Those of you who have been anxiously awaiting the chance to see what Bendis's Ultimate X-Men is going to look like may be a bit disappointed. This issue reads for the most part like an issue of Ultimate Spider-Man guest-starring Wolverine. That's the bad news, but it's also the good news, because Ultimate Spider-Man has been chugging along as a pretty great read for a good long time now. There's a slight edge to this first issue that sets is apart from most Spidey tales, and the Spider-Man/Wolverine relationship in the Ultimate universe, like the Spidey/Fury relationship, is different and well-worth exploring. The artwork by Finch and Thibert is beautiful, some of the best I've seen from Finch. It's all very well put together and deeply entertaining for Spidey fans... I'm just not so sure how it's going to go over with the X-Men fans, and it doesn't really feel like an X-Men book so far.
Mind you, while I like the Ultimate version of the X-Men and was looking forward to seeing Bendis's take on Millar's revamps of the characters, I'm not terribly let down by a heavy Spider-Man story. This book really does have the vibe of Ultimate Spider-Man, not even Ultimate Marvel Team-Up, but an actual Ultimate Spider-Man issue. The focus in the story is on how Wolverine's situation impacts on Peter, how it crashes into his relatively normal life, and it even has a little bit of the Mary Jane/Peter relationship that is my favorite part of the Ultimate Spider-Man book.
As with Ultimate Marvel Team-Up, it's fun to see a different corner of the Ultimate universe explored through Peter's eyes. While he's seen a lot in his brief super-hero career, he's still a neophyte, especially compared to Wolverine. Little bits like his over-reaction when he first spots Wolverine or the nervous banter between Mary, Peter and Wolverine are a lot of fun. In addition, the usual contrast of normal life with super-heroic life is done to perfection by Bendis... Peter's internal monologue about the PSAT, the plight of good students and the expenses of web fluid is hilarious, as well as being an interesting examination of detail.
To be honest, I was a little wary of Finch's name on this book. I largely associate him with the Top Cow house style, an art style I'm not terribly fond of overall. However, with the inks of Art Thibert and under the publishing auspices of Marvel, Finch's work looks a whole lot better than most of his previous work. Nice detail, very expressive characters and a noticeable personal spin on the characters while remaining true to what's been established before makes for an impressive art job. Mary, Peter and even Wolverine might look a little too super-model around the eyes and lips for my taste, but the proportions and general anatomy are kept well within the normal tolerances for people.
This is an intriguing beginning, hinting that maybe we're going to see a little more of Wolverine's mysterious past and that Spider-Man is going to be along for the ride. It's got great interaction between Peter, Wolverine and Mary, nifty foes hiding in the shadows and terrific artwork. It doesn't really feel like a story for Ultimate X-Men, but given time, it might develop into a better fit for the book, and even if it doesn't, it's an entertaining read for Ultimate Spider-Man (or Wolverine) fans.
