Ultimo: A Strange Marriage

Ultimo is a manga, that's for sure. But it's a strange marriage. We've seen manga written by one person and drawn by another before. The duo of Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata created two highly acclaimed series, Death Note and Bakuman. It's not like a pair can't work together. The thing is the pair that created Ultimo don't really need each other. Both are individuals with great achievements under their belt already.

The writer of Ultimo is Stan Lee. The American creator of Spider-Man, X-Men, Daredevil, and almost everything else that made Marvel comics what it is today. He's basically conquered comic books. He's the golden child of Marvel and even received his own series in DC where he rewrote the histories of his 13 favorite DC characters with no limits given. It's only right that he would want to give manga a try.

The illustrator for Ultimo is Hiroyuki Takei. The Japanese creator of Jumbor, Butsu Zone and most notably Shaman King and the spinoffs including Shaman King Flowers. He's an accomplished writer who doesn't need any help. He's maintained serialization since 1997, sometime multiple manga simultaneously. Why would he want to illustrate Ultimo? To prove that he can draw more than the wide open countrysides he's known for drawing.

It's clear that these two have nothing left to prove to anyone but themselves.  The collaboration came about because both were asked about the work separately. Lee had never made a manga and hadn't actually considered trying. Takei was willing to illustrate but only if it was someone he respected. Lee agreed to write and came up with the plot on the spot. A few hours later Takei had created several different drawings of possible protagonist. Thus Ultimo was born.

The story of Ultimo is a simple story, the eternal conflict between good and evil. The plot follows two robots. One that is purely good (Ultimo), the other is purely evil (Vice). Initially the two try to defeat each other but their power levels are exactly equal. It's revealed that to win the war between good and evil they have to convert the most members of the opposite parties followers or doji, mechanical boys, to their side within the time limit.

Here's the problem with the story. It's good vs evil. There's supposed to be contrast. The problem is there's too much contrast. It's well known that the line between good and evil isn't always that thick. It's well known that both Batman and Joker are crazy and couldn't live without the other. Likewise even Daredevil had his stint as a villain. Magneto is often depicted as the villain. He wants peace the same way Xavier does. The difference is Magneto will kill for that peace.

Good and evil in the manga are depicted as complete opposites. Vice's weapons can't hurt Ultimo but hurt everyone else. Ultimo's weapons can't hurt anyone but Vice. Even their attires are complete opposites. Vice wears a jacket with no shirt. Ultimo wears a blouse with no jacket. Vice wears black pants, Ultimo wears a white dress. (Ultimo is a man who wears a blouse and dress, Kanye West can't handle the swag) The story makes sense except for the ultimate contrast the way they're depicted. Vice tries to force people to his side but Ultimo tries to talk them over. It's known that a silver spoon doesn't make you good and using force doesn't make you evil. This is something that Stan Lee should know after writing comics for so long.

Personally I feel like he's trying to do the opposite of what American comics are. The line between hero and villain is blurred a lot in American comics. This leads to superheroes fighting superheroes. Villains saving the world. But, in most manga it's a clear line from the start who is the bad guy and who is the good guy. We know Yoh is the good guy and Hao is the bad guy. We know Luffy is the good guy and Arlong is the bad guy. The overcompensating is what makes the story fall flat in some parts.

Let's talk about the art. It's beautiful. We already know how good Takei is at drawing arenas, ruins and other things that he draws frequently. Ultimo takes him right out of this element. He's frequently drawing large scale battles in cities. Explosions and people crashing through buildings. He does all of this expertly. The only place that you could possibly complain is that the character designs are somewhat odd but that can be overlooked when you consider how long the two have been fighting. But it's strange they wouldn't change attire over the years.

Overall it's a strange manga. It reads well, it looks good, but it feels off. It's not bad, but it takes some time to get used to. The combination of Lee and Takei is a strange one and they've created a strange manga. It's enjoyable if you know what to expect. Otherwise it could leave you feeling a little odd and confused. It's definitely something you should look at even if it's just to see the way the two worlds collide.

You can hear Darrell on the CP Time and Powerbomb Jutsu podcasts. He also plays classic arcade games on The Cabinet
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