“Yesterday’s” Comic> Ultraman #3 (ongoing)

(insert action figure joke here)

Ultraman #3

Harvey/Nemesis (August, 1994)

Now we get into the series proper and I’m missing the first two issues which apparently involved an alien invasion. As Ace fixes up his own into a place for some orphans to stay and accepting a position as a training instructor with UMA, things aren’t going so well with the recovery. Dangerous criminals escaped during the battle, including one notorious killer who calls himself “The Raptor”. Raptor comes across a piece of Gudis found by UMA, which attacks him and between the Gudis venom, Raptor’s own blood, and the blood of Ace, whom he had a fight with earlier, he is turned into a blue Gudis clone of Ultraman.

What they got right: Hey, I think two characters from the show made a cameo. I could be wrong, though. I do like the idea of an evil Ultraman.

What they got wrong: Yakata didn’t do his homework with the show, did he? Why does UMA have a file on conventional criminals, even a serial killer like “The Raptor”? And why does he look already inhuman without the Gudis. I suppose we never saw how Gudis infects things but I always thought it was a spore thing, not venom from his tentacle. I also need time and a few pages later to realize that UltraRaptGudis was busting out of the mutating monster Gudis appeared to be mutating Raptor into. It wasn’t really clear.

Recommendation: I really liked the first miniseries but Yakata seems to be creating his own idea rather than continuing the show and I’m not thrilled about it. This issue only works as an epilogue to the previous storyline or to set-up the next one. Only recommended to complete the set.

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