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ULTIMATE X-MEN #12
"Return to Weapon X Part Six: End Game"
Recommended (7/10)
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Marvel Comics
Writer: Mark Millar
Pencils: Adam Kubert & Tom Derenick
Inks: Danny Miki, Scott Hanna & Lary Stucker
Colors: Richard Isanove
Letters: Comicraft
Editor: Mark Powers
Price: $2.25 US/$3.50 CAN |
Once again, a strong storyline is hampered by a weak ending for Ultimate X-Men. Most of that is down to the artwork, as
Derenick is not up to Kubert's level on the book, and the multiple inkers
definitely make for some of the weakest art the title has seen, but there's also
a strange attempt to enforce Silver Age super-hero morality on the book that
just doesn't work, making the book feel a little watered-down. However, even
with the weaker elements, this reads like the finale of a good action movie, and
serves up some solid characterization of the characters as always.
Most of this story arc has
focused on the X-Men being tormented by their captors, and so this issue was
bound to be the revenge issue. That theme runs throughout the whole book,
whether it's the X-Men and their allies taking apart the Weapon X facility or
Wolverine and Sabretooth battling it out. That it turns into a treatise on
turning the other cheek and heroism at the last moment was unexpected, if not
entirely fitting.
While I appreciate Millar
trying to differentiate his heroes from villains, he's built his reputation on
edgy and realistically self-interested heroes, and to have them suddenly decide
that it's not OK to kill their foes was ridiculous. I can understand the desire
to avoid killing staff and secretaries, but for the team to decide that it was
better to let Wraith go than to murder him as he tried to escape was pushing it
way too far.
Also a bit uneven was the
artwork. Adam Kubert's work on the battle between Wolverine and Sabretooth was
pretty incredible, particularly the plunge off the cliff, and the arrival of
Nick Fury and SHIELD was a stunning visual moment as well. However, a lot of the
work was simply ordinary, mostly the work done by Derenick, and it didn't bring
across the sense of widescreen action that has been an important element of this
book.
There are a lot of character
moments that I appreciated in the issue. The Jean Grey and Cyclops dynamic
continues to be slightly different than the mainstream, with Jean Grey really
the heart of this team rather than Cyclops, and I very much enjoy the edgier and
more American version of Storm.
I was a little letdown by the
finale of this story, but not so much that it erased my memories of the rest of
the very strong Weapon X story. I'll probably be skipping the next couple of
issues, as they feature a guest creative team and Gambit, neither of which I'm
terribly interested in, but I look forward to seeing what Millar and the Kuberts
will do next.
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