cover ideas, he knew the cover needed to "show that Pearl was this icon – everyone knew her". He based the design on Time magazine because it was "such a great fit". Later issues continued the theme by parodying other popular magazines like Rolling Stone, Maxim, and Vogue. The Lunas expanded on the magazine theme by including fake advertisements and mock-interviews with various characters in the book styled after the magazine being parodied. Publication The first issue was released August 11, 2004. Retailers ordered over 8,000 copies, making the issue the 171st most ordered comic for the month. These numbers happily surprised the Lunas because they were not known creators. When the final issue was released in March 2005, orders had fallen but were still close to the 8,000 mark, which is a significantly lower drop than the industry average. In May 2005, the miniseries was collected in one paperback volume. A limited hardcover edition with a print run of 300 was released at the same time, and those sold quickly. A second printing of the paperback was later released with an alternate cover design. In September 2011, a deluxe hardcover was released in an oversized format with a slipcase. Fans of Ultra were open about liking it and sent a significant amount of correspondence to Image and the Luna Brothers. The series was intended as a finite story, but its success prompted Image to ask the creators to continue the story. Instead, they chose to move on to a different project, Girls, which began in May 2005. Plot summary In Spring City, Pearl Penalosa is one of several superheroes. Most superheroes, including Pearl, have public identities and are treated like celebrities. They have agents, product endorsements, and a bureaucracy that schedules their working shifts to ensure proper coverage. Because she has been single for five years after a public relationship with popular superhero Captain Steel, she has been adopted as a model of abstinence. Partly because of this image, Pearl has been nominated for "Best Heroine of the Year" in the 77th annual Superhero Awards. On Thursday night, one week before the award ceremony, Pearl is out with her friends and fellow superheroes Olivia Arancina and Jennifer Janus. At Olivia’s insistence, the three women visit a fortune teller who tells them that within seven days, Jennifer will "receive what she has given" and Pearl will "find true love". The