Waited for the Trade: Ultimate Galactus

Timely as ever, I've been thinking about all the hubub concerning last weeks last-minute delay of Marvel's Civil War #4 and the ripple effect is has on all of the tie-in issues.

In the end, my main concern is for the retailers. Personally, I'd wait a reasonable amount of time to maintain the artistic integrity of the project, in fact I'd prefer it, so this really doesn't hurt me. I'm disappointed, especially since it Marvel waited until the eleventh hour to announce the delay and if the delay falls to the penciller, like they've stated, then they've had a pretty good idea this was going to happen for a while. In the end they threw comic shops under the bus, at least temporarily, sacrificing short term gains in order to gamble on the staying power of the eventual trade. By gambling I mean that they have the hope that the collected trade of Civil War will be a classic... an evergreen revenue source in future years, much like Dark Knight, Watchmen, etc...

All this happens as I manage to finish reading Ultimate Extinction, the conclusion of the Ultimate Galactus trilogy. The second series was already underway by the time I picked up the first trade, so I've followed this series exclusively through the trade format.

Overall, I found it to be a great story. I thought it was a bold reimagining of the classic Lee/Kirby tale. Ellis brings his love for hard science fiction to round off the aspects that don't hold up in the 21st century. I was mystified when I heard that Misty Knight would play a role, but when I finally got to read it, it made perfect sense. It's a disaster movie, essentially, and there's no main focus other than the Big Threat. Also, as the Ultimate line's first "big event", it provides a kind of walking tour through their world as it (maybe) comes to an end.

I don't know why the series was broken up into three separate minis when it could have been told in one maxi series. The cynical part of me thinks it's some kind of marketing tactic (more number 1's?)... which troubles me about Marvel lately. They're really angling for something bigger lately... don't get me wrong, they're a business and I can't blame them for looking to make some money. I'm just getting the feeling that if they thought they could make an extra buck, they would follow that extra buck no matter who they hurt. Today, it's the retailers. Tomorrow, who knows?