Overall, Ultimates #11 is a fantastic installment that expands the scope of the series and introduces a compelling new element to the fight against the Maker. The Asgardian setting provides a rich backdrop for action and intrigue, and the surprising new ally promises exciting developments to come. This issue solidifies Ultimates as a must-read title in the current Marvel landscape. Read Full Review

I guess I wasn't the only one wondering: what of Asgard? All we know so far, was that The Maker made a deal with Loki for him to rule instead of Odin and maybe stay away from Midgard. Simple, but Occam's Razor suggests, that maybe in fact it was that simple for the two gods to come to an agreement. Oh, but it anything but simple for the rest of the 9 realms. With Odin out of the way and Thor locked up, Loki had free reign to rule as he saw fit. Unlike its 616 counterparts, this Loki had not had no reservation, no space for goodness, pranks nor any slight of goodness in his icy heart. There is no ambition other than ruling king. For that, what's a few deals and compromises here and there? If Loki's heart was to be fulfilled, deal was to be made and kept.

What we have here is an epic, the poem of Ultimate Asgard. In the same vein Norse mythology was passed down from generation to generation, someone recited the story of Asgard to us the readers. Pretty clever and conceptual might I say. Thor and Sir managed to broker a deal with Brokk and Eitri, the dwarfs from Nidavellir, for an invisible cloak so they could travel the realms undetected. Not to break in and fight necessarily, but to spy and witness what became of the realms under Loki's rule.

They visited Asgard, where the citizen's life force was at Loki's mercy. They visited Valhalla, the realm where warriors go to after falling in battle. To everyone's surprise Hella was in charge of this place. When they visited Alfheim, land of the Elves, the birthplace of creativity and art, was now a place of "content creation". A grim place lacking all things fan, creative and life. Surprisingly, when they visited Vanaheim, the realm of the Vanir, this realm and his people had been left alone for the most part. As long as they stay put, quiet and abide by Loki's rule, they were left alone. Sadly, they weren't willing to risk their more privileged arrangement, when in comparison to the other realms.

Thor and Sif, after becoming one, physically and poetically, they had enough of this status quo. Thor broke away in Sif's rest and wreak ultimate judgement on Jotunheim. Sir on her part, visited Loki's throne and freed Idunn and her golden apples from the chains that kept her next to the throne in Loki's court. These, maybe reckless actions, ignited a resistance to unite and gather with Sif and Thor in Niffleheim. In response to these aggressions, Loki assembled his forces, tighten his grip on the realms by amping the oppression on all the realms. The final action by Thor, which is basically a page taken from "Thor Disassembled", he makes a deal with Surtur, bringer of Ragnarök, to burn it all down. The same tactic if you think about it. Asgard and the people from the different realms are beyond saving. So, we'll set it all ablaze, with the hopes that it can be raised anew. If this isn't an epic, I don't know what it is.

Props to Juan Frigeri the artist and Federico Blee. They made this book looked incredibly compelling. more