Ultimate Endgame didn’t get off to the hottest of starts. Especially after more than two years of build going into this big event there was so much more expected from Deniz Camp and the team. Under delivering is the last thing the final story of the Ultimate Universe needed to have. Not all is lost as there was some momentum created with The Maker turning himself into a literal city with a powerful army. Now it is about Camp and the team following up on the positive momentum that there is to create a story worthy of the name of this event. Let’s find out if that happens with Ultimate Endgame #2.
CREATIVE TEAM
Writer: Deniz Camp
Artist: Terry & Rachel Dodson and Jonas Sharf
Colorist: Terry Dodson and Edgar Delgado
Letterer: Cory Petit
ULTIMATE ENDGAMEN #2 SOLICITATION
“THE END HAS ONLY JUST BEGUN! The heroes of the Ultimate Universe – including Spider-Man, America Chavez, Killmonger and Doom – desperately search for a way to stop the Maker. Plus, Iron Lad makes a stunning and heartbreaking discovery that could change the fate of the entire Ultimate Universe forever. Don’t miss this pivotal chapter that will leave you reeling!” – Marvel Comics
REVIEW
Going through Ultimate Endgame #2 was a rare reading experience. Going through the experience there is this constant search to be hit with the feeling reading a big event. There is a vibe that is missing in this second issue that this is truly the Endgame of the Ultimate Universe. Rather the feeling that is generated is one that comes from a tie-in rather than the main series of a big event. With an event that had more than a two year build this is not the feeling that should be generated.
Tony Stark Ultimate Time Waster
The tone with everything that goes wrong for the story presented in Ultimate Endgame #2 falls on the story inside the dome. Deniz Camp sets the tone of what to expect from this part of the story. And that tone is that we are going to be spending a lot of time somewhere where only minutes pass in the outside “real” world months are going by.
While there is certainly in an interesting narrative to this set-up Camp fails to tap into that potential. This revelation should be something that added even greater urgency for all the heroes inside The Maker’s dome. Instead what we get is Ultimate Tony Stark working out his daddy issues. The story gets so lost with why Tony’s dad has become this crazed guy who doesn’t remember his son that it loses the genuine plot.
The focus on Ultimate Tony Stark’s relationship with his father is so big Camp clearly ran out of time to focus on Spider-Man, America Chavez, and Doctor Doom. He was way to lost in the sauce of the Stark family drama to have the other heroes serve an important perspective. That is one of the urgency there was needed to have with stopping The Maker, something that felt was secondary to the Stark family drama.
Ultimate Universe Version of Sportcenter Highlights
Not helping the narrative inside the dome was what was happening in the rest of the Ultimate Universe. Rather than showing this intense war for survival as the Ultimates and their allies fight The Maker’s Council we get a bunch of highlights.
Making these highlights approach worse is that we barely get to see any of the heroes. The only one that actually gets time is Killmonger. While it is great to see Ultimate Black Panther and Killmonger involved, it seemed like Camp couldn’t be bothered to show the Ultimates or their allies. Because if he did that it would give away the story he is telling in The Ultimates series in the tie-ins.
It certainly does not help that Camp’s approach to showing us the outside world was to utilize forum style posts in place of inner monologue. It is a forced approach in an attempt to mask the fact we aren’t truly seeing how the heroes are dealing with The Maker’s Council. The approach also leads to not at all feeling the passing of time, which should’ve been an important narrative to compliment the stuff going inside the dome.
The Maker’s Council is Non-Existent
The Ultimate Universe heroes are not the only ones that look bad. The Maker’s Council are almost non-existent in this issue. The only brief shot we get of any member is what looks to be one shot of the Ultimate Hulk. Besides that we got a very brief mention of Ultimate Magik from Tony Stark. And that is the extent of The Maker’s Council’s presence in this story.
After spending two years building up how important the Council was important to keeping The Maker’s presence in the Ultimate Universe this is a major drop of the ball by Camp. It seems that Camp is holding things back because he needs content of his tie-in stories in The Ultimates.
Giving off the feeling that you are holding things back is the last thing a big event needs. Especially with this series titled Ultimate Endgame you need every major playing some sort of role. This is the big showcase of what’s happened in the Ultimate Universe. To hold things back is a failure in the storytelling.
Artwork Lack Big Event Punch
Ultimate Endgame #2 also suffers from having multiple artists doing the artwork. Terry & Rachel Dodson and Jonas Sharf & Edgar Delgado are two talent art teams. The problem is that their artwork does not compliment one another. They are starkly different art styles that when the switches happen it halts all momentum.
Having two art teams work on this comic book also gives off the feeling that Ultimate Endgame is a rushed event. That should not be the case for an event more than two years in the making. The artwork needs to reflect that build with some of the best artwork Marvel can have in a comic book. But in having two art teams it causes the reader to see where the team’s may have rushed or not put as much detail into the artwork.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Ultimate Endgame #2 is a massive dropping of a ball. Deniz Camp and co. craft a narrative that felt like we were wasting time rather than moving things forward. From the writing to the artwork, that happens at every level of this story. It gets to the point where it feels like things are being held back for tie-ins to this event. That results in a comic book that fails to live up to its title of Ultimate Endgame.
Story Rating: 2 Night Girls out of 10
Art Rating: 5 Night Girls out of 10
Overall Rating: 3.5 Night Girls out of 10
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