Ultimo (manga)
Viz Media later licensed the manga for an English language adaptation in North America and published "Chapter: 0" in the September 2008 issue of "Shonen Jump". In promotion of the English adaptation, a press conference was held at the 2008 New York Comic Con with promotional artwork. The series "Ultimo" was serialized monthly in "Shonen Jump", beginning in the July 2009 issue and ending serialization in the February 2011 issue. It is now published directly into volumes, each containing multiple chapters of the series. Starting from volume 7, "Ultimo" was changed to "Shonen Jump Advanced" while it was  marked as just "Shonen Jump" in volumes 1-6. Plot. Pilot chapter. Ultimo and Vice were created in feudal Japan to be "perfect good" and "perfect evil" as Dr. Dunstan's "last curse upon this world." A thousand years later, a monster wearing a Noh mask wreaks havoc in Farmless City of West Tokyo, while the S.K.A.T. Police unit cannot stop it. Ultimo plunges in to destroy the monster, explaining that the creature is about to show its true form, Vice, Ultimo's evil counterpart. The mechanical boys end their fight both badly damaged, and the movement of select  groups around Japan begins. Serialization. Yamato Agari is a 21st-century reincarnation of a bandit from the Heian period. As in the past, Yamato meets the "Karakuri Dôji", mechanical boys, that transform his otherwise normal life into a battle of good versus evil. Immediately after Yamato meets the dôji Ultimo, another one called Vice appears, and he barely escapes from their fight. Now acquainted with Ultimo, Yamato is confronted by many other dôji, both evil and good. Yamato's fights become increasingly dangerous as the fifteen prominent dôji meet on the day of the "Hundred Machine Funeral," the last day  of the world as we know it. With imminent destruction at hand, Yamato uses Ultimo's ability to bring the world back to the day he first meets the dôji. In order to avoid the catastrophe from repeating itself, Yamato plans to learn for himself the meanings of "good and evil" by meeting each of the dôji himself. Dunstan later reveals that the Hundred Machine Funeral isn't a fight to the death, which most of the doji believed; they are instead supposed to try winning a Good/Evil doji over to their side within a time limit. The side  that has the most doji on it at the end of the time limit is the winner. Observing the contest for Dunstan is his own daughter. Characters. The major characters in "Ultimo" possess their own Karakuri Dôji, humanoid dolls each based on the Six Perfections or Seven Deadly Sins, good or evil respectively. Production. "Ultimo" was first announced as an unnamed work between Stan Lee, the co-creator of iconic superhero titles such as "Spider-Man" and "X-Men", and Hiroyuki Takei, the creator of "Shaman King". According to Stan Lee in an audio interview, he was called by Dream  Ranch and JEA who said that they wanted him to create a manga with them, and that it was to be published by Shueisha. Stan Lee stated that he has never made a comic about two robots of the same level of power, with one not being as heroic as the other. In conceptualizing "Ultimo", Stan Lee wanted to create something that both Japanese and American readers would enjoy. The first fully colorized picture of Vice and Ultimo was released on the "Jump Square" website on April 4, 2008. The pilot chapter was finally finished and published in "Jump SQ . II". On the same day as the release, Viz hosted a press event in the "Shonen Jump" panel, attended by Stan Lee, Takanori Asada ("Jump Square" editor), and Marc Weidenbaum ("Shonen Jump" editor-in-chief) at the 2008 New York Comic Con. Two promotional art pieces by Hiroyuki Takei were created, one with Ultimo and the other with Dr. Dunstan both including the manga's logo. "I'm so happy that we can work with such a great creator as Stan Lee. I am so happy that two great actors are working together, and I know that "Ultimo" will be  a great work," said Takanori Asada at the press event. Manga. The 32-page pilot chapter "Karakuri Dôji Ultimo Chapter: 0" premiered in the first issue of "Jump SQ.II" on April 18, 2008, with the first three pages in full color. The first three pages were earlier revealed as part of a preview for "Jump SQ. II" on Shueisha's S-Manga.Net. "Chapter: 0" was later adapted into English by Viz Media, and published in the September 2008 issue of their "Shonen Jump" manga anthology, which went on sale on August 5, 2008. The main series "Ultimo" continued publication  in the main "Jump Square" anthology, beginning serialization in its March 2009 issue. Viz Media has licensed the series for North American distribution in "Shonen Jump", and it was serialized starting in its July 2009 issue. Reception. The English translation of the "Ultimo" pilot chapter was reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux of Comic Book Bin. "This prologue of "Ultimo" doesn’t really offer enough to evaluate it, except to say that the dialogue and exposition are awkward and clunky enough to seem like the work of an amateur rather than a seasoned veteran" said Leroy Douresseaux. Leroy referred to "Ultimo" as  a blend of mecha manga, "Dragon Ball", and "Green Lantern". "I’m too intrigued to be disappointed by what I read. Stan Lee’s best work was created when he riffed off unique and powerfully imaginative creators (Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko), so I’m curious to see what this combo of Lee and a manga-ka like Takei can do."