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ULTIMATE X-MEN #18
"World Tour: Part 3"
Recommended (8/10)
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Marvel Comics
Writer: Mark Millar
Artist: Chris Bachalo
Colors: Dave Stewart
Letters: Chris Eliopoulos
Editor: Ralph Macchio
Price: $2.25 US/$3.75 CAN |
I must confess that the success of the Ultimates has tempered my the enthusiasm for Millar's other team book, Ultimate X-Men, a shade, but that doesn't mean I'm not
enjoying the "World Tour" arc. In fact, though I have little appreciation for
Proteus, I must admit that Millar is using the character to explore his flawed
version of Xavier in an interesting manner, and the diversion this issue to
examine Colossus and take a look at his fairly underdeveloped character was
welcome as well. The art this issue was also a bit of a surprise, because while
I missed the trademark Kubert style, Bachalo was an interesting choice,
providing some of the clearest art I've seen from him in a while, including a
stunning depiction of a Russian submarine rescue.
One of the things I've
appreciated about Millar's take on the world of super-heroes is his examination
of some of the ramifications of that lifestyle, whether it's media reaction or
just the personal toll it takes on the participants. Colossus's annoyance with
the X-Men and their methods, and his stubborn but rational belief that someone
else can handle their job, was an interesting take on the old chestnut of a team
member leaving the team. I also enjoyed the mention of the Ultimates and SHIELD,
and Millar's clever way of keeping them out of the story so that the X-Men could
have the spotlight alone.
Right from the beginning,
I've found the slight twists in Xavier's story in the Ultimate universe to be an
improvement on his mainline backstory. This issue explores some of what happened
before the encounter in the Savage Land that put him into the wheelchair, and
it's a nice streamlining of the relationship Xavier had with Moira, putting his
abandonment of his family into a perspective that makes him seem selfish and
cold, but not necessarily as cruel and heartless as such an act normally would
seem. There's also a great reveal about David, Xavier's son, that provides an
incentive to go back and reread the issue as well as setting up the conflict for
the next issue.
Bachalo is the artist for
this issue, and though his style is quite different from the one I've come to
expect on the book, I did find that it had its upsides. His take on the
characters was distinctive but still recognizable as the character designs that
the Kuberts had used, and some of the layouts were particularly impressive. I
especially liked the flashbacks to Xavier's early days and of course the
powerful and expansive shots of the submarine rescue, hearkening back to this
title's early widescreen days.
With the X-Men line going stronger than ever in books like New X-Men and X-Force, Ultimate X-Men often doesn't look as different from its mainstream counterparts as the youth-oriented Ultimate Spider-Man or the pop cultural take on super-heroes to be found in the Ultimates. However,
it's still a good read for any X-Men fan, and another strong title in the X-Men
line.
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