“This goes on (and on)
And on (and on)
And on (and on)
And on (and on)
And on (and on)
And on (and on)
And on (and on)
And on” Nine Inch Nails- “Beside You in Time”

The Ultimates have been figuring out their next move after the Hulk critically injuring Iron Lad. Picking up a strange signal in time, Doom sends the team out to the middle of nowhere to see if it could be from the Council and, even worse, the Maker returning. However, the Guardians of the Galaxy, the protectors of a lost future, have traveled to the past to recruit a lost member. America Chavez, the cosmic powerhouse of the Ultimates, must make a choice that will define the present and what might come after that. Deniz Camp and Juan Frigeri reveal what happened to America Chavez and a potential future unaffected by the Maker in The Ultimates #8.

Expanding the cosmic history of Earth 6160, Camp further demonstrates the notion of a world unfairly forced to take a different path and ripped away from not only our clutches but from its descendants by introducing the Guardians of the Galaxy from the 61st century and America’s connection to them. Taking a page from the original Guardians, this team interaction presents the more significant impact of the Maker’s tinkering by having their future erased and perverted. Especially with the future achieving peace and moving to a utopia, the cruel grasp of the Maker makes this change even worse. The crisis of the Ultimate universe does not strictly bind itself to the present on Earth but beyond space and time throughout the galaxy. 

The theme of saving the future, even if it seems impossible, comes up again when it reveals how America lost her memories of her past life in the future. Stranded in the present, she chooses to stay and fight with the Ultimates since that life is no longer hers. She has found a new purpose and camaraderie with the Ultimates and aims to continue the goal of saving everything with them. Even if that was her future and her life with the Guardians of the Galaxy and Captain Marvel, she has made peace with her past and found a new purpose. The feeling that your life, especially a better one, is ripped away from you can cause many reactions, such as fear, despair, or hopelessness. Yet that emotion can be softened or more manageable when you are not alone. 

The idea of fate and destiny reappears when Star-Lord confronts Doom about how different he is from the Doom he knew. Doom constantly stands on the razor’s edge, believing he is the monster Maker created compared to who he wants to be. Are we doomed to follow the cycle that everyone expects to be in and be damned, or can we ever be free? While it would be easy for us to accept our lives and believe that we cannot do anything necessary to make a change, it would be better to take action instead of nothing. 

Frigeri’s art, paired with colorist Frederico Blee and letterer VC’s Travis Lanham, creates a visually engaging issue. I love the designs of the new Guardians of the Galaxy members and the sci-fi future we get glimpses of. They all make the world feel engaging and lived in. Also, their depiction of the future contrasts with the idealized world compared to their current timeline.

As I write this year, 2025 has arrived, and another year has passed. Often, you can feel overwhelmed by the future and how impossible it appears to change it, but once you stop fighting, that is when you lose. You cannot change the past but you can do the work to alter the future. 2024 has ended, and we have a whole new year to work towards.

Story: Deniz Camp: Art: Juan Frigeri
Color: Frederico Blee Letterer: VC’s Travis Lanham
Story: 9.8 Art: 9.8 Overall: 9.8 Recommendation: Read

Marvel provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

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