If you’ve been curious about Marvel comics but find the decades-spanning backlog of storylines, cross-overs, and team-up events too intimidating to catch up on, you might want to check out the Marvel Ultimate imprint instead. The Marvel Ultimate line is an alternate universe separate from the mainline continuity-free that features new versions of classic Marvel heroes like Spider-Man, Wolverine, Iron Man, and more. It kicked off in 2023, meaning there’s a whole lot less to catch up on–and thanks to a new upcoming box set, it’ll soon be easier than ever to dive in. The Marvel Ultimate Universe: Invasion Box Set launches on November and includes six introductory volumes to the new Ultimate Universe versions of Spider-Man, Black Panther, Wolverine, the X-Men, and more. Preorders are available now for $120.
$120 | Releases November 4
This Marvel Ultimate Universe: Invasion Box Set includes softcover editions of the first five volumes of Marvel’s Ultimate Universe comics line in a collector’s slipcase. Here’s a look at what’s included:
- Ultimate Invasion by Jonathan Hickman and Bryan Hitch
- Ultimate Spider-Man Vol. 1: Married With Children by Jonathan Hickman, Marco Checchetto, and David Messina
- Ultimate X-Men Vol. 1: Fears and Hates by Peach Momoko
- Ultimate Black Panther Vol. 1: Peace and War by Bryan Hill, Stefano Caselli, and Carlos Nieto
- Ultimates Vol. 1: Fix the World by Deniz Camp, Jonathan Hickman, Juan Frigeri, Phil Noto, and Stefano Caselli
- Ultimate Wolverine Vol. 1: The Winter Soldier by Christopher Condon, Alessandro Cappuccio, Alex Lins
Each trade paperback is roughly 200 pages and collects the first six issues of its respective series.
Marvel’s Ultimate Universe is an alternate reality created and controlled by the Maker–an evil version of the Fantastic Four’s Reed Richards. While it features many of the familiar faces of the mainline Marvel universe, it makes significant changes to the origin stories of superheroes like Spider-Man, Black Panther, and the X-Men, and sends them on very different trajectories compared to their original versions. If you want to see just how wild things get, then you’ll want to pick up this collection.
If you don’t feel like waiting until November, you can also pick up all the books in the box set as standalone volumes. Doing so will works out to be a little cheaper than box set, though you’re missing out on the slipcase. While the box set includes the first volumes for several storylines, there are also second volumes of Ultimate Spider-Man, Ultimate Black Panther, and Ultimate X-Men all available as well if you want to see how these stories continue.
More Marvel Ultimate Universe Graphic Novels
From Marvel’s Ultimate to DC’s Absolute
Marvel’s rival, DC Comics, is no stranger to rebooting and reimagining its iconic characters. In fact, the publisher has rebooted its worlds numerous times, including the new Absolute Universe line that kicked off last year. Like Marvel’s Ultimate Universe, DC’s Absolute Universe new radically reimagines its most famous characters: Superman is now a Kryptonian refugee who crash-landed on Earth following the destruction of his homeworld; Batman is a burly working-class brawler who doesn’t have vast resources for his war on crime; and Wonder Woman now wields dark powers imbued from her hellish new origin story. There are also new Absolute Universe versions of several other DC heroes like Green Lantern, Flash, Martian Manhunter, and more.
The first volumes of Absolute Batman and Absolute Wonder Woman are already available, while Absolute Superman Volume 1 launches on August 19 and is available to preorder now. You can also preorder the first volumes of Absolute Martian Manhunter, Absolute Green Lantern, and Absolute Flash launching later this year. Check the list below for all the new and upcoming DC Absolute Universe trade paperbacks.
DC Absolute Universe Graphic Novels
- Absolute Batman Vol.1: The Zoo
- Absolute Wonder Woman Vol. 1: The Last Amazon
- Absolute Superman Vol. 1: Last Dust of Krypton
- Absolute Martian Manhunter Vol. 1: Martian Vision
- Absolute Green Lantern Vol. 1: Without Fear
- Absolute Flash Vol 1: Of Two Worlds
Superman: Legacy Box Set
Speaking of new Superman graphic novels, the new Superman: Legacy box set will also launch on August 19 alongside Absolute Superman Volume 1. This is a four-book collection is similar in style and presentation to the upcoming Marvel Ultimate Universe box set, featuring four beloved Superman stories that inspired the new feature film directed by James Gunn–including fan favorite All-Star Superman–all presented as softcover editions inside a themed slipcase cover. Preorders are discounted to just $79 at Amazon (was $85).
About The Author
