What Will Happen When Ultra Meets Humanity in Rise of Ultraman #2?

The plot deepens and mysteries abound as Shin learns more about the Ultras while Kiki and Captain Muramatsu search for answers to this strange conspiracy. It’s a prelude to Kaiju action in Rise of Ultraman #2 by Kyle Higgins, Matt Groom, Francesco Manna, Espen Grundetjern, and VC’s Ariana Maher.

Ian Gregory: Last time, I said that I was surprised the first issue didn’t play out like the first episode of a new Ultraman show. This issue, with Ultraman still not making an action-scene appearance, I have come to realize that this five-issue run (and the subsequent graphic novel) are meant to play out like a first episode. That explains the relative lack of action in this series thus far, and this exposition-heavy issue.

Ritesh Babu: It’s quite decompressed, yeah. My go to comparison in terms of the pure approach and take here was Ultimate Spider-Man by Bendis, and certainly, like Bendis, it’s taking its time. It’s less interested in action, and more into exposition and the chatter, as it operates within the framework of an espionage world, full of science-fiction tidbits here and there.

But also, and as someone who tends to enjoy that selectively, applied right, I’m enjoying this quite a bit? It is like a first episode, and what it reads like to me is Tsubaraya and Marvel, by the end, want a singular trade (of 5 issues) which can be handed to anyone to explain Ultraman to them.

Shin and Kiki’s Backstory

IG: I’m not exactly convinced of the necessity of what we get here. The bits that expand on Shin and Kiki’s backstory are well-done, but superfluous. The hints we got last week — that they had built a kaiju detector, were caught, and Shin barred from joining the USP while Kiki made it in — told me almost everything I needed to know. I think there’s an appeal to leaving that stuff in the background, never quite expressed.

I think there may be a technical element to it, which necessitates more detail. If our characters split off from the USP, which is looking increasingly more likely, Shin and Kiki’s ability to build exotic energy detectors will likely become a plot point. Ultimately, I felt like this section was more perfunctory than anything else. It didn’t really add to my enjoyment of the characters, and only served to fill in plot-related holes.

RB: I’d agree there. There is a sense of “Let’s really tell you everything” about Shin, at the very least, as there’s a clear desire to make him a powerful leading man of the title. And it isn’t necessary, and does bog down the book a bunch, but I did quite dig the framing of it. It is, essentially “character exposits to the reader” as he’s “explaining” who he is to Ultraman, which, there’s the flaw, but also I quite enjoy the element of Shin baring all he is, has been, and can be, to Ultraman. More than anywhere else, it works best at the end, when Shin uses his history to make a case for humanity.

IG: There may be a fundamental flaw in how this story has been set up. We started last issue with Kiki, and were following her journey, before Shin was introduced. Now, the goal is to set up Shin as someone we really care about, who can really become Ultraman. Except, I’m significantly more invested in Kiki’s story, and I think she’s much better positioned dramatically. She’s part of the USP without being sucked into their darker elements, and she’s got her friendship with Shin that keeps her “one foot outside” their world. I think it would have been much more interesting to see Kiki struggle with her own humanity, and confronting her own inability to save the world from the kaiju menace. Right now, Shin doesn’t really have character elements independent of Kiki that grab me.

RB: Kiki is the far more proactive character of the two, and one laid out with the clear idea of “She’s not gonna be Ultraman”, so they’ve worked out how to make her work long-term. Even Captain Muramatsu operates similarly, even if he’s a bit of a stock soldier man, wherein he’s conflicted and takes action. Shin, meanwhile, is a character that while there’s elements of a richer figure, exists as mostly a slate for the Ultraman side to be imprinted. That’s clearly when he’s going to be who the creators want to write him as, and we’re going through the mechanism to get him there, so more than anything, I’m curious how he fully manifests once he returns.

I do, on the whole, dig the setup of Kiki and Shin as these super smart and adventurous kids who’ve long been trying to crack the secrets of The USP, and have been dealing with the mysteries of Kaijus.

The USP Conspiracy of 1966

IG: Well, we do get quite a bit of movement on the USP business this issue. Kiki and Muramatsu go off and find a big ole space gun, and do some science stuff to track the gun to its creator. The detective work is mostly handwaved here, which is fine by me, and then we get a three-page jet-and-car chase that seems mostly engineered to separate Muramatsu from Kiki. That segment does end on an effective cliffhanger — Kiki walking into the professor’s dark mansion, a kaiju lurking in the corner.

RB: I’m quite bummed that we get no more of those ULTRA Q back-ups, or the Pigmon pages. I thought they were a lovely element worth keeping. We’ve really zero-ed back in on just the A-story, and The USP being as shady as it is is also working for me.

The whole set-up of “Well, Dan didn’t kill anyone! The Ultra didn’t either!” here makes stuff really obvious, as I imagine even new readers can figure out that much like our current Ultra and Man, they merged. But nevertheless, what did happen to the two, USP’s involvement there, the plans of Director Ichinotani, and the whole giant Space Gun and its creator business is not bad, even if too nebulous to mean anything at the moment.

IG: I think you’re right that this is all very straightforward. It feels a bit too much like our characters are headed on a straight line to solve this mystery, jumping from clue to clue. I also find myself really hoping for some kind of major twist. It would be disappointing to me if this does turn out to be a somewhat straightforward secretly-evil-mega-science organization. I think the big hope for that kind of reveal lies with what exactly happened with Muroboshi and the Ultra back in ‘66. My concern mainly comes from a combination of plot and pacing; we’re moving a little too slowly for how straightforwardly things seem to be playing out. I’m hoping future moves aren’t quite as telegraphed as they have been.

RB: Agreed. This is as straightforward and as simple as it gets, and while I’m having fun with it, especially with Franceso Manna’s GORGEOUS artwork and Espen’s colorwork, which is just straight out of that Sanchez/Morey school of shiny colorwork of smooth textures, I would like to see the ball rolling into places I’m less inclined to be able to see through. As a trade, I think this is going to work much better than it is in floppies.

The Ultra and The Man

IG: The last major topic to get into here comes with all the reveals about the nature of the Ultra, and Shin’s resolution to merge. As our resident Ultra-loremaster, Ritesh, how does this version of the Ultra match up with what we’ve seen in the shows?

RB: So the way I’ve been reading the book so far is:

#1= The Ultra-World 101. It’s all about the background of this Earth we’re in.
#2= Ultra 101. Who/What is an Ultraman?

And it is…mostly that. So it doesn’t go too much into the Ultras themselves, or their origins, which I found surprising. It keeps it relatively brief, which I suppose tracks with how the shows usually do these kinds of merger-scenes. But beyond the brief/vague nature of the details on the Ultras, it’s mostly pretty what you’d get in any standard Ultraman show with a Human-Ultra merger as the lead.

The Human-Ultra and The Ultra-In-Human-Form, these are basically the two types of Ultraman leads. We’ve leaned towards the latter especially in recent years, and it’s actually the type that Dan Moroboshi, aka ULTRASEVEN is in classic canon. We’ll see if that holds here, but beyond that, what you’re getting here with the dying man and Ultra, the decision to become one, is fairly typical and classical The biggest thing I’d say is the protagonists are usually more quick to say yes, and the Ultras aren’t quite as keen on “I wanna be in the driver’s seat”.

IG: There’s an element of distrust here that I think is interesting. The Ultras have a great reason to distrust humanity, and that creates a more adversarial tone in this merging scene. I did find the general Ultra mission statement a little odd. It seems like they (or perhaps, this particular Ultra) have decided that humankind isn’t just ready to ascend now, but can never ascend. It’s a kind of negative attitude I found unusual, and even more broadly the sort of paternalistic, universal-cop attitude of the Ultra stuck out to me. The “just give control to me and I’ll sort your people out” phrasing casts a little doubt on the Ultras, to me.

RB: I’d agree there. Ultras are usually more loving of humanity, but there is a sense here of deep disappointment. The Ultras are mostly really good, and are frustrated that we aren’t. They see us as children who will never grow up and learn to be better. They’ve given up on us. And there’s echoes of that perspective on humanity within the franchise here and there, as one of the key thematic ideas in the recent Ultraman Orb, for instance, was that Earth is shit, and it isn’t even worth invading. Humanity’s kind of nothing. But the lone Ultraman sticks around, going ‘Well, yes. Sure. But things can be better.’

It seems in this incarnation, The Ultras and Ultraman himself have a lot to learn, as sometimes a leap of faith is required. The Ultra is the ideal, and while we may not be able to ascend to attain that ideal, we try, and that matters. To try and try, and attempt to do better, even an Ultra can see the beauty in that. Which is why the conclusion is Shin being handed the control, as Ultraman, who believes his precious brother was killed by humanity, hands his entire life over, and places his faith in this human he’s just met.

IG: I think it will be interesting to see how this series balances the intrinsic hope of Ultraman as a franchise, with the darker and more mysterious mood they’re setting up in these issues. Most of what’s given me pause with this series so far is related to the pacing, and the five-issue arc they’ve set for themselves. Depending on how well they stick that landing, and how interesting a status quo they establish, I think this could be a very effective introduction to Ultraman.

Marvelous Musings

I’m really, really loving Ariana Maher’s lettering work here. The red balloons for Ultraman are really working for me, and the whited-out details of locations are a wonderful touch that give this book a mood and vibe that’s neat.
For me, it’s Manna’s layouts. I like how he varies the panel borders based on the situation (the Ultra’s white, view-screen like panels, for instance), and how he shakes up the panels during the bumpy car chase. A risk of creative panelling is making a page impossible to parse, but Manna finds a great balance between inventive and legible.
There’s a touch of Coipel to Manna’s work here that I’m finding deeply alluring. There’s a kind of softness and a sheen, especially aided by Espen’s breathtaking work, that just makes it look like the slickest superhero book on the stands.
If I were investigating some sort of deep science conspiracy, I would simply Not enter a mysterious wooded house deep in the forest at night, at the invitation of a professor of dubious repute.