Lak Tus' heralds, the Silver Men
, and allow Reed Richards, Charles Xavier and Jean Grey time to develop a plan. Xavier and Grey make psychic contact with Gah Lak Tus, which completely repulses the entity and distracts it. Richards then uses the ultimate Ultimate Nullifier
, and teleports the latent energy of a Big Bang
into the heart of the Gah Lak Tus swarm. With 20% of its mass destroyed by the blast, the entity retreats. Richards then programs Vision with plans for the weapon and sends it into space, in the hopes that other races will be able to benefit and fend off Gah Lak Tus. Nick Fury
's only comment on the matter is "the human race can kick the hell out of anything."
:
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
limited series
Limited series
A limited series is a comic book series with a set number of installments. A limited series differs from an ongoing series in that the number of issues is determined before production and it differs from a one shot in that it is composed of multiple issues....
published by Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
. All three series are set in the Ultimate Marvel
Ultimate Marvel
Ultimate Marvel is an imprint of comic books published by Marvel Comics, featuring reimagined and updated versions of the company's superhero characters, including Spider-Man, the X-Men, the Avengers, and the Fantastic Four. The imprint was launched in 2000 with the publication of the series...
universe and are written by Warren Ellis
Warren Ellis
Warren Girard Ellis is an English author of comics, novels, and television, who is well-known for sociocultural commentary, both through his online presence and through his writing, which covers transhumanist themes...
. The series showcase the arrival of the planet-eating entity Gah Lak Tus on Earth.
Publication history
Published from August 20042004 in comics
-February:*February 6: Marvel Enterprises and Electronic Arts announce a multi-year agreement in which EA will develop a new generation of fighting video games pitting Marvel superheroes against a new, original set of EA heroes....
to May 2006
2006 in comics
-January:*January 1, 2006: Newsweek offer a look back at 2005 through editorial cartoons. *January 2, 2006: The Cincinnati Enquirer cartoonist Jim Borgman starts a blog to detail his creative process...
, the three series were titled Ultimate Nightmare (#1 - 5, Oct. 2004 - Feb. 2005), Ultimate Secret (#1 - 4, May - Dec. 2005), and Ultimate Extinction (#1 - 5, Mar. - July 2006). They were all written by Warren Ellis
Warren Ellis
Warren Girard Ellis is an English author of comics, novels, and television, who is well-known for sociocultural commentary, both through his online presence and through his writing, which covers transhumanist themes...
of Transmetropolitan
Transmetropolitan
Transmetropolitan is a cyberpunk comic book series written by Warren Ellis with art by Darick Robertson and published by DC Comics. The series was originally part of the short-lived DC Comics imprint Helix, but upon the end of the book's first year the series was moved to the Vertigo imprint as DC...
, Planetary
Planetary (comics)
Planetary is an American comic book limited series created by writer Warren Ellis and artist John Cassaday published by the Wildstorm imprint of DC Comics...
, and The Authority fame, after signing an exclusive two-year work-for-hire contract with Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
.
Ultimate Nightmare is a five-issue comic book
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
limited series
Limited series
A limited series is a comic book series with a set number of installments. A limited series differs from an ongoing series in that the number of issues is determined before production and it differs from a one shot in that it is composed of multiple issues....
. Issues 1, 2, 4 and 5 were penciled by Trevor Hairsine
Trevor Hairsine
Trevor Hairsine is a British comics artist, whose detailed style has been compared to that of Bryan Hitch.In August 2005 Marvel Editor-in-Chief Joe Quesada named him as one of Marvel Comics's "Young Guns", a group of artists who have the qualities that make "a future superstar...
(noted for working on the Ultimate Six
Ultimate Six
Ultimate Six is a seven-issue comic book limited series and crossover between Spider-Man and the Ultimates , featuring the Ultimate Marvel version of the Sinister Six...
limited series with Brian Michael Bendis
Brian Michael Bendis
Brian Michael Bendis is an American comic book writer and erstwhile artist. He has won critical acclaim for his self-published, Image Comics and Marvel Comics work, and is one of the most successful writers working in mainstream comics, with his books selling consistently highly for over a...
), and inked by Simon Coleby
Simon Coleby
Simon Coleby is a British comic book artist who has worked mainly for British sci-fi comic 2000 AD and Marvel Comics.-Biography:...
who has previously worked on Marvel UK
Marvel UK
Marvel UK was an imprint of Marvel Comics formed in 1972 to reprint US produced stories for the British weekly comic market, though it later did produce original material by British creators such as Alan Moore, John Wagner, Dave Gibbons, Steve Dillon and Grant Morrison.Panini Comics obtained the...
's Warheads
Warheads (comics)
Warheads was a Marvel UK comic book series which ran for 14 issues in the early 1990s and was followed by the two-issue mini-series Warheads: Black Dawn. The stories contained in the comic were also serialised in the UK comics anthology Overkill...
series in the 1990s. The third issue was drawn by Steve Epting
Steve Epting
Stephen "Steve" Epting is an American comic book penciller.-Early life:Epting's influences include Alex Raymond, Stan Drake, Jim Holdaway, Joe Kubert, John Buscema, Al Williamson and José Luis García-López....
. Ellis notes that "Ultimate Nightmare was originally intended as a set-up for a big Ultimate-line event that Mark Millar
Mark Millar
Mark Millar is a Scottish comic book writer, known for his work on books such as The Authority, The Ultimates, Marvel Knights Spider-Man, Ultimate Fantastic Four, Civil War, Wanted, and Kick-Ass, the latter two of which have been adapted into feature films...
was going to do. Mark, however, has had health issues for some time, and that and his workload led to him bowing out and me once again being asked to step in and help out. And then, while I was getting into Nightmare, Joe Quesada
Joe Quesada
Joseph "Joe" Quesada is an American comic book editor, writer and artist. He became known in the 1990s for his work on various Valiant Comics books, such as Ninjak and Solar, Man of the Atom...
had the idea of turning this event into a trilogy...So I needed to come up with a credible second step in the trilogy fairly quickly."
Ultimate Secret is a four-issue comic book limited series with art by Steve McNiven
Steve McNiven
Steven "Steve" McNiven is a Canadian comic book artist. He first gained prominence on CrossGen's Meridian, before moving onto books such as Ultimate Secret, New Avengers and Civil War.-Career:...
. It was scheduled to print monthly, but due to Ellis and McNiven's other concerns (among other things, McNiven is drawing the current arc of New Avengers) it was delayed, and didn't finish until near the end of 2005.
Ultimate Extinction was five-issue (it was originally to be six) limited series began in January 2006, cover dated March, and was illustrated by Brandon Peterson
Brandon Peterson
Brandon Peterson is an American comic book writer and artist. Born and raised in Wisconsin on October 14, 1969. Brandon Peterson is known for his hyper detailed artwork and intricate line work...
. Despite fan speculation and argument to the contrary, the comics in the Ultimate Galactus trilogy and recently published reference materials clearly state that the events of Ultimate Extinction take place before the second volume of The Ultimates.
Ultimate Nightmare
A broadcastBroadcasting
Broadcasting is the distribution of audio and video content to a dispersed audience via any audio visual medium. Receiving parties may include the general public or a relatively large subset of thereof...
disrupts the world's communications systems, filling televisions and computer monitors with images of death and destruction that cause thousands of people to commit suicide
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
. The broadcast ripples across the psychic
Psychic
A psychic is a person who professes an ability to perceive information hidden from the normal senses through extrasensory perception , or is said by others to have such abilities. It is also used to describe theatrical performers who use techniques such as prestidigitation, cold reading, and hot...
plane, and attracts the attention of S.H.I.E.L.D.
S.H.I.E.L.D.
S.H.I.E.L.D. is a fictional espionage and a secret military law-enforcement agency in the Marvel Comics Universe. Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby in Strange Tales #135 , it often deals with superhuman threats....
and Charles Xavier
Professor X
Professor Charles Francis Xavier, also known as Professor X, is a fictional character, a Marvel Comics superhero known as the leader and founder of the X-Men....
, with both tracing the source to the Tunguska wasteland in Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
, the site of a massive comet crash
Tunguska event
The Tunguska event, or Tunguska blast or Tunguska explosion, was an enormously powerful explosion that occurred near the Podkamennaya Tunguska River in what is now Krasnoyarsk Krai, Russia, at about 7:14 a.m...
over a century ago. S.H.I.E.L.D. Commander Nick Fury
Ultimate Nick Fury
General Nicholas Joseph "Nick" Fury is a fictional character published by Marvel Comics. A reinterpretation of the character Nick Fury, one of the most notable differences between the two is that the mainstream Nick Fury is an Italian American colonel with graying brown hair, while this Nick Fury...
leads a team of heroes - Captain America
Captain America
Captain America is a fictional character, a superhero that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Captain America Comics #1 , from Marvel Comics' 1940s predecessor, Timely Comics, and was created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby...
, Black Widow and Sam "Falcon
Falcon (comics)
The Falcon is a fictional comic book superhero in comic books published by Marvel Comics.Created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Gene Colan, and introduced in Captain America #117 , the character is mainstream comics' first African-American superhero...
" Wilson - on a reconnaissance mission, while Professor X
Professor X
Professor Charles Francis Xavier, also known as Professor X, is a fictional character, a Marvel Comics superhero known as the leader and founder of the X-Men....
sends the X-Men Jean Grey
Jean Grey
Jean Grey-Summers is a fictional comic book superheroine appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. She has been known under the aliases Marvel Girl, Phoenix, and Dark Phoenix and is best known as one of five original members of the X-Men, for her relationship with Cyclops, and for her...
, Wolverine
Wolverine (comics)
Wolverine is a fictional character, a superhero that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. Born as James Howlett and commonly known as Logan, Wolverine is a mutant, possessing animal-keen senses, enhanced physical capabilities, three retracting bone claws on each hand and a healing...
and Colossus
Colossus (comics)
Colossus is a fictional character, a superhero in the Marvel Comics universe. Created by writer Len Wein and illustrator Dave Cockrum, he first appeared in Giant-Size X-Men #1...
to investigate. Neither team is aware of the other's involvement.
The two teams trace the signal to an abandoned complex built in the era of Communist Russia, and encounter an army of mutated humans, all engineered by a now-defunct Soviet super-soldier project designed to create versions of Captain America. Two characters who make appearances, though un-named, are Ultimate Unicorn
Unicorn (comics)
Unicorn is the codename of multiple supervillains in the Marvel Comics universe. The first Unicorn debuted in Tales of Suspense vol...
and a version of Ultimate Red Guardian
Red Guardian
The Red Guardian is the name of several comic book superheroes in the Marvel Comics universe. The Red Guardian is an identity that was created as the Soviet equivalent of Captain America; since the fall of the Soviet Union, the name is no longer officially used, though at least two people have...
. After defeating the humans the two teams meet, with Fury's team capturing the X-Men and then discovering the source of the broadcast - a sentient, self-repairing robot called Vision
Vision (Marvel Comics)
The Vision is the name of three fictional characters that appear in comic books published by Marvel Comics.-Publication history:The first Vision was created by the writer-artist team of Joe Simon and Jack Kirby in Marvel Mystery Comics #13 The Vision is the name of three fictional characters that...
. Vision explains that it traveled to Earth 100 years ago, and when its ship malfunctioned it crashed in Tunguska and was later captured by the Soviets, who amputated portions of its body and grafted them onto Soviet Army volunteers to create experimental super-soldiers. Vision has repaired itself enough to communicate with the world, and warns Fury of an impending threat: the Eater of Worlds, called Gah Lak Tus. The X-Men subsequently escape and Fury's team takes the Vision back to S.H.I.E.L.D for further analysis.
Ultimate Secret
A secret S.H.I.E.L.D.S.H.I.E.L.D.
S.H.I.E.L.D. is a fictional espionage and a secret military law-enforcement agency in the Marvel Comics Universe. Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby in Strange Tales #135 , it often deals with superhuman threats....
installation in New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
investigating revolutionary methods of space travel is attacked by the alien Kree
Kree
The Kree, also known as the Ruul, are a scientifically and technologically advanced militaristic alien race in the fictional Marvel Universe. They are native to the planet Hala in the Large Magellanic Cloud...
. This forces resident scientist Dr. Philip Lawson to change to his true identity of Captain Mahr Vehl
Mahr Vehl
Geheneris Hala´son Mahr Vehl or Mahr Vehl, is a fictional character, an alien superhero in the Ultimate Marvel universe.The character is the Ultimate version of Mar-Vell and was created by writer Warren Ellis and penciller Steve McNiven and first appears in Ultimate Secret #1 .-Fictional character...
and battle the attackers. Although able to successfully defend the installation, Mahr Vehl is rendered unconscious and is eventually questioned by Fury. Mahr Vehl explains he is a member of the Kree himself, and that they have been observing Earth
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
to determine if humanity poses a threat to the Kree in the larger galaxy
Galaxy
A galaxy is a massive, gravitationally bound system that consists of stars and stellar remnants, an interstellar medium of gas and dust, and an important but poorly understood component tentatively dubbed dark matter. The word galaxy is derived from the Greek galaxias , literally "milky", a...
. Observing mankind's violent nature, Mahr Vehl reveals that the Kree have recently decided to confine humanity on Earth until the entity Gah Lak Tus can destroy them, thus ending the potential threat. Realizing that other Kree will be coming and that the threat the Vision foretold is now very real, Fury summons the Fantastic Four
Ultimate Fantastic Four
Ultimate Fantastic Four is a superhero comic book series published by Marvel Comics. The series is a modernized re-imagining of Marvel's long-running Fantastic Four comic book franchise as part of its Ultimate Marvel imprint...
and the Ultimates
Ultimates
The Ultimates is a fictional group of superheroes that appear in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The team was created by writer Mark Millar and artist Bryan Hitch, and first appeared in The Ultimates #1 , as part of the company's Ultimate Marvel imprint...
.
A Kree force attacks the installation soon after, but is stopped by a combined team of heroes. Another team of heroes - with Mahr Vehl's aid - storm the Kree ship while the aliens are on Earth. The commander, Yahn Rgg, activates the self-destruct mechanism, but not before Mahr Vehl hacks into the ship's database and downloads its contents into his memory banks. With the information gained from both Vision and the Kree, Fury contemplates how to deal with the coming threat of Gah Lak Tus.
Ultimate Extinction
Fury enlists the aid of Reed Richards and Professor Xavier once Silver Surfer arrives to "herald" the approach of Gah Lak Tus, who is discovered to be a swarm of thousands of sentient ships stretched 100000 miles (160,934 km) long and within only a week's journey from Earth.The heroes Captain America, Falcon, Iron Man and Mahr Vehl have several battles with Gah Lak Tus' heralds, the Silver Men
Silver Surfer
The Silver Surfer is a Marvel Comics superhero created by Jack Kirby. The character first appears in Fantastic Four #48 , the first of a three-issue arc that fans call "The Galactus Trilogy"....
, and allow Reed Richards, Charles Xavier and Jean Grey time to develop a plan. Xavier and Grey make psychic contact with Gah Lak Tus, which completely repulses the entity and distracts it. Richards then uses the ultimate Ultimate Nullifier
Ultimate Nullifier
The Ultimate Nullifier is a device of immense power in the Marvel Universe. The device made its first appearance in Fantastic Four volume 1, issue #50 , in which Johnny Storm retrieves it from the home of Galactus—as directed by Uatu the Watcher—for the Fantastic Four to employ against the threat...
, and teleports the latent energy of a Big Bang
Big Bang
The Big Bang theory is the prevailing cosmological model that explains the early development of the Universe. According to the Big Bang theory, the Universe was once in an extremely hot and dense state which expanded rapidly. This rapid expansion caused the young Universe to cool and resulted in...
into the heart of the Gah Lak Tus swarm. With 20% of its mass destroyed by the blast, the entity retreats. Richards then programs Vision with plans for the weapon and sends it into space, in the hopes that other races will be able to benefit and fend off Gah Lak Tus. Nick Fury
Nick Fury
Colonel Nicholas Joseph "Nick" Fury is a fictional World War II army hero and present-day super-spy in the Marvel Comics universe. Created by artist Jack Kirby and writer Stan Lee, Fury first appeared in Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos #1 , a World War II combat series that portrayed the...
's only comment on the matter is "the human race can kick the hell out of anything."
Collected editions
The series has been collected into a number of volumesTrade paperback (comics)
In comics, a trade paperback is a collection of stories originally published in comic books, reprinted in book format, usually capturing one story arc from a single title or a series of stories with a connected story arc or common theme from one or more titles...
:
- Ultimate Galactus Trilogy (368 pages, hardcover, Marvel Comics, ISBN 0-7851-2139-0, softcover, June 2009, ISBN 0-7851-3722-X) collects:
- Ultimate Nightmare (120 pages, Marvel Comics, March 2005, ISBN 0-7851-1497-1, Panini ComicsPanini ComicsPanini Comics is an Italian comic book publisher. A division of Panini Group, best known for their collectible stickers, it is headquartered in Modena, Italy...
, December 2006, ISBN 1-905239-55-6) - Ultimate Secret (96 pages, Marvel Comics, January 2006, ISBN 0-7851-1660-5, Panini Comics, December 2006, ISBN 1-905239-51-3)
- Ultimate Extinction (120 pages, Marvel Comics, August 2006, ISBN 0-7851-1496-3, Panini Comics, December 2006, ISBN 1-905239-54-8)
- Ultimate Nightmare (120 pages, Marvel Comics, March 2005, ISBN 0-7851-1497-1, Panini Comics
External links
- Ultimate Galactus Trilogy HC Review, Comics BulletinComics BulletinComics Bulletin is a website with an emphasis on the American comic book industry, updated daily with news, reviews, interviews, and editorial content. Coverage ranges from mainstream to independent/small press comic book and graphic novel publishers.-History:...
- Ultimate Secret #1 Review, #3 #4, Comics BulletinComics BulletinComics Bulletin is a website with an emphasis on the American comic book industry, updated daily with news, reviews, interviews, and editorial content. Coverage ranges from mainstream to independent/small press comic book and graphic novel publishers.-History:...
- Ultimate Extinction #3, Comics BulletinComics BulletinComics Bulletin is a website with an emphasis on the American comic book industry, updated daily with news, reviews, interviews, and editorial content. Coverage ranges from mainstream to independent/small press comic book and graphic novel publishers.-History:...