Publication History
Published from August 2004 to May 2006, the three series were titled Ultimate Nightmare (#1 - 5, Oct. 2004 - Feb. 2005), Ultimate Secret (#1 - 4, May - Dec. 2005), and Ultimate Extinction (#1 - 5, Mar. - July 2006). They were all written by Warren Ellis of Transmetropolitan, Planetary, and The Authority fame, after signing an exclusive two-year work-for-hire contract with Marvel Comics.
Ultimate Nightmare is a five-issue comic book limited series. Issues 1, 2, 4 and 5 were penciled by Trevor Hairsine (noted for working on the Ultimate Six limited series with Brian Michael Bendis), and inked by Simon Coleby who has previously worked on Marvel UK's Warheads series in the 1990s. The third issue was drawn by Steve Epting. Ellis notes that "Ultimate Nightmare was originally intended as a set-up for a big Ultimate-line event that Mark Millar was going to do. Mark, however, has had health issues for some time, and that and his workload led to him bowing out and me once again being asked to step in and help out. And then, while I was getting into Nightmare, Joe Quesada had the idea of turning this event into a trilogy...So I needed to come up with a credible second step in the trilogy fairly quickly."
Ultimate Secret is a four-issue comic book limited series with art by Steve McNiven. It was scheduled to print monthly, but due to Ellis and McNiven's other concerns (among other things, McNiven is drawing the current arc of New Avengers) it was delayed, and didn't finish until near the end of 2005.
Ultimate Extinction was five-issue (it was originally to be six) limited series began in January 2006, cover dated March, and was illustrated by Brandon Peterson. Despite fan speculation and argument to the contrary, the comics in the Ultimate Galactus trilogy and recently published reference materials clearly state that the events of Ultimate Extinction take place before the second volume of The Ultimates.
Read more about this topic: Ultimate Galactus Trilogy
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