The mystery around the vengeance-seeking shadow takes a break to dive into newcomer, Mei Igarashi’s history. Your Major Spoilers review of Ultimate X-Men #3 from Marvel Comics, awaits!
ULTIMATE X-MEN #3
Writer: Peach Momoko
Artist: Peach Momoko
Letterer: VC’s Travis Lanham
Editor: Wil Moss
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Cover Price: $4.99
Release Date: May 15th, 2024
Previously in Ultimate X-Men: A young Japanese girl named Hisoka herself plagued with a mysterious shadow that seems to be targeting the people who tormented her deceased friend Tsubasa at the same time she’s developed powers that she can use to protect her. During her last encounter with the shadow another girl arrived with weather-based powers.
A LOOK BACK
Ultimate X-Men #3 opens up two years in the past with two female students and a male student playing with a spirit board. It’s then revealed that neither girl invited the boy and quickly leave. Back in the present Hisako is with Mei during gym class, discussing a recent upswing of online activity revolving around Hisako’s old friend Tsubasa. During the conversation, Mei’s powers become the topic of conversation. The issue then flashes back a couple of months. Mei is instructed by her mother to introduce herself to her neighbor after school. In the course of doing this she gets clawed by a cat. Later on, while trying to sleep while dealing with her recent wound, she’s awoken by her parents arguing. When Mei comes down from her room she has choice words for her parents, her father decides the best way to respond to this is to get violent. The attack causes Mei to manifest her powers, which only increases the ire of her dad. Back in the present, Mei and Hisako’s conversation is interrupted by the ongoing gym class activities and the actions of another notable classmate.
STRAIGHTFORWARD BUT SHALLOW
Ultimate X-Men #3 has a few things going on, but for the most part is pretty focused on Mei, AKA Maystorm. This makes things somewhat disappointing though due to Maystorm’s origin story being unimaginative and one that’s been seen multiple times before. Not to diminish the trauma or intensity that domestic violence can bring, but when compared with the incorporation of Japanese folklore we saw with Hisako’s powers, Maystorm just feels uninspired. Now, there are a couple things that suggest there might be more to what’s going with her, there’s just nothing there yet. Also, like the rest of this series, there’s some friction going on with the tone as things go from humorous and whimsical to serious and grotesque. There are ways for these two sides of things to coexist in the same title, but Peach Momoko just hasn’t found a way to blend them effectively yet. The issue does end on a strong note though, as the final pages go into full on teenager drama mode, the writing comes off as more confident and effective.
FOLLOWING THE THEME
There’s no debate that Peach Momoko has one of the most unique styles out in mainstream comics right now. The blending of conventional comic art and a look that invokes multiple eras of Japanese art, plus some wonderful watercolors gives Ultimate X-Men #3 a look that’s stunning and worth a look. But, like Peach’s writing, her art also seems to have trouble transitioning from one tone to another. For an issue that tackles a couple of heavy topics, the tone never really veers away from lighthearted, even during moments of pretty traumatic stuff there seems to be almost a playfulness to it all.
BOTTOM LINE: AN UNDERWHELMING EXPLORATION INTO AN EXCITING NEW CHARACTER
Ultimate X-Men #3 was an opportunity to hit the ground running with a new character that’s already shown the potential to be an interesting new addition to not only the ultimate universe but Marvel’s gallery of characters in general. Unfortunately, this wasn’t what we got, instead, Maystorm is given a cliché origin with only hints that there might be more to the story. Otherwise, this was a fine addition to the series and managed to sneak in some tidbits right at the end that should cause some excitement for readers in the know. 3.5 out of 5 stars.
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Ultimate X-Men #3
There was bound to be an underwhelming issue Ultimate X-Men, but having it be the third issue is surprising. Some late additions to this one give hope that something more interesting is on the way, but Ultimate X-Men #3 isn’t going to blow anyone away.
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Writing5
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Art6
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Coloring8
At a young age, Jonathan was dragged to a small town in Wisconsin. A small town in Wisconsin that just so happened to have a comic book shop. Faced with a decision to either spend the humid summers and bitter winters traipsing through the pine trees or in climate controlled comfort with tales of adventure, horror, and romance, he chose the latter. Jonathan can often be found playing video games, board games, reading comics and wincing as his “to watch” list grows wildly out of control.