What He Does In The Shadows: Reviewing ‘Ultimate X-Men’ #5

As shadowy forces gain strength, what it means to be a mutant in the new Ultimate Universe becomes much clearer.

One of Marvel Comics most unique entries, Ultimate X-Men, gets even more compelling with its fifth issue, as Peach Momoko continues her vision alongside Zack Davisson and Travis Lanham.

Pointing at the page with an excited look crowing “They said the thing!” to no one as I sit in my room alone. That thing being the term X-Men, which has now become the chosen name for the growing group of recently coined mutants in this new universe.

Interestingly, the given group name was discussed and settled upon by Maystorm, a brand-new Ultimate Universe character, and Nico Minoru (Sister Grimm) who is not a mutant in her usual Marvel Universe forms.

Reborn universes should provide the perfect canvas to really stretch and try new things with characters or concepts. Often instead we get altered retellings of stories we’ve already seen, with some new bells and whistles sprinkled throughout. Not with Momoko though. Anyone that claims that this is not the most unique and creative of the Ultimate titles is surely reading a totally different comic book than I am.

Artistically, Momoko is seamlessly able to blend pure horror, whimsical coming of age, and the particular brand of seriousness baked into the X-Men together. Giving everything a really fun vibe with the sharpest of edges. Shadow King is one of those characters that hasn’t really been scary in a long time, but this version is absolutely terrifying in its shadowy, amorphous, grotesque form. Love the little call back to the main Marvel with Kageyama using a fez looking headgear when terrorizing Hisako.

With each issue the cast is steadily growing but the focus isn’t lacking. Everyone feels fleshed out and capable of holding up the narrative on their own. Taking multiple issues just to say mutants, let alone X-Men, in some cases would feel grating. Momoko allows it all to feel perfectly reasonable because the rich character and cultural setting work keeps us intrigued.

Each character has their own distinct motive, emotional arc, and personality. We see it all depicted in their forms on the page, and Lanham makes it hit harder vocally. To maintain the tones mentioned before means taking some solid creative swings with bubbles, fonts, and more. So that voices feel creepy or harsh or even melancholy as they need to be.

Ultimate X-Men #5 is now available from Marvel Comics.