Ultimate Comics: X-Men, Vol. 2

Ultimate Comics: X-Men (Collected Editions)

by Brian Wood (Contributor), Mahmud Asrar (Illustrator)

The mutants have proved their worth, and Utopia thrives - but at what cost? Kitty makes a choice that could haunt her forever, as Mach Two's jungle insurgency gains strength! Plus, there are eyes in the sky - but who's watching the mutants? And when the mutant nation comes under siege, with General Ross leading the charge, Jimmy Hudson prepares for war...and Kitty and Mach Two must find out whether they can work together for the good of mutantkind!

Collecting: Ultimate Comics: X-Men 24-28

Genres: Comics, Marvel, Graphic Novels, X Men, Superheroes, Comic Book, Fiction

112 pages, Paperback

First published September 11, 2013

About the author

Brian Wood's history of published work includes over fifty volumes of genre-spanning original material.

From the 1500-page future war epic DMZ, the ecological disaster series The Massive, the American crime drama Briggs Land, and the groundbreaking lo-fi dystopia Channel Zero he has a 20-year track record of marrying thoughtful world-building and political commentary with compelling and diverse characters.

His YA novels - Demo, Local, The New York Four, and Mara - have made YALSA and New York Public Library best-of lists. His historical fiction - the viking series Northlanders, the American Revolution-centered Rebels, and the norse-samurai mashup Sword Daughter - are benchmarks in the comic book industry.

He's written some of the biggest franchises in pop culture, including Star Wars, Terminator, RoboCop, Conan The Barbarian, Robotech, and Planet Of The Apes. He’s written number-one-selling series for Marvel Comics. And he’s created and written multiple canonical stories for the Aliens universe, including the Zula Hendricks character.

Reviews

[Baba · Rating 3 out of 5]

As Utopia's relevance and population grows the seeds of war, of envy and hate, start to fester but not organically, there are a number of external forces out to prevent mutant self-determination; tut there's just as much an enemy within, as there's one without.

This volume covers the 'Natural Resources' arc, in which that is exactly how all the interfering forces see the remaining mutant population in this quite tense and interesting Wood jam. One of the earliest and better of a quickly maturing Kitty Pryde. A very strong Three Star, 7.5 out of 12.

2022 read; 2017 read; 2013 read

[Gavin · Rating 2 out of 5]

***I'm way behind, I only read the first Volume by Nick Spencer, so I'm behind about 18 issues or so, and I have no idea where most of this is coming from***

Kitty Pryde is the pacifist leader of the X-Men, living in Utopia (this time a reservation, terraformed, as opposed to an island). She has 2 factions, those that follow her, and those that follow Mach 2, a teen Morlock Mutant.

Those that follow Kitty include Storm (very much the same as Marvel 616 version), James "Jimmy" Hudson (son of Wolverine, very similar); Rogue (very different, sort of Earth Mother type here), and some others.

Mach 2 (Magneto type power over metal) has Warpath (same as 616), Psylocke (a very different version), and some others. Mach 2 is about retribution against human crimes (again similar to Magneto).

Throw into the mix that Jean Gray (who is Karen Grant here) is the mistress of Tian (the land of Zorn and Xorn) is at odds with Kitty, and wants all the mutants to live under her in Tian.

Clear yet?



Ya.

So meanwhile, the humans don't like things, so bad humans send General Ross (yes, that one) to kick them off the reservation...except, he's actually a pretty decent guy here, not the same 616 maniac.

Turns out, someone in Utopia is manipulating events to get Utopia to fall apart...

shock. If you don't like teams fighting themselves, then this isn't the book for you.

By the time the end of the volume rolls around, Jean Grey has infiltrated Utopia, they've fought off the military (thanks to Rogue and the environment - utopia is like Krakoa, an intelligent ecosystem), and Kitty and Jean have a head to head...which puts things thru to the next volume.

Meanwhile, Hudson has managed to get both factions in Utopia to work together (but only to fight invaders..)

Ya...so that's what happens.

I don't think I missed much.

Get this review and more at:

[James DeSantis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Brain Wood is a pretty talented writer. Especially with strong female leads he focuses on the tension between the characters here. This one really ramps up as I guess outside events effect the Utopia they have built. Cap is not president anymore? (That was quick) and the government wants back the land given to mutants. Now that Kitty and a much bigger group of mutants have been there they don't want to just give it back. It takes all the mutants to become one again, including Jean, to fix things. BUT what if there's a mutant who is playing EVERYONE behind the scenes?

What I liked: The fights were good because the tension built throughout the chapters worked well. I loved how Rogue FINALLY became useful here and her own character. The return of Colossal and Jean Gray and Psylock drama was all well done. I also really still enjoy Kitty and her mindset is similar to mine on what to do to keep everyone safe.

What I didn't like: Sometimes the art is a bit off. Like facial expressions, some fights, and scope can be a bit wonky. I also thought the ending didn't pay off like the rest of the volume.

I still think this is very solid. Around a 3.5. I think Brain gets what X-men are about and why it's a struggle to be apart of them. This hits on most of the levels you hope for.

[Lost Planet Airman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pacing runs hot-and-cold, with lots of exposition and (literally) world-building between bouts of action. This volume delivers more on the new mutant nations of Utopia (mostly) and Tian (which I am not sure where it came from) and the growning tension among the top powers-players.

[Love, Sam · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one was okay- again I haven’t read vol 1 as I’m just picking these up at the library randomly. I thought there was an interesting mix of characters but non of them really amount to much outside of Psylocke, Jean and Kitty. Which is fine I guess since it’s only one volume, but also if you’re going to have the plot revolve around the team fighting among themselves (ontop of outside threats) then you should probably have the team actually feel like they know eachother.

Like this Mach Two is supposed to be this insurgent rebel against Kittys pacifism but she literally does nothing in this volume. She wanders around the woods, whines a bit and then bam she’s working with Kitty again just like that with no actual conflict. Also I felt a little let down by both Rouge and storm. Two characters that you can normally rely on to be cool, but here they are 2 dimensional plot devices.

The setting was cool enough, general Ross had a nice spin to him, and the plot had an okay speed. So overall I wish these cardboard cut outs had a little more personality and then the comic will be more of a hook.

[Christian · Rating 4 out of 5]

The potential of the first volume is realized in this one containing the Natural Resources arc. This is a tangent, but why aren't these named? The arcs have names (Reservation X, Natural Resources), but these two volumes don't. Weird.
Utopia starts living up to its name. Using their mutant powers they change the land itself, elevating it, clean and restore the topsoil, and plant a living sentient seed creating a living home. Mach 2, Polaris, and a couple other mutants are still hiding on the land, and Jean Grey, mistress of Tian, comes to check it out. Meanwhile, congress, setting their success, passes a bill declaring mutants to be government property and sends General Ross to take their land back.
This really lives up to its potential and once again makes me sad that I'm so near the end of the this book. I guess 616 X- men are in a somewhat similar position currently but I like that this mutant Utopia is surrounded by American soil. Really good stuff, hopefully the final volume can bring it home.

[Jake · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I saw the reviews on Comic Book Roundup I just had to see what the positivity was all about. It turns out Brian Wood delivers a pretty decent X-Men book. The mutants' opposition actually feels like it's legitimate and not pure shock value. For one thing, they keep it in-universe by having mutants hunted down because the US government considers them property. It's always the ones who oppose the mutants that make a great X-Men run. This certainly doesn't disappoint. The mutants have a home and are even living the American Dream and they're about to have that taken away. So the X-Men are ready to fight back. But of course someone else is pulling the strings. Also it goes into details the complexities of how events change people. Kitty while confident things can work out still faces oppositions including from Jean Grey who wants to assimilate Utopia into her mutant haven of Tian. It's a pretty impressive set-up and the narratives don't feel forced or derivative.

[Adam Stone · Rating 4 out of 5]

After Nick Spencer's dull, repetitive turn on Ultimate X-Men, I'm enjoying Brian Wood's arcs where he actually has the characters act and react to the world around them. The Utopia concept in this storyarc is actually much more interesting than the 616 equivalent. This is really more along the lines of Hickman's Krakoa from Dawn of X, Vol. 1.

I also enjoy that Jean Grey and Kitty Pryde are the Cyclops vs Wolverine of the Ultimate Universe. It makes for a much more compelling feud.

If you enjoyed the beginning of the Ultimate X-Men run, this should be a fun return, even if it's tonally different. But I also feel you could pick up the Brian Wood run without having read any other parts of the Ultimate Universe and enjoy this as a brief alternate reality story.

[Will Cooper · Rating 2 out of 5]

What is happening?!

No one acts like a human (or mutant) in this book.

The government wants to attack and repo the land (sure) and the mutants themselves (WHAT?).

And Rogue goes from talking to God to the sentient seed.

And Pyslocke is a fake, BUT WHO IS SHE? I THINK THIS IS IMPORTANT OTHERWISE JUST MAKE PSYLOCKE CHANGE HER MIND BECAUSE THAT’S WHAT EVERY CHARACTER DOES IN THIS THING.

And Jean Grey leads Tian (which we have seen zero about) and is an omega level mutant but doesn’t do anything. And the plants stop her power? OMEGA LEVEL.

Sigh.

[Sean · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ugh...the title is getting worse. So many plot holes and characters not making any sense. The entire "Utopia" idea is fine but how Wood handles it is a trainwreck. So little here makes sense. The art by Asrar is a step up from previous arcs but there isn't much he can do to salvage the book. Overall, a disappointment.

[Russio · Rating 4 out of 5]

Carrying on from where book 1 left off, this is a smidgeon more pedestrian than its predecessor but the hard work has already been done in establishing the interesting scenario of Utopia. This does what it has to to tie up the first real challenge to the nation militarily-speaking.

[Ian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty good! I found myself wanting to keep reading. Not to “get through it” but because I wanted to find out what happens next. Can’t say that of the Ultimate titles I’ve read as of late. Excited to see where this leads!

[Frans Kempe · Rating 4 out of 5]

The fight for Utopia is on when America nullifies their sovereignity and attacks them. A truce with Mach 2 and the fight for their freedom is on.

[Archie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Get it! The story is phenomenal and it really proves why the 'ultimate' sega is the best of all time

[Lilli W. · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5.

[Anchorpete · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was going to skip on this book, after reading the first few pages and seeing that it was like the previous trade. Thank God Wood switched things up a bit after the first chapter. He brought in Jean Grey, who in the Ultimate Universe is some sort of weird Phoenix wielding despot of the Asian nation, Tian. Also, Psylocke became far more intriguing towards the end of this trade. In my review of the previous trade I mentioned how none of the Ultimate X-men character's personalities really stand out, or are consistant. In this trade, they focused on a much smaller group of X-men (Jean Grey, Psylocke, James Hudson and *thankfully, very little on* Kitty Pryde) instead of all of the characters that inhabit Utopia. This really helped streamline the book, and gave the story focus. There was also a bit more action in this trade, too.

[JP · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this review or all of my reviews on my site!

Utopia.

Turns out, pretending the Sentient Seed died out lasted… not at all. Now there’s a new Mutant homeland in America…

That’s actually really cool.

Of course Tian isn’t thrilled by the competition. It’s kind of amazing that after so long, Jean is still around. This has potential… but she’s starting with lies. I’m sure it will go well. Especially if she’s both hiding and going by her original name. Wat.

Overall, it’s a neat story. If I didn’t know the Ultimate line was nearly over, I’d be intrigued. So it goes.

Onward!

[Holden Attradies · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a pretty good book, but I put it down kind of feeling it was lacking. I couldn't exactly put my finger on it but after reading a few other reviews and sitting on it for a day I think maybe it's that the end of this story arc felt so unsatisfying. Normally when I walk away from a comic saying that I end up finishing the series and once I go back and re-read it think more highly of that volume, so I hope that's what's going on here. But for now there are just too many little things that feel like they aren't being explained and that I worry won't have the time to be properly played out before the creative team on the series is shuffled around or the ultimate universe self destructs again.

[Rogue · Rating 5 out of 5]

Again, lovely art in this one, and great characters (and development). Psylocke is fairly cool in this one, but her storyline doesn't develop into any sort of satisfying conclusion and peters out very fast. Not sure why Rogue suddenly went all Savage-Land and rid herself of clothes (especially when her outfit is especially nice at the moment in this storyline). Some cool developments again, and I'd like to find the 3rd part of this one. The art is very very nice!It would be nice to have a little bit more sub-plot with side characters (minus the Blackheath/Storm romance); more Armor and Magma please!

[Luana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brian Wood continues an exciting run on the world's dangerous group not called NWA and throws in some delightful international intrigue. Jean Grey as you've (correction: I've) never seen her before: a megalomaniacal tyrant who assumes she knows what's best for mutantkind. Most every one of the young mutants here show themselves from a pretty bad side (save for Kitty, I'd say), and noted Marvel grouch General Ross is not just some neocon strawman. Perhaps this hard man sees a kindred spirit in Kitty hmm?

The twist at the end of the run is very intriguing, certainly enough for me to be pretty curious as to what happens next.

[Shannon Appelcline · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wood continues to tell a breath-taking, tense, and terrifying story of the Ultimate X-Men. This is once more a story that would (probably) never have been told in the Marvel Universe. But here, Wood isn't afraid to put Utopia and the US government directly up against each other in a very real way. The plot is great, but so are all of the smaller character stories told along the way.

[Mitchell Friedman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Better. Really it has all the same problems as the rest of the books in the series, it is just better executed. And the characters are finally beginning to have a life of their own separate from the regular Marvel Universe. More interesting action, more interplay between different sets of characters. Not bad. 3.5 of 5.

[Scott · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good writing, but the confrontation that it builds to is somewhat anti-climatic.

[Todd · Rating 4 out of 5]

This gets better than last volume. There are aspects that I'm worried won't get real resolution.

The art is solid. Still some of the females are overly sexualized.

[Daniel Butcher · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting take on Utopia. And I'm liking where James Hudson is going.