Ultramega by James Harren, Vol. 1 by James HarrenMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
When Earth is overrun by kaiju, its only hope are the three Ultramega, super heroes capable of growing to colossal size.
That teaser doesn't supply much but this is better experienced unspoiled. I have a passing familiarity with Ultraman and this seems to be a deconstruction/homage to the Ultraman phenomenon. I pre-ordered it and forgot about it until it showed up not too long ago.
James Harren weaves quite a tale here. So much happens that I feel like I read eight issues instead of four. A virus infects living beans throughout the cosmos, turning them into kaiju. Similarly, another force creates the Ultramega and the eternal battle between giants wages across the galaxy.
I'm going to keep this at a high level to prevent spoilage. Unlike what you see in the movies, a world subject to frequent kaiju attacks is a damn wasteland. People eke out a desperate existence and some even join the Kaiju Klan, a cult dedicated to the kaiju.
Destruction and gore is par for the course. I wasn't expecting this level of ultraviolence and wreckage. I love James Harren's art, depicting the ruins of Earth in a minimalist, grimy style. Dave Stewart's coloring really brings things together with me, flat, vivid colors with an almost black light like color palette. There aren't many books out there that look and feel like this one.
By the end of the volume, I was all in. Everything about this book works for me. Sure, it was a lot of setup, but there were enough small payoffs to make it more than worth the ride. When the hell is the next collection coming out?
Ultramega hits like an army of rampaging kaiju. Five out of five stars.
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