The Ultimate Comics Podcast

MAJOR SPOILERS FOR THUNDERBOLTS* AHEAD! The guys give their full review of Thunderbolts*! Surprise surprise, they loved it! Josh and Nabeel talk about the Thunderbolts from the comics, how the movie adapts the team, and overall thoughts about the film. The boys discuss the overarching plot, specific characters, and the future of the MCU as a whole. An exciting break in format, perfect for new list...

The guys dive into Ultimate Six! A seminal series that not only introduces us to the Ultimate Sinister Six, but also features a major crossover between Spider-Man and The Ultimates! Needless to say, Josh and Nabeel love these issues. Ultimate Six features thought-provoking themes, great character moments, and blockbuster action. Plus: Nabeel and Josh go on tangents about washing your hair, wine ta...

The guys take a weird turn into Ultimate Adventures! This mini-series honestly has a more interesting behind-the-scenes story than the actual plot of the comic. Josh and Nabeel don't think it's the worst thing in the world, but it certainly feels out of place in Ultimate Marvel. An interesting commentary on Batman and Robin, an insanely goofy villain, and some overly quippy dialogue keep the guys...

More Ultimate Spider-Man! Josh and Nabeel cover a couple of major story arcs, including the milestone 50th issue spectacular! Featuring: The debut of Ultimate Black Cat! The return of The Kingpin (and The Enforcers)! Character development for both J. Jonah Jameson and MJ! Elektra ('cause why not)! Not to mention a problematic political candidate, more slander on Spider-Man's name, and the...

A new era of Ultimate X-Men! Josh and Nabeel cover the first arc of Ultimate X-Men by Brian Michael Bendis and David Finch (Spoiler: they love it!) Guest stars galore, in this Wolverine-centric comic. Spider-Man! Daredevil! Black Widow! It honestly feels more like a Spider-Man or Marvel Team-Up comic than an X-Men comic at times! The guys love how this issue works to redeem Ultimate Wolverine whil...

The boys are finally back to Ultimate Spider-Man! After a long streak of X-Men-related content, Josh and Nabeel are relieved to be back to good ol' Spidey. The guys love how personal and down-to-Earth these issues are. These issues are full of character analysis, romance, parties, and a few exploding vehicles! Of course, just when you think you've got a break, the X-Men make a guest appear...

Now for something completely different! Josh and Nabeel take an episode to reflect on Mark Millar and Adam Kubert's run on Ultimate X-Men. The guys talk about it all: the characters, the stories, the artwork, the writing, you name it. The boys get into the good, the bad, and the very weird. Josh and Nabeel even pull up an old interview from Mark Millar himself, talking about his approach to Ul...

The end of an era! Josh and Nabeel finish up the Mark Millar/Adam Kubert run on Ultimate X-Men with "Return of the King"! The guys have so much to talk about with these issues, including the action-packed story, the great character moments, and a moderately unsettling ending. Very fun comics discussed by some very fun hosts! Plus: Nabeel antagonizes Cyclops fans (even though he is one)!

It's the first major Ultimate Marvel crossover! Josh and Nabeel dive into a clash between The Ultimates and The X-Men! Magneto's return has put The Ultimates on his trail, with The X-Men caught in the middle! The guys talk about hero vs. hero storylines, Avengers vs. X-Men, Ultimate War's connection to current political events, and much more! Plus: more unnecessary cannibalism!

Josh and Nabeel are back into Ultimate X-Men! The guys are so happy to be covering something they enjoy again (for the most part). Josh gives these issues a solid B-, since the depiction of Wolverine is still pretty nasty. In these issues, we also get the introduction of Kitty Pryde, a new take on the Dark Phoenix Saga, a big moment for Iceman, Beast getting catfished, and much, much more! It'...

Josh and Nabeel finish the fight with Ultimate Iron Man II (The Search for More Money)! These issues are better than the first series, but that's not really saying much. Nabeel is over it and Josh has so many questions. At the very least, Pasqual Ferry's art is gorgeous, there's more action, more corporate intrigue and 1000% more Tony Stark getting blown to smithereens! Plus: A special...

Josh and Nabeel tackle possibly their weirdest Ultimate comics so far: Ultimate Iron Man! The series so controversial it was retconned out of Ultimate Marvel canon entirely! The guys are bewildered by this bizarre mini-series, ultimately asking themselves: who let this happen? Interesting ideas are introduced, yet so many unnecessary changes are made to Iron Man for this series to work. Plus: Josh...

It's the Ultimate Venom Saga! Friend of the pod India Miraglia joins the guys to discuss a major arc in Ultimate Spider-Man! The gang loves these issues, especially for how they connect to the broader Ultimate Universe. Peter learns more about his parents, Eddie Brock is introduced, and we get a fresh take on the Venom symbiote. Bonus: Nabeel and Josh might have settled the MJ vs. Gwen debate, onc...

CONTENT WARNING: This episode does discuss domestic abuse as it pertains to the story. Special guest Annika Falconer returns to speak with Josh and Nabeel about the second half of The Ultimates! The story really heats up with the introduction of Hawkeye and the additions of Black Widow, Quicksilver, and the Scarlet Witch to the team! The gang talks about media ruthlessness, white knighting, black...

The guys keep rolling along with Ultimate Spider-Man! But first, they dig into the oversized Ultimate Spider-Man Super Special, the conclusion to Ultimate Marvel Team-Up! They're not huge fans of this special, but generally agree that it features some incredible artists. In the main series, things get intense! Josh and Nabeel love these issues, despite getting caught in their recurring MJ vs. Gwen...

CONTENT WARNING: This episode briefly touches on self-harm and suicide as it pertains to the story. The boys continue with Ultimate Spider-Man! Things get more intense than ever, as Josh and Nabeel cover the return of the Green Goblin! These issues have it all: high stakes, brutal fight scenes, and more drama than you can spin a web at! The guys rave about these issues, discuss obscure villains, a...

A very special episode! Friend of the pod Annika Falconer joins Josh and Nabeel to talk about The Ultimates #1-6! This is Annika's first exposure to the Avengers, so the guys get her thoughts on the characters, the political themes, and the overall story of this modern take on Earth's Mightiest Heroes. Time to put the accessibility of Ultimate Marvel to the test! Josh also struggles to rem...

Nabeel and Josh continue talking about Ultimate X-Men! The guys delve into a fun Gambit two-parter, before getting into the next major story arc. SPOILERS: Professor Xavier is a jerk! Josh and Nabeel talk about the good, the bad, and the ugly, as these issues dive into Professor X and his philosophy. Plus, the introduction of Betsy Braddock, Moira MacTaggert, and Proteus! Nabeel also geeks out abo...

Josh and Nabeel get back into Ultimate X-Men! Nabeel thinks the second story arc is a big step up, but Josh isn't too impressed. The guys also dive into some new characters (Nightcrawler!), Ultimate Wolverine's character development, the role of S.H.I.E.L.D. in Ultimate Marvel, and more! And yeah, Josh mentions cannibalism. Again. *Sigh*

Nabeel and Josh finish up the last half of Ultimate Marvel-Team Up! These issues are a who's who of Marvel heroes, including Doctor Strange, Black Widow, Shang-Chi, and more! The guys go on tangents about Sam Raimi, why they love Spider-Man (again), and current Spider-Man comics. All this, plus Josh is obsessed with the depiction of polo shirts in media!

CONTENT WARNING: This episode briefly mentions suicide, as it pertains to the comics. Nabeel and Josh get back to Ultimate Spider-Man! In this batch of issues, we meet Ultimate Marvel's versions of Doc Ock, Kraven the Hunter, and Gwen Stacy! Josh and Nabeel spend most of the episode arguing about Gwen Stacy as a character, before raving about these issues and Spider-Man as a superhero. All this, p...

Nabeel and Josh are so excited to talk about the first arc of Ultimate X-Men (and issue #1/2)! Our hosts have a lot to say about these issues, from the gorgeous artwork to the questionable characterizations. Josh hates the outfits, Nabeel is mortified by this version of Wolverine, and both of them think Magneto is a little too evil here. All this, plus Nabeel and Josh argue over continuity like re...

We're back from Thanksgiving! Nabeel and Josh get into Ultimate Marvel #6-8, a short story arc featuring The Punisher, Daredevil, and Spider-Man('s butt)! Finally, Nabeel can talk about how much he dislikes The Punisher! Your hosts also discuss criminal rehabilitation, the dangers of idolizing anti-heroes, and why Ultimate Daredevil is a jerk! All this, plus Josh completely misremembers the premis...

Nabeel and Josh dive into Ultimate Elektra! Wait, more Elektra? Yup, it's a sequel to the last comic! Nabeel loves the action in these comics, Josh hates the needless midriff, and there's even a small tangent about Smallville! Remember that show? We do!

Nabeel and Josh cover their first non-Spider-Man comic, Ultimate Daredevil and Elektra! The guys discuss this mini-series, including the smaller scale of the story, the changes made to the characters, and the reversal of heteronormative gender roles. Content warning: this episode discusses sexual assault as it pertains to the story of the comics.