Ultimate Invasion #2

As I moved through my pull list comics after She-Hulk #15, next up was Jonathan Hickman and Bryan Hitch's Ultimate Invasion #2.

The second issue picked up from where the first ended as the Maker, the evil Reed Richards from the previous Ultimate Universe, continued his plan to make a new Ultimate universe. However, even with all known threats eliminated or controlled, it seems there are still some out there who do not agree with his plans for the future.

Issue two really felt like it moved very much away from the tone of the first. Unlike that issue, which was essentially a manhunt, I thought this one felt much slower and more methodical. However, this doesn't take away from the intrigue and general unease Hickman seems to have infused into the story.

I'm a big Reed Richards fan (probably because, as a man on the autistic spectrum, like recognises like), but the way that Hickman seems to get 'the Maker' and how he depicts him is equal parts unsettling and captivating.

In fact, I think unsettling, uneasy, eerie and many words like them perfectly sum up this issue. There is so much he that feels familiar and yet isn't (one thing even 'ripped' from the past, only to discover a curveball behind it) that I gave this ominous feeling in my gut as I wonder what's going to happen to completely upend my expectations.

As a result of this though, I now feel that Bryan Hitch's art continues to be the perfect fit for this story. While previously I had set that his style being the embodiment of the Ultimate Universe gave a sense of familiarity, in this issue its inclusion just further enforces that feeling of bizarreness. This doesn't even take into account a late scene in the comic that is just downright haunting to me.

I feel I've made this issue sound like a serious no no, and that couldn't be further from the truth. Yes, Ultimate Invasion #2 is eerie and creepy in its 'not quite' similarities and some set pieces but, my God, if it isn't incredibly captivating and addictive.

I'm not sure how I can wait a month to see what happens next.