Review: ‘Ultramega’ Returns In Colossal Fashion

Ultramega by James Harren and Dave Stewart was a smash-hit when it debuted in 2021. The series is full of unique characters, twists and turns, and a bold fusion between body horror and “Tokusatsu.” Now, it’s great to have the series come back in full force.

Issue #5 adds new layers of world-building to the giant vs kaiju mythos. The giant heroes who fight the kaiju may be two sides of the same coin. Perhaps they can coexist or combine into something more horrific entirely. This arc promises new threats, shocking secrets, and a whole lot of fun.

The world of comics, specifically creator-owned comics, needs more books like Ultramega — a story that’s bombastic and intriguing to comic readers old and new. Ultramega captures the pure unapologetic fun of the best superhero stories that have dominated popular culture while also taking a titanic leap beyond genre conventions and cliches.

Dark and deconstructionist superheroes aren’t new territory, but Harren isn’t doing another retread of good guys gone bad. Instead, he is working like a sculptor stripping away the trappings of pop culture until he’s reached the fleshy pulsating heart of the story. Ultramega is a reinvention, and revitalization, of the super sentai genre in the best possible ways.

Bloody, bizarre, funny, surprising, and always emotionally engaging, Ultramega towers above the competition and will no doubt become a seminal series when it reaches its epic conclusion.