Ultraverse reading order

[Knightt]

After Marvel bought them they went to hell.

I liked it at first (a bit) but always had a bad feeling in my stomach about it.

What do you think Marvel could have done after they purchased the Ultraverse to keep it alive, make it better etc ?

[xodacia81]

After Marvel bought them they went to hell.

I liked it at first (a bit) but always had a bad feeling in my stomach about it.

What do you think Marvel could have done after they purchased the Ultraverse to keep it alive, make it better etc ?

The simple answer is not to have "Marvelized" it.

[Knightt]

Well yeah, that IS probably the best answers. I am just wondering if there were other ways as well or if it HAD to be done, would could have been carefully managed?

[Chiclo]

I have always felt that the loss of the Ultraverse was part of the natural cycle of the boom and crash of the comics industry.

During the boom, there was plenty of comics dollars out there to support a lot of comics - not just titles, but companies. When the boom turned to bust as booms are prone to do, the deflating pressure of the industry forced a lot of companies out of business. Some companies like Marvel and DC had the history behind them to survive the crash. Dark Horse and Image survived too, but look at companies like Continuity or Triumphant. Even if Malibu had not been bought by Marvel or DC, it probably would have gone out of business anyway and gone the way of Valiant and Acclaim. They just didn't have the history to the company and it was obvious they didn't have the business sense on their own (I am not putting down the guys that worked there like Tom Mason - they put out good comics - they just weren't businessmen). If the company had been successful enough on its own, it would have stayed separate from Marvel.

[chisumwomack]

THANK YOU for everyone who participates, from the person who posts twice a year to the people who post five times a day. I think that the Dead Universes section is a sucess

Thank YOU, Knightt. You tha man.

[fastballspecial]

After Marvel bought them they went to hell.

I liked it at first (a bit) but always had a bad feeling in my stomach about it.

What do you think Marvel could have done after they purchased the Ultraverse to keep it alive, make it better etc ?

They should have just let it alone and let it grow. It worked for Ultimate Universe for quite awhile. Marvel never figured out what to do with them or I think even cared. Would love to learn the back story behind their purchase.

I didnt want the Avengers in the Ultraverse I thought the universe was good enough to stand on its own. I thought the premise behind the Strangers at the time was excellent. Hardcase was decent standalone and Prime could have been marketed to young kids easily along with Prototype. My personal favorite was the Solution just for the aliens in the book at the time. I am not sure the path that BWS took with Rune. It just never made sense to me. They had a good universe here and I still think it would work today with the right writer and artist.

[sbcomics]

I'm trying to figure this out to see about adding it to my reading project for next year. Unfortunately, it looks like the checklists in the books may not be complete - the Sept. 1993 issue of Hardcase doesn't list "Solution" #1, which also has a Sept. 1993 cover date. Here's the little bit I've pieced together so far.

Cover date June 1993
Prime #1
Hardcase #1
Strangers #1
Ultra Monthly #1


Cover date July 1993
Freex #1
Mantra #1
Hardcase #2
Prime #2
Strangers #2
Ultra Monthly #2

Cover date Aug. 1993
Exiles #1
Prototype #1
Freex #2
Mantra #2
Prime #3
Strangers #3
Hardcase #3
Ultra Monthly #3

Cover date Sept. 1993
Strangers #4
Hardcase #4 (continued from Strangers #4)
Exiles #2
Prototype #2
Freex #3
Mantra #3
Prime #4
Firearm #1
The Solution #1
Ultra Monthly #4

I'll try to continue to add to this, but I don't have anywhere near all the books, so it may need some help!

[Cyberstrike]

After Marvel bought them they went to hell.

I liked it at first (a bit) but always had a bad feeling in my stomach about it.

What do you think Marvel could have done after they purchased the Ultraverse to keep it alive, make it better etc ?

They should have just let it alone and let it grow. It worked for Ultimate Universe for quite awhile. Marvel never figured out what to do with them or I think even cared. Would love to learn the back story behind their purchase.

I didnt want the Avengers in the Ultraverse I thought the universe was good enough to stand on its own. I thought the premise behind the Strangers at the time was excellent. Hardcase was decent standalone and Prime could have been marketed to young kids easily along with Prototype. My personal favorite was the Solution just for the aliens in the book at the time. I am not sure the path that BWS took with Rune. It just never made sense to me. They had a good universe here and I still think it would work today with the right writer and artist.

To be honest I don't think Marvel and DC can handle more than one superhero universe comics line (meaning more than 1 series) for longer than 10 years maybe 15 years at tops.

I'm surprised that Wildstorm lasted as long as it did under DC, but I can't say that I'm surprised that they're finally ending it and Marvel just ended MC2 back in August 2010.

I think Marvel's Ultimate Line is in it's final years I give another 5 years max. I'll bet that Marvel's Crossgen revival will last no more than 5 years.

[HaloReach2010]

After Marvel bought them they went to hell.

I liked it at first (a bit) but always had a bad feeling in my stomach about it.

What do you think Marvel could have done after they purchased the Ultraverse to keep it alive, make it better etc ?

They should have just let it alone and let it grow. It worked for Ultimate Universe for quite awhile. Marvel never figured out what to do with them or I think even cared. Would love to learn the back story behind their purchase.

I didnt want the Avengers in the Ultraverse I thought the universe was good enough to stand on its own. I thought the premise behind the Strangers at the time was excellent. Hardcase was decent standalone and Prime could have been marketed to young kids easily along with Prototype. My personal favorite was the Solution just for the aliens in the book at the time. I am not sure the path that BWS took with Rune. It just never made sense to me. They had a good universe here and I still think it would work today with the right writer and artist.

To be honest I don't think Marvel and DC can handle more than one superhero universe comics line (meaning more than 1 series) for longer than 10 years maybe 15 years at tops.

I'm surprised that Wildstorm lasted as long as it did under DC, but I can't say that I'm surprised that they're finally ending it and Marvel just ended MC2 back in August 2010.

I think Marvel's Ultimate Line is in it's final years I give another 5 years max. I'll bet that Marvel's Crossgen revival will last no more than 5 years.

I throughly enjoyed the concept of Strangers, while it wasnt ground breaking stuff....It was well written, and had its place in the Ultraverse.

[BruceReville]

I throughly enjoyed the concept of Strangers, while it wasnt ground breaking stuff....It was well written, and had its place in the Ultraverse.

One interesting thing I liked that they did in the Strangers comic was the character Atom Bob. His power was essential matter transformation (Example: He would change bullets to flowers) - later on in the series they expanded on this power and at one point he could almost perform magic/sorcery with his powers and developed a seemingly boring character into a pretty cool villain.

[BruceReville]

As far as reading order you need to start with these

Rune/Conan books
Rune Heart of Darkness Back-Up Story 1-3
Rune Alphabet issues A-D
Death of the Squad Year Zero 1-3
Squad Story in Ultraverse Premiere 0
Death of The Squad Year Zero 4
Prototype 0
Yril Story in Ultraverse Premiere 0
Prime Story in Ultraverse Premiere 0
Prime 1
Hardcase 1
Strangers 1
Rune Aplphabet E,F

[Chiclo]

I throughly enjoyed the concept of Strangers, while it wasnt ground breaking stuff....It was well written, and had its place in the Ultraverse.

One interesting thing I liked that they did in the Strangers comic was the character Atom Bob. His power was essential matter transformation (Example: He would change bullets to flowers) - later on in the series they expanded on this power and at one point he could almost perform magic/sorcery with his powers and developed a seemingly boring character into a pretty cool villain.

The Pilgrim was one of those villains whose greatest flaw was boring opponents.

I realize that he was tied to the Strangers because he was one of them but they really needed to set him up against Hard Case or Lord Pumpkin. The Strangers was so preachy that it distracted from the story.

A Pilgrim/Pumpkin story would be so awesome.

[HaloReach2010]

I throughly enjoyed the concept of Strangers, while it wasnt ground breaking stuff....It was well written, and had its place in the Ultraverse.

One interesting thing I liked that they did in the Strangers comic was the character Atom Bob. His power was essential matter transformation (Example: He would change bullets to flowers) - later on in the series they expanded on this power and at one point he could almost perform magic/sorcery with his powers and developed a seemingly boring character into a pretty cool villain.

The Pilgrim was one of those villains whose greatest flaw was boring opponents.

I realize that he was tied to the Strangers because he was one of them but they really needed to set him up against Hard Case or Lord Pumpkin. The Strangers was so preachy that it distracted from the story.

A Pilgrim/Pumpkin story would be so awesome.

My LCS guy and I were talking about Lord Pumpkin yesterday...He was awesome!

[BruceReville]

Lord Pumpkin Was Awesome!

[xodacia81]

Lord Pumpkin Was Awesome!

Lord Pumpkin? Was his sidekick "sir ginger"? Was his adversary The Oven?

[Chiclo]

Lord Pumpkin Was Awesome!

Lord Pumpkin? Was his sidekick "sir ginger"? Was his adversary The Oven?

Lord Pumpkin doesn't even sound lame if you know what's up. Try as you might, Lord Pumpkin is just too awesome for you to mock.

[sbcomics]

As far as reading order you need to start with these

Rune/Conan books
Rune Heart of Darkness Back-Up Story 1-3
Rune Alphabet issues A-D
Death of the Squad Year Zero 1-3
Squad Story in Ultraverse Premiere 0
Death of The Squad Year Zero 4
Prototype 0
Yril Story in Ultraverse Premiere 0
Prime Story in Ultraverse Premiere 0
Prime 1
Hardcase 1
Strangers 1
Rune Aplphabet E,F

This is to read it chronologically according to the in-story timeline?

That's good info - I guess in my head I'm thinking I'll re-read it in release order if I can put that together - something just appeals to me about re-reading DUs the way you'd have read them "if you were there" but in-story chronological makes sense, too.

[sbcomics]

Actually, a lot of these I'll be reading for the first time, so not even "re-reading" in large part.

[BruceReville]

As far as reading order you need to start with these

Rune/Conan books
Rune Heart of Darkness Back-Up Story 1-3
Rune Alphabet issues A-D
Death of the Squad Year Zero 1-3
Squad Story in Ultraverse Premiere 0
Death of The Squad Year Zero 4
Prototype 0
Yril Story in Ultraverse Premiere 0
Prime Story in Ultraverse Premiere 0
Prime 1
Hardcase 1
Strangers 1
Rune Aplphabet E,F

This is to read it chronologically according to the in-story timeline?

That's good info - I guess in my head I'm thinking I'll re-read it in release order if I can put that together - something just appeals to me about re-reading DUs the way you'd have read them "if you were there" but in-story chronological makes sense, too.

Yes this is going chronilogical - there is a Lord Pumpkin story in Hero Illustrated (Reprinted in Origins) that would fit some time during the Rune A-D. Where to place it? No guess - it doesn't tie into anything during that run just an tale from Ultraverse's past.

Also there is a Hardcase Hero Ashcan that takes place in between Hardcase 2 & 3 and Rune 1-5 all take place before Break-Thru. After that reading in release order will keep you in continuity. The Ultraverse Premiere storys read completely as one tale and not seperately as they are.

Ripfire 0 - Elven 0 - Eliminator 0 reprint Ultraverse Premiere tales of those characters.

[sbcomics]

So after the Rune Alphabet E&F would you go basically to "Prime" #2, "Hardcase" #2 and "Strangers" #2, and release order from there? Or is there quite a bit of flashback/shifting timeline after that?

[Knightt]

Lord Pumpkin Was Awesome!

Lord Pumpkin? Was his sidekick "sir ginger"? Was his adversary The Oven?

Lord Pumpkin doesn't even sound lame if you know what's up. Try as you might, Lord Pumpkin is just too awesome for you to mock.

Quite so... Lord Pumpkin is my all time favorite Ultraverse villain. His origin story is a bit twisted and considering that and the powers of the character, he stacks up pretty well against others in the Ultraverse. (IMO)

[Knightt]

As far as reading order you need to start with these

Rune/Conan books
Rune Heart of Darkness Back-Up Story 1-3
Rune Alphabet issues A-D
Death of the Squad Year Zero 1-3
Squad Story in Ultraverse Premiere 0
Death of The Squad Year Zero 4
Prototype 0
Yril Story in Ultraverse Premiere 0
Prime Story in Ultraverse Premiere 0
Prime 1
Hardcase 1
Strangers 1
Rune Aplphabet E,F

This is to read it chronologically according to the in-story timeline?

That's good info - I guess in my head I'm thinking I'll re-read it in release order if I can put that together - something just appeals to me about re-reading DUs the way you'd have read them "if you were there" but in-story chronological makes sense, too.

Yes this is going chronilogical - there is a Lord Pumpkin story in Hero Illustrated (Reprinted in Origins) that would fit some time during the Rune A-D. Where to place it? No guess - it doesn't tie into anything during that run just an tale from Ultraverse's past.

Also there is a Hardcase Hero Ashcan that takes place in between Hardcase 2 & 3 and Rune 1-5 all take place before Break-Thru. After that reading in release order will keep you in continuity. The Ultraverse Premiere storys read completely as one tale and not seperately as they are.

Ripfire 0 - Elven 0 - Eliminator 0 reprint Ultraverse Premiere tales of those characters.

Chronologically as in how ? According to when they were printed or in the Ultraverse timelines ? If the latter, what are you basing your analysis on ?

[BruceReville]

Chronologically as in how ? According to when they were printed or in the Ultraverse timelines ? If the latter, what are you basing your analysis on ?

By reading and comparing events.

Rune/Conan you could place first if you went by linear timeline - this would be the best place for 2 reasons.

1) Hyborian Age is roughly 14,000-10,000 BC per Robert E Howard and the Back-Up story in Rune Hearts of darkness take place 314 AD per the story itself. 2) Even though these Conan tales take place in the Marvel Hyborian Age you can include this as current continuity for Rune as per the 2 page story in Origins that states that Rune was a God know on many worlds and dimensions. (Yeah it is a stretch - but it is either that or place the Conan tales after Black September and then it would be disjointed.

The Rune Alphabet A-D issues are a trip through time leading up to the events of Rune 1 so it is easy to place them after the Back-Up tale. Somewhere before/during/or after would go the Lord Pumpkin Origin tale. No definitive date given.

Next major Ultraverse event is the Squad. So the mini-series & short story in Ultraverse Premiere 0 would go here.

After that came Bob Campbell and the Prototype armor and his accident, so this would go here.

Yril story in Ultraverse 0 states that it takes place before Strangers 1.

Prime & Hardcase stories would go here I placed the Prime story first due to the tale in Ultraverse 0 directly ties into Prime 1. Hardcase 1 is pretty much a stand alone. Depending on your preference they could be flip-flopped.

Next big Ultraverse event is the Jumpstart. Rune chapters E & F tie into this event when Rune leads away one of the people exposed by the event and feeds on him.

Rest of the Rune chapters lead directly into Rune 1. Rune 1-5 is one continuous story that ties into Break-Thru (Even though 5 was published well after Break-Thru. In that issue the Entity on the moon begins operating which causes the effects of Break-Thru on the earth.

The Hardcase Hero Ashcan story should fit in between 2 & 3 of Hardcase as he meets Choice in issue 2 and in the Ashcan story she is seen in Hardcase's home and the events of Hardcase 3 lead directly into the Hardcase/Strangers crossover in issue 4 of each title.

Pretty much all the issues can be read in release order afterwards as there really isn't any major crossover between characters other than 1st appearance of one in one title before appearing in their own. Any other crossovers between titles the reader is given a reading order either by the end of the issue **Continued in BlahBlahBlah** - **Continued from BlahBlahBlah** or in the Editorial pages in the back of the book.

And one thing I forgot earlier was that the Mantra story in Ultraverse 0 takes place after Mantra 4. Says so in the title blurb of the story.

Does that help?

[Prelate1]

Yes this is going chronilogical - there is a Lord Pumpkin story in Hero Illustrated (Reprinted in Origins) that would fit some time during the Rune A-D. Where to place it? No guess - it doesn't tie into anything during that run just an tale from Ultraverse's past.

Just in case anyone goes looking for it, the Lord Pumpkin story from Hero Illustrated #8 is reprinted in Ultraverse Premiere #3 not in the Ultraverse Origins book.

[BruceReville]

Yes this is going chronilogical - there is a Lord Pumpkin story in Hero Illustrated (Reprinted in Origins) that would fit some time during the Rune A-D. Where to place it? No guess - it doesn't tie into anything during that run just an tale from Ultraverse's past.

Just in case anyone goes looking for it, the Lord Pumpkin story from Hero Illustrated #8 is reprinted in Ultraverse Premiere #3 not in the Ultraverse Origins book.

How in the heck did I flub that up - I have both of those as well