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Ultimate X-Men (Collected Editions) #1
Ultimate X-Men, Vol. 1: The Tomorrow People
The place is a world very much like ours. The time is now. The phenomenon is genetic mutation. It is a time of change. Humanity now faces mutants, a mysterious sub-species that is gifted with strange and frightening powers. Hidden among the population. they are feared and hated by their human cousins. As rumors and urban myths about their existence spread across the world, the US government creates its own initiative to deal with this threat: the Sentinel Project. Meanwhile two men wage a secret war for the hearts and minds of young mutants everywhere. Charles Xavier has recruited a cadre of students including Cyclops, Jean Grey and Beast, that call themselves the X-Men. But there are others out there, living in fear, struggling to deal with what they are: Ororo Munroe, Bobby Drake and another, more dangerous mutant named Logan. Simultaneously, the terrorist known only as Magneto has assembled The Brotherhood, a militant group dedicated to the overthrow of human authority. A war is on the horizon and these amazing young men and women will decide the future of all humanity!
Just as Ultimate Spider-Man reinvented and reinvigorated Marvel's flagship character, Ultimate X-Men promises do the same for comics' most popular super hero team. Streamlining the mutant heroes into a manageable core group, this non-stop saga action and intrigue takes place in a continuity recognizable to fans of this year's blockbuster smash X-Men movie. Ultimate X-Men is the perfect choice for anyone who can't get enough of the X!
Collecting: Ultimate X-Men 1-6
Just as Ultimate Spider-Man reinvented and reinvigorated Marvel's flagship character, Ultimate X-Men promises do the same for comics' most popular super hero team. Streamlining the mutant heroes into a manageable core group, this non-stop saga action and intrigue takes place in a continuity recognizable to fans of this year's blockbuster smash X-Men movie. Ultimate X-Men is the perfect choice for anyone who can't get enough of the X!
Collecting: Ultimate X-Men 1-6
160 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2001
57 people are currently reading
1915 people want to read
About the author
Mark Millar
1,515 books2,561 followersMark Millar is the New York Times best-selling writer of Wanted, the Kick-Ass series, The Secret Service, Jupiter’s Legacy, Jupiter’s Circle, Nemesis, Superior, Super Crooks, American Jesus, MPH, Starlight, and Chrononauts. Wanted, Kick-Ass, Kick-Ass 2, and The Secret Service (as Kingsman: The Secret Service) have been adapted into feature films, and Nemesis, Superior, Starlight, War Heroes, Jupiter’s Legacy and Chrononauts are in development at major studios.
His DC Comics work includes the seminal Superman: Red Son, and at Marvel Comics he created The Ultimates – selected by Time magazine as the comic book of the decade, Wolverine: Old Man Logan, and Civil War – the industry’s biggest-selling superhero series in almost two decades.
Mark has been an Executive Producer on all his movie adaptations and is currently creative consultant to Fox Studios on their Marvel slate of movies.
His DC Comics work includes the seminal Superman: Red Son, and at Marvel Comics he created The Ultimates – selected by Time magazine as the comic book of the decade, Wolverine: Old Man Logan, and Civil War – the industry’s biggest-selling superhero series in almost two decades.
Mark has been an Executive Producer on all his movie adaptations and is currently creative consultant to Fox Studios on their Marvel slate of movies.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 242 reviews
April 9, 2023
Ultimate X-Men represented Mark Millar’s version of a franchise distilled from the cream of its rich history. The launch of the Ultimate line of Marvel Comics afforded the writer a unique opportunity to tell stories unencumbered by almost four decades of continuity. The result was a product still recognizable because of the iconic nature of the characters. This way, the older readers were not alienated and familiar enough that the new readers that were introduced to the mythos through Bryan Singer’s X-Men movie would pick it up.
Millar tells a cinematic, widescreen, action blockbuster and is ably abetted by the Kubert brothers with their kinetic art. The action flows smoothly like a decent summer flick, as Millar establishes this Ultimate version of the mutant team with familiar X-Men tropes like the Xavier–Magneto philosophical disagreement and conflicting methods and a new yet similar take on the heroes that protects a world that fears and hates them. The new here is that the heroes have become media savvy, like actual reality show celebrities.
With no continuity baggage, this is an excellent entry point for any new or lapsed reader to be interested in comics.
Millar tells a cinematic, widescreen, action blockbuster and is ably abetted by the Kubert brothers with their kinetic art. The action flows smoothly like a decent summer flick, as Millar establishes this Ultimate version of the mutant team with familiar X-Men tropes like the Xavier–Magneto philosophical disagreement and conflicting methods and a new yet similar take on the heroes that protects a world that fears and hates them. The new here is that the heroes have become media savvy, like actual reality show celebrities.
With no continuity baggage, this is an excellent entry point for any new or lapsed reader to be interested in comics.
November 7, 2017
Initially, I really got into this collection. The characters, setting, villains, and mutant situation had such a modern, realistic tone to them that I couldn't stop reading. Plus the artwork was really good as well. But then something happened: I lost interest.
Why you ask?
I really don't know. For whatever reason, I felt like I was experiencing the same X-Men stories I've been reading since I was ten repackaged to be new, shiny, and more up-to-date. There were some small tweaks here and there but nothing that was really original or kept my attention.
Yeah, yeah, I know, the same criticism could be leveled against the Ultimates and other series set in this universe, but I suppose I wanted more from the X-Men. And when I didn't get it, I found the whole thing rather "meh."
2017 REREAD
I enjoyed this one a lot this time. I really think it is because I haven't read a good X-Men comic story in many years. The new Marvel books just aren't my thing. This graphic novel reminded me of how good X-Men can be. Can't wait to read more.
Why you ask?
I really don't know. For whatever reason, I felt like I was experiencing the same X-Men stories I've been reading since I was ten repackaged to be new, shiny, and more up-to-date. There were some small tweaks here and there but nothing that was really original or kept my attention.
Yeah, yeah, I know, the same criticism could be leveled against the Ultimates and other series set in this universe, but I suppose I wanted more from the X-Men. And when I didn't get it, I found the whole thing rather "meh."
2017 REREAD
I enjoyed this one a lot this time. I really think it is because I haven't read a good X-Men comic story in many years. The new Marvel books just aren't my thing. This graphic novel reminded me of how good X-Men can be. Can't wait to read more.
October 5, 2023
Awesome! 😁
January 26, 2025
Decent
June 7, 2012
Mark Millar reboots the X-Men for the Ultimates Universe with this new iteration of the popular franchise in "The Tomorrow People" and unlike recent reboots like Grant Morrison's "New X-Men" and Jason Aaron's more recent reboot, Millar's version is by far the weakest and least original.
He makes the X-Men teenagers so we get to see Cyclops, Storm, Jean Gray learning the ropes and having tantrums etc. Scott Summers especially when he sees Jean and Logan smooching. It's kinda lame. Also a mis-step was making Wolverine a double agent especially as it doesn't amount to anything. He's with Magneto one moment then with Xavier the next with no repercussions. What a waste of time! Same goes for Cyclops who switches sides before inevitably going back to Xavier. These McGuffins become quite tiresome after a while.
The Sentinels make a belated return though they're as useless as ever with the X-Men, as teenagers with barely any training, able to take them out despite professing fear of them. Then Magneto shows up with his usual tirade against humanity which we've seen in countless previous issues of X-Men not to mention the trilogy of X-Movies. There's very little originality going on with Millar's re-imagining of the X-Men.
His dialogue for Wolverine was very poor, Logan sounds like a Brit always saying "yeah that should be a laugh" - I've never heard a Canadian use that phrase.
Millar, while usually an excellent writer, falls back on old archetypes while making his cast younger though the effect is underwhelming. I didn't care about the new version of these characters, finding little charm in them and fewer interest in where the series was heading. There are better X-Men stories out there with far more imagination and new situations to make reading them worthwhile; far from rejuvenating the series, "The Tomorrow People" feels strangely old, tired and boring.
He makes the X-Men teenagers so we get to see Cyclops, Storm, Jean Gray learning the ropes and having tantrums etc. Scott Summers especially when he sees Jean and Logan smooching. It's kinda lame. Also a mis-step was making Wolverine a double agent especially as it doesn't amount to anything. He's with Magneto one moment then with Xavier the next with no repercussions. What a waste of time! Same goes for Cyclops who switches sides before inevitably going back to Xavier. These McGuffins become quite tiresome after a while.
The Sentinels make a belated return though they're as useless as ever with the X-Men, as teenagers with barely any training, able to take them out despite professing fear of them. Then Magneto shows up with his usual tirade against humanity which we've seen in countless previous issues of X-Men not to mention the trilogy of X-Movies. There's very little originality going on with Millar's re-imagining of the X-Men.
His dialogue for Wolverine was very poor, Logan sounds like a Brit always saying "yeah that should be a laugh" - I've never heard a Canadian use that phrase.
Millar, while usually an excellent writer, falls back on old archetypes while making his cast younger though the effect is underwhelming. I didn't care about the new version of these characters, finding little charm in them and fewer interest in where the series was heading. There are better X-Men stories out there with far more imagination and new situations to make reading them worthwhile; far from rejuvenating the series, "The Tomorrow People" feels strangely old, tired and boring.
February 23, 2017
So I read Ultimate X-Men growing up. I think it was my first big "X-Men" world to read. It was my first major run I had every volume for. I stopped reading when it hit volume 18. So I decided to re-read it more than 10 years later. Well...this ages not too well haha.
There are things to love. The art is solid throughout. I also enjoyed the changes in personality for certain characters. I especially like how Storm don't give a fuck, and Beast is both badass and smart, and Magneto even more "sinister" than before. I also think the action is well paced and fun to view and well placed throughout.
Now the bad. The designs of a certain characters are pretty bad. Especially logan's clothes. I also dislike how obvious things are, like Jean falling for Wolverine, and they have the cliche of Scott looking out the window, and then behind the scenes Wolverine is smiling. Beyond fucking corny. Also the edge is strong here, and everyone insults EVERYONE. Very out of character even if these are new takes on beloved characters.
Overall if you want a more edgy, early 2000, "badass" X-Men then check this out. It's not horrible but it sure feels like early 2000. So on to the next one!
There are things to love. The art is solid throughout. I also enjoyed the changes in personality for certain characters. I especially like how Storm don't give a fuck, and Beast is both badass and smart, and Magneto even more "sinister" than before. I also think the action is well paced and fun to view and well placed throughout.
Now the bad. The designs of a certain characters are pretty bad. Especially logan's clothes. I also dislike how obvious things are, like Jean falling for Wolverine, and they have the cliche of Scott looking out the window, and then behind the scenes Wolverine is smiling. Beyond fucking corny. Also the edge is strong here, and everyone insults EVERYONE. Very out of character even if these are new takes on beloved characters.
Overall if you want a more edgy, early 2000, "badass" X-Men then check this out. It's not horrible but it sure feels like early 2000. So on to the next one!
November 12, 2016
Little more than serviceable. Considering that the intent was to reimagine these characters in a modern context, it's disappointingly similar to the main MU version. There are very few adjustments, and they amount to nothing. I'll put in at least a few volumes, because there might be something good later on.
November 13, 2021
This was pretty cool!
We follow wolverine and his mission to take down Xavier but him turned and then how this incarnation of the X-Men comes about is interesting and then the whole sentinel business and then the usual Professor X's mission and the big fight with Magneto and his brotherhood and a good twist with Cyclops which was interesting.
Its a good volume and a great place to start with X-Men and I like how simple it is and characters are defined well here and the usual romance and twists but its also very sinister like with whats happening with Charles and I like the way Millar writes Cyclops and his confidence is next level and the art was wonderful and a delight to marvel at!
We follow wolverine and his mission to take down Xavier but him turned and then how this incarnation of the X-Men comes about is interesting and then the whole sentinel business and then the usual Professor X's mission and the big fight with Magneto and his brotherhood and a good twist with Cyclops which was interesting.
Its a good volume and a great place to start with X-Men and I like how simple it is and characters are defined well here and the usual romance and twists but its also very sinister like with whats happening with Charles and I like the way Millar writes Cyclops and his confidence is next level and the art was wonderful and a delight to marvel at!
November 1, 2016
A very nice re-packaging of the usual X-Men stories, with some changes. I enjoy the way Magneto is able to stay two steps ahead of everyone, even Professor Xavier!
The artwork is tight, and the colorist deserves an award for making the night scenes a reflection of how the human eye works: concentrating on the scant areas of light to suggest what lies in the darkness. Well done!
Overall a very enjoyable read if you are already familiar with this team of mutant superheroes.
The artwork is tight, and the colorist deserves an award for making the night scenes a reflection of how the human eye works: concentrating on the scant areas of light to suggest what lies in the darkness. Well done!
Overall a very enjoyable read if you are already familiar with this team of mutant superheroes.
July 21, 2022
What's the point of this, this world and these charaters are basically the same as the original, there's zero effort by Mark Millar to make this Ultimate universe feel unique, then he brings back that love triangle all over again which is easily the lamest thing about the X-Men, and he managed to make it even worst, even the art is not that good, costume design is awful. I remember dropping Marvel comics when these overpriced books started coming out, and it looks like I made the right choice, probably didn't miss much.
August 10, 2015
I just read the first issue #1 on Comixology...boy I liked it.
elements of different strands of origin myths coming together.
For sure worth reading.
***August 2015***
I did read this earlier; the whole volume.
elements of different strands of origin myths coming together.
For sure worth reading.
***August 2015***
I did read this earlier; the whole volume.
April 25, 2015
This is the biggest pile of smelly horrible shit I've ever read. A complete insult to the xmen franchise.
Wtf were they thinking!?
Wtf were they thinking!?
December 30, 2020
This book collects the first six issues of the first X version of the Ultimate universe. I wasn't a fan of the Ultimate concept as a whole, but there have been so many alternates and reboots and such X iterations that I didn't see it as a new thing, just another parallel story variant. Millar's writing is good; concise and to the point and it serves the story nicely. The art is from Adam Kubert on some issues and Andy Kubert on others and is uniformly good. I enjoyed the opportunity to compare and contrast how they did the same characters as part of the same story. What I did not like was the appearance of some of the characters, which was dictated by the editors, not by the Kuberts. (There's a section at the end of the book explaining the editorial direction.) Iceman has a weird rag tied around his head for some reason, Logan has a weird tuft of fur on his chin, and Jean's urchin hair cut is just silly. A couple of the plot points bothered me. First, there's a whole deal made about the uniforms needing to cover the skin to avoid detection and then Jean and Storm have bare midriffs. Also, they make a point about Jean being a teenager and Logan being old as dirt and then, of course, they're next seen sleeping together, so that's kind of out of place. Otherwise, it's a pretty good book. The characters are a tad edgier here than they are in the universe I grew up in, but I was okay with that for the most part. Excelsior!
August 18, 2016
I was really looking forwards to this series. It did not start off well. Don't get me wrong, this is certainly an epic story. There is a lot that is going on here, but the execution of the story leaves much to be desired.
I was interested in this story because it was written by Mark Millar. It's the Ultimate's Universe version of the X-men story. There are some subtle differences, as with any Ultimates tale, such as Wolverine starting off as working for Magneto. But in general it follows the exploits of two very powerful and very different mutants. Dr. Xavier leads the X-Men a team of powerful mutants who fight to preserve good will between humanity and mutant. On the other side is Magneto leading the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants. Magneto believes that mutants are the next generation of humanity and here to replace the previous version. The rest of the story unfolds in the usual manner. Wolverine joins the X-Men, Magneto tries to take over the world (in this case just annihilate America), a combination of people from Cyclops, the rest of the X-men, Wolverine, Quicksilver, etc all gang up to stop him.
The interactions between Wolverine and Jean Grey seemed forced. Also for someone who is touted as this supreme killer, Wolverine sure does change his tune after sleeping once with 19 year old Jean Grey. It just seems a bit much. I never really could buy into their relationship. Many of the other relationships seem similarly forced. I understand Pietro doesn't like his father, but the alacrity with which he decided to turn on his father after so many decades of service seemed forced. The X-men themselves are a good version of the group. While there are subtle differences since it is the Ultimates world, there are still many familiar elements.
The art was very disappointing. It did not do the story justice and certain panels made the characters just look ridiculous. If the art had been of a better quality then I think this volume might have eked out a 3/5 rating. But, due to a mediocre execution on what could have been a great story and less than impressive art- I give this first volume a 2/5 rating.
I was interested in this story because it was written by Mark Millar. It's the Ultimate's Universe version of the X-men story. There are some subtle differences, as with any Ultimates tale, such as Wolverine starting off as working for Magneto. But in general it follows the exploits of two very powerful and very different mutants. Dr. Xavier leads the X-Men a team of powerful mutants who fight to preserve good will between humanity and mutant. On the other side is Magneto leading the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants. Magneto believes that mutants are the next generation of humanity and here to replace the previous version. The rest of the story unfolds in the usual manner. Wolverine joins the X-Men, Magneto tries to take over the world (in this case just annihilate America), a combination of people from Cyclops, the rest of the X-men, Wolverine, Quicksilver, etc all gang up to stop him.
The interactions between Wolverine and Jean Grey seemed forced. Also for someone who is touted as this supreme killer, Wolverine sure does change his tune after sleeping once with 19 year old Jean Grey. It just seems a bit much. I never really could buy into their relationship. Many of the other relationships seem similarly forced. I understand Pietro doesn't like his father, but the alacrity with which he decided to turn on his father after so many decades of service seemed forced. The X-men themselves are a good version of the group. While there are subtle differences since it is the Ultimates world, there are still many familiar elements.
The art was very disappointing. It did not do the story justice and certain panels made the characters just look ridiculous. If the art had been of a better quality then I think this volume might have eked out a 3/5 rating. But, due to a mediocre execution on what could have been a great story and less than impressive art- I give this first volume a 2/5 rating.
December 19, 2016
After enjoying the Ultimate Spider-man books, I was pretty hopeful about Ultimate X-Men — especially since I remember enjoying the appearances of the various X-Men in the Spider-man comics. I enjoyed X-Men cartoons a lot as a kid, and it seems to me a shame that — as with Batman and Superman, actually — I haven’t particularly enjoyed the comics. Unfortunately, The Tomorrow People didn’t change that much.
It might not help that it’s a team book, so we don’t see one individual character for long, and it definitely doesn’t help that they’re teenagers and that Scott Summers accordingly has a tantrum. A tantrum that has entirely predictable results, of course. Meanwhile, Wolverine switches sides, more or less for no apparent reason. Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch do so as well, with comparatively little background. And Magneto is entirely too easy to take down — obviously this isn’t going to be the last the X-Men see of him in this series, because it’s Magneto, but.
It felt like a lot of flash and not much bang, really. I own three more volumes, so I will read them. After that… I don’t know. Not on the strength of this volume.
Originally posted here.
It might not help that it’s a team book, so we don’t see one individual character for long, and it definitely doesn’t help that they’re teenagers and that Scott Summers accordingly has a tantrum. A tantrum that has entirely predictable results, of course. Meanwhile, Wolverine switches sides, more or less for no apparent reason. Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch do so as well, with comparatively little background. And Magneto is entirely too easy to take down — obviously this isn’t going to be the last the X-Men see of him in this series, because it’s Magneto, but.
It felt like a lot of flash and not much bang, really. I own three more volumes, so I will read them. After that… I don’t know. Not on the strength of this volume.
Originally posted here.
June 30, 2008
Lord that was bad!
An attempt to re-imagine the X-men puts them in the costumes from the movie, adds a lot of teen angst and makes nearly all of them unlikable. The exceptions are Colossus and the Beast. Even then you have to cringe through the Beast making a joke about taking a dump.
Jean Gray has a belly button ring, Storm is a teen thief and Wolverine is basically a hired killer, but to make all those fanboys happy, Logan finally gets to bang Jean.
More of that grim, not much fun stuff that passes as hip, modern, realistic comics.
Why are characters written as jerks always seen as more realistic?
Aside from the Spider man title, Marvels Ultimate-verse is pretty much a failed experiment. They can be mildly interesting viewed as a big 'What if?', but otherwise skip them and use your money to buy some of the Essential X-men volumes instead.
Though, not to be completely negative, the fight with the Sentinel robots in New York was a cool action scene that would have looked good in one of the X-men movies.
An attempt to re-imagine the X-men puts them in the costumes from the movie, adds a lot of teen angst and makes nearly all of them unlikable. The exceptions are Colossus and the Beast. Even then you have to cringe through the Beast making a joke about taking a dump.
Jean Gray has a belly button ring, Storm is a teen thief and Wolverine is basically a hired killer, but to make all those fanboys happy, Logan finally gets to bang Jean.
More of that grim, not much fun stuff that passes as hip, modern, realistic comics.
Why are characters written as jerks always seen as more realistic?
Aside from the Spider man title, Marvels Ultimate-verse is pretty much a failed experiment. They can be mildly interesting viewed as a big 'What if?', but otherwise skip them and use your money to buy some of the Essential X-men volumes instead.
Though, not to be completely negative, the fight with the Sentinel robots in New York was a cool action scene that would have looked good in one of the X-men movies.
July 19, 2017
I have a pretty favourable opinion of Mark Millar's work in general, so it irked me to see such a colossal misfire here.
"Edgy" early 2000s Ultimate X-Men just wind up being less likeable versions of their classic characters, with some truly tragic fashion and grooming choices along the way (nice bandanna, Bobby, and the less said about Wolvie's Mark McGrath goatee the better).
Also, was anyone else grossed out that Logan starts out as a super-assassin on a mission to kill Xavier, but conveniently converts to the X-cause after holing up in a posh hotel because, reasons, and shagging Jean Grey...who is well-established as 19 years old in previous issues? Dirty Old Man Logan, indeed! Blecch.
"Edgy" early 2000s Ultimate X-Men just wind up being less likeable versions of their classic characters, with some truly tragic fashion and grooming choices along the way (nice bandanna, Bobby, and the less said about Wolvie's Mark McGrath goatee the better).
Also, was anyone else grossed out that Logan starts out as a super-assassin on a mission to kill Xavier, but conveniently converts to the X-cause after holing up in a posh hotel because, reasons, and shagging Jean Grey...who is well-established as 19 years old in previous issues? Dirty Old Man Logan, indeed! Blecch.
August 6, 2020
As usual for these kinds of books, the artwork was excellent, the profanity, blood, and sexual content, not so much.
July 23, 2018
This series might be called Ultimate X-Men, but it might as well be called Ultimate Wolverine. He is featured in almost every story and everything revolves around him. And oh yeah, he is on every cover. Most of the time just him. Lets just overuse the character for Pete's sake.
The stories were okay, more like "What if" stories. Thanks to Comixology Unlimited I can read the first two volumes in this collection.
The stories were okay, more like "What if" stories. Thanks to Comixology Unlimited I can read the first two volumes in this collection.
January 21, 2018
Other Useful Reviews: Sam Quixote's review
Book Info: This collection contains Ultimate X-Men issues #1-6.
ABSOLUTE RATING: {2.5/5 stars} (Rounded Down)
STANDARDIZED RATING: <2/5 stars>
Reeling from the recent anti-human bombings of New York and Washington, the US government contracts roboticist Bolivar Trask to engineer giant machines capable of sniffing out, capturing, and killing mutants hidden all over the country. In the midst of of all this chaos – perpetrated by Magneto and his Brotherhood of Mutants – Professor Charles Xavier and the X-Men desperately work tirelessly to amend mutant-human relations, as well as provide sanctuary and power training to all mutants seeking them. But while Xavier gathers recruits, Magneto sets his crosshairs on the White House, and plants one of his followers among the ranks of the X-Men – on a secret mission to assassinate the Professor.
The Tomorrow People was a shockingly weak volume for a number of reasons – foremost being the characters. As a team-based comic, there are several things a writer must accomplish in order to get it right, and, in some ways, their job may well be more challenging than it would have been for a solo book; not only must team chemistry be cultivated, but each member needs to be both unique and independently valuable. But sadly, characterization did not seem to be one of Millar's main priorities, so he fails on all counts. As a result, virtually everyone seemed rather one-dimensional, and I couldn't bring myself to connect with any one of them.
I'm sure most decent introductory X-Men books manage to portray some aspect of the mutants' difficulties coping with their extraordinary abilities, and explore their feelings of isolation and fear. In this book, we are introduced to each of the newest additions to the X-Men's roster (i.e. Beast, Storm, Colossus, and Iceman) during their separate encounters with X-Man Jean Grey. Jean finds them when they're at their lowest point, and manages to convince them that life at Xavier's school would be their best option moving forward. Following the mere 2-4 pages devoted to each encounter, competent readers should find they've already experienced the bulk of their misery, and little else is done to expand on this. Also, Millar's transition from recruitment to field missions occurs entirely too quickly, and he glosses over any training sessions or team interactions that might have added much-needed substance (and believability) to the story.
Another defining attribute of X-Men books is that they tend to address relevant topics such as discrimination and terrorism in a poignant and thought-provoking manner. Although the writer does appear to make some attempt to do so, his efforts are scant, and what little he tries is superficial and tedious. Through a few, all-too-brief confrontations where normal folks try and pick a fight or mock mutants they meet, Millar hopes to portray the travesty of intolerance. And this pathetic gesture is barely held together by three strategically-placed crying panels and another three thinly philosophical exchanges about the surrounding political climate. But even more generally speaking, the writing here is amateurish, and most attempts made to be clever or humorous fall flat.
[Excellent question, Iceman; I have no idea. As for the news: perhaps it has something to do with the grim realization that the lives of you and your comrades amount to nothing more than the trivial scribblings of a writer who couldn't care less about your fictional existence? No? Hmm... Alright, then. Just a thought.]
For a writer who had been in the comic-writing business for as long as he did up until this point, this ought to have been a complete embarrassment. The cheap tactics were so transparent and borderline insulting that I almost couldn't believe it; after a certain point, he seems to think he can get by on bland battles, a middling love triangle, and arbitrarily shifting allegiances (see postscript for more on this). And though I'm not very familiar with his work, Andy Kubert also doesn't appear to be operating at full capacity. This is just judging from what I remember of Flashpoint and Batman and Son , but perhaps this was produced at a moment during his career where the artist still had much room for improvement. So it was mostly decent, but surely not his best.
Unlike Ultimate Spider-Man , this did not hold up very well to my memory of it. It seems the more I re-read the more I come to realize just how much I've changed in recent years, and how much more sophisticated my critical analyses have become. Truth is, Millar has done much better work than this, and the volume really doesn't do much at all to redefine the X-Men in a meaningful way. Pretty much all he's done is make them younger and a lot less mature. I think I'll skip ahead to Ultimate War and see if things get any better.
Postscript:
I've always seen Magneto as one of Marvel's greatest villains, and the conflict between him and Xavier as (potentially) one of the most compelling across all superhero comics. My problem with Millar's rendition of the character is that it omits that fundamental part of Magneto that deeply loves his people, grieves over their suffering, and only resorts to violence because he genuinely sees no other way. From my limited experience, writers are able to achieve this in varying degrees, but Millar barely even seems to try. Instead, he makes him out to be your garden-variety supervillain bent on world domination – one who, as Cyclops so aptly concludes, is little more than a glorified Hitler. Sounds too harsh? See the spoiler tag below for more on this, and you decide for yourself.
------------------------------------------------
Getting into more detail regarding the "shifting allegiances" will necessarily require me to get pretty specific, so proceed with caution:
Book Info: This collection contains Ultimate X-Men issues #1-6.
ABSOLUTE RATING: {2.5/5 stars} (Rounded Down)
STANDARDIZED RATING: <2/5 stars>
Reeling from the recent anti-human bombings of New York and Washington, the US government contracts roboticist Bolivar Trask to engineer giant machines capable of sniffing out, capturing, and killing mutants hidden all over the country. In the midst of of all this chaos – perpetrated by Magneto and his Brotherhood of Mutants – Professor Charles Xavier and the X-Men desperately work tirelessly to amend mutant-human relations, as well as provide sanctuary and power training to all mutants seeking them. But while Xavier gathers recruits, Magneto sets his crosshairs on the White House, and plants one of his followers among the ranks of the X-Men – on a secret mission to assassinate the Professor.
The Tomorrow People was a shockingly weak volume for a number of reasons – foremost being the characters. As a team-based comic, there are several things a writer must accomplish in order to get it right, and, in some ways, their job may well be more challenging than it would have been for a solo book; not only must team chemistry be cultivated, but each member needs to be both unique and independently valuable. But sadly, characterization did not seem to be one of Millar's main priorities, so he fails on all counts. As a result, virtually everyone seemed rather one-dimensional, and I couldn't bring myself to connect with any one of them.
I'm sure most decent introductory X-Men books manage to portray some aspect of the mutants' difficulties coping with their extraordinary abilities, and explore their feelings of isolation and fear. In this book, we are introduced to each of the newest additions to the X-Men's roster (i.e. Beast, Storm, Colossus, and Iceman) during their separate encounters with X-Man Jean Grey. Jean finds them when they're at their lowest point, and manages to convince them that life at Xavier's school would be their best option moving forward. Following the mere 2-4 pages devoted to each encounter, competent readers should find they've already experienced the bulk of their misery, and little else is done to expand on this. Also, Millar's transition from recruitment to field missions occurs entirely too quickly, and he glosses over any training sessions or team interactions that might have added much-needed substance (and believability) to the story.
Another defining attribute of X-Men books is that they tend to address relevant topics such as discrimination and terrorism in a poignant and thought-provoking manner. Although the writer does appear to make some attempt to do so, his efforts are scant, and what little he tries is superficial and tedious. Through a few, all-too-brief confrontations where normal folks try and pick a fight or mock mutants they meet, Millar hopes to portray the travesty of intolerance. And this pathetic gesture is barely held together by three strategically-placed crying panels and another three thinly philosophical exchanges about the surrounding political climate. But even more generally speaking, the writing here is amateurish, and most attempts made to be clever or humorous fall flat.
[Excellent question, Iceman; I have no idea. As for the news: perhaps it has something to do with the grim realization that the lives of you and your comrades amount to nothing more than the trivial scribblings of a writer who couldn't care less about your fictional existence? No? Hmm... Alright, then. Just a thought.]
For a writer who had been in the comic-writing business for as long as he did up until this point, this ought to have been a complete embarrassment. The cheap tactics were so transparent and borderline insulting that I almost couldn't believe it; after a certain point, he seems to think he can get by on bland battles, a middling love triangle, and arbitrarily shifting allegiances (see postscript for more on this). And though I'm not very familiar with his work, Andy Kubert also doesn't appear to be operating at full capacity. This is just judging from what I remember of Flashpoint and Batman and Son , but perhaps this was produced at a moment during his career where the artist still had much room for improvement. So it was mostly decent, but surely not his best.
Unlike Ultimate Spider-Man , this did not hold up very well to my memory of it. It seems the more I re-read the more I come to realize just how much I've changed in recent years, and how much more sophisticated my critical analyses have become. Truth is, Millar has done much better work than this, and the volume really doesn't do much at all to redefine the X-Men in a meaningful way. Pretty much all he's done is make them younger and a lot less mature. I think I'll skip ahead to Ultimate War and see if things get any better.
Postscript:
I've always seen Magneto as one of Marvel's greatest villains, and the conflict between him and Xavier as (potentially) one of the most compelling across all superhero comics. My problem with Millar's rendition of the character is that it omits that fundamental part of Magneto that deeply loves his people, grieves over their suffering, and only resorts to violence because he genuinely sees no other way. From my limited experience, writers are able to achieve this in varying degrees, but Millar barely even seems to try. Instead, he makes him out to be your garden-variety supervillain bent on world domination – one who, as Cyclops so aptly concludes, is little more than a glorified Hitler. Sounds too harsh? See the spoiler tag below for more on this, and you decide for yourself.
------------------------------------------------
Getting into more detail regarding the "shifting allegiances" will necessarily require me to get pretty specific, so proceed with caution:
March 25, 2022
Насправді, початок серії Іксів за першого прочитання мені подобався навіть більше за Павука, бо ж "екшону більше"
Однак, персонажі - ніякі, мотивація - ніяка, діалоги занудні, а всі події є натягуванням сови на глобус, бо ж водночас із переслідуванням мутантів у нас є той же Паркер, якого натовп лише раз (в межах тай-іну з Іксами) ксенофобно закидав сміттям
Однак, персонажі - ніякі, мотивація - ніяка, діалоги занудні, а всі події є натягуванням сови на глобус, бо ж водночас із переслідуванням мутантів у нас є той же Паркер, якого натовп лише раз (в межах тай-іну з Іксами) ксенофобно закидав сміттям
June 3, 2014
The girl versus boy costumes in this were SO RIDICULOUS. Oh, all the boys are covered up LIKE NORMAL for armor, but the girls, WOOOWEEE stomach and cleavage oh boy. Hope the sentinels can't figure out they are mutants from the stomach windows. That would sure be a lack of foresight.
March 10, 2017
Maybe it was Magneto calling Xavier a stupid cripple or maybe it was the Beast having bigoted, abusive parents instead of proud, loving ones but damn do I hate this comic book. Darker and edgier definitely doesn't mean better and Ultimate X-Men is a great example of that.
April 15, 2022
Someone should inform Mark Millar that Croatia is not some Middle Eastern theocracy and that people there A: don't drive around in pickup trucks armed with machine guns shooting random strangers, and B: sure as fuck don't wear desert head scarves. Maps exist, try using one.
February 3, 2013
Read a number of years ago having borrowed them from a friend, just had to use Wikipedia to see how far I had got.
February 26, 2021
Ultimate X-Men, Vol. 1: The Tomorrow People takes a visceral take on the origins of the X-Men! Throughout Ultimate X-Men, Vol. 1: The Tomorrow People is loaded with action skullduggery! The plot obvioulsy is driven by numerous factors for example the conflict amont the mutants themsleves headed up by the two oppsoing sides, the humans and there fear of the X-Men, prohject X etc. All of the characters though are all given excellent screen time! Wolverine comes across as for more out for himself than we see in his portrayal which gives his character a quality that you really do not know whose side he is actually on! Jean Grey is a bit of an enignma as everyone knows what happens to her but at this point she is part of the team, Cyclops portrayal is as you would expect etc with the rest of the gang from Storm, Beast etc all getting in on the act!
At the same time though amongst all of the action and ethical depates there is humour throughout! Wolverine and Cyclops interactions all come across as funny as is there competition for Jean who is knows how to handle things! Xavier as always comes across as a mentor character but his sly ways of picking holes at his students in a humrous harmless but teaching way is brillianty handled and shows more of what drives him! On the other hand our fanatic mutants have all the disagreements that you woud expect and this is handled excellently with clear division amongst them and the potential to recruit them to Xaviers cause is neatly layed down and provides for clever charcter interactions from the start!
The art Ultimate X-Men, Vol. 1: The Tomorrow People is vibrant with colours popping off the page really reflecting the situations the the opposing teams and sides find themselves in! At the same time the camera angles and pane layout give everything an epic cinematic quality that leaps out of the page! Ultimate X-Men, Vol. 1: The Tomorrow People is told at a epic pace from the start and the are reflects that with the visceral and epic storyline all up there perfectly paced! Ultimate X-Men, Vol. 1: The Tomorrow People is edgy and knife edged and the storyline delights in twist and turns and throwing battles, ethics and events you will not see coming at every turn! You will be up late to see what happens!
Ultimate X-Men, Vol. 1: The Tomorrow People drives its story in epic way right from the beginning really packing in the characters and exposition resulting in a lore filled tale that is full to the brim with charater development and as different characters encounter each other and try to gain the upper hand in witty character dialogue for example in cutting debates, grand standing speaches etc, or in battle, adventure as we do springboard all over the place for example from America, The Savage Land etc, world building as we go out and meet this take on the mutants and the issues behind them, rib breaking humour that will have you laughing out loud, old and new plot threads all over the place that are sure to have comeback in later stories and excellent back stabbing 'Inevitable Betrayal!', showdowns involving more claws and powers than you can believe and unbridled action from the start! Brilliant and Highly Recommended! Crisp High Five! Get it When You Can! :D
At the same time though amongst all of the action and ethical depates there is humour throughout! Wolverine and Cyclops interactions all come across as funny as is there competition for Jean who is knows how to handle things! Xavier as always comes across as a mentor character but his sly ways of picking holes at his students in a humrous harmless but teaching way is brillianty handled and shows more of what drives him! On the other hand our fanatic mutants have all the disagreements that you woud expect and this is handled excellently with clear division amongst them and the potential to recruit them to Xaviers cause is neatly layed down and provides for clever charcter interactions from the start!
The art Ultimate X-Men, Vol. 1: The Tomorrow People is vibrant with colours popping off the page really reflecting the situations the the opposing teams and sides find themselves in! At the same time the camera angles and pane layout give everything an epic cinematic quality that leaps out of the page! Ultimate X-Men, Vol. 1: The Tomorrow People is told at a epic pace from the start and the are reflects that with the visceral and epic storyline all up there perfectly paced! Ultimate X-Men, Vol. 1: The Tomorrow People is edgy and knife edged and the storyline delights in twist and turns and throwing battles, ethics and events you will not see coming at every turn! You will be up late to see what happens!
Ultimate X-Men, Vol. 1: The Tomorrow People drives its story in epic way right from the beginning really packing in the characters and exposition resulting in a lore filled tale that is full to the brim with charater development and as different characters encounter each other and try to gain the upper hand in witty character dialogue for example in cutting debates, grand standing speaches etc, or in battle, adventure as we do springboard all over the place for example from America, The Savage Land etc, world building as we go out and meet this take on the mutants and the issues behind them, rib breaking humour that will have you laughing out loud, old and new plot threads all over the place that are sure to have comeback in later stories and excellent back stabbing 'Inevitable Betrayal!', showdowns involving more claws and powers than you can believe and unbridled action from the start! Brilliant and Highly Recommended! Crisp High Five! Get it When You Can! :D
November 19, 2021
(Through the Weapon X program, the X gene was discovered. SHIELD would use chem trails to trigger the mutant gene among those who had it).
Silencing dissidence; partial to a decade defined by state news, state surveillance, and corporate sponsored warfare. Species genocide, exemplary, their ‘sentinel’ and our ‘essential,’ culling programs. Earth 1610, a fascistic America, increasingly totalitarian, increasingly ill-tolerant; where the power-hold is playing a dangerous game of super-soldier deterrence (So, Camp X-Factor is Guantanamo bay, right?) With 00 style sensibilities, one too many Carson Daly references, and a decade defined by political turmoil, Ultimate X-Men is a fossil of the 2000’s. Symbolizing post 9/11, Bush and Cheney fear-monger mania; man-made moral impotence that one can only hope Millar was only parodying. But with the rise of revolutionary Erik Lehnsherr (Magneto) and with his unique brand of homo-superior, in this universe the ‘villain’ is an actual contender. The Brotherhood’s declaration, the next phase of evolution that is Ill-afraid to fight terror with terror and genocide with genocide. So who better to usher readers in the new millennia to witness global extinction than Mark Millar’s cynical ‘uncanniness’ towards human and mutant relations.
The Ultimate Universe remixes some classic comic arcs for the modern audience. Dark Phoenix Saga transforms to something demonic, Age of Apocalypse becomes a hallucinogen, and Mojo’s reality show becomes a passable piece of satire. Each receives their overdue makeover both in story and character design. The students are all basically teenagers, albeit with some truly glaring character flaws: Beast’s insecurity, essentially putting all of mankind at risk with one AOL message. Jean Grey and her literal god complex. Nightcrawler is a homophobe and a rapist. Colossus is a junk head, And Wolverine, the most powerful mutant in the world, just happens to have one small predilection for murder. Fight after fight, the plot thickens and yet the line between good and bad, villain and hero, is thinner than ever. Perfect drama…well at least until Kirkman takes over and then proceeds to use all the cheap, typical comic book stunts that lazy writers tend to commit: illogical betrayals, bringing characters back to life, fake deaths, and reality resets.
But let face it, what makes X-men interesting is not the actual X-Men, it’s not even the plot, it’s the philosophy. Getting to the core of the argument between the two most important characters in all the Marvel Universe, Magneto and Professor Charles Xavier. The dynamic duo that has gone back almost a half-century. Starting with their famous comp to MLK and Malcolm X. One of the greatest rivalries, second only to Batman and Joker. From admirers to friends, from friends to sworn enemies; witnessing their evolution is paramount to not only understanding the heart of this debate, but to understanding the impossibility of each goal. Their biting diatribe, their arguments in ethics.
“Personally, I prefer to think of it as compromise…for the purpose of saving lives.”
“I’m sure you do, dear boy you’ve just signed up your children to the same organization that
was hunting them down.”
What can and can’t, and should and shouldn’t be done, inches in intensity throughout the first few volumes until it just meets head on into some heavy foreshadowing. “Yes, well. That’s where you and I shall always remain poles apart, dear Charles.”
Who is truly the bad guy here? The answer is in the heart and soul of the man who created the X-Men.
One thing that readers choose to ignore is Xavier’s own implication in keeping the steady spread of bigotry and violence alive. The mind control where there’s little proof to show how long he’s been using it and who he has been using it on (one could argue he really screwed up Magneto after brainwashing him). His students, those who have put their faith in him, are groomed to fill the power gap. As evident In one of the most telling scenes. The conversation between Fury and Xavier unveils their true agenda when reading between the lines.
Xavier: “I never suspected that the government of the United States would invite me into the heart of the machine just to dilute my pacifist agenda, General. Why that’s as far-fetched as suggesting that i engineered this entire situation just to gain an invitation into the heart of the military machine.”
Fury: ”Well, we live in such paranoid times, don’t we, sir?”
Oh, but we’ve just begun.
Xavier orders the assassination of a child who didn’t know the full effect of his mutant powers. He completely ruins the Magician, accusing the kid of deception without ever granting him a fair hearing— guilty til’ proven dead. He threatens to kill Syndicate’s sister. He invented the worst drug on earth. Oh yea, he’s a deadbeat dad whose own son, an extremely dangerous mutant, could have really used a father figure (he’s also in love with some of his students, but we won’t get into that).
Under the auspices of Fury and Xavier, The Ultimates and The X-Men have had more than their fair-share of reactionary trigger pulls, lacking any philosophical backbone besides who has a quicker shot. If anyone had any intent to do what’s best for their family: growth, improvement, empowerment and social and cultural progress, it might have only ever been Magneto. Proving that while Magneto may represent the hard edge of revolutionary hegemony, the professor is nothing more than a silent jingoist (and Fury is so evil you can’t even compare him to the two— he enslaved Henry McCoy for gods sake).
An appeaser to the human reich; blatant co-conspirator, only putting on the guise of a peace-monger, Professor X is more Pope Pius the 3rd than Martin Luther King Jr. With only a wag of the finger towards Fury’s nuclear command (umm, he nuked Tibet). And as Pope Pius once defended his lack of stance against the holocaust in fear of causing a “greater evil,” and as those in power have consistently shown, the trillion dollar defense system is not for the greater evil, it’s about those who pose the greater threat. And in the case of ultimate universe, it’s quite obvious who the greater threat is.
Silencing dissidence; partial to a decade defined by state news, state surveillance, and corporate sponsored warfare. Species genocide, exemplary, their ‘sentinel’ and our ‘essential,’ culling programs. Earth 1610, a fascistic America, increasingly totalitarian, increasingly ill-tolerant; where the power-hold is playing a dangerous game of super-soldier deterrence (So, Camp X-Factor is Guantanamo bay, right?) With 00 style sensibilities, one too many Carson Daly references, and a decade defined by political turmoil, Ultimate X-Men is a fossil of the 2000’s. Symbolizing post 9/11, Bush and Cheney fear-monger mania; man-made moral impotence that one can only hope Millar was only parodying. But with the rise of revolutionary Erik Lehnsherr (Magneto) and with his unique brand of homo-superior, in this universe the ‘villain’ is an actual contender. The Brotherhood’s declaration, the next phase of evolution that is Ill-afraid to fight terror with terror and genocide with genocide. So who better to usher readers in the new millennia to witness global extinction than Mark Millar’s cynical ‘uncanniness’ towards human and mutant relations.
The Ultimate Universe remixes some classic comic arcs for the modern audience. Dark Phoenix Saga transforms to something demonic, Age of Apocalypse becomes a hallucinogen, and Mojo’s reality show becomes a passable piece of satire. Each receives their overdue makeover both in story and character design. The students are all basically teenagers, albeit with some truly glaring character flaws: Beast’s insecurity, essentially putting all of mankind at risk with one AOL message. Jean Grey and her literal god complex. Nightcrawler is a homophobe and a rapist. Colossus is a junk head, And Wolverine, the most powerful mutant in the world, just happens to have one small predilection for murder. Fight after fight, the plot thickens and yet the line between good and bad, villain and hero, is thinner than ever. Perfect drama…well at least until Kirkman takes over and then proceeds to use all the cheap, typical comic book stunts that lazy writers tend to commit: illogical betrayals, bringing characters back to life, fake deaths, and reality resets.
But let face it, what makes X-men interesting is not the actual X-Men, it’s not even the plot, it’s the philosophy. Getting to the core of the argument between the two most important characters in all the Marvel Universe, Magneto and Professor Charles Xavier. The dynamic duo that has gone back almost a half-century. Starting with their famous comp to MLK and Malcolm X. One of the greatest rivalries, second only to Batman and Joker. From admirers to friends, from friends to sworn enemies; witnessing their evolution is paramount to not only understanding the heart of this debate, but to understanding the impossibility of each goal. Their biting diatribe, their arguments in ethics.
“Personally, I prefer to think of it as compromise…for the purpose of saving lives.”
“I’m sure you do, dear boy you’ve just signed up your children to the same organization that
was hunting them down.”
What can and can’t, and should and shouldn’t be done, inches in intensity throughout the first few volumes until it just meets head on into some heavy foreshadowing. “Yes, well. That’s where you and I shall always remain poles apart, dear Charles.”
Who is truly the bad guy here? The answer is in the heart and soul of the man who created the X-Men.
One thing that readers choose to ignore is Xavier’s own implication in keeping the steady spread of bigotry and violence alive. The mind control where there’s little proof to show how long he’s been using it and who he has been using it on (one could argue he really screwed up Magneto after brainwashing him). His students, those who have put their faith in him, are groomed to fill the power gap. As evident In one of the most telling scenes. The conversation between Fury and Xavier unveils their true agenda when reading between the lines.
Xavier: “I never suspected that the government of the United States would invite me into the heart of the machine just to dilute my pacifist agenda, General. Why that’s as far-fetched as suggesting that i engineered this entire situation just to gain an invitation into the heart of the military machine.”
Fury: ”Well, we live in such paranoid times, don’t we, sir?”
Oh, but we’ve just begun.
Xavier orders the assassination of a child who didn’t know the full effect of his mutant powers. He completely ruins the Magician, accusing the kid of deception without ever granting him a fair hearing— guilty til’ proven dead. He threatens to kill Syndicate’s sister. He invented the worst drug on earth. Oh yea, he’s a deadbeat dad whose own son, an extremely dangerous mutant, could have really used a father figure (he’s also in love with some of his students, but we won’t get into that).
Under the auspices of Fury and Xavier, The Ultimates and The X-Men have had more than their fair-share of reactionary trigger pulls, lacking any philosophical backbone besides who has a quicker shot. If anyone had any intent to do what’s best for their family: growth, improvement, empowerment and social and cultural progress, it might have only ever been Magneto. Proving that while Magneto may represent the hard edge of revolutionary hegemony, the professor is nothing more than a silent jingoist (and Fury is so evil you can’t even compare him to the two— he enslaved Henry McCoy for gods sake).
An appeaser to the human reich; blatant co-conspirator, only putting on the guise of a peace-monger, Professor X is more Pope Pius the 3rd than Martin Luther King Jr. With only a wag of the finger towards Fury’s nuclear command (umm, he nuked Tibet). And as Pope Pius once defended his lack of stance against the holocaust in fear of causing a “greater evil,” and as those in power have consistently shown, the trillion dollar defense system is not for the greater evil, it’s about those who pose the greater threat. And in the case of ultimate universe, it’s quite obvious who the greater threat is.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 31, 2022
My Ultimate Year #2: Strange Origins and Ultmate X-Men!
Read for a stylish, action packed x-men reboot and great costume design.
Read for a stylish, action packed x-men reboot and great costume design.
April 13, 2024
X-MEN '97 INSPIRED READING #13
00's. Alternate universe. EDGY. LEATHER COSTUMES! It's such a try-hard 2000's comic that think it's so cool. It's hilarious, I love it ironically.
00's. Alternate universe. EDGY. LEATHER COSTUMES! It's such a try-hard 2000's comic that think it's so cool. It's hilarious, I love it ironically.
November 11, 2023
Pretty good reimagining of X-men. Good interpretation of Magneto. But, like, you put 4 of 5 OG x-men in this book and no Angel? Not cool
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