Ultimate End #1 knocked it out of the park when it came to delivering on a crossover we've been waiting for since the Ultimate Universes inception. Brian Bendis and Mark Bagley proved that they are the right creative team to work on this mini-series with how much they understand both universes. Not only was it great to see the 616 and Ultimate Universes colliding but having this series be directly tied into the events of Secret Wars gave this added value to those reading the Marvel event. Establishing that these Marvel heroes still remember everything before Battleworld's formation is an important factor in separating Ultimate End from all the other tie-ins. This fact alone makes what goes on in this series feel like a must read for everyone following Secret Wars. Read Full Review

ULTIMATE END wasn't what I was expecting, but nevertheless, it was a really fun issue that does tie into what's going on in SECRET WARS. If you're a fan of the Ultimate Universe, this is really something you need to check out. Even if you've never read an Ultimate book before, this book is very new reader friendly. Check this issue out for sure. Read Full Review

Ultimate End#1 squandersa pair of exciting cold opensand turns intoa snoozefest for the restof the issue withan occasional funny or insightful line from Brian Michael Bendisandan interesting composition of panels from Mark Bagleyand inker Scott Hanna. Bagley had to drawa lot of charactersand crowd scenes in this issue,and Hanna should be commended for giving them definition with the exception ofa short exchange between Hawkeyeand Black Widow where their bodiesare obscured.Ultimate End#1 isa disappointment for Ultimate Universe fansand a verbose, well-drawn mess for new readers. Read Full Review

If you are fan of the Ultimate universe and you are following the current Secret Wars event then this is an issue which is worth picking up both as part of the underlying story and a series in and of itself. Those who are coming just for the Ultimate universe material will be confused and wont find much the latch onto. While there is much to like about the series, it is yet to be seen whether the death of the Ultimate universe is a price worth paying for what is to come. Read Full Review

If you are fan of the Ultimate universe and you are following the current Secret Wars event then this is an issue which is worth picking up both as part of the underlying story and a series in and of itself. Those who are coming just for the Ultimate universe material will be confused and wont find much the latch onto. While there is much to like about the series, it is yet to be seen whether the death of the Ultimate universe is a price worth paying for what is to come. Read Full Review

This issue sets up a lot that will be important later in the miniseries. Maybe the final issue will be Bendis' mic drop that he and the Ultimate Universe deserve. But the start of the end is more of the same of what we have come to expect from Ultimate stories for the last decade and a half. Read Full Review

Overall this was a frustrating first issue. It may be billed as the last hurrah for most of the Ultimate Universe characters, but outside of the promise of the first three pages readers were left confused. Read Full Review

Mark Bagley is nothing but consistent with his penciling, and ULTIMATE END #1 is no different. A couple panels look rushed, but otherwise the issue looks great. I found it funny how many heroes on the splash page have their eyes closed when they are about to jump into a massive battle. Bagley is still one of the premiere Spider-Man pencilers in the industry. He's able to convey emotions so well even with the mask on and not emoting the eyes on the mask. Bagley pencils Scarlet Witch's new costume just fine, but it reminds me how she still needs a functioning costume redesign. The boob window with shoulder holes is awkward to look at and feels unnecessary. Scott Hanna uses a slightly thicker inking style, and it gives Bagley's work a more finished look. Bagley's HULK artwork had thiner inks, and it gave the artwork an unfinished look that didn't compliment the pencils well. Read Full Review

If this is the end of the Ultimate Universe, then hopefully the book will be allowed to tell its story without having to get bogged down by an even bigger story happening on its periphery. What was once the crown jewel of Marvel's publishing initiative has now been reduced to a story-within-a-story. If anyone should be there at the end, though, it should be the team most recognizable for their creative efforts on these properties. "Ultimate End" #1 feels like that one last ride and, though it suffers from being a little too vague, it still has enough within its pages to lure new and lapsed readers to this possible curtain call. Read Full Review

Besides Spider-Man, can Bendis only truly write compelling crime comics? It seems whenever the writer gets away from his element (Daredevil, Powers, The United States of Murder Inc.), his clunky conversation can't help but get in the way of plot. Read Full Review

Bendis may reveal a lot of these answers in subsequent issues, but for a reader that's been following Secret Wars so far, I'm not sure what happened or who's who in this first issue. Artist Mark Bagley does his best with the huge cast of characters and delivers an impressive opening splash page that showcases at least forty characters, but the art is never enough to clear up the confusion. New and long-time fans of the Ultimate Universe will be left scratching their heads on just where this story fits into the bigger picture. I'm hoping that Bendis has a plan to have this all make sense by the end, but I may not stick around around to see it. This first issue has little to do with the main Secret Wars event, and if future issues read like this one, it will truly be a sad finish to a once brilliant and promising line of titles. Read Full Review

The bar for Secret War tie-ins is pretty high because the event is extremely good. Ultimate End isnt the greatest start to a series, but there is a ton of room to grow. Brian Michael Bendis is a writer that has done it all with these characters and can no doubt make this an interesting story. Mark Bagley looks like he never quit drawing these characters and continues to shine with his work at Marvel. While this wasnt the best opener, it should get another chance because Bendis and Bagley do excellent work together. Read Full Review

There are many things that you can do with $3.99; spending it on Ultimate End #1 should be very low on that list, even if you are a serious fan of the Ultimate Universe. With a story like this, the incursions should be the least of the Ultimate Universe's worries. Read Full Review

From the very first page of Ultimate End, there's a scene of the Punisher, aiming his sniper rifle into the distance. After reading this first issue, it feels like Frank Castle might be a surrogate for Bendis, or even Marvel as a company, as he points his gun towards the crowd of heroes. "I should have done this a long time ago," Castle says. "I will always live with the fact that I was not strong enough to act on this until now... this was always the end." And sometimes, the end isn't always a sad thing - sometimes its a release. Perhaps Ultimate End isn't meant to be a celebration. Maybe it's just meant to put a once-great line out of its misery. If that's the case - and reading it, you almost wish it was - you can only hope they end it fast. Read Full Review

This was a fun issue that ties in well to the main Secret Wara title. I'm not very familiar with the Ultimates, but did not find it difficult to follow because of this. It does leave you a bit confused as to whether or not these are 616 and 1610 survivors. It seems to suggest that dimensional tear saved them from the world's end, however they seem to have too much knowledge of this new Battleworld to have just landed here as the Cabal did in Secret Wars #2. I imagine all this will get cleared up in future issues. But despite the confusion, I really enjoyed reading this.

The dialog is funny, but ultimately nothing happens in this issue, it is another talking head entry from Bendis, sometimes he just makes the characters talk until he hits his page count it seems. The characterization could have some payoff in the end, it's just that most of the issue is recap and exposition; hopefully that's all out of the way so a plot can start to form. I'm disheartened to see the Thor corps yet again, I'm starting to see a formula in the Secret War tie-ins already. At least Bagley's art looks good.

Generic