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Ultimate X-Men (Collected Editions) #14
Ultimate X-Men, Vol. 14: Phoenix?
After the events of Magnetic North and their recent encounter with the Master of Magnetism, our heroes kick back for a night on the town with their significant others. But who or what is the Magician and how is he going to wreck their plans? Meanwhile, Wolverine runs into an old teammate who's out for revenge. Join new Ultimate X-Men writer Robert Kirkman and Ultimate Secret's Tom Raney as they take the Ultimate Universe's favorite mutants to dazzling new heights!
Collecting: Ultimate X-Men 66-71
Collecting: Ultimate X-Men 66-71
144 pages, Paperback
First published October 4, 2006
9 people are currently reading
316 people want to read
About the author
Robert Kirkman
2,742 books6,942 followersRobert Kirkman is an American comic book writer best known for his work on The Walking Dead, Invincible for Image Comics, as well as Ultimate X-Men and Marvel Zombies for Marvel Comics. He has also collaborated with Image Comics co-founder Todd McFarlane on the series Haunt. He is one of the five partners of Image Comics, and the only one of the five who was not one of the original co-founders of that publisher.
Robert Kirkman's first comic books were self-published under his own Funk-o-Tron label. Along with childhood friend Tony Moore, Kirkman created Battle Pope which was published in late 2001. Battle Pope ran for over 2 years along with other Funk-o-Tron published books such as InkPunks and Double Take.
In July of 2002, Robert's first work for another company began, with a 4-part SuperPatriot series for Image, along with Battle Pope backup story artist Cory Walker. Robert's creator-owned projects followed shortly thereafter, including Tech Jacket, Invincible and Walking Dead.
Robert Kirkman's first comic books were self-published under his own Funk-o-Tron label. Along with childhood friend Tony Moore, Kirkman created Battle Pope which was published in late 2001. Battle Pope ran for over 2 years along with other Funk-o-Tron published books such as InkPunks and Double Take.
In July of 2002, Robert's first work for another company began, with a 4-part SuperPatriot series for Image, along with Battle Pope backup story artist Cory Walker. Robert's creator-owned projects followed shortly thereafter, including Tech Jacket, Invincible and Walking Dead.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 49 reviews
November 24, 2017
The Ultimate line was suppose to allow creators to put new spins on old characters and storylines, and that is exactly what Kirkman does with Jean Grey, the Phoenix, and the Shi’ar. I have to admit I didn’t love every new twist (I could have done without the new Shi’ar update.), but overall it worked in the context of this story. Loved the beginning where everyone is out on their own “dates.” It was just good to see the human side of everyone for a change.
May 2, 2020
A much better mutant related read is Ultimate X-Men volume 14 (almost to the end!) by Kirkman.
The title is strange but that's because we do a new twist on the whole Phoenix thing. The first half of the book is actually focused on relationships, friendships or love interest. It works well to have some characters grow and also question their choices. The second half is more focused on a new mutant and him joining the X-Men while Jean gets to figure out what the hell is happening with her and the Phoenix.
Overall, most of this works. I think the first half is especially strong because Kirkman wisely focuses on the relationships and most of it is great. The second half is a bit iffy. I think the stuff with the Phoenix was a bit long winded but by the end I loved the clever twist. The other stuff with the new Mutant kid is cool but he's also insainly annoying. Hopefully he pays off.
Overall pretty good, better than expected. A 3.5 out of 5, I'll round it to a 4.
The title is strange but that's because we do a new twist on the whole Phoenix thing. The first half of the book is actually focused on relationships, friendships or love interest. It works well to have some characters grow and also question their choices. The second half is more focused on a new mutant and him joining the X-Men while Jean gets to figure out what the hell is happening with her and the Phoenix.
Overall, most of this works. I think the first half is especially strong because Kirkman wisely focuses on the relationships and most of it is great. The second half is a bit iffy. I think the stuff with the Phoenix was a bit long winded but by the end I loved the clever twist. The other stuff with the new Mutant kid is cool but he's also insainly annoying. Hopefully he pays off.
Overall pretty good, better than expected. A 3.5 out of 5, I'll round it to a 4.
July 17, 2016
This is the kind of thing I hope to see in an Ultimate book, a new and clever take on an established character or story element. In this case, the Shi'ar Empire becomes a Scientology-esque church that worships the Phoenix. It's a completely unexpected place to take the idea, and it's welcome. We've been doing this dance with Phoenix for a long time at this point, and I'd like to finally see where this is going. Is Jean the embodiment of the Phoenix? Or is the Phoenix an alter she created when her mutant powers were overwhelming her? Kirkman finally gives an answer, but it isn't necessarily a definitive one. There's also a new mutant introduced in this book, going by the codename Magician, and he instantly made me feel distrustful of him. Some of the minor interpersonal stuff is being taken dealt with, and it makes for a cleaner book. I was getting tired of some of the soap opera drama.
November 1, 2025
The beginning of Kirkman's run on Ultimate X-Men has potential. The three issue Date Night storyline is a good story told at the wrong pace. The way Kirkman jags from date to date feels more angle than flow. But it arrives at an interesting place, and the Phoenix reveals at the end of the book unfold in a more well-constructed fashion.
October 15, 2024
My Ultimate Year #14
I’m pretty 50/50 on Kirkman, but he seems to be doing one of the better jobs on Ultimate X-men.
Read for lots of horny teens, the Phoenix? And Kirkman’s takeover.
I’m pretty 50/50 on Kirkman, but he seems to be doing one of the better jobs on Ultimate X-men.
Read for lots of horny teens, the Phoenix? And Kirkman’s takeover.
April 14, 2025
The most amazing thing about this comic is that it's had superstar writer after superstar writer, and every single one of them put absolutely zero effort into it. And for some reason I keep reading it.
August 21, 2012
Stuff I Read – Ultimate X-Men #66-74
Now before the masses all rise up and declare me an insane or an idiot for the issue range on this one, let me assure you that it’s not really cheating. I should explain, perhaps, that this is really three different three-part stories, but because I really don’t want to have to start reviewing three-part stories and because these three arcs weave together to form one larger story, I’m going to keep this a bit more simple and call this one arc. Officially running through Date Night, Phoenix?, and Magical, this arc I think gets the X-Men at least a bit more back on track in terms of where they should be and using the history of the title to tell and interesting and rather complex story. Because really this arc is about Elliot Boggs, the mutant that becomes known as Magician. It is his story in the sense that it is Magician that creates almost all of the conflict of these arcs, at least that is how it eventually is revealed.
The arcs initially don’t tip their hat to that, and so on the one level it is a more mundane story about fights at a school dance and weird churches and such. On the other level, though, it is a very tricky mutant power at work that creates the obstacles and circumstances for Magician to get what he wants. And I like that he is not even that aware of it. Further, it is great that him becoming a villain is explained by his power, that it was a way for him to get out that would prevent anyone from looking for him. On that level this is a very complex story that weaves seamlessly through the three small arcs to create one large arc, where we meet and actually like the character of Magician. At least I did. He is more carefree and eager to be a hero, while Robert Kirkman (trust a Kirk to set something straight, right?) begins to bring the characters out from the weird places they found themselves at when Vaughan left. He cuts right to the chase, however, in effectively stopping the horrible thing that was happening between Kitty and Bobby while reintroducing Rogue to the mix. He outs Colossus and makes Nightcrawler a rather confused and hostile young man, as is appropriate for someone who spent so much time in Weapon X.
He does a good job and showing something new with Cyclops and Jean and even gives the Professor a love interest. While this is happening he is creating all new things, like Magician, who is an Ultimate exclusive, if you will, and shows he isn’t afraid to introduce new elements into the story. He also works on complicating Jean, making people think and herself doubt the nature of the Phoenix, as if it might just be a symptom of a mental disorder. Which is great. And while the final sendoff for Magician does seem a little cheesy, a little too worked out, I much prefer it to the tripe that was par for the course with Vaughan. Kirkman moves things along at a quick pace, concentrating on the character moments while leaving the arc with the question of how much was Magician and how much was “real.” Which is both good and bad. Good in the sense that it adds a bit of mystery and complication to the story and bad because it leaves the readers rather ambiguously. Was it all a dream, basically?
In any event, the arc shows that Kirkman’s run will most likely be a big step up from Vaughan’s, if not the greatest the series has enjoyed. His characters are recovering from the super-juvenile idiots that he inherited and are making their towards being effective again, but I don’t know that Kirkman does much to give them any strong victories. What wins they get are due largely to Magician, after all, so at the end it is like another loss for the team as a whole. But it puts them with somewhere to go, and feeling a bit more like a team. I’m waiting for Kirkman to get into some less mundane stories, but time will tell. As for this arc, I give it a 7.5/10.
Now before the masses all rise up and declare me an insane or an idiot for the issue range on this one, let me assure you that it’s not really cheating. I should explain, perhaps, that this is really three different three-part stories, but because I really don’t want to have to start reviewing three-part stories and because these three arcs weave together to form one larger story, I’m going to keep this a bit more simple and call this one arc. Officially running through Date Night, Phoenix?, and Magical, this arc I think gets the X-Men at least a bit more back on track in terms of where they should be and using the history of the title to tell and interesting and rather complex story. Because really this arc is about Elliot Boggs, the mutant that becomes known as Magician. It is his story in the sense that it is Magician that creates almost all of the conflict of these arcs, at least that is how it eventually is revealed.
The arcs initially don’t tip their hat to that, and so on the one level it is a more mundane story about fights at a school dance and weird churches and such. On the other level, though, it is a very tricky mutant power at work that creates the obstacles and circumstances for Magician to get what he wants. And I like that he is not even that aware of it. Further, it is great that him becoming a villain is explained by his power, that it was a way for him to get out that would prevent anyone from looking for him. On that level this is a very complex story that weaves seamlessly through the three small arcs to create one large arc, where we meet and actually like the character of Magician. At least I did. He is more carefree and eager to be a hero, while Robert Kirkman (trust a Kirk to set something straight, right?) begins to bring the characters out from the weird places they found themselves at when Vaughan left. He cuts right to the chase, however, in effectively stopping the horrible thing that was happening between Kitty and Bobby while reintroducing Rogue to the mix. He outs Colossus and makes Nightcrawler a rather confused and hostile young man, as is appropriate for someone who spent so much time in Weapon X.
He does a good job and showing something new with Cyclops and Jean and even gives the Professor a love interest. While this is happening he is creating all new things, like Magician, who is an Ultimate exclusive, if you will, and shows he isn’t afraid to introduce new elements into the story. He also works on complicating Jean, making people think and herself doubt the nature of the Phoenix, as if it might just be a symptom of a mental disorder. Which is great. And while the final sendoff for Magician does seem a little cheesy, a little too worked out, I much prefer it to the tripe that was par for the course with Vaughan. Kirkman moves things along at a quick pace, concentrating on the character moments while leaving the arc with the question of how much was Magician and how much was “real.” Which is both good and bad. Good in the sense that it adds a bit of mystery and complication to the story and bad because it leaves the readers rather ambiguously. Was it all a dream, basically?
In any event, the arc shows that Kirkman’s run will most likely be a big step up from Vaughan’s, if not the greatest the series has enjoyed. His characters are recovering from the super-juvenile idiots that he inherited and are making their towards being effective again, but I don’t know that Kirkman does much to give them any strong victories. What wins they get are due largely to Magician, after all, so at the end it is like another loss for the team as a whole. But it puts them with somewhere to go, and feeling a bit more like a team. I’m waiting for Kirkman to get into some less mundane stories, but time will tell. As for this arc, I give it a 7.5/10.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 20, 2020
I'm surprisingly disappointed by this. Then again, I've never been the biggest fan of the X-Men (this is actually my first time reading one of these comics), but I feel like the flow of the story was pretty off in this. The Date Night plot was really convoluted and had a few too many characters for its own good. Too many plot lines were introduced all at the same time, and I felt like the only one that had a payoff was the Jean Gray and Phoenix one (which is the title of this collection, but still, the other plotlines suffered because of it). Perhaps I would feel more connection to the characters if I had read more of the X-Men, but I felt like none of them really felt too compelling on their own, as much as I had read. It feels like Harry Potter, but instead of focusing on a main character (i.e. a Harry) it felt like it wanted to focus on all of the side characters at school too. Maybe I should just stick to singular superhero comics.
October 28, 2019
There were some truly memorable moments here, especially the cutaways to separate locations within the same panel. This was definitely a much needed "Come together" volume. The end bit is quite the cliffhanger, especially for someone who's new to this story (not sure if it's been tod before). If it hasn't already been done, I really wants to see Magician played on the big screen someday.
Annual #2: I understand that Xavier wants to fix Nightcrawler, but it just doesn't seem possible. Really sucks that Dazzler had to be the victim, I wish she could just ease back in after what she's been through.
Annual #2: I understand that Xavier wants to fix Nightcrawler, but it just doesn't seem possible. Really sucks that Dazzler had to be the victim, I wish she could just ease back in after what she's been through.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 16, 2024
Date Night (66-68). Kirkman comes aboard and not only does he offer a fun story that manages to highlight most of the Ultimate X-Men in a rather frenetic fashion, but he also begins plotting on more complex, overarcing plots of the sort Millar offered, these ones focused on Project X and the Phoenix. A welcome change! [4+/5].
Phoenix (69-71). A story in two parts. On the one hand, we have an intriguing advance of the Jean/Phoenix storyline with multiple surprising twists. On the other hand, we have a dull fight against the Brotherhood that apparently is intended to advance the dull storyline with the dull Magician character [3+/5].
Phoenix (69-71). A story in two parts. On the one hand, we have an intriguing advance of the Jean/Phoenix storyline with multiple surprising twists. On the other hand, we have a dull fight against the Brotherhood that apparently is intended to advance the dull storyline with the dull Magician character [3+/5].
August 5, 2023
Kirkman takes over and is off to a decent start. This contains two arcs but also feels more serialized than any of the part writers on this book. Everyone goes on dates in the first part. In the second Liandra of the Shi'ar religion tests Jean to see if she's the incarnation of the ancient Phoenix Force that was imprisoned in the earth. Meanwhile, a kid named Magician joins the team, and he's the worst. He's either a reticulous Mary Sue or something else is going on. I suspect it's the latter. Something about how everyone treats him reminds me of Jonathan in the BtVS episode Superstar.
March 29, 2025
We are brought back to the Phoenix storyline again.
With shield not anymore sponsoring Xavier's school after the last arc and the commotion at the prison, Xavier is contacted by an organisation that is willing to sponsor the school with huge sum of money.
The catch is that the organisation is same as the hellfire club who are worshipping an ancient being called phoneix and are expecting it to manifest soon. And they suspect Jean Grey to be the host for it. So in exchange of conducting some experiments on her, the organisation agrees to sponsor the school.
With shield not anymore sponsoring Xavier's school after the last arc and the commotion at the prison, Xavier is contacted by an organisation that is willing to sponsor the school with huge sum of money.
The catch is that the organisation is same as the hellfire club who are worshipping an ancient being called phoneix and are expecting it to manifest soon. And they suspect Jean Grey to be the host for it. So in exchange of conducting some experiments on her, the organisation agrees to sponsor the school.
February 6, 2021
This one was OK. I read it over a longer span of time because it wasn't really intriguing enough to rush through it. Seemed like quite a bit of plot development time spent with little real payoff to much of anything very interesting. The Phoenix idea could be intriguing and hopefully they'll build on that but it came to all of nothing in this one. The artwork was ok, but not great, nor terrible.
August 12, 2019
I enjoyed this one quite a bit. The first part, the "date-night" was especially fun since it offered a lot of character-development and fun dialogue. The thing with Phoenix is still pretty mysterious, hard to tell where this is going. I definitely like the new guy in the X-Men, the "Magician". I hope he sticks around.
February 5, 2024
This volume of Ultimate X-Men is 144 pages and contains issues 66-71. This is the beginning of Robert Kirkman’s run on the series, and to be honest, I don’t know why people hate on this so much. Re-reading it after all these years was really enjoyable and I appreciate how he writes the relationships between these characters. I definitely recommend this one.
December 22, 2025
I read this mostly because Kirkman wrote it but there are some things I just don’t like about the Ultimate X-Men. Those things that I don’t like are trying to “ground” an already fantastic set of heroes.
I blame Marvel’s Ultimate Universe for starting this trend of publisher owned fan-fiction. Frankly a lot of this is a protracted”What If…?” story. “What If Colossus was gay and liked someone from Alpha Flight?”, “What Jean Grey bossed Cyclops around in their relationship?”, “What If the Shi’ar were a cult that worshipped the Phoenix?”.
It all seems a little pointless.
I blame Marvel’s Ultimate Universe for starting this trend of publisher owned fan-fiction. Frankly a lot of this is a protracted”What If…?” story. “What If Colossus was gay and liked someone from Alpha Flight?”, “What Jean Grey bossed Cyclops around in their relationship?”, “What If the Shi’ar were a cult that worshipped the Phoenix?”.
It all seems a little pointless.
January 2, 2019
This was mostly fun. It mainly sets up future plots, so there's little high stakes plots but that does mean there's breathing room for smaller character moments.
I'm not a fan of homophobic Nightcrawler who actively avoids Colossus who came out as gay.
I'm not a fan of homophobic Nightcrawler who actively avoids Colossus who came out as gay.
April 30, 2021
Shi'ar memulai kemunculan mereka di jagat Ultimate X-Men. Tujuan mereka tentu saja untuk mencari Phoenix yang diduga bersemayam dalam diri Jean Grey. Mutan baru bernama Magician muncul dan secara tersirat menunjukkan bahwa ia punya peran besar di masa depan.
September 29, 2021
Buen inicio de Robert Kirkman en la franquicia de los mutantes definitivos, capta la esencia de los personajes, inventa un nuevo mutante. No soy fan del dibujo de Tom Raney y de Ben Oliver menos pero acompañan.
January 3, 2026
This is another interesting chapter in this story. Wolverine and Collosus are forced to take on new foes. Ms. Marvel is luckily around to help, but she has problems with undersanding how her powers are reacting.
September 8, 2018
This is where I stopped reading Ultimate X-Men back in the day, so it was a little jarring to come back. I've definitely outgrown the Ultimate Universe, so we'll see. Plenty entertaining, anyway.
Read
October 1, 2020its really good
June 19, 2021
Story was good enough in this volume, but some of the art was incredibly shoddy in places... Xavier's head seemed to be a different shape on every page!
February 18, 2022
Just OK. I forgot to post right away after I'd finished it, and I'm having trouble remembering it – which sounds about right.
April 23, 2023
Two stories in this one. First nice and sweet teeny romance date thing, which was surprisingly entertaining and then more action one with maybe-Phoenix.
Good, solid superhero fun.
Good, solid superhero fun.
April 24, 2024
2.5. It was okay, the Date Night arc was kinda fun. Next volume!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 28, 2016
What an odd title. "Phoenix?" As if Kirkman was tempting you like a seductress showing a bit of her cleavage. "Wanna see some Phoenix? Huh? Do you?"
Suffice it to say, Kirkman is actually really good as he's established for me prior to this comic with his Walking Dead series. However, I feel bad for the people who read this comic during its release, as Kirkman has a problem with letting conversations run over into other issues, which can often confuse readers who receive the comics on a monthly basis.
However, Kirkman does an excellent job of blending character stories between each other. My problem with this, however, is the difference in tone between the stories. We jump from romantic relationships, to talking about the apocalypse, to a dirty fight in the middle of the rain. I recognize this as a flaw, but I still enjoy the amount of time Kirkman spent fleshing out each character in their own story.
Some other problems I have is the occasional robotic-sounding line. "This is a good thing." being spoken Xavier sounded like a very stiff line amongst the other few sprinkled in this volume. I'm also not a big fan of Nightcrawler being played off as so melodramatic, whiney, and intolerant. He and Colossus are good enough friends, that I figured him learning about him being gay wouldn't stop their friendship. But he whines about it to an unconscious girl he doesn't have the balls to ask out in the first place. Very nice.
This is a good step in the right direction. There's some genuine tension to Jean Grey being the Phoenix, and I really feel for these character as they go about their different stories. I just hope Kirkman can keep building off of his own momentum.
Suffice it to say, Kirkman is actually really good as he's established for me prior to this comic with his Walking Dead series. However, I feel bad for the people who read this comic during its release, as Kirkman has a problem with letting conversations run over into other issues, which can often confuse readers who receive the comics on a monthly basis.
However, Kirkman does an excellent job of blending character stories between each other. My problem with this, however, is the difference in tone between the stories. We jump from romantic relationships, to talking about the apocalypse, to a dirty fight in the middle of the rain. I recognize this as a flaw, but I still enjoy the amount of time Kirkman spent fleshing out each character in their own story.
Some other problems I have is the occasional robotic-sounding line. "This is a good thing." being spoken Xavier sounded like a very stiff line amongst the other few sprinkled in this volume. I'm also not a big fan of Nightcrawler being played off as so melodramatic, whiney, and intolerant. He and Colossus are good enough friends, that I figured him learning about him being gay wouldn't stop their friendship. But he whines about it to an unconscious girl he doesn't have the balls to ask out in the first place. Very nice.
This is a good step in the right direction. There's some genuine tension to Jean Grey being the Phoenix, and I really feel for these character as they go about their different stories. I just hope Kirkman can keep building off of his own momentum.
June 30, 2015
Poor Jean. I know lots of people hate Jean Grey as a character no matter what universe she is in, but I have always felt that while she can be manipulative, you can't deny that she never asked to be chosen by the Phoenix Force. The end of this book really highlights that. I enjoyed the multiple "date" format used for the beginning of the book, but this Boggs character is ridiculous. His powers strongly resemble the chaos magic of Scarlet Witch, and he is obviously warping reality, at least subconsciously, to fulfill his desires. I'm thinking he is either another agent of Apocalypse or the first mutant himself in disguise.
And I miss Lilandra being a powerful alien queen. I get the idea of making the Shi'ar human in the ultimate universe, but give her some backbone, please Kirkman?
And I miss Lilandra being a powerful alien queen. I get the idea of making the Shi'ar human in the ultimate universe, but give her some backbone, please Kirkman?
October 28, 2011
While I liked the story itself of what was going on with the x-men team and its splintering, I am incredibly bothered by the laissez-faire attitude of letting in some new mutant who can simply bend reality, or use magic, at will, and noticing simply does not occur, by a bunch of hyper-alert, overly-trained mutants. Well, gee, I guess they are teenagers. The hell. Plus? Dressing nearly every female in skanky clothes is truly overdone. I do want to read the volumes preceding this, as well as the ones following as I'm highly intrigued with Rogue's ability, or lack thereof, as well as what is happening with Jean Grey. I just wish I didn't have to feel like a dirty teenager because of that.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 49 reviews