The newest review finds us battling Kaiju once again in Marvel and Tsuburaya Production’s The Rise of Ultraman. It is a remarkable take on the iconic hero, but there is a catch to this, and that the story is not set in the Marvel Universe. With that said, we have an impressive creative team that is involved in bringing Ultraman to American Comic Books, writers Kyle Higgins, Matt Groom, and art by Francesco Manna. This collaboration was announced at Tokyo Comic-Con in 2019, with plans for Marvel to bring new stories and graphic novels involving Ultraman.
This Trade Paperback Collection collects The Rise of Ultraman Issues One Through Five, while it serves as a splashy debut it also serves as a way to introduce Ultraman to a new audience.
“In the darkness, there lurks Kaiju – terrifying and unfathomable monsters. Between Kaiju and the rest of us stands the United Science Patrol!
But who are these enigmatic defenders, and how do they perform their miracles? Shin Hayata and Kiki Fuji have spent half a lifetime trying to find out – and their quest is about to drive them toward a decades-old dark secret and put them on a collision course with a mysterious warrior from beyond the stars!
Kyle Higgins (Mighty Morphin Power Rangers), Mat Groom (Self/Made) and Francesco Manna (AVENGERS) reimagine the classic origin of a pop culture icon as THE RISE OF ULTRAMAN begins!“
The introduction of a world where the monsters exist but humans didn’t know was a good approach to how strange and weird this new world was. Both Higgins and Groom did a good job in establishing it with the story beginning with a flashback to 1966, this was an interesting setup for what is to come later in the future as we’re taken back to the year 2020 in Japan. We meet the main characters as the story begins with a secret organization with a young girl who is rising in the ranks and a boy who is struggling to make it. By all means, there are sharp visuals, intense situations, and the reader is kept in the dark at times due to the secrecy thanks to the clever way the captions give it a fun and mysterious feeling when this Secret Organization works behind the scenes to keep people safe. Another visual element that is at work is the mind meld sequence involving the dreamlike state of Ultraman and Shin floating above the ground to streaks of light that enveloped the characters.
Colorist Espen Grundetjern did a stellar job of setting up each scene with the set up of colors, mixing layers of foreground and backgrounds, it helps create a certain dynamic range and maximizes it. Francesco Manna’s linework and character design (including Kaiju) were some of my favorite moments to look at when illustrating a scene such as Ultraman fighting Belmar. Two more artists joined in, Artists Michael Cho and Gurihiru. Gurihiru’s “Kaiju Steps with Pigmon” was a clever agency instruction book page that served as a throwback to PSAs and Cho’s Ultra Q added not only depth but also shows us that the Kaiju have been around longer than were expected.
If you’re a fan of Ultraman, or a new fan curious about the series this is the perfect book to check out. Higgins, Groom, and their artistic team did an outstanding job on the first part of this series. The next series “Trials of Ultraman” is currently available to read at your Local Comic Book Shop, the Trade Paper Back Collection will be available on November 16th, 2021.
Final Grade:
Thanks for reading! If you have any suggestions, news tips, or questions, email them to: webmaster@bigrednerd.com.
This Ultraman The Rise Of Ultraman Cover Art 1,000-Piece Jigsaw Puzzle features stunning original artwork by artist Arthur Adams, created for the variant cover of Marvel Comics Rise of Ultraman #2. The puzzle features Ultraman surrounded by an assortment of iconic Ultra Kaiju, can you name them all? The puzzle measures about 27 1/2-inches tall x 19 7/10-inches wide when assembled. Ages 14 and up.
Red's Nerd Den 