The Ultimates by Deniz Camp vol. 3: Rescue Mission

Vol. 2 ended with the titular team recognizing that their efforts to save the world by bludgeoning the threats embedded in it wasn’t working.  What they needed to do was to give inside of it the knowledge and strength to rise up and save themselves.  Which is exactly what they do by establishing a worldwide Ultimates network to inform people about the true nature of their world and set them up with the tasks necessary to take it back.  That’s not to say that there’s nothing for them to hit anymore as Cap and Hawkeye take on a Roxxon refinery only to find themselves up against some of the most deadly child soldiers around, or when Iron Lad, She-Hulk, and Giant-Man go after a kid who might be a reincarnated martial-arts messiah.  The question is whether this will all be enough when the walls around The Maker’s prison come down and steps back into the world.

That rare moment of self-reflection in vol. 2’s ending actually did herald better things for this one.  Camp gives us a vision of The Ultimates as a force for social good and it’s actually kind of compelling to see it in action.  Mostly in the first, fourth, and sixth issues collected here as the writer zeroes in on the social effect of the team’s new plan and we get to see it from the ground up and inside out.  It gives the title a scope that it’s been lacking up to this point and that is definitely a good thing as the series heads into its climax with the next volume and “Ultimate Endgame.”

Still, it’d be nice to see Camp deliver a story in this universe that actually upended my expectations or delivered an Ultimate-style reinvention that the universe’s previous iteration did so well on a regular basis.  That remains true here with lacklustre or barely changed versions of Emma Frost, Danny Rand, or Shang Chi.  We do get a follow-up to Doom’s spotlight issue from vol. 1, but that’s more interesting than genuinely involving.  This is all to say that while this third volume is the best one in its run yet, it still has yet to reach the quality of its previous incarnations.

But wait, there’s more!

Vol. 3 also collects the “Ultimate Hawkeye” one-shot which, after a brief intro from Camp and regular artist Juan Frigeri, gives us the Taboo and B. Earl-written and Michael Sta. Maria-illustrated story of Charli Ramsey going to an exclusive club to take down a corrupt senator, only to find something far worse waiting for them.  While the setup is good, and carried out well with solid art from Sta. Maria, it fumbles the end in a way that feels too clever while also being something of a downer.  I’ve felt that this version of Hawkeye is defined more by their sanctimony than anything else and their spotlight issue unfortunately didn’t really do anything to make me feel differently.