- 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: April 9, 2025
The Ultimates #11, by Marvel on 4/9/25, follows Thor and Sif as they travel the nine realms to enlist help in their bid to overthrow All-Father Loki.
Is The Ultimates #11 Good?
Recap
When last we left Earth-6160’s nascent Avengers in The Ultimates #10, Captain America led the team to infiltrate and massacre a gated community populated by the fascist group known as the Red Skulls. Why? To retrieve the long-dead body of former Captain America ally Namor. When Cap, Human Torch, and their teammates slaughtered the Red Skulls, Doom used the disruption to wipe out the online presence and assets of the Red Skulls and their leader (Bucky Barnes) in the form of Ultimate Canceling. The issue ended with an overdue burial at sea.
Plot Synopsis
In The Ultimates #11, Thor and Sif begin their recruiting campaign around the nine realms to gather an army. Why? To overthrow All-Father Loki and his destructive rule.
The story is told as an “epic” poem, using a mix of narration in verse structure, Olde English-sounding phrasing, and modern vernacular.
Thor and Sif begin in Nidavellir, where the Craftsman Dwarves have been indentured into factory workers. Our heroes secretly approach two former craftsmen to create invisibility cloaks to aid the quest. Meanwhile, Loki has become fat and complacent on the throne of Asgard. He withholds the immortal apples that would restore his fellow Asgardians, keeping the special fruit for himself.
Now invisible, Sif and Thor visit Valhalla, where Hela has taken command of the great hall with her dead army. Hela received the great hall in exchange for helping Loki take the throne.
Next, our heroes visit Alfheim, where the Light Elves, sources of inspiration for stories and imagination, have been indentured into becoming “content creators.” They churn out boilerplate drivel for the masses under the watchful eye of content moderators and censorship judges.
Soon, the heroes visit Vanaheim, where the growers and farmers work the soil to bring life, beauty, and food to the realms. Loki has left Vanaheim alone so far, so they don’t wish to get involved in the fight. After visiting so many realms with little success, Sif and Thor begin a romantic relationship.
The issue then flips back and forth in time as Thor visits Surtur to strike a deal that’s not entirely clear, and Sif frees the Immortal apples from Asgard while Loki races to address Thor’s solo attack on Jotunheim, Loki’s home realm. The issue ends with the first sparks of rebellion taking shape in Niffleheim while Loki escalates his oppression of all realms out of revenge for the attacks. The final scene depicts Iron Lad ordering Doom to explain a picture showing the Ultimate Hulk killing everyone on his team.
First Impressions
The Ultimates #11 is a slog to get through. Truly, I almost closed it up after page two. Why? Because Deniz Camp’s experimental attempt at telling a Thor story in an “epic poem” format, intermixed with Camp’s obligatory messaging about social ills, is clunky to read, annoying to make sense of, and ultimately (*heh*) doesn’t accomplish much except set up the beginning of a rebellion. Is it worth the painful reading experience and $4.99 cover price? For most readers, probably not.
How’s the Art?
The saving grace of this issue is Juan Frigeri’s art. In the very brief moments of drama and energy, Frigeri gives readers unique visions of realms in states of disrepair. Every page is a splash page, so you know you’re getting a fully realized artistic experience, and it’s (almost) worth the cover price.
What’s great about The Ultimates #11?
Readers who are fans of the Ultimate line and were wondering what’s up with Thor can wonder no longer. Deniz Camp gives readers an (almost) all-Thor issue and a walking tour of the realms to show how the Maker’s influence and favor have thrown the traditional order of things into disarray. The concept is interesting.
What’s not great about The Ultimates #11?
The concept is interesting, but the execution is not. Deniz Camp just can’t seem to get out of his own way by using what should be the core title in the Ultimates line as his personal playground to spout his personal socio-political views and play with narrative structures in non-traditional ways. There’s nothing wrong with trying something different, but Camp’s personal gratification shouldn’t come at the expense of the stability of the title.
The Ultimates is the throughline that guides all adjacent Ultimate titles to the eventual goal of the Maker’s return in seven months. How do you get Ultimate Spider-Man, Ultimate Black Panther, and the rest of the solo titles to converge at a point led by the Ultimates if everyone stops reading the Ultimates? If Marvel leadership is invested in making the Ultimate line an unqualified success, they need Camp to improve with firmer editorial oversight or get him off the title.
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 #11 is a pretty book that’s an Absolute chore to get through. Deniz Camp experiments with the narrative format by telling the story in epic poem verses, infusing social messaging about Loki’s oppressive rule as an allegory for everything from worker mistreatment to artistic censorship. If that sounds like the exact opposite of entertaining, you are correct. Bonus points for Juan Frigeri’s fantastic art.
4.5/10
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