Ultimate Marvel
Encyclopedia
Ultimate Marvel is an imprint
of comic book
s 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 Ultimate Spider-Man
and Ultimate X-Men
. The characters have new origins, freeing them from the sometimes convoluted back-histories of the original versions. The universe has been designated as "Earth-1610" within the Marvel Multiverse
, which comprises of an infinite number of alternate universes.
The Ultimate imprint as a whole was intended to attract and serve new readers beyond the existing Marvel fan base, although long-time fans have generally embraced the line.
, followed by Ultimate X-Men
and The Ultimates
in 2001, and finally Ultimate Fantastic Four
. Prior to the launch, the imprint was under the working title of "Ground Zero". The characters in this line exist outside of the regular Earth-616
Marvel Universe
and therefore do not interact with their original version counterparts.
The stories and characters of Ultimate Marvel have been adapted to reflect the differences between the present and past continuities, most of which were created in the 1960s and 1970s. For example, Ultimate Spider-Man
gains his superpowers from a genetically-engineered
spider
rather than a radioactive
spider, and his alter ego, Peter Parker, originally a photographer for the Daily Bugle
newspaper
, now has a part-time job as the paper's webmaster
. Another aspect of the Ultimate Marvel universe is that many of the characters are younger than their regular-continuity counterparts.
In December 2005 through early 2007, Marvel published a print ad campaign in titles across their company that showed all Ultimate titles and had the slogan, "Ultimate Marvel: The Gold Standard".
Writers noted for their work in the line include Brian Michael Bendis
, Warren Ellis
, Orson Scott Card
, and Mark Millar
. Joe Quesada
and former Marvel president Bill Jemas
were also involved in the creation of the line.
The entire Ultimate Marvel imprint was relaunched after the conclusion of the Ultimatum event, under the Ultimate Comics brand.
In August 2011, Marvel plans to relaunch the Ultimate line again, this time with the Ultimate Comics Universe Reborn tagline after the conclusion of "The Death of Spider-Man" story arc, headed by Jonathan Hickman
, Nick Spencer
and Brian Michael Bendis
. The initial titles slated to be relaunched are Ultimate Comics: X-Men
, Ultimate Comics: Ultimates
, and Ultimate Comics: Spider-Man
, with Ultimate Comics: Fallout
and Ultimate Comics: Hawkeye being released as mini-series.
Imprint
In the publishing industry, an imprint can mean several different things:* As a piece of bibliographic information about a book, it refers to the name and address of the book's publisher and its date of publication as given at the foot or on the verso of its title page.* It can mean a trade name...
of 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...
s 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...
, featuring reimagined and updated versions of the company's superhero
Superhero
A superhero is a type of stock character, possessing "extraordinary or superhuman powers", dedicated to protecting the public. Since the debut of the prototypical superhero Superman in 1938, stories of superheroes — ranging from brief episodic adventures to continuing years-long sagas —...
characters, including Spider-Man
Spider-Man
Spider-Man is a fictional Marvel Comics superhero. The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee and writer-artist Steve Ditko. He first appeared in Amazing Fantasy #15...
, the X-Men
X-Men
The X-Men are a superhero team in the . They were created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, and first appeared in The X-Men #1...
, the Avengers
Avengers (comics)
The Avengers is a fictional team of superheroes, appearing in magazines published by Marvel Comics. The team made its debut in The Avengers #1 The Avengers is a fictional team of superheroes, appearing in magazines published by Marvel Comics. The team made its debut in The Avengers #1 The Avengers...
, and the Fantastic Four
Fantastic Four
The Fantastic Four is a fictional superhero team appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The group debuted in The Fantastic Four #1 , which helped to usher in a new level of realism in the medium...
. The imprint was launched in 2000 with the publication of the series Ultimate Spider-Man
Ultimate Spider-Man
Ultimate Spider-Man was a superhero comic book series that was published by Marvel Comics from 2000 to 2009. The series is a modernized re-imagining of Marvel's long-running Spider-Man comic book franchise as part of its Ultimate Marvel imprint...
and Ultimate X-Men
Ultimate X-Men
Ultimate X-Men is a superhero comic book series that was published by Marvel Comics from 2001 to 2009. The series is a modernized re-imagining of Marvel's long-running X-Men comic book franchise as part of its Ultimate Marvel imprint...
. The characters have new origins, freeing them from the sometimes convoluted back-histories of the original versions. The universe has been designated as "Earth-1610" within the Marvel Multiverse
Multiverse (Marvel Comics)
Within Marvel Comics, most tales take place within the fictional Marvel Universe, which in turn is part of a larger multiverse. Starting with issues of Captain Britain, the main continuity in which most Marvel storylines take place was designated Earth-616, and the multiverse was established as...
, which comprises of an infinite number of alternate universes.
The Ultimate imprint as a whole was intended to attract and serve new readers beyond the existing Marvel fan base, although long-time fans have generally embraced the line.
Publication history
The imprint was launched in 2000 with the publication of Ultimate Spider-ManUltimate Spider-Man
Ultimate Spider-Man was a superhero comic book series that was published by Marvel Comics from 2000 to 2009. The series is a modernized re-imagining of Marvel's long-running Spider-Man comic book franchise as part of its Ultimate Marvel imprint...
, followed by Ultimate X-Men
Ultimate X-Men
Ultimate X-Men is a superhero comic book series that was published by Marvel Comics from 2001 to 2009. The series is a modernized re-imagining of Marvel's long-running X-Men 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...
in 2001, and finally Ultimate 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...
. Prior to the launch, the imprint was under the working title of "Ground Zero". The characters in this line exist outside of the regular Earth-616
Earth-616
In the fictional Marvel Comics multiverse, Earth-616 or Earth 616 is the name used to identify the primary continuity in which most Marvel Comics titles take place.-Origin of Earth-616:...
Marvel Universe
Marvel Universe
The Marvel Universe is the shared fictional universe where most comic book titles and other media published by Marvel Entertainment take place, including those featuring Marvel's most familiar characters, such as Spider-Man, the Hulk, the X-Men, and the Avengers.The Marvel Universe is further...
and therefore do not interact with their original version counterparts.
The stories and characters of Ultimate Marvel have been adapted to reflect the differences between the present and past continuities, most of which were created in the 1960s and 1970s. For example, Ultimate Spider-Man
Ultimate Spider-Man
Ultimate Spider-Man was a superhero comic book series that was published by Marvel Comics from 2000 to 2009. The series is a modernized re-imagining of Marvel's long-running Spider-Man comic book franchise as part of its Ultimate Marvel imprint...
gains his superpowers from a genetically-engineered
Genetic engineering
Genetic engineering, also called genetic modification, is the direct human manipulation of an organism's genome using modern DNA technology. It involves the introduction of foreign DNA or synthetic genes into the organism of interest...
spider
Spider
Spiders are air-breathing arthropods that have eight legs, and chelicerae with fangs that inject venom. They are the largest order of arachnids and rank seventh in total species diversity among all other groups of organisms...
rather than a radioactive
Radioactive decay
Radioactive decay is the process by which an atomic nucleus of an unstable atom loses energy by emitting ionizing particles . The emission is spontaneous, in that the atom decays without any physical interaction with another particle from outside the atom...
spider, and his alter ego, Peter Parker, originally a photographer for the Daily Bugle
Daily Bugle
The Daily Bugle is a fictional New York City newspaper that is a regular fixture in the Marvel Universe, most prominently in Spider-Man comic titles and their derivative media...
newspaper
Newspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
, now has a part-time job as the paper's webmaster
Webmaster
A webmaster , also called a web architect, web developer, site author, or website administrator is a person responsible for maintaining one or many websites...
. Another aspect of the Ultimate Marvel universe is that many of the characters are younger than their regular-continuity counterparts.
In December 2005 through early 2007, Marvel published a print ad campaign in titles across their company that showed all Ultimate titles and had the slogan, "Ultimate Marvel: The Gold Standard".
Writers noted for their work in the line include 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...
, 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...
, Orson Scott Card
Orson Scott Card
Orson Scott Card is an American author, critic, public speaker, essayist, columnist, and political activist. He writes in several genres, but is primarily known for his science fiction. His novel Ender's Game and its sequel Speaker for the Dead both won Hugo and Nebula Awards, making Card the...
, and 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...
. 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...
and former Marvel president Bill Jemas
Bill Jemas
Bill Jemas is an American media entrepreneur, writer and editor. He is a former vice president of Marvel Comics, and a founding partner at 360ep, a media management firm.-Early life:...
were also involved in the creation of the line.
The entire Ultimate Marvel imprint was relaunched after the conclusion of the Ultimatum event, under the Ultimate Comics brand.
In August 2011, Marvel plans to relaunch the Ultimate line again, this time with the Ultimate Comics Universe Reborn tagline after the conclusion of "The Death of Spider-Man" story arc, headed by Jonathan Hickman
Jonathan Hickman
Jonathan Hickman is an American comic book writer and artist. He is known for the Image Comics series The Nightly News and currently writes FF , and S.H.I.E.L.D for Marvel Comics.-Career:...
, Nick Spencer
Nick Spencer
Nick Spencer is a comic book writer known for his creator-owned titles at Image Comics , his work at DC Comics Nick Spencer is a comic book writer known for his creator-owned titles at Image Comics (Existence 2.0/3.0, Forgetless, Shuddertown, Morning Glories), his work at DC Comics Nick Spencer is...
and 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...
. The initial titles slated to be relaunched are Ultimate Comics: X-Men
Ultimate Comics: X-Men
Ultimate Comics: X-Men is an ongoing monthly comic book series published by Marvel Comics that made its debut in September 2011 as part of the second re-launch of Ultimate Marvel...
, Ultimate Comics: Ultimates
Ultimate Comics: Ultimates
Ultimate Comics: Ultimates is an ongoing monthly comic book series published by Marvel Comics that made its debut in September 2011 as part of the second re-launch of Ultimate Marvel...
, and Ultimate Comics: Spider-Man
Ultimate Comics: Spider-Man
Ultimate Comics: Spider-Man is a comic book series published by Marvel Comics that debuted in August 2009 as part of the relaunch of Ultimate Marvel under the new "Ultimate Comics" imprint. It serves as a continuation of Ultimate Spider-Man, as well as an all-new series...
, with Ultimate Comics: Fallout
Ultimate Fallout
Ultimate Comics: Fallout is a comic book limited series published by Marvel Comics that debuted in July 2011 as part of the second re-launch of the Ultimate Universe...
and Ultimate Comics: Hawkeye being released as mini-series.