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Reviews

THE ULTIMATES #18 – Review

  • Written by: Deniz Camp
  • Art by: Juan Frigeri
  • Colors by: Juan Frigeri
  • Letters by: VC’s Travis Lanham
  • Cover art by: Dike Ruan, Neeraj Menon (cover A)
  • Cover price: $4.99
  • Release date: November 19, 2025

The Ultimates #18, by Marvel on 11/19/25, offers a revolution-themed romp with all the subtlety of a fire alarm test at five a.m., and this issue isn’t afraid to announce its impending upheaval loud, fast, and frequently.

First Impressions

It’s tough to be optimistic when page one opens with an exhausted Tony Stark monologuing to the world, hoping someone – anyone – is still listening. The emotional weight dissipates as the comic drowns its concept in exposition; even the opening splash feels like a presentation-montage from a franchise tired of its own premise. Disappointment intensifies as the series continues to substitute actual plot for vague promises of change.​

Recap

In the prior issue, Doom, formerly Reed Richards, grapples with existential despair and his rivalry with the Maker. He tries to resurrect his lost family with a reckless experiment, recruits civilians, and ultimately fails, haunted by the Maker’s legacy. Stark (Iron Lad) maintains the crumbling Ultimates alliance, fighting across timelines but finding only repetitive futility. Doom ends vowing to build a new Fantastic Four, his resolve battered but unbroken.​

Plot Analysis

The issue opens on Iron Lad (Tony Stark), leader of the Ultimates, as he transmits a “join the resistance” speech to every device on Earth, hoping to inspire mass revolution. He recounts the Maker’s engineered dystopia, the Council’s crimes, and the technocratic takeover, but most of these revelations are tied into montage scenes – flashbacks that hint at past action, never shown in detail.​

A parade of off-panel uprisings rolls by: civilians joining the fight, prisons liberated by Luke Cage, and unnamed “autonomous self-governing collectives” springing up overnight. Each instance is summarized rather than dramatized, relying on narration instead of earned storytelling. The heart of this issue beats in political rhetoric rather than any genuine dramatic escalation; the Maker’s impending return is referenced, but never built up with growing tension and stakes.​

Action arrives late and diffusely: battles are sketched in quick succession, heroes gather in the Triskelion, and conflicts in Times Square run parallel to dialogue-heavy scenes emphasizing forgiveness and redemption. Instead of building momentum, the comic opts for crusty montage sequences punctuated by group shots and motivational speeches. The finale leaves the reader with “ZERO MONTHS REMAINING” until the Maker returns. Yet, there’s a total lack of narrative build-up or emotional crescendo, making the advertised threat feel inert.​

Writing

Deniz Camp’s writing lumbers under the weight of his ambition, cramming exposition into dialogue like a suitcase packed for a year-long vacation. Pacing is erratic: scenes bounce between recap, rhetoric, and montage with precious little dramatic tension. Dialogue reads like a mission statement rather than organic conversation, sacrificing authenticity for scope.​

Art

Juan Frigeri’s lines offer moments of visual clarity amid the confusion, helping to differentiate characters when the script can’t. Compositions tend toward static group shots, with color palettes alternating between muted dystopian tones and occasional bursts of hopeful blue. Unfortunately, montage sequences sap the art’s dynamism. The best panels have no chance to breathe.​

Character Development

Motivations are telegraphed in speeches, not actions. Tony Stark’s drive is broadcast through monologues, but other team members barely register as individuals, appearing only when the script needs a symbol rather than a person. Growth and consistency stall: side characters are name-dropped like items on a checklist, and their hypothetically “relatable” struggles never get real panel-time.​

Originality & Concept Execution

The comic tries to deliver a fresh take on superhero resistance but wastes its potential by skipping buildup and relying heavily on off-panel events. The Maker’s threat remains theoretical: references replace development, leaving the concept feeling recycled rather than explosive.​

Positives

A handful of splash pages break through the haze, offering visual context for the dizzying scope of the Ultimates’ struggle; these moments almost capture the weight of revolution. The global broadcast conceit ties neatly into the larger Marvel universe, promising world-shaping consequences, even if that promise isn’t fully realized in this issue. Frigeri’s art occasionally pulls the story out of exposition mode and back into superheroic territory where it belongs.​

Negatives

The real villain is off-panel storytelling, with key uprisings and moments compressed into montage instead of developed on the page. Opportunities for tension and payoff are squandered: nearly every dramatic beat is summarized rather than dramatized, and any anticipation for the Maker’s return fizzles due to lack of buildup. Attempts at nuanced character arcs are abandoned for surface-level motivational speeches, reducing the cast to mouthpieces for the resistance cause and Camp’s political soapboxing.

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

The Scorecard

Writing Quality (Clarity & Pacing): [1/4]
Art Quality (Execution & Synergy): [2/4]
Value (Originality & Entertainment): [0.5/2]

Final Verdict

The Ultimates #18 makes a lot of noise but struggles to turn the racket into actual substance. If the measure of value is time spent versus story earned, this issue is content to trade genuine momentum for angry speeches and rushed montage. Save your cash for a comic that understands the meaning of “show, don’t tell,” unless you’re collecting social movements by the bundle.

3.5/10

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