• Written by: Peach Momoko
• Art by: Peach Momoko
• Colors by: Peach Momoko
• Letters by: VC’s Travis Lanham
• Cover art by: Peach Momoko (cover A)
• Cover price: $4.99
• Release date: October 30, 2024

Ultimate X-Men #8, by Marvel Comics on 10/30/24, escalates the mutant presence when the Children Of The Atom’s cult hits the mainstream, and the cult’s members begin to question Maester’s motives.

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Is Ultimate X-Men #8 Good?

On first reading, Peach Momoko appears to be holding the elevated pace and energy of the previous issue. Faster pace and more developments are almost always positive. However, the plot feels scattered and disjointed, so more stuff coming at you faster is only a positive if it flows as part of a cohesive plot.

When last we left the fledgling group of mutants in Ultimate X-Men #7, readers got a peek inside the secret cult, encouraging the development of mutants with the help of the Shadow King. Meanwhile, the students attended a festival, but the festivities were interrupted by the appearance of a giant eye in the sky.

In Ultimate X-Men #8, we get a rapid-fire succession of scenes that loosely move in the same direction.

A young woman named Yukio, who runs a “spooky” YouTube channel, investigates the Kirigaya Minari middle school to follow up on the suicide of several students, starting with Tsubasa. Her search eventually leads her to seek out the mysterious “Armor Girl” spotted a few weeks ago.

Nastu is confronted by a pack of bullies who know about a tragic event in her past. During the confrontation, one of the bullies throws a soda can at Natsu, who deflects the can by shooting a force beam from her eye, which she normally covers with an eye patch. We now know Natsu is the Ultimate universe’s Cyclops.

Sure munches on a snack while she waits for a fellow student and cult member to slit his wrists. When the deed is done, the student turns into whisps of greenish-black smoke and disappears. During the incident, which Surge treats casually, Surge sees the photo posted online by Psylocke about the dismembered body found by the river.

The over-arching story concerns assorted members of the public and lower members of the Children of the Atom cult seeing the photo of the dismembered body and becoming concerned about the cult’s actions.

What’s great about Ultimate X-Men #8?

If it wasn’t obvious from the description above, lots of things are happening on multiple fronts to keep the pace and energy up. Little tidbits of information are coming out about the cult, which gives the impression that a collision course is coming. Plus, the revelation that Nastu is Cyclops is an interesting twist.

What’s not great about Ultimate X-Men #8?

The plot, such as it is, hits you with a rapid-fire series of scenes to give you information, but the pieces don’t fit together organically. You get the impression Momoko was told to pick up the pace, and stuff is just getting thrown at you.

Further, the plot doesn’t have a clear direction or purpose. You could vaguely guess that the cult will have some grand public outing, but it’s not clear what that means or what Sunfire, Viper, and Maester hope to accomplish.

Overall, Ultimate X-Men #8 is a mixed bag. The pacing, energy, and sense that things are happening are positive, but the plot is disjointed enough to come across as messy and chaotic.

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

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Final Thoughts

Ultimate X-Men #8 keeps the energy and pacing up to follow up on the previous issue. Some intriguing developments will catch your attention, and the plot vaguely feels like it’s moving toward something. That said, the high pace is offset by a scattered, disjointed plot.

6.2/10

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