ULTIMATE X-MEN #8 (Best of the Week!)
"Return to Weapon X, Part Two of Six"
Highly Recommended (9/10)
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Marvel Comics
Writer: Mark Millar
Pencils: Adam Kubert
Artist: Art Thibert
Colors: Jung Choi
Letters: Comicraft
Editor: Mark Powers
Price: $2.25 US/$3.50 CAN |
This issue has a buttload of action for fans of more traditional super-hero comics out there, and it's well choreographed and a little bit chilling, to be honest. It also boasts the typically dyanmic, angular art of Kubert, as well as Millar's mad mutant government-conspiracy ideas. But what makes this issue worth checking out above all else, though, is how human and down-to-earth the title characters behave.
While Wolverine and Cyclops pay a visit to a thorn in a teammate's side, the rest of the X-Men enjoy a leisurely day, many with thoughts of romance foremost in their minds. The peace is oblierated, along with a few walls, by the coming of an combination human/mutant attack force, looking to recruit the X-Men into their numbers.
On many levels, the Professor X of Marvel's world of the Ultimate is identical to his mainstream-continuity counterpart. Immense psionic powers, bound to a wheelchair, bald. Sounds like the same guy, right? Wrong. There's a disturbing sequence in the middle of this issue in which the professor and Jean Grey telepathically discuss the thoughts, memories and actions of their fellow mutants. In mainstream continuity, we often see Professor X as the non-invasive mentor, but here, he's bold and doesn't seem to give matters of ethics a second thought. It creates an uneasiness that adds to the reading experience.
Though his depiction of the Beast doesn't really mesh with Millar's description of the character in the dialogue, Kubert's art manages to convey the power and confidence of these characters while also painting them in a fragile and human light. Particularly impressive are his new designs for somewhat familiar characters, like Rogue, Nightcrawler and Juggernaut.
Most of all, though, I loved how the students at the Xavier school are portrayed as regular kids. Hank McCoy is sensitive about his bulky appearance, and his insecurity makes it hard for him to believe that Storm would be interested in him. Bobby Drake's chatty relationship with a new girlfriend rings quite true as well.
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