Ultimate Comics: X-Men #21 review by Wolverine12

[Wolverine12]

Today marked the writing combination of, in my opinion, the two best writers currently penning Ultimate books. Brian Wood and Nathan Edmunson team up to bring us another exciting issue of the teenage drama that is Ultimate Comics: X-Men! Spoilers below.....

spoilers:

-Kitty and Tony are at a press conference in Utopia announcing to the world that the mutants are basically ending world hunger by "gifting" the sentient seed to the planet. All the other mutants in Utopia appear to be in attendance in the background -There are some shadowy and presumably governmentally figures watching the broadcast. They are completely appalled and determined to stop this volatile mutant uprising -Blackheath is jealous that Kitty is getting all the credit apparently. Even though he, Zero and Storm actually created the seeds. Storm and Zero try to explain to him that Kitty is the face of Utopia and that is why she is up there, she's not trying to steal anybody's mojo. -Awkward lunch on Starks private jet. Jimmy and Stark tag team Kitty to convince her they need to protect Utopia after this announcement. I call it awkward because Stark helped kill Jimmy's dad and they never mention it. -Jean is telepathically spying on Utopia and is being a total bitch about it, she has no faith in Kitty. Also we learn there are other mutants in Tian, whether they are calling the eternals/celestials "mutants" now, or if they are referring to more traditional mutants that took up the invite to live in Tian is unclear. -Psylocke, Warpath and Mach Two plot against Kitty because she wants to help the puny humans, they want to smash the puny humans -Some mercenaries invade utopia, Iron Patriot and the muties make quick work of them. Kitty doesn't want any fighting, she want's her friends to stop and apparently lay down their lives for no reason -Somebody shoots at kitty as she is phased, it goes through her and hits Starks jet. Tony was bothered they shot at Kitty, but "That's. His. Favorite. Jet!" Apparently Kitty rates below a plane in Starks opinion. He responds by knocking out all the merc's with mini frisbees. -Understandably so the mutants are pissed. President Captain America Steven Rogers promised they would be safe, he is a big liar. Kitty ask a still conscious merc who sent them, Jimmy threatens to stab him if he doesn't answer. This causes Kitty to blame Jimmy for everything that went wrong. She is working for peace while Jimmy tears at it with his claws. Stark breaks it up and says he won't play baby sitter to these two. He also warns them it will only get worse from here

end of spoilers

Whew, I think that was the longest spoiler section I have ever done. I don't know where to begin with this issue because it left me a little confused and with a lot of questions. Wood and Edumunson teaming up on this book was a very exciting idea for for me as I am really enjoying what they are doing individually in the UU. I'm not sure if this issue is trying to set up Jimmy leaving for the UC: Wolverine mini (yay!) that is coming out while still trying to progress Wood's "reservation x" story line but the end result felt a bit jarring at times. The beginning is great, it picks up perfectly from the last issue and even though it has been done to death in Ultimate X-Men, the "shady government/corporation" out to stop the mutants always works in the X-Books. The petty vibes we get from Blackheath, Psylocke, Mach Two and co. are also perfect, with the types of situations these characters are in it is easy to forget that they are mostly 16-19 years old and they are certainly acting their age. Kitty has this magnificent idea to end world hunger, and a lot of characters are more concerned with revenge and their own personal credit in the project, not the fact that this is probably the best way to get humans to accept mutants.

Those scenes aside, this issue loses me a bit. We see Jean in Tian and she seems as if she has resigned herself to the fact that Kitty will fail. If I am missing something please tell me but Jean has always been about helping mutants. I could understand if she felt she was to far away to help, but she seemed to almost be apathetic towards Kitty's situation. Maybe this is just a lead in to a larger story where Wood delves into Jean's psyche and how broken it has become since Ultimatum, it seemed odd for me in this issue. Another scene that left me feeling odd is the meeting on Stark's plane. Tony's struggles with his part in Logan's death have been well documented in the UU, here he finds himself sitting with Logan's son and nothing is said or done about it. I know that it could be my love for Logan's character, but a small scene where maybe Tony pulls Jimmy aside and tells him how brave his father was I think would've made a huge impact in the book and would have had a positive effect later in the issue. I'm referring now to the scene where Utopia is attacked by a group of mercenaries. Tony and the supporting cast start defending the camp immediately, when Kitty hears the commotion she runs out and begs her people to stop fighting. This doesn't make sense to me for a few reasons, the first being that if they did stop fighting the mutants would be killed, secondly Kitty has been shown to be willing to kill to protect mutant kind.

I understand that Kitty has "laid down her gun," but this is an extremely hostile force encroaching on a sovereign nation and using deadly force. If Kitty is not willing to fight to protect her people, why would anybody trust her leadership? This leads me to the final puzzling moment in the issue, Kitty flips out again on Jimmy. I have mentioned before that their relationship seems to change from issue to issue and maybe that is being done on purpose, but not that long ago Kitty was horrified to see a floating gun above Jimmy's head and now she yells at him for simply trying to intimidate a bad guy into giving some information. Her accusation that Jimmy is tearing down everything she has built with his claws felt over the top, when Jimmy has pretty much offered nothing but support to Kitty. This does lead me back to thinking that it could just be teenagers acting as teenagers, but Kitty hasn't fallen victim to these type of outbursts since they left New York. For the most part Kitty has played the role of responsible adult and seeing this childish outburst felt a bit OOC for me. As I mentioned before, this could simply be a story telling device to help Jimmy move along to the UC: Wolverine mini (yay!) slated for March but it just didn't feel right today.

Overall I still felt like this book kept it's stride, if not for a few stumbles today. The art was ranged from very good to great and you couldn't really tell that there was two artists on the book unless you were looking for it. I was definitely left excited for the next issue as well so that is a great sign of any comic imho. Hopefully we get some clarity as to why Kitty is freaking out on Jimmy every third issue and why Jeans says "meh" to the mutants in America soon.

Writing-7.5/10
Story-8.5/10
Art-9/10
Overall-8/10

[Kurolegacy]

This issue really left me wanting to know just what went on with Psylocke for her to end up the way that she is now considering that by the way that she acts in support of Mach Two looking for petty revenge, you'd think that she was never with the X-Men. It seems really interesting to see where her story goes. In fact, I'm actually starting to wonder if the war that's gonna happen in the arc that follows Natural Resource is gonna be against The People or if it'll be a civil war between Mach Two's forces.

[Wolverine12]

This issue really left me wanting to know just what went on with Psylocke for her to end up the way that she is now considering that by the way that she acts in support of Mach Two looking for petty revenge, you'd think that she was never with the X-Men. It seems really interesting to see where her story goes. In fact, I'm actually starting to wonder if the war that's gonna happen in the arc that follows Natural Resource is gonna be against The People or if it'll be a civil war between Mach Two's forces.

I didn't even think about this until your post, but this issue listed psylocke as Betsy Braddock. So assuming that it is the same Betsy from before her actions and behavior is very confusing. Betsy was an trained special agent not to mention an adult. She worked for Xavier on his covert team and with the public team as well. Her actions against Kitty are almost baffling, maybe she is working undercover for a third party or Kitty.

[Froggy]

Yeah I'm wondering when did Jean start sipping the Haterade?

does she think Kitty is going about this all wrong?

glad to see my boy Jimmy P getting some screen time though :)

[Apothecary]

The coloring was really off this issue. Characters changing hair color every page to Derek Morgan looking white in one panel.

[Number_5]

I didn't think too much of this issue. I can't quite tell the difference between Tony Stark and Nick Fury the way they're written here and Kitty comes off like she's in denial of their situation. But where they really lost me was that campfire conversation with Mach 2 and her crew. It just went on and on, the characters spouted unnecessary and redundant exposition, and there wasn't a logical flow to it. I think I'm done with it.

[Plawsky]

Loved this issue; this books just keeps being awesome!

Before I continue, I'll point out that it's Nathan Edmonson. Not that we don't know who you're talking about, but I'm sure he appreciates his name being spelled correctly.

Those scenes aside, this issue loses me a bit. We see Jean in Tian and she seems as if she has resigned herself to the fact that Kitty will fail. If I am missing something please tell me but Jean has always been about helping mutants. I could understand if she felt she was to far away to help, but she seemed to almost be apathetic towards Kitty's situation. Maybe this is just a lead in to a larger story where Wood delves into Jean's psyche and how broken it has become since Ultimatum, it seemed odd for me in this issue.

I got the feeling at the end of Spencer's run that Jean has gone to fully, 100% self-serving mode. She's clearly playing her own game, possibly working against both SHIELD and Tian, though her allegiance was not made clear yet. And whatever Kitty's doing doesn't seem to fit with Jean's plan, so she's just going to watch her fail.

Also, it was great to see Tian again. I've really missed those guys. I'm stoked about them becoming a big part of the book again.

Another scene that left me feeling odd is the meeting on Stark's plane. Tony's struggles with his part in Logan's death have been well documented in the UU, here he finds himself sitting with Logan's son and nothing is said or done about it. I know that it could be my love for Logan's character, but a small scene where maybe Tony pulls Jimmy aside and tells him how brave his father was I think would've made a huge impact in the book and would have had a positive effect later in the issue.

While Tony (technically) had a hand in killing Logan, I don't really feel like that's his conversation to have. I never got the sense that he and Wolverine were close. Cap - or any of the X-Men - would be better suited to talk to him about that. Plus, Kitty already had a heart-to-heart with him in the first issue of Ultimate X.

[Kurolegacy]

Yeah I'm wondering when did Jean start sipping the Haterade?

does she think Kitty is going about this all wrong?

glad to see my boy Jimmy P getting some screen time though :)

Apparently it started sometime between the end of Ultimate Hawkeye #4 and Ultimate X-Men #8 where something seemed to be up with her at the end. Then came Ultimate X-Men #17 where she showed more signs before spying on Kitty in Ultimate X-Men #19. She seems to really be drinking Xorn's Kool-Aid and I wonder when we're gonna find out more about just what's going on with her.

[Wolverine12]

Loved this issue; this books just keeps being awesome!

Before I continue, I'll point out that it's Nathan Edmonson. Not that we don't know who you're talking about, but I'm sure he appreciates his name being spelled correctly.

If you are reading this Nathan I apologize for misspelling your name, thank God for grammar police

I got the feeling at the end of Spencer's run that Jean has gone to fully, 100% self-serving mode. She's clearly playing her own game, possibly working against both SHIELD and Tian, though her allegiance was not made clear yet. And whatever Kitty's doing doesn't seem to fit with Jean's plan, so she's just going to watch her fail.

Also, it was great to see Tian again. I've really missed those guys. I'm stoked about them becoming a big part of the book again.

Self serving or not, she has always wanted to advance the mutant cause, her reaction to Kitty is counter to that.

While Tony (technically) had a hand in killing Logan, I don't really feel like that's his conversation to have. I never got the sense that he and Wolverine were close. Cap - or any of the X-Men - would be better suited to talk to him about that. Plus, Kitty already had a heart-to-heart with him in the first issue of Ultimate X.

It doesn't have anything to do with how close he was to Logan, he was shown to be depressed over his hand in Logan's death on a few occasions and he had the opportunity to talk to his son about his father's sacrifice. Based on what we've seen from Tony in the past it would've not only been in character, it would've improved the flow of the story while giving a small nod to previous continuity. It seems odd to me that Tony would abandon the Ultimates to deal with his emotions over that situation, but when his son is sitting in front of him he does nothing. I will cede the fact that past continuity seems to only be a minor factor in this book considering we have a dead Psylocke running around causing all kinds of mischief.

[Codah]

Another great issue. The pacing of this book has been amazing. I'm all for decompression where it works but Wood really knows how to move a plot along. I always feel like I've read 2-3 issues after I put down Wood's UCXM. I'm interested to see why Karen has become so mean. You'd think she'd want to build bridges between the two mutant populaces. I guess we'll see. I agree though that the coloring was a bit off in this issue.

[MythicBrawn]

Kitty seems to be living in denial or is just being naive. She doesn't have to attack humans but she better know that people are still out to get them and be ready to defend what they have. She's being stupid where Mach Two is concerned too. Hopefully, Psylocke is working undercover because Kitty's attitude of "they'll come around eventually" is going to get her killed. Maybe, it's a ploy to draw out her opposition. It better be something because all I see is her dreams or goals failing because she won't be realistic.

[Plawsky]

Self serving or not, she has always wanted to advance the mutant cause, her reaction to Kitty is counter to that.

Yeah, a lot of it will depend on how this plays from here. I just felt like she was more loyal to either Xorn or herself (depending which one it really is) than any other cause.

It doesn't have anything to do with how close he was to Logan, he was shown to be depressed over his hand in Logan's death on a few occasions and he had the opportunity to talk to his son about his father's sacrifice. Based on what we've seen from Tony in the past it would've not only been in character, it would've improved the flow of the story while giving a small nod to previous continuity. It seems odd to me that Tony would abandon the Ultimates to deal with his emotions over that situation, but when his son is sitting in front of him he does nothing. I will cede the fact that past continuity seems to only be a minor factor in this book considering we have a dead Psylocke running around causing all kinds of mischief.

That's true. I just don't see Tony as the heart to heart kind of guy. Plus, how's the conversation going to start? "By the way - in case you didn't know, I killed your dad." That's a tough bridge to cross. You're right though, a comment would have been pretty neat.

[Wolverine12]

Yeah, a lot of it will depend on how this plays from here. I just felt like she was more loyal to either Xorn or herself (depending which one it really is) than any other cause.

I agree with this, what I'm hoping is that this issue was the beginning to a few different plot threads Wood plans on hitting in the future

That's true. I just don't see Tony as the heart to heart kind of guy. Plus, how's the conversation going to start? "By the way - in case you didn't know, I killed your dad." That's a tough bridge to cross. You're right though, a comment would have been pretty neat.

"Jimmy, I knew your dad. I was there when he died. He died a hero saving the planet from a monster." Doesn't have to be much, just something to address the elephant in the room. Plus it could set up an awesome fight later when Jimmy finds out Tony had a hand in actually killing his dad.

[Robbie_Jee]

I was unimpressed by this issue. I haven't felt disappointed about UCXM at all until today. So this really broke my heart. The characters are not how I remember them. Everyone is acting rather immature and very selfishly authoritarian. There is literally NO ecological understanding between any of the groups, in any way whatsoever. They all seemingly have very different agendas, with each and every character refusing to be emergent to anything which may argue their points of view. How can anything be resolved with all these opposing forces going against each other? A: It simply can't. Kitty, and more importantly Jean, should know better. They should be knowledgable enough not to be so arrogantly stagnant within their beliefs and they should know that when two opposing forces come together, the only outcome that can be achieved is conflict. I can't believe characters like Jean and Kitty are so blinded by their personal agendas, without any consideration for anything which may argue their beliefs. They're all acting like religious cults, completely and utterly stagnant in their way of thinking. Jean should understand this more than anyone. She should be more logical, rather than so egotistically competitive.

I can understand Xorn and Jean having a different motive to Kitty and her group. But I just can't see why Jean has become so suddenly opposed by the mutant cause and why she appears so determined for Kitty to fail. The only explanation that seems plausible is that she's being completely telepathically controlled by Xorn.

It's Kitty that's the biggest problem for me though. She treats everyone like they're beneath her and appears to be almost entirely driven by ego. I thought she was supposed to be mature for her age. I guess not. She's just argumentative and authoritarian just for the sake of it, to the point where her decisions are becoming retaliations and emotional reactions. Her outbursts towards Jimmy are testament to this.

I know these are supposed to be confident, headstrong women. But that doesn't mean they should all be acting like they're on their period. Excuse my language but a headstrong woman doesn't just automatically equate to a stubborn bitch. And characters shouldn't just argue for argument's sake.

Basically, almost every character in the book has become very arrogantly selfish. Not just with how they perceive each group, but also how each character interacts. This shouldn't be the case all the time. Kitty taking credit for the creation of the sentient seed? Grow up Blackheath, you're one of the adults. He must know that's not the case. But despite his behaviour, I'd at least have thought Xavier would have taught Kitty and Jean how to make more informed logical decisions, and that emotion clouds logic almost entirely and nearly always leads to 'human agenda'. Human agenda is dangerous in these types of situations.

Spencer seemed like he knew these characters better, like he had read the original series before coming on board. Characterisation is very important to me, so I want him back.

On top of Apocalypse and the orchestration of Divided We Fall, UCXM has become a mess of confusing, unanswered questions. There is A LOT that needs to be resolved. But I fear much of it will remain unanswered.

This issue was still pretty enjoyable though. For once, Jimmy actually seemed like a normal respectable person, like he wasn't always trying to look cool. The artwork was lovely and Tony Stark was brilliant. I really liked the Iron Patriot in this issue, whom I haven't been excited about at all until now. Overall, the issue was pretty entertaining, but some of the characters and their motives aren't making a lot of sense. They are almost completely different to how they've been portrayed in the past. I loved Kitty when this series first started and yet now she's become really unlikable. She's an arrogant leader. And Jean and Psylocke are so different, they seem like completely new characters. It all seems like an excuse to just write more "Teenage Drama", despite the fact that a few of the disputes don't make any sense. Like Kitty not wanting her team to fight the oncoming threat. I agree with Wolverine12. If they hadn't fought back, they'd all be dead or incarcerated.

[.LuckyStar.]

I'm not that familiar with the Ultimate U. So is Kitty usually this boring? I can't stand her.