Marvel has plans to replace the Marvel Universe with their ever popular Ultimate line. This is a bad move on Marvel\'s part. The story first broke on CBR\'s column \"Lying In the Gutters\" http://www.comicbookresources.com/columns/index.cgicolumn=litg&article=1359 ULTIMATISING THE MARVEL UNIVERSE When asked about last week\'s LITG story, that Marvel plan to Ultimatise all their line in the near future, Mark Millar posted on Millarworld \"As for Marvel going Ultimate, I\'m afraid you may THINK that, dear boy, but I couldn\'t possibly COMMENT. Let\'s just say the \'Ultimate\' line was very far-sighted when it was created.\" One of the reasons being given for the Ultimatisation of the Marvel Universe is sales. Now, while \"New X-Men\" and \"Amazing Spider-Man\" outsell their \"Ultimate\" counterparts in the traditional direct market, there\'s another direct market that has slowly started to emerge. The expansive chain store Wal-Mart has a deal with Marvel comics to order their \"Ultimate\" titles, non-returnable to the tune of a million a month between them. And while that weights towards \"Ultimate Spider-Man\" and \"Ultimate X-Men,\" that still adds hundreds and thousand of guaranteed sales. And they seem to stock them by the action figures and toys rather than by the books and magazines - guaranteed to get them in front of kids. Now, it\'s clear that Wal-Mart must have got a hell of a deal in order to make such a commitment, allegedly up into 2004. And anecdotal reports indicate that sell-through isn\'t great. But if both Marvel and Wal-Mart are making a profit, and pushing a certain product line to \"civilian\" customers, everybody wins. But they only want the \"Ultimate\" line. One of our first gutterati, known only as Gatozhian, tells me \"The \"Ultimatisation\" of the Marvel line is a done deal from what I hear, but not till late 2003. Something about fulfilling agreements. And New X-Men #150 is the end of it all.\" He reports that the unmasking trend at Marvel may well continue, and to keep a close eye on the upcoming \"Spider-Man 50.\" It is all rumor at this point, but there must me some truth to it. Comic fans across the globe need to make stand and stop it before it happens. If it does happen I will be as will a lot of comic fans being buying a lot less Marvel. Please sign my petition to save the Marvel Universe from Ultimatization. I plan on sending it to the powers that be at Marvel on 12/01/02, so let\'s make a stand together