It’s extremely difficult to make a comic that feels like it’s of the moment. Despite the often repeated maxim that Marvel Comics represents the world outside your door, the fact of the matter of comic book publishing is that it takes months, if not years, to get a comic book out the window. So credit where it’s due: The Ultimates #10 — and really, the whole series so far — represents the world outside our windows, and is very much of the moment.
Written by Deniz Camp with art by Juan Frigeri, what this latest issue tackles is nothing less than the eternal prevalence of Fascism. Told through the eyes of the original android Human Torch, we see how his most treasured memory is burning Adolph Hitler to death. But by the end of the issue it’s clear that the spirit of Hitler is not just alive, it permeates every aspect of our lives in an unsettling and alarming way.
Spoilers past this point, but the bulk of the issue finds the team invading a compound held by the new version of the Red Skull. Not only has the Skull built an army of disenfranchised men, they’ve also coopted the symbol of The Punisher. White men who profess they feel stymied by society, and find solace in a paramilitary group powered by hatred? What could that have to do with what’s happening in America today, right?
To put a fine point on it, the mission is to rescue Namor, the Sub-Mariner, only to discover he’s been stuffed and mounted like a trophy on the wall. Namor, a half-human, half-Atlantean is exactly the sort of “mixed race” character that these Nü-fascists would rail against. And to further compound the whole thing, we discover that the Red Skull is actually the fifth person to hold that title. It’s hatred, passed down from generation to generation, just like in real life.
I won’t spoil the big twist at the end, but to contextualize it, it’s there to show how these fascist tendencies corrupt young men, and no amount of earnestness and ideals can prevent that. Fascism is real, it’s prevalent. You can burn Hitler, you can punch Nazis, but there’s no way of stamping it out entirely.
Still, the fight continues, and Camp and Frigeri are smart enough to know that. This book may be called The Ultimates, but it’s almost more about avenging than their regular-universe counterparts. It’s an alarming read, but a necessary one. Jack Kirby would be proud.
The Ultimates #10 Rating:
The Ultimates #10 Official Synopsis:
NAMOR AND THE RED SKULL! Captain America and the Human Torch lead a team to recruit their old comrade – Namor! But they’ll have to get through the Red Skull Gang first!
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