Ultimate Comics X-Men #3
Written by: Nick Spencer
Pencilled by: Paco Medina
Inked by: Juan Vlasco
Colored by: Marte Gracia
Lettering by: VC’s Joe Sabino
Published by: Marvel
Cover Price: $3.99
Note : This review is for the digital version of the comic available from Marvel Comics on Comixology
Summary (contains spoilers): This comic starts with Val Cooper arriving at the White House, just in time to see Nick Fury storming out. She quickly finds out why; the President of the United States has just named Pietro “Quicksilver” Lensherr his new advisor on mutant issues. Val is surprised, until Quicksilver reveals that he knows about a device called Cerebro that can be used to track mutants.
Meanwhile, Stryker and company are in Time Square preparing some kind of raid to “take the country back.”
Kitty, Iceman, and Human Torch have rescued Rogue and have brought her into the sewers to their secret hideout in the Morlock tunnels. They quickly realize it’s not so secret as Jimmy (Wolverine’s son) and Maggot have taken refuge there after escaping from Stryker’s custody. Jimmy wakes up and freaks out saying that they need to stop Stryker before it’s too late.
The comic ends with Stryker’s forces starting a massive attack in the heart of New York City.
Review: Did we really need the first five pages devoted to Quicksilver? Yeah, it was some really good dialogue, and the interplay between Val Cooper and Quicksilver definitely seems like it will have great potential as this series goes forward, but it just too way too long to develop.
Add in another 6 pages for Stryker’s story, and 4 pages with no dialouge showing how Maggot and Wolvie Junior escaped from Stryker, and there just wasn’t much of the actual X-Men in this issue. Normally I enjoy when a comict takes that kind of narrative risk with an issue, but it’s only the third issue, and we still don’t even know what this X-Men team is going to look like or do. It just seemed like a strange way to go.
I also hate when a comic ends on a cliffhanger (last issue’s cliffhanger hinted at Apocalypse) that doesn’t get addressed at all in the next comic. I like a slow build up when it comes to stories, but giving a tease like that with no follow up at all just felt realy disappointing.
Don’t get me wrong, there was still plenty to like about this issue. I absolutely love this new version of Maggot! I always thought Maggot had a really cool power, and this version seems to work even better!
And Johnny Storm still steals every scene he’s in. He’s definitely not a character I expect to be in an X-Men comic, and that really is what I love about the new Ultimate X-Men and Spider-Man. They are willing to take a lot of risks and break all expectations.
This comic also has some pretty intense moments. Jimmy and Maggot’s escape from prison is done perfectly, and Stryker’s attack on New York City with him declaring:
That sequence actually sent a chill up my spine. Nick Spencer really knows how to wring every possible emotion from a scene (subliminal message: THUNDER Agents is back in two weeks. BUY IT!)
In addition, I can’t say enough good things about Paco Medina’s art. Each panel features so much detail, and he really plays off the insensity in the writing. The characters’ expressions really sell everything that’s going on. Probably more than any other comic I read, Ultimate X-Men really draws me in and makes me feel like I am a part of everything that’s going on.
I didn’t really notice this in the first issue (you only see Johnny out of his Torch form once or twice in the first issue and not at all in the second issue), but I do think it’s a little strange to see Johnny Storm with such dark hair (Johnny is on the far right in this image):
I guess they didn’t want to have a team of guys with light hair with Bobby Drake and Wolvie Junior. It’s really not a big deal, just surprised me when I noticed it, that’s all.
This issue had a little too much going on, andI didn’t quite love it as much as the first two issues, but don’t take that to mean Ultimate Comics X-Men #3 isn’t still a great comic. Marvel’s 4 dollar price point continues to be a barricade against me giving most of their books a try, but Ultimate Comics X-Men and Spider-Man are well worth it.
Final Score: 8.5 – This issue spent way too much time away from the team, which I thought really took away from the comic. Still a great comic, but it just didn’t quite feel as satisfying as the first two issues.
