Most people who pick up this comic seem to really like it. I feel alone in the world when i think about how much it sucks to me. I think its possible that one day I might read these last couple arcs over, back to back and actually like; just not right now. If I’m honest, I’m just about over this title and I have a few theories as to why I don’t like it . Won’t get into that here, so I’m just going to review this.
RECAP
The comic kicks off in the results of the last arc NATURAL RESOURCES. Utopia has grown and expanded, under the leadership of Kitty Pryde. However, she and Jimmy don’t really seem eye to eye so he leaves her in favour of joining Rachel on Tian.
Storm is still in a relationship with Lockheathe, Colossus returns (seemingly with some stranger who is his new man?) and Nomi is writing in her diary out in the sentient seed forest. Of course peace doesn’t reign for very long before Jean, of Tian, sends a self adapting bio-weapon to take out the sentient seed, and herein is the beginning of a next conflict (that, considering the trends these days, is likely to get this story nowhere but back to status quo... but let me not get into that). The sentient seed is still holding on to life, barely, and (jungle girl/coo coo) Rogue is not pleased, naturally. Nomi fulls Farbird out of the sky and sentient seed ties him down (and Kitty is somewhat surprised at the range of her powers ? really Kitty ? as if almost killing you,among other feats, wasn't proof enough?).
Jean Grey seems to be off the wall, she believes for mutants to continue to thrive on the planet they MUST be unified under Tian and she isn’t a fan of Kitty’s pacifist ways and leadership. We get to see fire girl and winged boy again (yay! :) ) who don’t seem to quite understand or agree with Jean grey attacking Utopia, but it seems they do little to stop her. Jean sends in her drones to attack.
Colossus and storm are first to encounter the drones (love the art). Kitty is meditating when she hears of the attack. Then we see Jimmy kneeling before phoenixy coo coo Jean
REVIEW
First off... what I hated about coming out of the last arc was that nothing (much) changed at the end. Which feels like a waste of paper. We got answers to several questions and apparent inconsistencies seemed to be tied up and fixed. i.e. Psyloche being alive again turned out to just be some mystery person (entity? mutant?) posing as Psyloche and it turns out she’s manipulated MOST of the events and relations on Utopia psychically from the beginning. So in the end the mutants were not captured by the Government, Nomi returned and mended (for the most part?) her relationship with Kitty and all of Utopia is back together again where it started. I just felt that the story went through so much to develop this rift on Utopia and to make this sentient seed only to resolve it to being mostly a result of pseudo Psylocke’s manipulation (just when i was getting to LIKE the fact that Psylocke was resurrected *sigh*)
So basically this whole issue for me has been one where I’m wondering, when are we gonna get out of this Utopia drab and go somewhere with the story that I actually like (possibly soo? Tian maybe? Out in the real world again maybe?). But as I said, a lot of readers seem to appreciate where the book is now and where its going. They seem to like the slow narrative that to me just seems to lead nowhere..... nowhere.... exciting for me... Even if my dream of some semblance of the classical x-men doesn't return to the Ultimate Universe pages. I’m just really not feeling this incarnation of the mutant groups/population.
And its not JUST the slow blooming storytelling, but the characters themselves don't thrill me. They all feel so lackluster, when it is they don't feel crazy. I mean really, ANYONE would be different after everything that happened in Ultimatum and its aftermath. But they all seem so remarkably changed I don't feel like I’m even familiar with the characters or their situation anymore. But maybe that's how it’s supposed to be. Things ARE supposed to be different after all. But It’s not in a way I like. Too different I guess.
Everyone thinks Jean is nuts... me too... she’s always had a few loose screws. But I also feel like Kitty is a little coo coo... and Rogue and her swinging through trees bit … Only Storm would feel like she hasn't changed that much or unbelievably, and that's only because she’s a supporting role in these stories mostly... good for flying around and making rain and lightning. Jean and Storm were two of the first characters I’d gotten gotten to know and love from the initiation of the the Ultimate Universe’s X-men. Today most of the characters I’ve followed over the years just feel so unfamiliar. I feel like I’m that dead guy who can see everything that's going on and just keep screaming “snap out of it my beloved friends! What is up with you?! Go fight some bad guys for old time’s sake :’( ” but no one hears because the world is not what it was like before I died. Haha.
I don't know. Maybe this book IS good and it’s the taste of nostalgia that i can't get out of my mouth.
WHAT I LIKED ?
The art! - love the smooth as opposed to plated depiction of colossus that was for the most part how they’ve been doing it in the Ultimate U (with a few exceptions). Plus on a whole this is the kind of art I like for these comics :)
The pacing of the story and character development. I just want them to get off that piece of land. Its miserable and the drama ain't moving me and the action just comes and passes the time. Didn't need another book full of exposition and then empty panels with beautiful art. I needed to laugh, I needed to cry, I needed to “gay gasp” and squeal in excitement. I needed to be MOVED. And if cameos (Colossus? ha!) and action sequences with Storm (the “empty” panels i mentioned before) ain’t doing it for me then I can't help but feel like something is just really wrong with the book or with me. (I LOVE me some Storm and Colossus btw).
I give it a 6.5 .
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