- 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: $4.99
- Release date: March 19, 2025
Ultimate X-Men #13, by Marvel on 3/19/25, finds the newly formed team of mutants battling the Shadow King and his enslaved minions, but it’s not what you think.
Is Ultimate X-Men #13 Good?
Recap
When we last left the Ultimate Runaways in Ultimate X-Men #12, Mae sought out the truth behind the Shadow King’s identity, but she got more than she wanted from Kageyama’s mother. Nico and Mori cast a spell to find Natsu. Meanwhile, Kageyama approaches Hisako in person to make his intentions creepily clear.
Plot Synopsis
In Ultimate X-Men #13, the Shadow King wages a fierce battle against the expanding team of mutants, using Hisako and Maester under mind control. Nico, Psylocke, Cyclops, and Maestorm appear older and more mature in controlling their powers, but the Shadow King keeps them at bay.
The issue ends with Shadow King, aka Kagenyama, and Hisako floating inside a suspension chamber.
First Impressions
Ultimate X-Men #13 is fine for what is and in isolation, but this issue underscores the trouble with this series. Significant elements happen between issues without explanation, so you’re always left feeling like you’re missing significant chunks of the story.
How’s the Art?
Peach Momoko’s art, as with the story, is fine for what it is if you like Manga art with a Shojo aesthetic. Momoko applies an above-average (for the series) amount of action in this issue since it’s almost entirely one battle, but the character designs have a softer, whimsical twist.
What’s great about Ultimate X-Men #13?
Technically, this issue doesn’t get very far in terms of story and plot, but what it lacks in forward progress, Peach Momoko makes up for in energy, pacing, and action. This is the first issue where the burgeoning group fights as a coordinated team with practice under their belt, and it’s a significant/welcome departure from the slice-of-life storytelling that makes up a majority of the series.
What’s not great about Ultimate X-Men #13?
Peach Momoko’s battle-heavy only works in isolation if you have no expectation that the list of developments and cliffhangers from the last issue get no resolution. Somehow, Hisako and Kageyama are under the control of the Maester, but there’s no indication as to how they got there, what the Maester is doing, or what’s happening with everyone else. It’s incredibly random, which can be incredibly frustrating.
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 #13 is an oh-so-random issue where the blossoming Ultimate X-Men fight the Shadow King and his thralls, but it’s not what you think. Peach Momoko’s action-heavy issue hits the mark in terms of pacing and excitement, but the major downside is the complete lack of pretext, meaning, and importance when you find out what’s “really” going on.
6/10
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