ULTIMATE X-MEN #10
"Return to Weapon X, Part Four of Six"
Recommended (8/10)
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Marvel Comics
Writer: Mark Millar
Pencils: Adam Kubert
Artist: Art Thibert
Colors: Transparency Digital
Letters: Comicraft
Editor: Mark Powers
Price: $2.25 US/$3.50 CAN |
While still boasting some strong characterization, Ultimate X-Men is definitely an action-oriented book, unlike its companion title, Ultimate Spider-Man. Millar is still offering up some great storytelling, but I find I want to see the characters deal more with the everyday aspects of life as opposed to the horror with which they're faced here. I have no doubt we'll see of that in the future, and nevertheless, Ultimate X-Men remains a smart book and a fun read.
The X-Men continue unwillingly to carry out their gruesome missions for Col. Wraith and the Weapon X project, and they find they're forced into some morally reprehensible situations. As the teen mutants begin to lose hope, Wraith explains to his colleague that they needn't worry about government budget cuts, red tape or uncooperative politicians, given that the power of the X-Men and their powerful mentor, Charles Xavier, is at their disposal.
It was a relief to see Kubert art back on this book. Last month's fill-in just didn't capture the dynamic, dangerous tone of the series for me somehow. Kubert's angular style definitely brings out the explosive tone of the script. The glowing colors also add energy to the book, and they made for a nice effect on the giant mutant weapon that Cyclops and Nightcrawler happen upon in the middle of the book.
Millar has introduced a lot of characters in a short time in this series, and it hasn't really allowed for much time for in-depth looks at any of them, to be honest. But Millar makes great use of the quieter moments, and even finds room for bits of characterization in chaotic plot-driven scenes. The writer choses the characters' words carefully, and they're telling ones.
In the 1960s, when the X-Men concept was originally introduced, the reader was told of the plight and suffering of the characters. We heard them called names, and saw them struck with eggs by a public that hated them. But at the same time, the reader could see the characters had it pretty sweet in other ways. They lived in a mansion, with no parents around to pick at them. Life for the X-Men didn't seem quiet so bad. Millar has rained an entirely different level of suffering down on these characters, setting them apart from their human brethren in a much more dramatic way.
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