In this feature I explore the context behind (using reader danjack's term) "meta-messages." A meta-message is where a comic book creator comments on/references the work of another comic book/comic book creator (or sometimes even themselves) in their comic. Each time around, I'll give you the context behind one such "meta-message." Here is an archive of the past installments!

Today, we look at Warren Ellis and Stuart Immonen having a little fun with Mark Millar and Bryan Hitch's famous "You think this latter stands for France?" scene from Ultimates #12.

In the Ultimates #12 (by Mark Millar, Bryan Hitch and Paul Neary), Captain America is caught in pitched battle with an old Nazi nemesis of his, Herr Kleiser, who, as it turns out, was actually part of an alien takeover of Earth. The very strong alien and Cap had quite a battle, and it all came to a head late in the issue...

Like it or hate it, the moment was a very memorable moment at the time (and I'm a bit surprised that it didn't make our recent Most Memorable Moments countdown) and cut to JUST over three years later and Warren Ellis and Stuart Immonen addressed it in their satirical masterpiece, Nextwave.

Early in the ninth issue of the series (written by Ellis, penciled by Immonen with inks by Wade Von Grawbadger), we see the British monster hunter Elsa Bloodstone dressed in a new outfit...

That's the mutant Boom Boom that she is arguing with.

And then later, when the team is being attacked by a group of characters designed to be ersatz versions of the Avengers (from the pages of Not Brand Echh), we got the following…

Pretty darn funny.

As far as meta-messages go, this is a pretty tame one, as it wasn't like Ellis/Immonen were really trying to criticize Millar, exactly - just parody his memorable moment.

If you readers at home have a suggestion for a future Meta-Messages, feel free to drop me a line at bcronin@comicbookresources.com