In the year 2001, two great minds came together to form a new version of “The Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes”. Writer Mark Miller and artist Bryan Hitch smacked us hard in the face with the new series “The Ultimates” and we loved it.

Marvel comics did something new, they remade Spiderman, X-men, The Avengers, and The Fantastic Four. They made the comic intertwine with our world today. With the success of “Ultimate Spiderman” and “Ultimate X-men” Miller and Hitch gave birth to “The Ultimates”.

If you don’t know who The Ultimates are then you are missing out on a force to be reckoned with. The Ultimates are a team of superheroes who were brought together by Nick Fury (the leader of S.H.I.E.L.D.) sponsored by the government. On this powerful team are Captain America, the Hulk, Giant Man, Wasp, Thor, and Iron Man.

Long before the rise of The Ultimates, there were The Avengers. The Avengers were known as “Earth’s mightiest heroes”. Originally, the main team had Bruce Banner (the Hulk), Wasp, Thor, Giant Man, and Iron Man. When Bruce Banner turned into the Hulk, The Avengers realized they could not control him. So with the departure of Bruce, Captain America joined becoming the great leader and was named one of the team’s founding members.

The original team followed the classic story line where the super villain tries to take over the world and they save it. However, Mark Miller changed everything. Now the comics not only reflect our time and our current situation, the characters are more developed. We get a better sight on how they lived their lives. The feel of reading the comics have now changed. While reading The Ultimates, it’s like watching a Blockbuster movie.

Jason C. Brand, a comic store lackey who works at Lee’s Comics in San Mateo, said “Nick Fury looks just like Samuel L. Jackson and that’s just it. If they were to make this into a movie Samuel Jackson would have to be in it.”

In the new series, they mention current stars of today. How Tony Stark (Iron Man) is going out on dates with Shannon Elizabeth and other female stars. President Bush is shown in as a leader who wants the super team to protect our country from “Super-terrorism”.

Before the change the superheroes were already heroes with no questions asked, but now they seem more real. They are almost normal.

For example, Thor, who is the son of Odin, is accepted as a God in the original series. However in The Ultimates, he is introduced as someone who might just be crazy with powerful armor on. The series has become darker, more in depth with the actual attitudes people have.

“The Ultimates is more mature (than The Avengers) in tone.” Brand said. “The prime example of course being how graphic they showed Hank Pym’s (Giant Man) abuse toward his wife Janet (Wasp). That scene alone while I was reading it was not meant for younger kids.”

With the maturity of series, the characters hit topics regular comics might not even touch. The remake showed us what these superheroes’ lives would be like if they lived in our times. It shares the drama of terrorism and hidden agendas on why the government wanted the team in the first place.

The Ultimates are built for action. It is made to make us feel for each of the character as if we are seeing everything unfold before our eyes. You can feel the heat of the battle scenes resonate from the pages. Every tear that falls, every thread of anger, every essence of love sings from the pages in front of your eyes.

The Ultimates have come far since the days of The Avengers. Of course they are two completely different series with distinctive audiences. But they both have something in common; they are here for our entertainment.

If you never read the comic, the moment you pick up the series is when you question why you never read this before.