Issue: Ultramega by James Harren #1
Creator, Artist, & Writer: James Harren
Colorist: Dave Stewart
Letterer: Rus Wooton
Publisher: Image
Published: March 17, 2021
Publisher’s Summary: A cosmic plague has spread, transforming everyday people into violent, monstrous kaiju. Only the Ultramega—three individuals imbued with incredible powers—hold the line against this madness. Their battles level cities and leave untold horror in their wake. Now, the final reckoning approaches for the Ultramega…but is this a war they can even win?
Fight monsters and stand with humanity in this new Skybound original from the greatest artist of his generation, JAMES HARREN (RUMBLE, BPRD) and Eisner Award-winning colorist DAVE STEWART. Each issue is extra-sized, with a 60-page debut that can barely contain its giant heroes, creatures, and devastation!
Review
“Bloated and beautiful I will become. A vessel of pickled human woe, for my queen.”
Look, you had me at cosmic kaiju-spawning plague…
Ultramega by James Harren #1 is unlike anything that I have ever read, and I mean that as a compliment. Creator, artist, and writer, James Harren, has taken his affinities for kaiju and body horror and mashed the two together into a monstrous new series that oozes greatness from all of its filthy, gargantuan pores. Harren dishes out a great deal of information in a relatively short period of time, as the majority of this book’s pages are dedicated to some serious kaiju ass-kicking, which may leave some readers looking reread the issue for clarity, but trust me, doing so is worth it.
Harren delivers on each and every page something, whether it is a line like the one above, or an image that you will not be able to unsee, that’s worth spending a bit more time with. Visually, the images in this book will leave readers’ heads spinning and their stomachs turning; with its thick linework, panels saturated with detail, and stunning character/kaiju design, comics don’t get more visually interesting than this one.
As always, Dave Stewart’s colorwork is phenomenal. Though there are very few, even the book’s quietest, monster-free moments, pop, and give good reason to stop and stare for a while. It’s not easy to make a literally blood-drenched–and already scabbing over–city look good. Stewart’s colors are vital to the visual success of this issue.
I cannot recommend this book enough. If the cover, the summary, or this review leaves you at all interested in picking the book up, you will not be disappointed.
The Bottom Line
James Harren’s Ultramega promises to be much more than a mere monster-of-the-week beat ’em up book, as there’s great depth of story, here, that, when teamed with the inherent horror and excitement common in kaiju tales, makes for a refreshing read. Do not miss out.
