Ultimate X-Men Vol. 2: Return to Weapon X [Paperback]

Mark Millar (Author), Adam Kubert (Illustrator)

Product Details

• Paperback: 144 pages
• Publisher: Marvel; Direct Ed edition (November 22, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0785108688
• ISBN-13: 978-0785108689
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 0.4 x 10.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #768,736 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Weapon-X Program "recruits" the X-Men, June 13, 2003

By 

Lawrance M. Bernabo (The Zenith City, Duluth, Minnesota) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Ultimate X-Men Vol. 2: Return to Weapon X (Paperback)

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.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Wolverine rocks..... oh yeah so do the rest of the Xmen, May 13, 2002

By 

Aniceto Pereira (Bombay) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ultimate X-Men Vol. 2: Return to Weapon X (Paperback)

I subscribed to the ultimate Xmen as soon as it came out.. and here's what I think....

I thought this six part storyline rocked.. The Xmen are better than before and The Weapon X Project is a 100 times more evil and (This is important) credible than it's ever appeared in the 'Wolverine' books.

Originality is the key as while Millar draws on all the heroes and villains from marvels stock, but the story line keeps you on tether hooks till the end. Issue 12 was a finale..

Best line in the book 'First rule in a fight, Always protect your family jewels' and then Logan wises Sabretooth as to this old adage... hehehehh..

But...

A serious problem with the WHOLE Ultimate Xmen series is the static storyline..Too often I felt that there was more to say but i feel Millar was working under constraints.. Not enough space given to flesh out the charachters. This was a major bummer and hopefully something will be done by Millar in the upcoming issues.. ..

The art credits varied from the kubert bros and tom raney.. I found it sometimes too sketchy and imprecise (Interchanging looks between different charachters) and I did not understand at all the raid on the X-mansion.. however I loved the scenes of painted art mostly in the dream sequences. ...

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Its nice to see a more realistic Marvel Universe!, November 11, 2003

By 

Robert Heeg "Robert Heeg" (Las Vegas, NV USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Ultimate X-Men Vol. 2: Return to Weapon X (Paperback)

Well this book was good, but Volume 1: The Tomorrow People was better. This book introduces many new and important character's to the Ultimate Marvel Universe, Including Juggernaut, Nightcrawler, Rogue, Sabertooth, and Nick Fury. The story tells of the Weapon X program kidnapping and basically enslaving the X-men and their leader, Professor Charles Xavier. The X-men are forced to do everything that Professor Xavier has tought them is wrong. Using tiny explosive chips planted into each of the X-men's heads, they are forced to do as they are told, or else KABLOOEE! I also like the fact that the whole Cytorak, or whatever its called, crystal was not included. Some of you may not understand, but taking out things like that make the story less confusing and more realistic. The day Marvel start incorporating things like "magic crystals" and such into the Ultimate Universe, is the day I stop reading them. I have come to expect a level of "realism" from these books. Anyway, this book also hints at the future creation of the Ultimates (the Ultimate Universe's version of the Avengers).