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Ultimate Adventures #1-6

Ultimate Adventures: One Tin Soldier

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An aging orphan receives his fondest wish and is adopted by the wealthiest man in town... who also happens to be the costumed adventurer known as Hawk-Owl, the Midnight Avenger, Chicago's crime-fighting scourge! If you ever wondered about the relationships between super heroes and their sidekicks, this action-packed yet hilarious adventure answers all the questions you were afraid to ask! Collects Ultimate Adventures #1-6.

144 pages, Paperback

First published February 1, 2004

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Ron Zimmerman

46 books2 followers

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5 stars
13 (5%)
4 stars
42 (19%)
3 stars
93 (42%)
2 stars
60 (27%)
1 star
13 (5%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews
Profile Image for Baba.
3,838 reviews1,296 followers
January 5, 2024
A stand-alone Ultimate Universe tale about a wealthy man who is really a costumed crime fighter by night, adopting an orphan. Sound familiar? This feels like it was meant to lead on to other things but never did, told over six issues. 7 out of 12, Three Star read.

2017 read
Profile Image for Drew Canole.
2,627 reviews16 followers
October 3, 2022
This was a really fun tongue-in-cheek spoof of Robin's original story. It's mostly told straight, it's not really a humour book. I thought the characters were well done and most of the humour hit for me
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Drawn by Duncan Fegredo, one of the best illustrators in comics. This has all the makings to be a cult-classic. But so do so many of his other books, especially the Peter Milligan penned books Girl and Face.

It's set in the Ultimate Universe. This needs to get a reprint.
Profile Image for Shannon.
920 reviews268 followers
November 24, 2013
MINI-REVIEW: a total ripoff on Batman but it's done tongue-in-cheek with good bits of humor. The kid is lovable or you hate him to death. That simple. Villains were amusing and colorful at times which surprised me. The graphic novel grew on me and I was looking for the next one until I found out they canceled the line.

ARTISTIC PRESENTATION: B; STORY/PLOTTING/EDITING: B to B plus; ACTION SCENES: B ; CHARACTERS/DIALOGUE: B to B plus; AVENGERS MYTHOLOGY: B minus; WHEN READ:early July 2013; OVERALL GRADE: B.

Profile Image for Lost Planet Airman.
1,251 reviews90 followers
March 10, 2019
So, from one point of view, a cheesy send-up of Batman. On the other hand, they nailed everything that's cuckoo about Batman and Robin and arch-enemies, with even a shot or two at The Ultimates (this is, after all, part of Marvel's Ultimate universe). They nailed the art and nailed the dialog and the color.
Darn it, I like Hawk-Owl and Woody!
Profile Image for Sud666.
2,203 reviews178 followers
June 25, 2016
Hmmm found this odd duck in my comic book shop. It's essentially a rip off of Batman. An annoying orphan smartass has his orphanage invaded by two stick up men...all of a sudden they are rescued by Owl Man. The next day a billionaire comes to the orphanage to adopt the smartass. That's the gist of the story- however I hold out hope as the art isn't bad and the writing is tongue in cheek humorous.

I didn't know this even existed, I bought a whole "Ultimate Pack" with a bunch of Ultimate storylines in it and this was one of the 6 issues in there. I am not familiar at all with this series...so why not check it out? It's not great, certainly not original, but it's not bad either. With all the crappy comics out there take a second and check this out...
Profile Image for Shane Stanis.
410 reviews4 followers
June 15, 2023
My Ultimate Year #9

In some ways, this story was better than I expected, in some ways, just as bad. I can’t go over 2 stars on anything with so many terrible racial stereotypes and choices.

Read for Hawk-Owl (nice nod to Crisis on Infinite Earths Owlman), the Principal and his amazing Harley wannabe.
Profile Image for Rick.
2,879 reviews
March 7, 2022
I’m noticing that several reviewers are pointing out that they see this as a rip-off of Batman. I’m left wondering how much of the point they’re missing. This is clearly an homage to Batman and, in equal parts, it’s also a parody of Batman. A rip-off would imply that the creators were attempting to pull a fast one, and hope nobody noticed. No one involved is attempting to hide a single thing. If you’re under the impression this is a “rip-off” I think you might need to acknowledge you don’t have a clue about the meaning of the phrase. One of the biggest problems with Batman is the giant elephant in the room, this incarnation (if you will) acknowledges it and then proceeds to rather hilariously skewer the Dark Knight into his rightful place as the king of child endangerment.
Profile Image for Fugo Feedback.
4,568 reviews160 followers
September 19, 2010
Un para-dúo-dinámico del sub-universo Ultimate de Marvel que no logra representar bien la crudeza habitual de su universo ni llega a ser un homenaje relevante de Batman y Robin.
El guión no se decide si apuntar para la parodia, el homenaje, la simple aventura o qué y no brilla en ninguno de esos aspectos. Fegredo sigue dibujando bien, pero su estilo sucio y desprolijo no pega demasiado bien con el tono que busca la historia. En el artículo de presentación que acompaña a la edición española, el escribiente lamenta que la miniserie no haya tenido el éxito suficiente como para dar pie a secuelas, yo no. No está mal como experimento pero tampoco daba para estirarlo mucho más, es una buena lectura pasatista finita y me parece bien que en eso se quede.
Profile Image for Marloges.
147 reviews
August 1, 2019
The whole thing feels pointless. Maybe Marvel was planning to follow up on this, but this six issue run felt like an introduction to a character that seems to be a parody of Batman and adopts his Robin... There really isn't much to say about it, they fight a Joker rip-off that honestly couldn't be any more terrible and then it just ends. Highlight was probably the Ultimates appearing, but even that felt totally out of place.

I dunno, overall this just feels like a very obscure thing that I'll forget about in a few weeks.
Profile Image for J..
1,428 reviews
December 4, 2012
What should I make of this? It's like, "What if Batman lived in the Ultimate Marvel Universe?" But it's not really a satire, and it doesn't bring out any particularly interesting points. It's a mildly interesting story, except it's almost completely ripped out of Batman continuity. I just don't know what to make of it.
December 28, 2023
I honestly didn't even know this was a thing until I saw it on another Ultimate Marvel reading list. And as much flak as it's recieved, I thoroughly enjoyed it. It doesn't take more than a cursory glance at the cover to realize that it's a parody of Batman (and Robin) - and therefore has been eviscerated by reviewers who need to clam down and have silly laugh once in a while. Because when you actually read this with the intent to have a good time, you'll be able to appreciate an actual good-hearted hero who wants to do the right thing - in a universe where superheroes can be pretty awful. With the exception of Spider-man, and maybe a few X-Men, Hawk-Owl might be my favorite character so far in this imprint. It's really sad that he wasn't given any more opportunity to shine. 1st time read. 3/5.
2,901 reviews
February 3, 2020
There are two things that are really striking about this book: The first is its total inability to settle on a tone or a theme. It doesn't seem to know if it's telling a parody with some action or a serious story about a know-it-all protagonist. And in the end, it's just an awful muddle.

From page to page, different characters alternate between wise mystery men (or women) and boorish goons who couldn't tie their shoes with the assistance of a professional shoe-tier.

The second is that it looks like what it wants parody is Bruce Timm's Batman, but it never gets the nerve to go at it in any sort of hardcore way.
Profile Image for JP.
954 reviews7 followers
April 17, 2023
Full review / all my reviews available on my blog

So… Hawk-Owl. Right. Big time Batman parody, no?

That’s an introduction.

And… that’s a backstory.

He’s rich and fights crime in a winged outfit. And has an adopted boy sidekick.

It’s cute. The big bad is so weird. The characters are one dimensional and not great people. I’m not really sure why it’s a thing other than a weird Ultimates cameo that doesn’t go anywhere.

So it goes.

Onward.
Profile Image for Patrick.
127 reviews2 followers
January 27, 2024
I was looking for something shorter to read while in the middle of an Omnibus, and grabbed this off of my bookshelf when it had been sitting unread for maybe a dozen years. I picked it somewhere for $2 or $3 bucks and forgot about it for a decade until tonight. And you know what. It is very nice. It's a very odd take on Batman and Robin, The Ultimates show up for a minute, and I found the whole thing enjoyable. I wasn't expecting much, and got more than I expected.
Profile Image for Rocco Ricca.
135 reviews1 follower
May 22, 2021
Fun little take on "Marvel's batman". I was hoping for more of a dissection of the character when starting the book but it came off as more of a "what if" type story. That being said, it was a fun, quick read and having the interaction between the ultimate's nationalist Captain America and *Batman* (air quotes) was just too good to pass up.
Profile Image for Ian.
175 reviews1 follower
June 16, 2022
I wish I'd known going in to this series that it was a parody(?) Batman series. I'm reading the complete Marvel Ultimate Universe, so this was on the list. No significant crossover with the Ultimate timeline (other than a cameo and a possible throw away line later from The Ultimates).

Not good – even as a spoof.
Profile Image for Adam Stone.
1,847 reviews27 followers
November 4, 2019
Imagine Batman, from the perspective of a wise-cracking, attitude filled Robin.

Excruciating, isn't it?

I enjoyed the art in this book, but the dialogue was just constant sarcastic patter, and it was not believable or enjoyable.
Profile Image for Timo.
Author 3 books12 followers
December 12, 2021
I do enjoy these Ultimate Universe things Marvel put out. All the superhero fun without decades of shit hanging on them. Simple, good fun.
Every superhero is a rip off from some other superhero, like this is, but if it is done this well, who cares. Loved this one.
Profile Image for Alex.
184 reviews2 followers
December 18, 2022
Incredible first issue, but the rest of the book didn't follow through, unfortunately. This is Marvel's take on Batman, in a very Adam West kind of way. Had some good laughs, but nothing too special.
Profile Image for Dmitry Yakovenko.
284 reviews8 followers
April 26, 2013
Данный том рассказывают историю сироты Хэнка Киппла, который с самого детства живет в приюте. Он постоянно угрюм и довольно груб, ведь Хэнк уже довольно взрослый, поэтому он понимает, что его вряд ли уже возьмут в семью. Однако случается чудо, не иначе: Хэнка усыновляет миллионер Джек Даннер, который как и Хэнк является сиротой. Разве что есть отличия – родители Джека были богачами, поэтому после того как их убили, Даннер младший унаследовал все состояние. Но и на этом не все, ведь миллионер этот оказывается супергероем Хоук-Оулом, который по ночам борется с преступностью. Такого вот отца получил подросток Хэнк Киппл.

Все бы ничего, да вот только чуть ли не в каждой детали сценария видится заимствования из других историй. Миллионер сирота, который после смерти родителей решает бороться с преступностью, по ночам одевает костюм, у него есть свое секретное логово, и он даже сына усыновляет, а после делает его своим напарником. Шутка ли, но даже костюм Хоук-Оула чем-то напоминает костюм Бэтмена. И более того: главный злодей в этом томе безумно напоминает Джокера, и если не своим внешним видом, то поведением и фразами так точно (а еще у него в напарниках почти точная копия Харли Куинн). То ли это эдакий привет от Marvel товарищам по цеху, то ли все эти заимствования из-за слабости сценаристов, или это просто совпадения (хотя вряд ли такое может быть), в любом случае, на удивление комикс вышел приятным и бодрым. Неплохой сценарий, множество сильных моментов и классного экшена, харизматичные персонажи, да и в целом, довольно неплохой (хотя и далеко не самый выдающийся) рисунок.

Единственное что грустно (помимо постоянных заимствований-совпадений), это множество глупых моментов и откровенно странных сцен, в которых происходит нечто невероятно глупое и во что могут поверить только дети малые. Эти моменты случаются как на протяжении всего тома, так и в самом финале, в следствии чего, довольно сильно омрачают положительные впечатления от прочтения. Это неплохой комикс, его можно прочитать, но он вполне мог бы быть лучше.
Profile Image for Justin.
387 reviews5 followers
November 24, 2016
In Ultimate Adventures, writer Ron Zimmerman and artist Duncan Fregredo give the Ultimate Marvel Universe its own version of Batman & Robin in the form of Hawk-Owl, a billionaire turned vigilante and Woody, a surly orphan turned, um, surly sidekick. It's an unusual tale, and sadly it's not handled all that well.

My guess is that Zimmerman was trying for a Garth Ennis spin on Batman & Robin here. The problem is that instead of a biting satire, this reads more like a clumsy parody. The Boys this isn't. It doesn't help that the series is loaded with unlikeable - or just plain ridiculous - characters. It was a struggle to make it all the way through. Oh, and the perfunctory Ultimates appearance was just an embarrassing way to justify this series' presence in the Ultimate Universe.

Fregredo's artwork was decent, especially his Hawk-Owl drawings, but the artwork seemed out of place with the general look of the Ultimate Marvel titles. This kind of style - pencils, inks and colors - are better suited to a Vertigo series or maybe a Daredevil special.

An Ultimate version of the Batman character isn't a bad idea at all (though I suppose they have Nighthawk now), but the execution on this series just wasn't up for the task. Like a lot of folks, I picked this trade paperback up because I'm a major fan of the Ultimate Marvel titles and am something of a completist. I wish I hadn't bothered.
Profile Image for Sean Brennan.
402 reviews23 followers
October 14, 2013
The first original super heroes to appear in the Ultimate Universe, even though they are Batman/Robin Clones but what lost it for me, was how completely obnoxious the kid was, so I quickly found myself not really caring how the story progressed.
Profile Image for Declan.
197 reviews
April 5, 2010
REALLY fun Batman spoof, but an excellent and entertaining story in its own right. Shame it only lasted 6 issues.
Profile Image for Angela.
2,581 reviews70 followers
January 3, 2012
A fun spoof of Batman. This hero is not angst filled, he's goofy and calls people dude. It has potential for a series, if it strayed from its Batman spoof origins. An intriguing read.
Profile Image for Dony Grayman.
6,246 reviews36 followers
April 15, 2019
Edición española, parodia de Batman ubicada en el Universo Ultimate de Marvel. No se especifica colección, pero el formato coincide con la que luego sería nombrada "Héroes Marvel".
Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews

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