By Jonathan Hickman, Carlos Pacheco & Dexter Vines & various (Marvel)
ISBN: 978-0-7851-5187-6 (HB/Digital edition)
Distressing times never come singly. Yet again I’m spreading unhappy news as another comics great leaves us way too young. Our condolences go out to his family and we share the sadness of the millions of devoted fans now deprived of future glories. Now let’s look again at one of his most remarkable, influential and neglected works and ponder what’s gone…
Carlos Pacheco Perujo (14th November 1961 – 9th November 2022) was born in Spain but found his greatest fame in the USA drawing the cream of the superhero crop.
After learning his craft creating covers, pin-ups, posters and transition art for Spanish reprints of Marvel Comics – and inventing his own Spanish superheroes – Pacheco got his big break illustrating Dark Guard for Marvel UK in 1992. Before long, his cleanly effective, realistic visualisations graced numerous Ultimate Comics and X-Men titles and spin-offs; The Fantastic Four; Captain America; The Inhumans; Superman; Superman/Batman; Flash; Green Lantern and Justice Society of America.
Despite indie triumphs such as Arrowsmith and Astro City, the writer/artist will always be remembered for his mainstream superhero virtuosity and landmark limited series like Final Crisis and Avengers Forever, and Original Graphic Novels such as JLA/JSA: Virtue and Vice.
In 2000, when Marvel retooled their traditional continuity into a separate, darker, grittier universe more relevant to the video game-playing, movie-watching 21st century readers, they started with the most popular characters and only gradually added analogues for the established characters and trademarks.
Even when the Avengers finally appeared in this continuity – as the Ultimates – readers were only sparingly brought up to speed on the assorted back-stories of these alternative heroes and villains – especially a wild, hammer-wielding warrior who couldn’t decide if he was Thorlief Golmen, mental patient, psychiatric nurse and anti-American radical protester or Thor, ancient Norse god of Thunder and battle.
After many struggles against his malicious, reality-warping brother Loki, incalculably mighty Thor is found here as a patient under the care of the European Union Super Soldier program. When their doctors call in linguistic expert/psychotherapist Donald Blake, the true and fantastic story of the patient’s origins unfold…
Eons ago, Asgard was a fantastic place of adventure and glory; an ideal paradise for the young warrior-brothers Balder, Thor and Loki to fight, carouse and enjoy life. But even gods grow older and apart…
The time was just prior to the start of World War II. Nazi Occult scientist Baron Zemo leads an army against Asgard, having already allied himself with the gods’ greatest enemies: Frost Giants…
All is not as it seems, however, and Zemo is no mortal invader. Moreover, his intention is to end all gods and bring about Ragnarok. Despite the magnificent heroics of the Norse deities, he eventually succeeds. But now it is revealed that the brothers did not die, but were reborn in mortal form on Earth.
Now as an Age of Supermen begins, the brothers awaken… and one of them is mad…
Compellingly scripted by Jonathan Hickman and beautifully illustrated by Pacheco with inks from Dexter Vines, Jason Paz, Jeff Het and colors by Edgar Delgado, J. Aburtov & Jorge Gonzalez, this spectacular yarn (originally released as a 4-issue miniseries) might be a mite confusing for readers unfamiliar with Thor’s other Ultimate appearances, or taking their cues from the movie iteration this version inspired.
It’s also quite choppy in delivery as it in-fills the missing portions of those stories but even so this is still a hugely engaging adventure that could easily act as an introduction to those other epics and is well worth your attention. And it is so very beautiful to look upon…
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