Ultimate X-Men #1 Reviews/Spoiler

[Grunty]

Then why do Ultimate X-men if they wanna avoid using mutants?

Likely because there is an expectation for them to exist in some capacity aswell, since in the end they are still a definitive Marvel IP.

It's a "between a rock and a hard place" situation.

The mutants/X-men are attention hogs and would logicaly dominate the entire discourse around super humans in any new version of the Marvel Universe they exist in.
The main universe can arguably only largely avoid this because of how much it's rooted in the "simpler times" comics of 60+ years ago where such concerns did not exist in favor of just having enjoyable mostly self contained "one issue/one story" adventures.
Essentialy any time the above mentioned questions would be asked someone can point at the original comics and claim "because it has always been this way".

But a new Marvel universe, which is following more up to date standards of continuity and world building would risk being quickly smothered by it their presence and importance. As happend with the original Ultimate Universe and how Magneto's actions couldn't be simply swept under the rug, but his world conquering/changing plans are an essentialy part of the X-men mythos. Even without Ultimatum there would have likely been a breaking point for how much one or the other could remain the more important focus.

However the mutants/X-men are also a high profile Marvel property and essentialy part of the classic Marvel Universe. So their absence would be glaring aswell.

So this might be their compromise. Have X-men and mutants, but keep them small and contained as long as possible (which given the track record of comics these days might not be for long regardless of how well New Ultimate Spiderman was received), so that they can properly re-introduce all the various non-mutant versions of super humans/villains/heros first.

[the illustrious mr. kenway]

I find horror stories read better in trade so a graphic novel approach might've been more appealing.

Having a Marvel Manga line with Manga writers/artists doing their own take on Marvel characters might've been the better approach for Momoko's work.

It could also be the home for Samurai Venom and Kid Venom.

Maybe they still want to use mutants, but don't want to go in swinging and making a big fuss right away. Like they want to slowly introduce the concept on a smaller, more intimate level that allows them to develop their cast and their personal stories. The way things are now, the X-Men book can focus solely on mutants and their personal stories, without having to worry about outside influences and the inevitable fallout that will come with an official, established team.

Will reiterate, the status of the mutants in earth 6160 is very different. The Maker seemingly took out Charles and Erik, and somehow suppressed the growth of mutant population. There’s not as many of them and the ones we know of work for the Maker, meanwhile Storm is a freedom fighter over in Africa. and Ultimate X-Men explores mutants beginning to pop up more frequently. They’re not so common to the point the name “mutant” hasn’t been used.

Likely because there is an expectation for them to exist in some capacity aswell, since in the end they are still a definitive Marvel IP.

It's a "between a rock and a hard place" situation.

The mutants/X-men are attention hogs and would logicaly dominate the entire discourse around super humans in any new version of the Marvel Universe they exist in.
The main universe can arguably only largely avoid this because of how much it's rooted in the "simpler times" comics of 60+ years ago where such concerns did not exist in favor of just having enjoyable mostly self contained "one issue/one story" adventures.
Essentialy any time the above mentioned questions would be asked someone can point at the original comics and claim "because it has always been this way".

But a new Marvel universe, which is following more up to date standards of continuity and world building would risk being quickly smothered by it their presence and importance. As happend with the original Ultimate Universe and how Magneto's actions couldn't be simply swept under the rug, but his world conquering/changing plans are an essentialy part of the X-men mythos. Even without Ultimatum there would have likely been a breaking point for how much one or the other could remain the more important focus.

However the mutants/X-men are also a high profile Marvel property and essentialy part of the classic Marvel Universe. So their absence would be glaring aswell.

So this might be their compromise. Have X-men and mutants, but keep them small and contained as long as possible (which given the track record of comics these days might not be for long regardless of how well New Ultimate Spiderman was received), so that they can properly re-introduce all the various non-mutant versions of super humans/villains/heros first.

I understood all that, I just didn't see doing an Ultimate X-men book as fulfilling that goal currently.

[MarvelMaster616]

I'm not sure why everyone is so bent out of shape over it not having the X-Men in it from the get go. Yes, the book is far from a traditional X-title, but it's obviously going to eventually have some version of X-Men in it. I thought it was a great issue about Armor, and I'm intrigued where it goes from here.

When Ultimate Fantastic Four #1 launched nearly 20 years ago, it didn't have the Fantastic Four in it. It was just an issue about Reed and had small cameos from Ben, Sue, and Johnny. They didn't get their powers until #3. Ultimates started with a WW2 Cap issue that had Tony (no armor) on a single page.

How is this any different?

Well, you just said it. The book had Reed, Sue, Johnny, and Ben. They are the Fantastic Four. Most recognize them as being part of the Fantastic Four, even without their powers. And the aesthetics and themes of the book were perfectly in line with what most people associate with the Fantastic Four.

Now, imagine if Fantastic Four #1 did not mention Reed, Sue, Johnny, or Ben at all. Imagine they weren't even referenced, directly or indirectly. And it had nothing to do with anything else going on in Ultimate Marvel at the time. THAT'S why Ultimate X-Men #1 is getting so much flak. The fact that it's not a traditional X-Book isn't the problem. The problem is that it's so divorced from the themes, aesthetics, and underlying plot of X-Men that you'd never know it was associated with X-Men or Ultimate unless you looked at the title. And the fact so many people and major comic review sites are actively noting how different this reads is something no other Ultimate book has had to deal with thus far. Only this book has garnered that kind of criticism.

It's not that difficult to figure out. And comparing it to Ultimate Fantastic Four #1 is not a fair comparison.

[MarvelMaster616]

They're Mutants

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?sto...00063644616240

Is that the right link? It says it was removed.

[MarvelMaster616]

A 4th possibility is that they actively try to avoid introducing the mutants and by extension the X-men too early, simply because of how much of an attention hog both are to any version of the Marvel universe.

Essentialy avoiding the constant questions like "why do the public love y but hate X-men/mutants?", "why didn't the Avengers/FF/etc. help when this happend to mutants?" or "why isn't everyone researching mutants?" and so on.

That does actually make sense. If they're purposefully making this title too different to even qualify as an X-Men comic so they don't cannibalize their own sales, I can see that. It's still dishonest in that they're still calling it Ultimate X-Men when they know full-well that if they just called it "Armor" or "Ultimate New Mutants," it wouldn't sell as well. But given the upcoming relaunch with the X-Books and X-Men 97, it might make sense to avoid cannibalizing their own market.

[D.Z]

Can't with these people. Just complaining to complain.

[Laser_Man]

An X-Men book which has nothing to do with X-Men.

Bravo, Marvel. Splendid decision. And then people wonder why is the comic industry struggling. Who is this book even for? Do they think it is the right way to attract the much bigger manga audience?

[Grunty]

I find horror stories read better in trade so a graphic novel approach might've been more appealing.

Having a Marvel Manga line with Manga writers/artists doing their own take on Marvel characters might've been the better approach for Momoko's work.

Isn't there a Spiderman manga currently published in japan?

As for the idea of "Marvel Manga" by actual manga creators. The idea itself is sound, but the best case scenario would arguably involve Marvel licensing their characters to manga magazines who then hire the artist/writers accordingly and publish it in their format to test the water (magazine release followed by trades at which point the longlivity of the project is measured), with Marvel simply publishing the resulting work in the US market in their floppy form and colored.

Though one problem could be that IF the japanese version outsells the american version (including in the US), it could be bad PR for Marvel comics management.

I understood all that, I just didn't see doing an Ultimate X-men book as fulfilling that goal currently.

Understandable. But companies, editorial and creators do not necessarily think the same way about something the way the fans do.

[Kurolegacy]

Can't with these people. Just complaining to complain.

And I can’t with people who just entirely disregard the content of people’s complaints and just lump it in as complaining for the sake of it. It’s the same kind of mentality that leads to seeking echo chambers who give nothing but praise even when things aren’t going well and disregard anything that goes against it as just being haters. And when you have a brand as big as X-Men, it comes with the baggage of a lot of different opinions. Simply because you like this direction doesn’t mean that those that it doesn’t gel with’s opinions are any less valid. At that point, you’re being no better than Lowe over in Spider-Man who will openly ignore any feedback that isn’t outright praising the current run.

[the illustrious mr. kenway]

Isn't there a Spiderman manga currently published in japan?

As for the idea of "Marvel Manga" by actual manga creators. The idea itself is sound, but the best case scenario would arguably involve Marvel licensing their characters to manga magazines who then hire the artist/writers accordingly and publish it in their format to test the water (magazine release followed by trades at which point the longlivity of the project is measured), with Marvel simply publishing the resulting work in the US market in their floppy form and colored.

Though one problem could be that IF the japanese version outsells the american version (including in the US), it could be bad PR for Marvel comics management.



Understandable. But companies, editorial and creators do not necessarily think the same way about something the way the fans do.

I get being pragmatic but this feels like it's setting Momoko up to fail.

[Rift]

I get being pragmatic but this feels like it's setting Momoko up to fail.

Honestly, regardless of quality, the current title will make more money than a book titled Armor, or Ultimate X-Men: Armor. It'll also attract way more readers. Momoko's work might get more controversy, but it would be seen by way more people and make much more money than something with a different title. Really, things are set up in her favor.

[the illustrious mr. kenway]

Honestly, regardless of quality, the current title will make more money than a book titled Armor, or Ultimate X-Men: Armor. It'll also attract way more readers. Momoko's work might get more controversy, but it would be seen by way more people and make much more money than something with a different title. Really, things are set up in her favor.

I plan on rereading it in trade so I'll see how it goes.

[WeaponX]

Can't with these people. Just complaining to complain.

And I can’t with these people that expect a message board to just be glowing praise for praise sake. Also if you’re going to pull the old bait and switch with a beloved property then one should expect some negativity.

[WeaponX]

Honestly, regardless of quality, the current title will make more money than a book titled Armor, or Ultimate X-Men: Armor. It'll also attract way more readers. Momoko's work might get more controversy, but it would be seen by way more people and make much more money than something with a different title. Really, things are set up in her favor.

I don’t think so mostly I see a lot of fans ticked they slapped the Ultimate X-Men label on whatever this is.

[Rift]

I don’t think so mostly I see a lot of fans ticked they slapped the Ultimate X-Men label on whatever this is.

As you can see, the biggest reaction it's gotten is some grumblings online. Which are valid, don't get me wrong. But this is hardly some career-derailing controversy.