Comics for Y'all

Marvel’s Ultimate Universe is a line of comics set in an alternate canonical world, unlike the typical titles from the publisher. It is an attempt to draw in new readers who may not be enthusiastic at the idea of approaching superhero comics and their sprawling, convoluted histories. The setup series, Ultimate Invasion, arguably drifted from the idea of a wholly new universe and served the avid fan with plenty of existing continuity as much as providing fresh material for the novice reader. The characters presented by Hickman are built by and large in the framework of their mainline counterparts, with the differences that do exist being mostly superficial. The Ultimate versions of many characters feel as though they could be reached by changing one event or slightly messing with the timeline of the main universe. The risk of keeping the versions similar, which Marvel did not avoid, is that readers may not be motivated to purchase and follow both lines of comics and may end up competing with themselves.

For one of the follow-up series launching the new line, Ultimate X-Men, the opposite is true in all the best ways. Peach Momoko’s Ultimate X-Men is not the typical mutant formula with a twist but a twist on the usual formula. By infusing the series with personality while avoiding the tried and true tropes of the genre, Momoko puts out a superhero title that does not compete with its peers but distinguishes itself from them.

Taking place in the fictional Kirisaki City, Ultimate X-Men is the story of Hisako Ichiki, also known as Armor, discovering her mutant abilities. For legacy fans, there are two crucial facts to know before going into this series. First, the X-Men that readers know and love exist in some capacity but are not closely associated with Hisako. Second, mutant powers remain tied to the onset and progression of puberty. Other than these caveats, Momoko refuses to play the same tune that superhero comic fans tend to hear and opts to focus on her own brand of story and character over the expected tropes. Expectations otherwise may lead to disappointment.

Ultimate X-Men launched in the same window as the Ultimate Spider-Man and Black Panther titles. While these are all set in the same world, they are primarily insular and only tangentially impacted by the broader implications of the universe. Ultimate X-Men is the most extreme example, being independent of not only its sister series but also a far cry from traditional X-Men comics.

The art itself projects a level of quality and personality that might scare away the traditional and less than tasteful reader. Momoko’s watercolors reflect the creator's departure from the narrative at the start of her ongoing series. Focusing on an alternate version of the character Armor, there is no Wolverine, Cyclops, or even Professor X to be found in the first six issues. Even more unusual for an X-title, the series does not open with an entire team or any real group building at all outside of personal relationships. Ultimate X-Men is unapologetically the focused story of Hisako, at least for the start.

The X-Men’s mutant metaphor has always been a versatile framework for both telling stories and exploring characters. The first two waves of X-Men gave comic fans the teams they know and love of Cyclops, Storm, Jean Grey, Nightcrawler, Wolverine, and all the rest. Notably, while these major players would flourish under the pen of longtime writer Chris Claremont, he did not create them. Claremont’s first real swing at introducing his own mutants was the New Mutants graphic novel. While sticking firmly to some established superhero comic tropes, the New Mutants started and continued with their ongoing, as a particularly character focused series. They would never be as popular as the X-Men, but the New Mutants garnered a cult following and cemented itself as a smaller scale title that ushers in new generations of mutant heroes. Ultimate X-Men is not replicating this relationship, but it is reminiscent, as the title does introduce some new teen heroes but keeps them firmly on the sidelines in relation to Hisako. With its deliberate pacing and focused scope, Momoko’s X-Men is seizing on the human side of the mutants without any capitulation to tropes or expectations, and it is for the better.

While the vision and personality of Ultimate X-Men is refreshing and unique, the tone of some recent mutant titles lingers. The decisions to hone in on new or obscure characters and to focus on personal relationships were also made in recent series such as the 2021 New Mutants title by Vita Ayala, or Leah William’s X-Factor from the same time frame. The company abandoned both of those ongoings, and they were never allowed to evolve into their best forms. Hopefully, Marvel does not make a similar mistake and cut Ultimate X-Men short. However, the seeming popularity of Ultimate X-Men indicates a different potential hurdle for the series.

As a reader, I have no issue with the X-Men title being small stakes and obscure, I am just there for the story. However, the mutants exist in the context of the world’s biggest entertainment company, and from their view, we can assume the idea that anything with the X-Men brand would stand alone and not feature some of their household name characters is unthinkable. As the Ultimate universe widens, readers should expect many of the mutants they are more familiar with to be integrated into the X-Men title. The question is whether they will muddy the clear vision presented by the creator so far.

Otherwise, Ultimate X-Men by Peach Momoko is worth reading and seeing, and there’s little reason to spoil more than that.

• Ultimate X-Men Vol 1: Fears and Hates, Peach Momoko (writer, penciler, linker, colorist), Travis Lanham (letterer).