Ultimate X-Men, Vol. 1 [Hardcover]

Mark Millar (Author)

Book Description

Series: X-Men (Marvel Paperback) | Publication Date: August 1, 2002

THE CREATORS *Mark Millar *Andy Koburt *Adam Koburt

Product Details

• Hardcover: 352 pages
• Publisher: Marvel Comics (August 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0785110089
• ISBN-13: 978-0785110088
• Product Dimensions: 11.1 x 7.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #188,829 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Seriously, seriously disappointed, August 17, 2006

By 

Brown Rage (California, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ultimate X-Men, Vol. 1 (Hardcover)

The Ultimates blew me away. I was hooked after just a handful of pages. Millar's Ultimates script has been intelligent, suspenseful, and naturalistic. There was no unnecessary exposition, no contrived exchanges, etc... It read like a well-written film. I bought this book blindly after hearing it was also written by Millar. I expected comparable writing. What I got honestly feels like Millar dug into his old diary and pulled out a script he'd written when he was twelve. This is not hyperbole, and I regret having to say that since I'm a great admirer of his Ultimates work. Do yourself a favor and browse through the first ten pages in an actual bookstore, and you'll see what I mean. Here's a sampling of how the writing is simultaneously expository AND juvenile:

Ahmed the arms merchant says: "A little birdy informs me that every cent you're paid by the Russian mafia gets wired back to your impoverished family in Siberia, Mr. Rasputin." Rasputin's response: "Just shut up and check the merchandise before I kick you so hard you'll be gulping with THREE adam's apples, Ahmed."

Jean Grey to a desk officer in the city jail, who's just asked her "What's up?" Jean: "Well, despite the fact that I'm an attractive young girl, what your brain is actually registering at the moment is a middle-aged federal agent with all the relevant identification. Now let's stop wasting my time AND yours and take a look at this MUTANT you boys said you found." Now what's the point of having her describe herself as an attractive young girl if the artwork already communicates that? Why not just SHOW her and then visually contrast that with what the officer sees? And why does she have to hold up a fake FBI I.D. if she's manipulating his mind?

If this kind of thing were only occasional, that would be forgivable. But there are similar "why'd they write that?" moments on every single page, and on many of those pages, it's in every single panel.

In The Ultimates, Millar allows us to discover who the characters are. Here, he spells out everything from their demeanor to their physical attributes to their horrible childhood traumas -- and he does it constantly. On every page. Even in the midst of a desperate battle against the murderous Sentinels. For instance:

Colossus: "Colossus to Beast - you still need that backup?"

Beast (carrying Bobby Drake): "Actually, everything's pretty much under control again now that I'm accustomed to Bobby's extra hundred and thirty pounds. You might want to lend Jean a hand, though. She looks pretty STRESSED for such an easy-going girl."

Bobby: "What? We're the ones who're completely SURROUNDED."

Beast: "Take it easy, Bobby. I've been getting shot at since my old man used to come home drunk and take potshots at me when I was sleeping in my CRIB."

That's just an example of how the book is filled with characters telling what the book should have been showing -- *and* telling it at the most inappropriate - the most unbelievable - moments. The dialogue is so dry and descriptive that after just a few pages, I stopped caring about whatever it was they were describing. I simply can't believe this kind of storytelling came from Millar during the same period he was producing a masterpiece in The Ultimates.

Sure, the artwork's uneven in places, as others have noted, but the real problem here is the writing. It's a big disappointment, especially coming from such a talented writer. It's stunningly bad.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Fresh Start, April 13, 2007

By 

Justin Gaines (Northern Virginia) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Ultimate X-Men, Vol. 1 (Hardcover)

I must say I'm surprised at the harsh criticism that is directed at the Ultimate X-Men series and this volume in particular. I was a skeptic when the whole "Ultimate" non-continuity line was announced a few years ago, but at this point Ultimate X-Men is the only X-title I bother with aside from Joss Whedon's excellent Astonishing X-Men series.

Ultimate X-Men is about more than just jettisoning 40 years of continuity and starting over. It's about a fresh start for our favorite characters. The X-Men always worked best as troubled teenagers and hated outcasts, and that part of the characters has been lost in the "real" titles in favor of complicated crossovers and constantly killing (and reviving) classic characters. I'd challenge anyone to drag your reprints off the shelf and re-read X-Men #1 and Giant Sized X-Men #1. The spirit of those two monumental X-Men issues flows through the pages of Ultimate X-Men. Criticizing Millar's writing style or Kubert's art is one thing, but I can't see how any objective reader can challenge this title's spirit or heart.

On to the actual stories collected in this volume:

The Tomorrow People starts much like Giant Sized X-Men #1 did, with the individual X-Men being identified and drafted to Professor X's cause. The team is redefined as a group of teenagers, just as Lee and Kirby's originally intended. This lends the characters some wild energy and emotional volatility that keep even the most mundane situations interesting. The other interesting revamp is casting Magneto and his Brotherhood as terrorists rather than just super-villains. Sure, Magneto has always been a terrorist, but more on a "steal some nukes" scale rather than "bomb government buildings and kill civilians". In a post 9-11 world, this type of character is all the more frightening. Magneto's cause is no longer the grand Evil of super-villainy, but rather the more insidious evil of racism and exclusion that can so easily ensnare even the most well-intentioned.

Return to Weapon X is even more fun than The Tomorrow People. Right off the bat, Xavier and company are kidnapped by SHIELD agents whose goal is to exploit mutants for military purposes. Among their past victims - Wolverine. The way these kids are treated - not just the X-Men, but the other Weapon X captives as well - makes for some incredibly compelling reading, as does the introduction of the Ultimate version of Nick Fury, one of the best characters in the Ultimate Universe. This storyline is high on action as well as character development, and is quite simply one of the best X-Men stories I've read in a long time.

I can see that Mark Millar's story and writing style have taken a lot of criticism here, but I found it completely enjoyable and completely refreshing. The X-Men all show strong personalities, as do Magneto and some (though not all) of his Brotherhood. The plot is solid and the dialogue is smart and edgy and so much more interesting than what has been recycled in Uncanny X-Men over the past two decades. Millar has successfully reinvented the X-Men with both a modern look and feel, and a true appreciation for the original X-Men stories that made these characters shine in the first place.

The artwork for this series is as solid as you'd expect from the Kuberts. I've never really been a fan of either Kubert brother's style, but they have come a long way and their art absolutely enhances the overall storytelling.

I highly recommend Ultimate X-Men, not only to new X-fans who might be bewildered by the continuity of the older series, but to old school X-Men fans like me. If you keep an open mind, you should find this book quite enjoyable.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Revitalizing, November 18, 2005

By 

Spencer Wilkerson "Dance Commander" (Tampa, FL) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Ultimate X-Men, Vol. 1 (Hardcover)

In the Afterword by Bill Jemas (at that time publisher and president of Marvel Enterprises), he states that the purpose of the creation of theUltimate Marvel titles was to get new readers, younger readers, started into the Marvel Universe. He did an excellent job. I'm just young enough to have missed the comic book craze of the late 80's, and as such they weren't a big part of my life growing up. When I got into graphic novels recently, I eyed the Marvel U, especially X-Men, very warily.
Here was a sub-universe with dozens of spin-offs (X-Factor, Excalibur, etc.), 'What Ifs?' (1602), alternate dimensions (Earth X, Age of Apocalypse), and hell, even varying versions of the original bit (Amazing, Uncanny, X-Treme, New, Astonishing, Etc.). Having been a longtime fan of the X-Men via the wonderful 1990s cartoon, I decided to try Ultimate X-Men. I was in no way disappointed.
Ultimate X-Men is not only a fantastic new diving board for new readers, but I'm willing to bet it will impress the staunch Marvel-verse fans out there as well. The characters are fleshed out appropriate to their temperaments, with an age alteration and some background alterations in certain places. Overall, an excellent read, and I look forward to reading the whole series.