Ultimate X-Men (2024)
| Ultimate X-Men | |
|---|---|
 Ultimate X-Men #8 | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| Format | Ongoing series |
| Genre |
|
| Publication date | March 2024 |
| Main character(s) | Ultimate X-Men |
| Creative team | |
| Created by | X-Men by Jack Kirby and Stan Lee |
| Written by | Peach Momoko |
| Artist(s) | Peach Momoko |
| Letterer(s) | Vc Travis Lanham |
| Editor(s) | Wilson Moss |
Ultimate X-Men is a reimagination of the X-Men in the Ultimate Universe, by Peach Momoko.
Editorial history
[edit]Ultimate X-Men by Peach Momoko is the third comic released in the Ultimate Universe line, alongside Ultimate Spider-Man and Ultimate Black Panther. It is a reimagination of the X-Men in general, and the Armor character in particular. The comic also introduces Maystorm, a character that Momoko designed for the variant cover of X-Men #27.[1] That cover was part of a larger project named "New Champions", which produced covers reflecting unexpected sidekicks of other superheroes as the recently created Spider-Boy; Maystorm was the first one to be used in an actual story, while the others would show up in the Spider-Woman comic.[2] Despite being an X-Men comic, the comic has very little in common with the usual products of the franchise. Momoko explained "My Ultimate X-Men isn't directly influenced by classic X-Men stories. I like to believe [Editor-in-Chief] C.B. [Beluski] and Jonathan Hickman chose me because they wanted something completely new and different, so I think sometimes no influences is a good thing".[3]
Plot
[edit]Hisako Ichiki attended Kirigaya Minami Middle School in Kirisaki City. She had a close friendship with her classmate Tsubasa, who gifted her an omamori depicting a person inside an armored figure. Unfortunately, Tsubasa was subjected to frequent bullying from both classmates and school staff, eventually committing suicide by hanging. This event led to her developing depression. She receives a note instructing her to go to the nearby temple shrine. There, she encountered a shadowy figure who returns the omamori that Tsubasa had previously given her and proceeded to blame her for Tsubasa's suicide before disappearing. Hisako rides her bike home and collides with a car, but is unharmed due to a psionic exoskeleton that resembled Tsubasa's omamori, seemingly manifested from herself. The local news reported the car crash the following day, but her identity remains unknown.[4]
Some days later Hisako is approached by a girl who recognizes her as the one from the car wreck. She introduces herself as Mei Igarashi. She had also met the shadowy figure and had a similar situation with a suicided teacher and a note to go to the lab of an abandoned school. Mei also has powers as she can summon winds.[5]
Nico Minoru, a fellow student, says that her parents are psychic, and that the two girls are mutants.[6]
Hisako and Mei accidentally used their powers on the street, which gets filmed by someone nearby and turns into a viral video. Despite Mei working to disable the other phones with lightning, the footage later gets uploaded on the phone of Noriko Ashida a few days later.[7]
Nico tells Mei about the rumors and urban legends regarding the term "Mutant", that a few are cultists who declare themselves superior to the human race and the next step of evolution. Mei suggests that the girls form a team to investigate the cult, which is rumored to be covertly researching their powers and performing blood rituals to trigger them. They settle on the name of "X-Men" inspired jokingly by their bad grades.[8]
Hisako, Mei, and Nico are later attacked by the shadowy figure as their friend Natsu recognizes him as Shinobu Kageyama as the three girls go on the defense. After Hisako's armored appearance grabs Kageyama's shadow, Kageyama feels it from his house as his mother plans to take him to see Maester. As Kageyama gets nursed back to health, Maester is revealed to be part of a cult called the Children of the Atom as he tells some unknown people that he is one of the chosen and is a homo superior.[9]
Reception
[edit]Chase Magnett from Comicbook.com points that the comic has little relation with the broader narrative of the Ultimate Universe, the usual X-Men tropes, or even the superhero genre. He thinks that the comic aims to expand the franchise's genre boundaries.[10]
Shaun Corley from Screen Rant points that the comic skips almost all the key characters and elements of X-Men lore, such as the X-Mansion and Sentinels, and characters such as Professor X, Cyclops, Wolverine and Storm. He considers that, by doing so, Momoko focus instead on the core theme of the X-Men, that of people feeling lonely in a world that fears them.[11]
References
[edit]- ^ Cameron Bonomolo (January 23, 2024). "Ultimate X-Men Writer Teases "Something Completely New and Different"". Comic Book.com. Retrieved April 26, 2024.
- ^ Jonathan Jones (March 13, 2024). ""The New Champions": The Avengers' Sidekicks Are Entering Marvel Lore with a Shocking Hero Mentor". Screen Rant. Retrieved April 26, 2024.
- ^ Chris Hassan (January 22, 2024). "X-Men Monday #236 – Peach Momoko Talks 'Ultimate X-Men'". AIPT. Retrieved April 26, 2024.
- ^ Ultimate X-Men Vol. 2 #1. Marvel Comics.
- ^ Ultimate X-Men Vol. 2 #2. Marvel Comics.
- ^ Ultimate X-Men Vol. 2 #3. Marvel Comics.
- ^ Ultimate X-Men Vol. 2 #4. Marvel Comics.
- ^ Ultimate X-Men Vol. 2 #5. Marvel Comics.
- ^ Ultimate X-Men Vol. 2 #6. Marvel Comics.
- ^ Chase Magnett (March 6, 2024). "Ultimate X-Men #1 Review: A Brilliant New Tale of Horror and Fantasy (and Superheroes?)". ComicBook.com. Retrieved April 29, 2024.
- ^ Shaun Corley (March 7, 2024). "Ultimate X-Men #1 Is a Daring Reinvention That Makes the Franchise New Again (Review)". Screen Rant. Retrieved August 16, 2024.
External links
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