- Written by: Deniz Camp
- Art by: Juan Frigeri
- Colors by: Federico Blee
- Letters by: VC’s Travis Lanham
- Cover art by: Dike Ruan, Neraj Menon (cover A)
- Cover price: $4.99
- Release date: November 6, 2024
The Ultimates #6, by Marvel Comics on 11/6/24, assembles the Ultimate Avengers for their first big mission together as a complete team tasked with rescuing powered individuals held captive by the Maker’s Council.
Is The Ultimates #6Good?
If nothing else, The Ultimates #6 may be Deniz Camp’s best book of the series and one of the more thrilling Ultimates-related issues since Jonathan Hickman restarted the universe nearly a year ago. Why? For one simple reason. The heroes get a challenge they can’t easily overcome from a compelling villain. Sometimes, keeping it simple is all it takes to turn your fortunes around. Is The Ultimates #6 a perfect comic? No, it has a few rough spots, but this is the best of the series by a long shot.
When last we left Earth-6160’s fledgling Avengers in The Ultimates #5, Captain America was tasked with recovering the advanced costume and weaponry Iron Lad created for Hawkeye after Clint Barton chose not to take up the mantle. Instead, the armor and weapons were found and donned by an Indigenous person who chose to commit acts of terror against Roxxon facilities around the American Southwest. Therefore, Cap thought the terrorist would be a great addition to the team. Never change, modern Marvel. Never change.
In The Ultimates #6, Iron Lad assembles the Avengers outside a Damage Control black site to rescue a collective of powered humans the Maker’s Council imprisoned. Their mission? Get in, rescue the hostages, and get out with as little effort as possible. There’s just one problem. When Iron Lad blasts into the holding facility, there are no captives.
Deniz Camp begins the issue with one of the few rough spots and a chronic problem we’ve seen in other issues in this series. Camp gives readers very little setup to explain how the Avengers came to choose this mission with so little information. For one of the world’s smartest men, Iron Lad isn’t terribly thorough in his planning, which is to say Deniz Camp does know how to write one of the smartest men in the world.
When the Avengers blast through the fortified door, they find themselves in an open-air arena of K’un-Lun, and the Hulk is peacefully waiting for them. Not only is the Ultimate Hulk the strongest there is but he’s also mastered all forms of mysticism and martial arts associated with the Iron Fist. Now, Hulk invites the Avengers to drink poisoned tea to enjoy a peaceful death or risk their end the hard way.
Now, we’re cooking with Gamma radiation. We’ve seen brief scenes with Ultimate Hulk since the Ultimate line was restarted, but this is his moment in the spotlight. Camp presents a cruel yet quiet Hulk who is a master of quiet strength. Combine the physical presence of the original Hulk with the formidable personality of the Kingpin, and that gets you in the right ballpark.
The doorway magically seals behind the Avengers. Without an obvious path to escape Hulk’s trap, they have no choice but to fight. Unfortunately, Hulk is not alone. He has a cadre of spiritual disciples with him, and they each inject themselves with Hulk-out serum to turn them into a team of Hulk-strong martial arts masters.
The issue concludes with a brutal fight that ends with deaths on both sides.
Overall, The Ultimates #6 goes, as the kids these days say, hard. The Hulk is the most intimidating and charismatic villain to show up in the entire Ultimates line this year, and the fight is surprisingly gripping. If Deniz Camp had put this much oomph into the series from the beginning, it wouldn’t be floundering.
What’s great about The Ultimates #6?
There’s a lot to like in this issue. The character work is solid, specifically and particularly in the Hulk, and the outcome of the issue is the type of hard-hitting drama Marvel fans have been sorely missing. Again, the rough spots take off the shine, but the positives outweigh the negatives.
What’s not great about The Ultimates #6?
Deniz Camp really has a tough time getting the issues started, from the clunky execution to the chronically absent context and setup. Yes. Sure. Iron Lad throws some exposition at the reader to provide just enough context to set the stage, but Iron Lad’s explanation is too meager to make it seem like the Avengers have their act together. The issue almost starts as if Deniz Camp begins with an improv class prompt and just starts running.
How’s the Art?
Juan Frigeri flexes big action muscles in this issue with an extended fight looks amazing. As a bonus, there are a few moments of gore that come close to Red Band territory, so the fight is meaningful and has consequences.
About The Reviewer: Gabriel Hernandez is the Publisher & EIC of ComicalOpinions.com, a comics review site dedicated to indie, small, and mid-sized publishers.
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Final Thoughts
The Ultimates #6 may be the best issue in the series when Deniz Camp assembles the Ultimate Avengers for their first big mission, and they get their butts handed to them. Despite the poor setup, the issue flies with power and energy once the big door opens, and artist Juan Frigeri looks like he’s having a blast with the big hits and surprising amount of gore.
8/10
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