Rating: 
Summary: A Triumph, but not perfect
Review: "Ultimate X-Men" was the second title released in the "Ultimate" series, just after "Ultimate Spider-man" came out. Spidey was awesome, but with what little information that had slipped out regarding the new X-Men relaunch, the book looked to be disappointing. But it wasn't.The new title is nothing short of gripping from page one. Scribe Mark Millar has done amazing things with the retelling, taking risky liberties that pay off. His X-Team initially starts off with Marvel Girl(who sports a punk rocker's hairdo) and Cyclops(Every bit the same boyscout in the Claremont run) who recruit Beast, Storm, and Colossus. Their first mission is to retrieve Bobby Drake, who's being hunted down by Sentinals, but Magneto has his own agendas as well. The differences from the original are mostly good. The characters are far from being as lighthearted as their normal universe counterparts. Beast's mother refuses to speak with him. Colossus was a Russian arm's dealer and Storm, a small-time carjacker and pickpocket. Magneto is every bit as charismatic and frightening as he well should be. And Wolverine ... well, let's just say he's working freelance. Millar's dialouge is always very strong and well thought out. Through the first storyarc, he'll do thinks that will make you balk and then appreciate the originality of it all. The Kubert brothers' art works perfectly, always detailed and well paced. Now, what's bad? Very little. With such a large cast of mutants, many fan-favorites don't make appearances until much later on, if at all. Mystique was a full fledged member of the team in Millar's rough drafts, but not at all present in the final work. Nightcrawler, a personal favorite, appears in the second storyarc collected here, and plays a significant role, but is absent from the later issues. But one should read this for the story, not the charcters. In addition, the second story doesn't seem to really go anywhere. It's good, not as good as the first, but it seems there was more that could've, or should've been done with the plot. All-in-all, this collection isn't a must-have, but a good read and worth owning if you're a fan of the X-Men. It may not be perfect, but it comes darn close.
Rating:
Summary: A Triumph, but not perfect
Review: "Ultimate X-Men" was the second title released in the "Ultimate" series, just after "Ultimate Spider-man" came out. Spidey was awesome, but with what little information that had slipped out regarding the new X-Men relaunch, the book looked to be disappointing. But it wasn't. The new title is nothing short of gripping from page one. Scribe Mark Millar has done amazing things with the retelling, taking risky liberties that pay off. His X-Team initially starts off with Marvel Girl(who sports a punk rocker's hairdo) and Cyclops(Every bit the same boyscout in the Claremont run) who recruit Beast, Storm, and Colossus. Their first mission is to retrieve Bobby Drake, who's being hunted down by Sentinals, but Magneto has his own agendas as well. The differences from the original are mostly good. The characters are far from being as lighthearted as their normal universe counterparts. Beast's mother refuses to speak with him. Colossus was a Russian arm's dealer and Storm, a small-time carjacker and pickpocket. Magneto is every bit as charismatic and frightening as he well should be. And Wolverine ... well, let's just say he's working freelance. Millar's dialouge is always very strong and well thought out. Through the first storyarc, he'll do thinks that will make you balk and then appreciate the originality of it all. The Kubert brothers' art works perfectly, always detailed and well paced. Now, what's bad? Very little. With such a large cast of mutants, many fan-favorites don't make appearances until much later on, if at all. Mystique was a full fledged member of the team in Millar's rough drafts, but not at all present in the final work. Nightcrawler, a personal favorite, appears in the second storyarc collected here, and plays a significant role, but is absent from the later issues. But one should read this for the story, not the charcters. In addition, the second story doesn't seem to really go anywhere. It's good, not as good as the first, but it seems there was more that could've, or should've been done with the plot. All-in-all, this collection isn't a must-have, but a good read and worth owning if you're a fan of the X-Men. It may not be perfect, but it comes darn close.
Rating: 
Summary: Awesome!
Review: An alternate X-Men universe is perhaps the best way for newer readers to come to terms with the characters that have amazed many throughout the years. The familiar characters get a stylish upgrade. Jean Grey with red, spiky hair? Cyclops with a goatee? Iceman with a bandana? You get them all here! Fantastic artwork with a reasonably paced storyline. The X-Men's battle with Magneto's Brotherhood of the Evil Mutants opened its first chapter. A highly recommended read.
Rating:
Summary: The Weapon X Program tries to "recruit" the X-Men
Review: Despite the title and the cover art for this second trade paperback volume in the "Ultimate X-Men" series (collecting issues 7-12), "Return to Weapon X" does not focus on the character of Wolverine. True, he is a key part of the solution for the predicament our Merry Mutants have found themselves in this time around, but Weapon X is now a big time secret government program run under the auspices of S.H.I.E.L.D. and Nick Fury that has a rather impressive little roster of mutants in its service: Juggernaut, Rogue, Nightcrawler, and Sabertooth. Think of them as the government's answer to the X-Men and the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, and that pretty much accounts for all of the mutants belonging to groups at this point in the series. Despite being on a first name basis with the President of the United States, Xavier's School for Gifted Children is hit by Colonel Wraith and his shock troops, both human and mutant. Now Cyclops, Marvel Girl, and the others will serve the greater good and help the government fight fire with fire (the only good mutant is a mutant with a neural implant). Of course, since this is a comic book, the person in charge of this government program is psychotic and perfectly willing to do anything to do anything to get the job done (or did I mention already that Wraith was in charge?). The main part of the story arc has to do with the X-Men regaining their freedom, but this is also mixed up with Wolverine's search for his past and Nick Fury's search for an illegal genetic operation violating the Superhuman Test-Ban Treaty. I think that one of the main strengths of the Ultimate comic books is that they emphasize story arcs that take multiple issues (six in this case) so that a dozen issues into the series we have only dealt with two major stories instead of a self-contained episode with a new villain every single month. This should help the well from running dry too quickly. Writer Mark Millar along with Penciller Adam Kubert (with Tom Raney & Tom Derenick) and Inker Art Thibert (with Scott Hanna, Joe Kubert, Danny Miki, & Lary Stucker) are having fun tweaking the "original" X-Men stories and creating some new dynamics (e.g., Storm is interested in Hank McCoy, Nightcrawler does not speak English) so I think that those who have been reading the X-Men since issue #1 of "The Uncanny X-Men" (or issue #1 of "The Giant-Size X-Men") will enjoy the differences more than neophytes and appreciate the way key stories resonant (e.g., Jean Grey is Marvel Girl and not Phoenix when she steps over the line this time around). "Return to Weapon X" is not as good as the first volume in the series, but it is hard to compete with Magneto when you talking about the X-Men, whichever version of the group is involved. Millar's story is certainly complex enough and you can see all sorts of things being set up for down the road. As long as you are not offended by the very existence of the series, you should find "Ultimate X-Men" or any of the other titles in the Marvel series to be at least entertaining and quite possibility compelling. At the very least, you should be able to appreciate the tweaking.
Rating:
Summary: The Weapon X Program tries to "recruit" the X-Men
Review: Despite the title and the cover art for this second trade paperback volume in the "Ultimate X-Men" series (collecting issues 7-12), "Return to Weapon X" does not focus on the character of Wolverine. True, he is a key part of the solution for the predicament our Merry Mutants have found themselves in this time around, but Weapon X is now a big time secret government program run under the auspices of S.H.I.E.L.D. and Nick Fury that has a rather impressive little roster of mutants in its service: Juggernaut, Rogue, Nightcrawler, and Sabertooth. Think of them as the government's answer to the X-Men and the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, and that pretty much accounts for all of the mutants belonging to groups at this point in the series. Despite being on a first name basis with the President of the United States, Xavier's School for Gifted Children is hit by Colonel Wraith and his shock troops, both human and mutant. Now Cyclops, Marvel Girl, and the others will serve the greater good and help the government fight fire with fire (the only good mutant is a mutant with a neural implant). Of course, since this is a comic book, the person in charge of this government program is psychotic and perfectly willing to do anything to do anything to get the job done (or did I mention already that Wraith was in charge?). The main part of the story arc has to do with the X-Men regaining their freedom, but this is also mixed up with Wolverine's search for his past and Nick Fury's search for an illegal genetic operation violating the Superhuman Test-Ban Treaty. I think that one of the main strengths of the Ultimate comic books is that they emphasize story arcs that take multiple issues (six in this case) so that a dozen issues into the series we have only dealt with two major stories instead of a self-contained episode with a new villain every single month. This should help the well from running dry too quickly. Writer Mark Millar along with Penciller Adam Kubert (with Tom Raney & Tom Derenick) and Inker Art Thibert (with Scott Hanna, Joe Kubert, Danny Miki, & Lary Stucker) are having fun tweaking the "original" X-Men stories and creating some new dynamics (e.g., Storm is interested in Hank McCoy, Nightcrawler does not speak English) so I think that those who have been reading the X-Men since issue #1 of "The Uncanny X-Men" (or issue #1 of "The Giant-Size X-Men") will enjoy the differences more than neophytes and appreciate the way key stories resonant (e.g., Jean Grey is Marvel Girl and not Phoenix when she steps over the line this time around). "Return to Weapon X" is not as good as the first volume in the series, but it is hard to compete with Magneto when you talking about the X-Men, whichever version of the group is involved. Millar's story is certainly complex enough and you can see all sorts of things being set up for down the road. As long as you are not offended by the very existence of the series, you should find "Ultimate X-Men" or any of the other titles in the Marvel series to be at least entertaining and quite possibility compelling. At the very least, you should be able to appreciate the tweaking.
Rating:
Summary: The X-Men versus Magneto, one time, for all the marbles
Review: I can appreciate the impulse to push the reset button on long time superhero comic books like "X-Men" and "Spider-Man." After all, we are talking about almost four decades worth of stories, repeated encounters with Magneto and the Green Goblin, each one diluting the potency of the character. Plus, if you go back and read the first dozen episodes of either the original comic book "The Uncanny X-Men" of Stan Lee and Jack Kirby or the new and improved "X-Men" concocted by Chris Claremont and Dave Cockrum (and then John Byrne), it takes a while for both of those series to hit stride. Writer Mark Millar was given a free reign with this project, but clearly "Ultimate X-Men: The Tomorrow People" was constructed to work whether you came in with issue #1 of Volume 1, Giant-Size X-Men, or Volume 2. I was here for all three, so part of my appreciation for this six-issue story arc from Millar, pencilers Adam & Andy Kubert, and inker Art Thibert (w/Danny Miki) is how they have reconstituted elements from both of the origins. So I remember Quicksilver and the Silver Witch being part of the original Brotherhood of Evil Mutants as well as Storm and Colossus being recruited for the international version of the X-Men. Anyhow, here is a list of things I liked about "The Tomorrow People" without spoiling the actual story: I liked the idea that in the beginning the X-Men were just Professor Xavier, Cyclops and Marvel Girl. This reconstitutes the idea that there were always the core of the group. Actually, they would be the heart (Jean Grey), mind (Professor X), and soul (Scott Summers) of the X-Men. Having the Beast and Iceman be part of the second wave is fine with me, as is jettisoning Angel (and Banshee from wave two). You have to have limitations on how many merry mutants are running around in the group. On the other side of the equation Wolverine is now the world's best assassin and is working for Magneto. That is obviously a nice little twist on the tale. The mutant hysteria is in full swing, so that the necessity of all the world's mutants having to pick which side of the coming war they want to be on makes a whole lot of sense. This just underscores the idea that "X-Men" was never just a standard superhero battles supervillain type of comic book. I really appreciate the way the ante has been upped both in terms of the Sentinnels and Magneto. This time around the big purple robots are going around and not just picking up mutants, they are executing them on the spot. But the chief attraction of this sotry arc is Magneto. The original X-Men was one of the few times in the history of Marvel Comics that the first issue of a comic book actually came up with the greatest villain in the history of the entire series. What I liked most about what Millar et al. came up with is the idea that given the powers Magneto has, there can only be one big battle between him and humanity. I mean, with his powers, taking over the world should be relatively easy. Even in the end, he can only be defeated because of an Achilles heel sort of situation. But what really matters here is that this fight is for all the marbles, win or lose, live or die. This is such a big story that I can understand why as long as we are talking rewriting history fans are wishing that this had been the script for the original "X-Men" movie. At the root of these changes and elucidations is, I believe, a commitment to taking the original ideas of the "X-Men" comic books to their logical extremes. That is the principle that leads to encouraging throughts about future issues of "Ultimate X-Men." After all, Wolverine was just a bit player this time around and I can easily see each of the X-Men and various super-villains defining future story arcs. So far I have really enjoyed the various Ultimate trade paperback collections that I have read, mainly because I find them to be both innovative and traditional at the same time.
Rating:
Summary: The X-Men versus Magneto: one fight for all the marbles
Review: I can appreciate the impulse to push the reset button on long time superhero comic books like "X-Men" and "Spider-Man." After all, we are talking about four decades worth of stories, repeated encounters with Magneto and the Green Goblin, each one diluting the potency of the characters. Plus, if you go back and read the first dozen episodes of either the original comic book "The Uncanny X-Men" of Stan Lee and Jack Kirby or the new and improved "X-Men" concocted by Chris Claremont and Dave Cockrum (and then John Byrne), it takes a while for both of those series to hit stride. Writer Mark Millar was given a free reign with this project, but clearly "Ultimate X-Men: The Tomorrow People" was constructed to work whether you came in with issue #1 of Volume 1, Giant-Size X-Men, or Volume 2.
I was here for all three, so part of my appreciation for this six-issue story arc from Millar, pencillers Adam & Andy Kubert, and inker Art Thibert (w/Danny Miki) is how they have reconstituted elements from both of the origins. So I remember Quicksilver and the Silver Witch being part of the original Brotherhood of Evil Mutants as well as Storm and Colossus being recruited for the international version of the X-Men. Anyhow, here is a list of things I liked about "The Tomorrow People" without spoiling the actual story:
I liked the idea that in the beginning the X-Men were just Professor Xavier, Cyclops and Marvel Girl. This reconstitutes the idea that there were always the core of the group. Actually, they would be the heart (Jean Grey), mind (Professor X), and soul (Scott Summers) of the X-Men. Having the Beast and Iceman be part of the second wave is fine with me, as is jettisoning Angel (and Banshee from wave two). You have to have limitations on how many merry mutants are running around in the group. On the other side of the equation Wolverine is now the world's best assassin and is working for Magneto. That is obviously a nice little twist on the tale. The mutant hysteria is in full swing, so that the necessity of all the world's mutants having to pick which side of the coming war they want to be on makes a whole lot of sense. This just underscores the idea that "X-Men" was never just a standard superhero battles supervillain type of comic book.
I really appreciate the way the ante has been upped both in terms of the Sentinnels and Magneto. This time around the big purple robots are going around and not just picking up mutants, they are executing them on the spot. But the chief attraction of this sotry arc is Magneto. The original X-Men was one of the few times in the history of Marvel Comics that the first issue of a comic book actually came up with the greatest villain in the history of the entire series. What I liked most about what Millar et al. came up with is the idea that given the powers Magneto has, there can only be one big battle between him and humanity. I mean, with his powers, taking over the world should be relatively easy. Even in the end, he can only be defeated because of an Achilles heel sort of situation. But what really matters here is that this fight is for all the marbles, win or lose, live or die. This is such a big story that I can understand why as long as we are talking rewriting history fans are wishing that this had been the script for the original "X-Men" movie.
At the root of these changes and elucidations is, I believe, a commitment to taking the original ideas of the "X-Men" comic books to their logical extremes. That is the principle that leads to encouraging throughts about future issues of "Ultimate X-Men." After all, Wolverine was just a bit player this time around and I can easily see each of the X-Men and various super-villains defining future story arcs. So far I have really enjoyed the various Ultimate trade paperback collections that I have read, mainly because I find them to be both innovative and traditional at the same time.
Rating:
Summary: The X-Men versus Magneto, one time, for all the marbles
Review: I can appreciate the impulse to push the reset button on long time superhero comic books like "X-Men" and "Spider-Man." After all, we are talking about almost four decades worth of stories, repeated encounters with Magneto and the Green Goblin, each one diluting the potency of the character. Plus, if you go back and read the first dozen episodes of either the original comic book "The Uncanny X-Men" of Stan Lee and Jack Kirby or the new and improved "X-Men" concocted by Chris Claremont and Dave Cockrum (and then John Byrne), it takes a while for both of those series to hit stride. Writer Mark Millar was given a free reign with this project, but clearly "Ultimate X-Men: The Tomorrow People" was constructed to work whether you came in with issue #1 of Volume 1, Giant-Size X-Men, or Volume 2. I was here for all three, so part of my appreciation for this six-issue story arc from Millar, pencilers Adam & Andy Kubert, and inker Art Thibert (w/Danny Miki) is how they have reconstituted elements from both of the origins. So I remember Quicksilver and the Silver Witch being part of the original Brotherhood of Evil Mutants as well as Storm and Colossus being recruited for the international version of the X-Men. Anyhow, here is a list of things I liked about "The Tomorrow People" without spoiling the actual story: I liked the idea that in the beginning the X-Men were just Professor Xavier, Cyclops and Marvel Girl. This reconstitutes the idea that there were always the core of the group. Actually, they would be the heart (Jean Grey), mind (Professor X), and soul (Scott Summers) of the X-Men. Having the Beast and Iceman be part of the second wave is fine with me, as is jettisoning Angel (and Banshee from wave two). You have to have limitations on how many merry mutants are running around in the group. On the other side of the equation Wolverine is now the world's best assassin and is working for Magneto. That is obviously a nice little twist on the tale. The mutant hysteria is in full swing, so that the necessity of all the world's mutants having to pick which side of the coming war they want to be on makes a whole lot of sense. This just underscores the idea that "X-Men" was never just a standard superhero battles supervillain type of comic book. I really appreciate the way the ante has been upped both in terms of the Sentinnels and Magneto. This time around the big purple robots are going around and not just picking up mutants, they are executing them on the spot. But the chief attraction of this sotry arc is Magneto. The original X-Men was one of the few times in the history of Marvel Comics that the first issue of a comic book actually came up with the greatest villain in the history of the entire series. What I liked most about what Millar et al. came up with is the idea that given the powers Magneto has, there can only be one big battle between him and humanity. I mean, with his powers, taking over the world should be relatively easy. Even in the end, he can only be defeated because of an Achilles heel sort of situation. But what really matters here is that this fight is for all the marbles, win or lose, live or die. This is such a big story that I can understand why as long as we are talking rewriting history fans are wishing that this had been the script for the original "X-Men" movie. At the root of these changes and elucidations is, I believe, a commitment to taking the original ideas of the "X-Men" comic books to their logical extremes. That is the principle that leads to encouraging throughts about future issues of "Ultimate X-Men." After all, Wolverine was just a bit player this time around and I can easily see each of the X-Men and various super-villains defining future story arcs. So far I have really enjoyed the various Ultimate trade paperback collections that I have read, mainly because I find them to be both innovative and traditional at the same time.
Rating:
Summary: AWESOME
Review: I have collected comics for many years, and I know when I read a good comic. HERE IT IS! Not only is the art amazing but the story gets you hooked. My only complaint is WHERE'S THE ANGEL? and on that note whers Shadowcat, or Gambit, or Banshee, or Havok, or Polaris, ect.
Rating:
Summary: Los mutantes recontados
Review: La idea del Universo Ultimate que tan bien le esta saliendo a la Marvel, es adaptar sus historias clasicas al entorno actual con la finalidad de atraer nuevos lectores. Es decir, todos sabemos lo geniales que son los mutantes de Stan Lee pero reconozcamos que no atraen lo suficiente a nuevos lectores.
Asi, esta version Ultimate incorpora varios cambios menores que al final hacen un gran cambio, por ejemplo en las personalidades de los personajes, su origen, etc. Y todo eso hace una gran lectura. El escritor es Mark Millar, la actual estrella de la editorial Marvel que ademas ha escrito a los geniales Ultimates y los dibujantes son los hermanos Adam y Andy Kubert que se complementan muy bien el uno al otro. En resumen, buenos autores logran una estupenda historia.
Este tomo de tapa dura tiene los primeros 12 numeros de la coleccion Ultimate X-men:
- del #1 al #6: Tomorrow People, como se reclutan a los nuevos X-men y la pelea contra la version mas malvada de Magneto que se haya visto.
- del #7 al #12: Return to Weapon X, con la aparición estelar del Ultimate Samuel Jackson, perdon, quise decir Nick Fury.
Altamente recomendable para quienes pensaron que no se podian hacer nuevas historias de mutantes, para quienes no tienen nada de los X-men en su coleccion y para quienes llegan a los X-men por la pelicula.
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