The time has come for Hisako and the shadow that’s been haunting her and her friends, to finally meet face to face. Your Major Spoilers review of Ultimate X-Men #6 from Marvel Comics, awaits!
ULTIMATE X-MEN #6
Writer: Peach Momoko
Artist: Peach Momoko
Letterer: VC’s Travis Lanham
Editor: Wil Moss
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Cover Price: $4.99
Release Date: August 28th, 2024
Previously in Ultimate X-Men: Hisako Ichiki has been haunted by a shadow for the last few weeks; at the same time, she’s made some new friends who, like her, have amazing gifts that they’ve been using to help get to the bottom of their problems. Recently, they finally have a lead, which has put them on the path of investigating a strange cult called The Children of The Atom.
SHOWDOWN TIME
Ultimate X-Men #6 starts with Hisako, Mei, and Nico meeting up to go over what they know while Nico’s friends play basketball nearby. Nico reveals that her grandmother had been investigating a cult that bears the same symbol that they’ve seen recently. One of Nico’s friends reveals that she recognizes the symbol, and when pressed, she and Nico’s other friend reveal that their parents belong to the cult known as Children of The Atom. Elsewhere, while writing in his journal, Shinobu, also known as The Shadow King, reveals his backstory and how his mother attempted to murder him due to his powers, but The Children of The Atom took them in and helped them. Back at the basketball courts, things suddenly get dark, and Shinobu’s shadow appears. This time, though, Hisako uses her powers to pull the shadow into the physical realm. In contrast, Nico uses her staff not only to banish the shadow but also to incapacitate Shinobu, who is far away.
THAT SEEMED…EASY
To say that the conflict in this issue wraps up quickly would be an understatement. The speed at which the team suddenly learns everything they need to know about the person who’s been haunting them, is confronted by this person, and is able to come out on top, is as close to breakneck as a comic book can get. Also, it’s never really explained exactly how Hisako and her friends defeat The Shadow King. Basically, Hisako’s powers do “something” to him, and then Nico’s power does “something,” and he’s defeated. On top of this, this comic actually addresses all of this with one character saying, “Looks like finding that secret church wasn’t so hard after all”, and then later asking, “What just happened?” after The Shadow King is beaten. Maybe the creative team was trying to get ahead of criticism, but all it did was make a big flashing neon sign pointing them out. That being said, what this issue does to establish what being a mutant means in this universe is amazing. The re-imagining of Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngster as a cultlike entity that has ties to Japanese folklore works great in this context and setting. Of all the titles currently in the Ultimate lineup, this is one is still taking the biggest risks when it comes to re-imagining familiar names and faces in a brand-new universe, and it deserves credit for that, even if not everything is done perfectly.
ENJOYING THE FLOURISHES
For those familiar with Peach Momoko’s work, this is going to look like a Peach Momoko comic, which is sort of a love-it-or-hate-it sort of thing. But, beyond that, there are some really nice visual flourishes here that haven’t been used to this level in this series. For example, the ink-y effect given to Shadow King, the swirly look Nico’s powers have, then some of the more disturbing images towards the end of this issue, gives this comic a distinct look that goes beyond the standard Momoko look.
BOTTOM LINE: A ROUGH LANDING, BUT A BRIGHT FUTURE
Like the rest of the Ultimate line, issue six marks the end of the first arc of this series, but really this arc probably needed at least seven issues. Things wrap up in an unnaturally convenient way that just isn’t satisfying. But, where this issue fails its story, it makes up for it in what it does to establish this particular corner of the universe. The new take on mutants and The X-Men is fresh and exciting, and time will tell if these stories get more breathing room. 3 out of 5 stars.
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Ultimate X-Men #6
Ultimate X-Men #6 is an unsatisfactory cap to the first story arc of this series. But it also creates an exciting foundation for this series to build on in the future.
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Writing4
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Art8
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Coloring6
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.