Ultimate X-Men #1 is way more like a horror manga than a traditional superhero comic
Mar. 6, 2024Peach Momoko’s Ultimate X-Men pushes the mutant franchise in a totally different direction
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
Ultimate X-Men #1is here, launching the third title of the new Ultimate Universe. But unlikeUltimate Spider-ManandUltimate Black Panther, which remix familiar characters and concepts into new but still very recognizable incarnations, Ultimate X-Men is just about as disconnected from the mainstream Marvel X-Men as it gets.
Whether that’s a good thing in the long run has yet to be seen, but Ultimate X-Men #1 is already representative of the other side of the Ultimate coin, where familiar Marvel characters can be reinvented in totally new and unexpected ways that challenge fan expectations.
Light spoilers ahead for Ultimate X-Men #1
Rather than being about a straightforward mutant awakening, Ultimate X-Men #1 focuses on Hisako getting pulled deeper and deeper into a tragic mystery involving the students at her school, right down to a ghostly encounter with a mysterious being who seems to know much more than she does about who she is. There aren’t any other known mutants in the book (yet), and we still don’t know who’s going to show up in future issues aside from new characterMaystorm.
On the surface, this is nothing like most mainstreamX-Men comics, and unlike the new Ultimate Universe’s other offerings we’ve seen, Ultimate X-Men seems far less concerned with appealing directly to longtime X-Men readers, instead offering up a new concept that could take the mutants of the new Ultimate Universe in a totally different direction.
Still, that doesn’t mean there’s no connective tissue at all. At its heart, Ultimate X-Men #1 is still a story about alienation, discovering your hidden truth, and finding your way in a world that may fear and despise you.
For the rest, there’s still plenty of time for more outwardly X-Men related elements to come into the title. And while we wait, Peach Momoko is telling a spooky, supernatural tale that highlights her gorgeous painterly art while building a bigger mystery.
Get the best comic news, insights, opinions, analysis and more!
Ultimate X-Men #2 goes on sale April 10.
Stay up to date on all thenew X-Men comicsMarvel has planned for release.
Deadpool and Wolverine reunite for a bloodthirsty tour of Madripoor in the print edition of the Marvel Unlimited Infinity Comic Slash ‘em Up!
Avengers #21 sends the team to a surprising conflict with the X-Men, which sets the stage for a whole new era for Marvel’s two biggest teams
Get hundreds of hours of RPG goodness for $30 with this bundle of 8 games that includes the first two Baldur’s Gate games, which are absolutely worth playing
