The Ultimates #10 Unveils What Happened to the Invaders
Every so often, I see a vehicle with a Punisher symbol. The white skull logo stares daggers into me whether I’m driving to work or viewing it on someone’s t-shirt or even paracord wristbands. Initially created by Gerry Conway, John Romita Sr., and Ross Andru in the 1970s as a critique of the failure of the justice system, Frank Castle and his iconography have been co-opted by the military, law enforcement, and hate groups as a positive where he is truly the only man willing to cross the line and do what it takes to get the job by whatever means necessary. The original context does not matter to them; they only care about the surface-level aesthetics and views that reinforce their messaging and beliefs. Like in the real world, Deniz Camp and Juan Frigeri examine how symbols transform and mutate in The Ultimates #10.
Previously established in issue 2, Earth 6160 Frank Castle existed in a similar capacity to the central universe as a gun-wielding vigilante evoking 1970s vigilante films like Death Wish, who committed multiple killings across NYC. Years later, after his death, the neo-nazi group called the Red Skulls would capitalize on his methods and iconography to make their movement more “marketable” to outsiders. While the Punisher may have committed mass murder, he “cleaned up the streets” and “got rid of the filth,” making him an appealing figure ripe for the taking. The Red Skulls do not care about whether or not Castle would have killed Nazis; all that matters to them as fascists are the surface-level aesthetics of his actions that they can appropriate and warp, and use to justify their behavior. Strip away the aspects that you do not agree with and craft a new symbol with the beliefs and ideology you want it to enforce. Fascism stands as an incoherent and contradictory reactionary ideology that does not care about having a true solid base below its aesthetics.
Steve Rogers and Jim Hammond, two of the original Invaders from World War II, are symbols from a previous time who wrestle with their place in the modern world. The world they once knew was stripped away and exists as only a memory they hold on to. Especially for Jim, who has to manually sort and delete his old files to record new ones. Even for an advanced machine when he was built, he still has limitations such as limited memory and needs to decide what to keep and remove—Jim’s decision of how we record the past crafts a narrative that dictates what happened. If Steve serves as the symbol of the ideals of a country long gone, then Jim acts as a living recording of a past erased.
As for the remaining Invaders, they suffered horrific fates and fell out of history. Namor, the once majestic king of Atlantis, hangs as a dead catch of the day to the Red Skulls. Removed of his royalty and splendor, his corpse is a recruitment tool for the Red Skulls. Most shocking lies in the Bucky, who now serves as the group’s Grand Skull. We do not know what happened to him after Steve landed in the ice, let alone how he became the most recent leader of the group. One of Steve’s closest friends becoming the new symbol of the enemy he fought adds a great wrinkle to the conflict, and it will be fascinating to see how it gets resolved.
Opening on Hitler’s satisfying burning death by the Human Torch, Frigeri, colorist Federico Blee, and letterer VC’s Travis Lanham really get to showcase their artistic skills in this issue. Showcasing both blockbuster action and emotionally intimate moments, the artistic team nails the perfect visual vibes. Feeling extremely slick and modern, it has the necessary bombastic energy.
The Ultimates #10 showcases Camp and Frigeri’s talents for crafting a story that not only feels extremely relevant but is willing to dive into present topics and issues impacting our modern world, such as fascism and hate groups. As a result, it never feels dated or out of step but perfectly puts the finger on the pulse of what we are currently living through. Especially for a Big Two comic, this is highly commendable and hopefully widens the eyes of its readers to the roots of the issues surrounding us.
Story: Deniz Camp: Art: Juan Frigeri
Color: Frederico Blee Letterer: VC’s Travis Lanham
Story: 9.5 Art: 9.5 Overall: 9.5 Recommendation: Read
Marvel provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review
Purchase: Zeus Comics – Kindle
Before he lights up the silver screen and potentially offs some superheroes in Avengers: Infinity War, Thanos gets the Tales from the Crypt treatment in Thanos Annual #1 with the Cosmic Ghost Rider playing the role of Cryptkeeper and telling the story of the Mad Titan’s most demented deeds to a surprise audience. Cosmic Ghost Rider’s pitch black, Southern fried sense of humor keeps the story chugging along through different art styles and an all-star creative team featuring Kieron Gillen‘s return to the Marvel Universe and My Little Pony writer/artist Katie Cook telling a dark of story of fratricide, mass suicide, mass graves, and candy cane impalings.
Fairyland. In it, Katie Cook and let’s make this look as much like a cute kid’s cartoon as possible colorist Heather Breckle tell the story of Thanos visiting a planet inhabited by Adorales, who do whatever he wants. Of course, they worship him as a god and then start killing each other in twisted ways after Thanos makes a death threat towards them because they won’t stop bouncing all over him. The adorable style of Cook’s art allows her to get away with a lot more violence than the other more traditionally drawn stories in Thanos Annual and leads to some squicky moments with the Adorales’ lifeless bodies filling up the page. Luckily, Cook fills the story with some great asides from Thanos, who was not expecting this kind of situation just as much as the readers.