Review: Ultimate X-Men #49

Ultimate X-Men #49
Marvel Comics
Writer: Brian K. Vaughan
Artist: Brandon Peterson

I was telling a friend of mine that I had lost enthusiasm for some of the comics that have been coming out recently. But we both buy stuff that would make this week a big week. Even so, my enthusiasm was low before reading my titles this week (Titans, Ultimate X-Men, Superman/Batman, Marvel Knights Spider-Man, Pulse, JSA and Identity Crisis). But as it turns out, none of the titles disappointed.

So how did I pick Ultimate X-Men to write about? My last few posts have highlighted a lot of Spider-Man stuff -- the movie, Amazing Spider-Man, Ultimate Spider-Man, so I figured I'd pick a book with a different theme. In addition, the X-Men are my favorite characters, yet to this point I haven't reviewed an X-Men title.

Brian K. Vaughan's first story, The Tempest is excellent. His signature surprises have popped up several times throughout the story. He has re-worked Mr. Sinister into a threatening villain. The many team members (made even larger by Mr. Bendis) are handled quite well, and their characterization is growing. This is how to write good team stories and expand the characters at the same time (are you listening, Mr. Austen?). Rogue comments on how Iceman's is "the only one who treated me halfway decent" in the middle of a dramatic moment and builds the relationships. Brandon Peterson's art is pretty good although something about it looks funny to me. I like how he manages a number of the panels, especially where Kitty phases Rogue.

This is great stuff. Having gone back and re-read the Millar run on the title, I've come to realize that Bendis didn't too good a job on Ultimate X-Men. His first story, Blockbuster, starts out as a Spider-Man/Wolverine team up and then becomes somethign completely different. The next story, New Mutants, ended up as just a vehicle to introduce 7 more mutants into the Ultimate X-Men universe. The part of his run where Beast dies is lame since Millar previously did a gag where Beast looked dead but wasn't. It just wasn't that great. I like most of Bendis's other stuff (although read too much of it and the characters start to sound the same), but in the case of the Ultimate X-Men, Brian K. Vaughan is a welcome change of pace. Let's hope that he can negate the arrival of "Ultimate Gambit."