WHEN WE WERE ULTRA: It's A Hard Road To Fame (HARDCASE)

Of the six writers Dave Ulrich and Chris Ulm invited to help them create the shared universe that was the Ultraverse, they included two who made their bones in the Bronze Age, one who would go on to make his bones in a few short years, one who was drawing attention at the time...and James D. Hundall.

Hundall (1957-2019) was a talented comic writer who showed up on my radar with his first series, the 1986 Eclipse paranormal spy series ESPers.  He went from there to Marvel and did a few lesser-known series, including a continuation of Peter Gillis' sci-fi/war/superhero mash-up Strikeforce Mouritori.  He arguably came closest to achieving A-Level Comics Fame when he penned Lex Luthor: The Unauthorized Biography, a dark little piece of noir that was inspired by the behavior of a certain small-thumbed egomaniac who mistook commentary for a blueprint on how to act.  Cult TV fanatics might know him for the fact that Chris Carter bought the rights to his creator-owned series, Harsh Realm, discarded everything about it except for the title and did what he wanted.

It was probably due to Hundall's name that I picked up the first issue of Hardcase from Twilight Zone Comics in Ridgewood when it became the first of three Ultraverse issues released in June of 1993.  It's been that long since I read it for this project.  It ended up being one of the longest running Ultraverse series, barely surviving the Marvel Reboot and lasting 26 issues.

Tom Hawke was an aspiring actor when he became the first Ultrahuman, gaining strength, speed, and invulnerability.  Joining forces with three other newly minted Ultras, he formed the Squad--until a monstrosity attacked that killed two of them and left the third, Tom's girlfriend, in a coma.  He retreated into acting, but the emergence of new Ultras and his failure to save a police officer he bonded with prompts him back into action.  Good thing, too, as the amnesiac Ultra spokeswoman Choice has escaped from the Choice Corporation and is looking for his help...and the mysterious Rex Mundi is looking to kill the both of them as part of his crusade to wipe ultrahumans off the face of the Earth.

The thing that strikes me about Hardcase is that this is one of the first titles without an obvious single inspiration.  It seems Hundall took the original, Golden Age Superman (he can't fly, but he can leap great distances in a single bound), put on some layers of Spider-Man's psychology and Iron Man's celebrity and took full advantage of the Los Angeles culture at the time to tell his story.  The only thing that really screams 'Image-rific' is the man's costume with those massive shoulder pads and the gold chain belt and wrist bands.

It also helps that, like James Robinson with Firearm, Hundall knows we want characterization with our fighting and world building.  In issue #13's letter column he talked about how he liked to put each issue into the category of action or 'soul searcher'...and sometimes the 'soul searcher' issues are the best.  Issue #9's 'True Confessions' does have a brief fight scene, but is mainly composed of a monologue by Hardcase to his comatose former girlfriend about his feelings for Choice and his need to move on.  A large portion of issue #13's 'The Turning Point' is an illustrated story that reveal's Choice's back story and true name and connects her to the events we saw in flashback in the very first issue--before she literally disappears from the book for a while.  Hundall always knew how to pace things so that we don't get too bored by one tone or the other...

And damn if he also didn't know how to make the 'shared universe' aspect of the Ultraverse work.  Hardcase contains none of the disconnects I've felt when reading some of the other books.  When the Strangers show up in the last panel of issue #3, it's not because one of their storylines is about to take precedence, but because they need advice on the ultrahero game--and also because their storyline and Tom's converge.   When the title reaches the Break-Thru crossover in issue #6, Hardcase is paid to do a job that requires him to work with The Solution team...which leads to two of the Solution members helping Thom discover Choice's backstory in issues #12-13.  I was really surprised that Ultraforce wasn't brought up until the three part 'Battle Royale' storyline.  Other characters do not appear in this series unless there's an organic reason to, which leads to a more fluid reading experience.

The run is broken up into two arcs--the search for Choice's backstory occupies the book's first year, and Hardcase's conflict with Rex Mundi taking up the rest.  There are a number of villains that range from unmemorable (the first Foxfire*, Headknocker) to the mildly annoying (the vaguely stereotypical Dust Devil) to the genuinely good.  Even though Rex Mundi is obviously meant to be the main villain, the one which I was most fascinated with was Hardwire, a sleazy psychopathic hitman which managed to be as 90's as Hell while also feeling real in the context of the series.  There's also Trouble, who fascinate me not for the character itself but how Tom resolves his conflict with him (I'm a sucker for 'opponents sit down for a drink to talk shop,') to the point where I was disappointed when another baddie named Trauma ends it abruptly.  There's never a point in this run when I start rolling my eyes out of the Xtreme-ness of it all.

Sadly, while Hundall is in the driver's seat throughout the series (not counting an assist from Steve Englehart for the Strangers appearance), we're treated to a merry-go-round of artists.  The bulk of the art is by Scott Benefiel and Tim Hamilton, and they're both good enough.  I think I prefer Benefiel's issues to Hamilton's very exaggerated work.  But, with the exception of Brent Anderson in issue #9 (the perfect fusion of subject and artist!), the other ten artists who draw the other issues are not up to the task.  I think the inconsistent artwork is the biggest fault of the series, and  I would have preferred if they could have found one other artist to fill in on all those issues and stick with them.

This is actually the first series I've encountered where the title weathered the Marvel Purchase without a reboot--Hardcase disappears from his own comic for an issue to participate in the Godwheel mini, and the character ends up butting head with Loki in #23 before resolving the Rex Mundi storyline.  Hundall does the best he can with the abrupt change in direction the Ultraverse takes, but I'm not surprised he didn't stay long after, nor did the publisher attempt a Hardcase V. 2.

I genuinely liked Hardcase.  Unlike the other titles I've dug into, the crossover elements are more or less handled smoothly and there are very few narrative bumps.  I wish that the revolving door of pencillers would not have disrupted the series as much as it did, but overall I would recommend this.  I just wish it got as much attention as the other solo series that came out that June.

There's another heavy hitter on the horizon next time as we deal with another Founding Father of the Ultraverse, who chooses to go down a more...mystical road.  Mike W. Barr and Terry Dodson (with an assist by Adam Hughes) introduces us to a warrior reincarnated in the body of a soccer mom called...Mantra!

Until then, why be meta when you can be ultra? Postscript (9/22): Malibu co-founder and Bravura founding editor Tom Mason was kind enough to give me some more insight into Hardcase on the Ultraverse Facebook Page.    With his permission, his comments are reprinted below.  I was pleasantly surprised to learn that my comparison of the character to the Golden Age Superman was accurate!  Thanks to Mr. Mason for letting me add his memories; it is my hope he will continue to add insights as I continue covering the imprint's other titles.

"Hudnall was put up as an Ultraverse creator by Chris Ulm who read his run on ESPers. Dave and I agreed. According to Hudnall, he was very inspired by the early Superman stories where he wasn't yet an all-powerful god-like being. Hudnall loved the stories where Superman could leap tall buildings and outrace locomotives and fought corrupt politicians. A more grounded hero.

Originally, Hardcase wasn't going to be a launch title. Hudnall was enamored with The Squad and wanted to tell their story first. But since The Squad was mostly a before-the-UV story and we had a group title, The Strangers, that was essentially a real-time origin of the UV, we went with Hardcase for the launch month. It was the better decision.

Finding an artist who could stay on the book was difficult. Someone high-up at Malibu - Bob *cough* Jacob - took a personal interest in the book. He kept wanting an "Image-style" artist, and he and Hudnall were late-night phone buddies. (Maybe I should put these things in a book....)"

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*--Yes, before we got the Rose Autumn cosmic hero Foxfire, there was a generic fireguy with wings.  Between this and the Mustang confusion, I would have loved to have words with the continuity person over at Malibu.

WHEN WE WERE ULTRA: Teenage Wasted Land (FREEX)

In the last article, I referred to Freex as one of the inaugural titles to hit the stands, but I was wrong; it was released in the second month of the imprint's existence.  We'll be getting to one of those, Hardcase, next time.

However, this is one of those titles that I had conflicted emotions going in.

But we'll get to why in a moment, after the summary of the premise.

Four teenage runaways with ultrapowers are gathered under mysterious circumstances by a fifth, forming a gang to protect themselves from a world they feel will fear them.  However, it becomes apparent that these five were given powers from the same source--a mysterious figure dubbed 'Wetware Mary' who injected these kids (and others) with a special macguffin to keep it out of the hands of evil industrialist JD Hunt.  But why is that search is leading to Mount Shasta...and who is The Old Man watching over them?

Let's get this out of the way right now.  This series is written by Gerard Jones, who is...a garbage human.  No, I'm not going to tell you why; it's a matter of public record why he was imprisoned for four years and one month and is presently under five year's supervised release in California.  What makes dealing with this man so conflicting is that...he was a genuinely good writer.  I became a fan of his The Trouble With Girls, a satirical spy adventure comic that was published by Malibu in the 80's, and also enjoyed his work on such mainstream titles as Green Lantern, Justice League Europe and Wonder Man.  He did a wonderfully vicious--and sometimes vindicitive--satirical column under the name 'Sidney Mellon' in the comics magazine Amazing Heroes.  It's probably  ...Girls that prompted Dave Ulrich and Chris Ulm to invite Jones to be part of the 'Eight Founding Fathers' that created the world of the Ultraverse.  Even though you'd be hard pressed to find any of Mr. Jones' work reprinted today, I will assure you that he was very, very good.  If you wanted to argue separating The Art from The Artist, I could almost see your position...

It's obvious to me that with Freex, Jones wanted to do for X-Men what Blake's 7 did for Star Trek--namely invert the series, with the X-Mansion standing in for the Federation while taking the resources away from the heroes.  And on a lot of levels, it does work.  The dialogue and actions of our five heroes is over the top and melodramatic--but then, teenagers have always been over the top and melodramatic.  Although it's more overt than Firearm, there is a very clear direction Jones wishes to go with proper payoffs.  And he takes advantage of his artists (the cartoony Ben Herrera and Scott Kolins, who is more conventional but successfully pulls off the cartoony feel Herrera set for the book) to effectively create some engaging enemies.  I was particularly enamored of the Bloodhounds, human/dog henchmen who...lean much more toward the latter than the former.

But...this is a story about five teenage runaways who are trying to avoid being ensnared by a emotion controlling telepath into joining her school for super powered kids and...it makes it hard to put aside the Artist from the Art.  Jones was always foremost in my mind because the storyline was so...thematically linked to his crime.*  So even though I can objectively say Freex is a well-written comic, I can't say that I enjoyed it.

And then we have to address the matter of Contrary.

Contrary, who debuted in issue #9 in an issue pointedly not drawn by Herrera because she's supposed to be Hawt, is our...

Well, I'd be hard pressed to call her and her Academy For The New Elite an analog of Emma Frost and her Massachusetts Academy, but the fact is this blonde woman dressed in a scanty white outfit is pretty much a direct rip-off of her more famous inspiration.  I'm sorry, but there's not enough difference in the two to make a case for homage.  My suspicion is that Contrary was meant to be a 'means justify the end' kind of villain, but it doesn't come across in her dialogue, her actions or the actions of her students--what comes across is a manipulator manipulating already questionable children.  I was simply unable to get into this character even though she was meant to be a Big Deal (she is also the in-story reason behind the formation of Ultraforce, and is featured in the Ultraforce cartoon series).  And when she is written out of existence during the Ultraforce Avengers two part crossover later on in my read, I will not shed a tear.

Even though the Kolins issues get really....weird at times with underground civilizations led by elephant headed guys named after Greek myths, and a strange fire plane where you can go to different places by touching different globes, it only drives home two things.  First off, I have the nagging feeling that this title was canceled rather suddenly before the Marvel Reboot begins--it was one of the few major Ultraverse titles that didn't get a second volume--especially since Jones is introducing new characters he advertises as joining the team as late as issue #15.  Secondly, by the time we're halfway through the second year (okay, two thirds of the second year) it's becoming obvious that the 'tightly plotted shared continuity' thing is more a bug than a feature.  Although it doesn't reach the parade of guest stars that hobbled Foxfire, there are several moments where it seems like storylines from other comics literally trample through the storyline of this one.  There's a jarring disconnect between the fifth and sixth issue when we're plunged deep into a Night Man story in the latter without warning, and there's so much set-up of Ultraforce is the last half of the series that there's a definite stutter-step feel to the whole thing.  It's possible to do this well, as Jones does competently when the book has to interact with the Rafferty Saga in issue #15, but more often than not the changes to accommodate what's going on elsewhere in the Ultraverse break up the narrative flow.

As mentioned, Freex had two major artists--Ben Herrera, who handled nine of the first eleven issues (David Williams penciled #4, and Martin Egeland penciled #9), and Scot Kolins, who did five of the remaining seven issues as well as Giant Sized Freex #1 (Klebs de Moura e. Silva did issue #16 and Steve Ellis did the final issue).  Both are quirky artists, with Kolins being a little closer to the conventional super-hero comic of the time...but they work really well for the story Jones is trying to tell.  Herrera's more abstractly cartoonish style fits the book's tone better while minimizing some of the more questionable stuff...but Kolins keeps the visual style of the series consistent while also making some of the character more conventionally attractive.  Of course, that last few issues makes some characters uncomfortable to look at--it's in Kolins' issues that I realized what Angela's (codenamed....shudder...Sweet Face; man are all the code names in this series dumb, something even Jones points out in a later issue) 'outfit' truly is, and I was nauseous.  It's a refreshing change from the Image-rific art of some of the other series I've read so far.

I am torn about what to say in summation.  I personally had problems with this title due to my knowledge about the writer, but it is competently written, entertaining at times, portrays the teen heroes with the sort of heightened emotions most writers don't at this time, and features quirky, frequently charming artwork throughout.  So while this ultimately was not for me, it could be for you if the stuff I've recounted appeals to you.  This is one case where I will abstain and let you decide for yourself.

Next time, we'll be covering one of the three initial titles put out by Malibu which was mentioned in its television commercials and the focus of a six minute trailer for the second Ultraverse film that was never made.  Join me as we return to Los Angeles with Hardcase!

Until then, why be meta when you can be ultra? 

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* It's gonna get even worse when it's time for me to peruse Jones other, more famous title.

WHEN WE WERE ULTRA: OOOPS--ALL CROSSOVERS! (FOXFIRE)

My theory on why the Marvel relaunch failed continues to develop.

Remember back in my first visit to the Ultraverse I mentioned that the intention of bringing eight writer together to create and plan out the Ultraverse was so that the line would have a tightly connected background that will facilitate crossover?

Well, the miniseries we're about to dive into requires you to have knowledge of a recent Marvel/Malibu crossover event, the original Exiles (but not enough knowledge of that series to think one of the characters who shows up was the same as the character who died in that series' last issue), a subplot from the All-New Exiles. the Godwheel event that kicked off the Marvel relaunch and after a gratuitous appearance from a Marvel character, asks us to head over to Ultraforce to read more of this character's story...which never actually happened.  If it was not for the fact that I read both iterations of the Exiles, I would be thoroughly lost...and it's a shame, because there's one issue where the character promises to be...really intriguing.

The miniseries, and the character, I'm referring to is Foxfire.

Rose Autumn is an average seventeen year old being uncomfortable fetishized by illustrator Kevin J. West when she discovers she's actually a superweapon created to prevent the invasion of an alien scourge called the Progeny.  After having her abilities activated by the Pheonix Force and discovering that his father and supposedly dead mother are cyborgs, she struggles to master her new abilities while also contending with a monster in the sewers, Ultraforce, a plan to use Ultra antibodies to keep her cyborg mother alive, and a trip to 616 and a inconsequential encounter with the Punisher.

I have not read The Pheonix Resurrections, which is the crossover event that preceded this series (it's coming up soon).  It was written by this series' writer Ian Edginton and ends with Rose fifty years in the future leading freedom fighters against the Progeny.  The first issue begins with Rose back in the present of 1996 with no explanation.   There are several moments that happen offscreen that would seem to have been important for us to see throughout the four issues.  Characters are introduced assuming we know who they are--even though one of them is debuting in that issue.  And on top of it all, the place is deluged with guest stars.

That's the biggest problem.  Our heroine is constantly pushed to the back for the special guest stars, whether it's The Punisher in the last issue (with a one panel appearance in the third that prompted him being shilled as the main attraction on the cover), Sludge in the first, or the Edginton line-up of Ultraverse in the second.  And I'm not even mentioning Mustang who pops up in the first issue and is a main character in the third--never once pointing out that he is a new character inviting confusion with the original Mustang who died due to his neck being snapped--only for him to be killed off part of the way through.  It's hard to get a fix on who your main character is when they're ramming these special appearances down our throat.

Although...

The second issue  ("Tunnel Vision") is the best issue of the run, and one of the reasons it's so good is because we get what looks like an actual character for Autumn as well as a real hint as to what the direction could have been.  In it, Firefox has a 'fight cute' with Ultraforce while Mastodon (a character introduced in the Gerber Exiles) and Sludge (Gerber's take on the muck monster template he excelled at in the 70's) trade blows.  What makes this issue so much better than the other three is both a very intriguing conversation between Autumn and the Black Knight (he was another guy that Marvel pawned off on the Ultraverse, and at the time is leading Ultraforce), the indications that Autumn--who supposedly has cosmic level powers--showing compassion to both Mastodon and Sludge, and a final page that seems like an indication of the direction the series would go.  To me, this showed a lot of potential for the character, being possessed of incredible power yet willing to show sympathy to whoever needs it regardless of who they are.

(Of course the next issue has her imprisoned next to Mustang by her cyborg mother who is using Ultra antibodies to repair her deteriorating body....guess the idea of an emotionally intelligent girl learning to navigate the world of ultras wasn't in the cards...)

This art was provided throughout by Kevin J. West--which makes this the first Marvel Reboot title I've talked about that had a consistent creative team throughout it's run.  It's very early in his career and very Image influenced, but there's also a lot of energy in his work.  I wish it wasn't so objectifying of seventeen year old Autumn, but that's as much on Edginton as on him, given the joke about the color of her underwear in that second issue.  His art is shaky when it comes to some of the high-tech stuff and his Punisher in the last two issues is...a bit dude-broey (check out the ponytail!), but overall I liked it.

I think Foxfire could have had some potential if Edginton hadn't had to make his plans for Autumn Rose secondary to the parade of guest stars.  Her background gave her a slight flavor of the Great Unfinished Steve Gerber project Omega The Unknown, and the idea of the Ultraverse's cosmically powered super being a teenaged girl with strong empathy could've made for some interesting stories.  We'll never know; the fourth issue promised that Autumn would show up in Ultraforce, and that never happened due to Marvel shuttering Malibu a few months later.

Next time we get to one of the inaugural Ultraverse titles, one written by the man I suspect is the reason we'll never see these characters ever again.  If X-Men had a baby with Milestone's Blood Syndicate and forced it to listen to a steady diet of Pearl Jam, Nirvana and Stone Temple Pilots, you'd get...Freex!

Until then, why be meta when you can be ultra?

If you would like to support my endeavors to keep pop culture honest, consider joining my Patreon  or buying me a Ko-Fi.  Please follow me on Bluesky Social @tdeja.bsky.social