• Written by: Deniz Camp
• Art by: Juan Frigeri
• Colors by: Federico Blee
• Letters by: VC’s Travis Lanham
• Cover art by: Dike Ruan, Neeraj Menon
• Cover price: $4.99
• Release date: December 4, 2024

The Ultimates #7, by Marvel Comics on 12/4/24, finds the fractured Ultimate Avengers weighing their options after their defeat at the hands of Ultimate Hulk.

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Is The Ultimates #7 Good?

First Impressions

My friend, do you know what a soapbox is? I’ve used the phrase multiple times in the past. Still, if you’re not familiar with the word, a soapbox is a crate people would place in a public setting to raise themselves above the crowd to deliver an impromptu speech, usually in the realm of politics or religion. When someone is “standing on their soapbox,” the phrase describes a negative situation because it means the creator raised himself above you to lecture down to you, and the impromptu lecture is presented when you didn’t ask for it. The Ultimates #7 is Deniz Camp’s soapbox.

Recap

When last we left the Ultimate Avengers in The Ultimates #6, the team assembled for their first big mission – a rescue of supers held by the Maker’s Council. Their stealth mission failed when there were no hostages to be found. Instead, the Ultimate Hulk, who possesses the power of the Iron Fist, was waiting for them. The ensuing fight left several Avengers injured and Iron Lad dead… maybe.

Plot Synopsis

In The Ultimates #7, the Ultimate Avengers lay low after their defeat at the hands of Ultimate Hulk. The issue follows each Avenger, either in pairs or solo, to find out what’s occupying their time while they figure out how to proceed next. The issue takes place on the Memorial Anniversary of the attack on NYC, which took place in Ultimate Invasion #4 as a smokescreen to turn public opinion against Iron Lad, away from the Maker and his Council.

Steve Rogers, aka Captain America, and Jim Hammond, aka The (original) Human Torch, head to a real NYC landmark, McCorely’s Old Ale House. Along the way, Jim encourages Steve to step into the leadership role now that Tony is gone. When they reach the pub, they talk of changing times and punching Nazis. On television, Father Matt Murdock gives a speech at the Memorial about the evil of holding onto an ideology that fosters hate.

Meanwhile, Hank Pym and Janet Van Dyne attend the Memorial in person with their best efforts to blend into the crowd. Hank has growing reservations about his role on the team because people have died, directly or indirectly, through the team’s actions. Hank doesn’t clarify whose death he’s mourning, but Janet supports his feelings of grief as they continue to listen to Father Murdock’s speech of love overcoming hate and the shouts from the crowd in response.

Elsewhere, Ultimate Hawkeye breaks into an Oscorp Defense warehouse and blows it up. No explanation was given as to how Hawkeye found the warehouse, why Hawkeye blew it up, or how many innocent personnel died as a result.

The issue then switches to America Chavez as she intervenes between a group of protestors and armored police. America melts the armor on the police officer’s bodies, trapping them and possibly killing them. She then asks the protestors to peacefully sit in the grass while she explains The Ultimates are here for a better world as long as everyone believes in the same world she wants. She then magically transports all the protestors back to their homes.

The issue ends with Sif and Thor traveling the nine realms to gather an army to face All-Father Loki and Doom explaining why he can’t send Ultimate She-Hulk back to her island without bringing down the wrath of Ultimate Hulk on her people. The last panel reveals what became of Iron Lad.

What’s great about The Ultimates #7?

If you love slice-of-life, soap opera storytelling with more than a sliver of soapbox preaching, this one’s for you. Truly, this issue amounts to little more than a day in the life of each team member, so if that’s your cup of tea, you’re going to love it.

What’s not great about The Ultimates #7?

It’s super clear Deniz Camp is trying to make a point about some real-world sociopolitical scenario, even if the specifics are too vague to pin it down to any one thing. From the painful divide between American political parties to the ongoing conflicts in the Middle East and Eastern Europe, Camp is taking all the rhetoric associated with one side or the other, stuffing it into a blender labeled the Activist-o-Matic 3000, and dumping it on the page. If you don’t like soapboxing, you won’t like this issue.

Also, consistent with practically every other Ultimates title since the line was relaunched last year, the plot goes nowhere. We learn nothing about the Maker’s Council that could help or hurt the heroes. There are no follow-ups to the fight against the Ultimate Hulk. There is no progress towards the Maker’s return in about a year in real-time. If you don’t like slice-of-life storytelling or treading water, you won’t like this issue.

How’s the Art?

Juan Frigeri is giving you everything he’s got with panel layouts that transition from one scene to the next with grace and fluidity. The majority of the issue depicts the players sitting or standing and talking, so there’s not much to see, but Frigeri deserves a bonus for making a dialog-heavy issue look good.

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About The Reviewer: Gabriel Hernandez is the Publisher & EIC of ComicalOpinions.com, a comics review site dedicated to indie, small, and mid-sized publishers.

Follow @ComicalOpinions on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter

Final Thoughts

The Ultimates #7 presents a day in the life of the Ultimate Avengers after their defeat at the hands of the Ultimate Hulk. Deniz Camp’s script goes nowhere and accomplishes nothing except to give a voice to the heroes to express their feelings, while Camp uses the backdrop of the NYC Memorial as an opportunity to preach about hate and intolerance. If nothing else, Juan Frigeri’s art looks fantastic, even if the issue is almost all dialog.

5/10

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