Ultimate X-Men #1 Review

Written by: Peach Momoko
Art by: Peach Momoko
Colors by: Peach Momoko
Letters by: VC’s Travis Lanham
Cover art by: Peach Momoko
Cover price: $5.99
Release date: March 6, 2024

Ultimate X-Men #1 visits another corner of Earth-6160 to catch up with Hisako Ichiki when the recent trauma of a classmate’s death brings her in contact with a living curse that forces her to manifest living Armor.

Is Ultimate X-Men #1 Good?

Hmm. Wait. Give me a second. Okay, Ultimate X-Men #1 works on one level but not so much on another. You’re much better off going in with no expectations because it’s a fair bet Peach Momoko’s take on the Maker’s mutants will be unexpected.

Let’s catch up new readers. Earth-6160 is a new universe invented by the Maker to create his version of Utopia by eliminating any superhero threat before they could become superheroes and eventually oppose his will. During last year’s Ultimate Invasion, a Kang-led attack of Avengers teams from across the Multiverse trapped the Maker in a “bubble.” Now, Earth-6160’s heroes are starting to emerge because Nature finds a way.

In Ultimate X-Men #1, Peach Momoko introduces readers to a middle school student named Hisako Ichiki, who longtime X-Men readers will recognize as the mutant Armor. Hisako is having a tough time at school, mostly due to guilt and repressed feelings for a recently deceased schoolmate named Tsubasa. Hisako blames herself for not helping Tsubasa enough when he was bullied, presumably by an abusive teacher. Soon, Hisako is visited by a manifested curse that threatens her and everyone around her, but Hisako instinctively reacts to the threats by manifesting an armored giant to protect her from harm and drive the curse off. Unfortunately, the curse’s plan to destroy Hisako’s life is far from over.

Watch our Ultimate X-Men #1 Review

“Wait. What? That doesn’t sound like an X-Men comic, and these preview pages don’t look anything like an X-Men comic. What gives?” you might wonder. I’m glad you asked because therein lies the conundrum. Unlike Bryan Hill’s Ultimate Black Panther, Momoko ran with the assignment and went all in for extra credit to give readers an X-Men comic that looks and reads unlike any X-Men comic you’ve ever seen. Where Hill went too close to the original, Momoko is practically in another genre.

What’s great about Ultimate X-Men #1? Well, if you want different, you get different. Momoko’s take on the X-Men, starting with one of the much lesser known mutants, builds a protagonist in Hisako who’s fragile, emotionally uncertain, and at the crossroads of a major life change. The emotional core of what it must feel like for someone to discover they’re a mutant without any context or help is pitch-perfect. Plus, the story is creepy.

What’s not so great about Ultimate X-Men #1? Different can be good, but too different can be a problem. Momoko’s story, style, tone, and direction present as a horror Manga in the same vein as creators such as Junji Ito or Shuzo Oshimi, softened for your typical Marvel reader. In short, this comic is so different that it doesn’t look or feel like it fits within the Ultimate universe. Further, if you’re not a fan of Manga, you’re probably going to be put off by this issue. That’s why it would be helpful to release all expectations if you’re willing to give this comic a shot.

How’s the art? At the risk of sounding crude, the curtains match the drapes. Momoko’s interior art matches the cover, which matches the brief preview we saw at the end of Ultimate Invasion. If you’re a fan of Momoko’s Manga-influenced style, you’ll like it.

About The Reviewer: Gabriel Hernandez is the Publisher & EIC of ComicalOpinions.com, a comics review site dedicated to indie, small, and mid-sized publishers.

Follow @ComicalOpinions on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter

Bits and Pieces

Ultimate X-Men #1 takes the concept of “a different take on the superheroes you thought you knew” to an extreme with a Manga-inspired horror story that looks and reads like a comic from Viz rather than Marvel. Momoko’s character work and atmosphere hit the nail on the head for a horror Manga, but the story is so far removed from every other Marvel Ultimate title, that it almost feels out of place.