Ultimate X-Men by Peach Momoko vol. 1: Fears & Hates

Paul O’Brien isn’t going to be talking about this title.  That’s disappointing, but not entirely surprising as he’s stated that this isn’t 1) part of the main comics line and 2) doesn’t interest him in the slightest.  Given that he did review the original run of “Ultimate X-Men” up until its cancellation, you’d hope that he’d have given this first volume a shot just to see how it compares.

After having said all that, I think he made the right choice.

This new series of “Ultimate X-Men” is unique among the new line of “Ultimate” comics in that it’s from a single creator:  Peach Momoko.  She first made her name as a popular cover artist before Marvel signed her to an exclusive deal where she’s been doing comics based on their characters and storylines reinterpreted through a Japanese perspective.  I believe that this marks the first time she’s done a comic that takes place within a shared continuity, and (if nothing else) it sure is  different from the other two titles in the line.

The volume starts off with an introduction to Hisako Ichiki as she graduates middle school.  It’s not a pleasant experience as we learn that she rarely attended and was considered kind of creepy by her classmates.  She does wind up getting a mysterious message that tells her to come to a remote shrine where she meets a shadowy creature that claims to know about her former friend Tsubasa, who committed suicide after being bullied by his classmates.  The encounter causes Hisako to flee… right into an oncoming car.

I don’t think it’ll surprise anyone to learn that she survives the experience and then goes on to team up with other high school kids with their own powers to find out what’s going on.  It’s what happens all the time in American superhero comics and is also a staple of many a manga as well.  The problem here is that “Fears & Hates” is such a basic take on the concept that it leaves very little to recommend this series.  There’s no innovation in the concept of kids with special abilities teaming up to fight a supernatural threat, nor is there anything that suggests a radical new take on the “X-Men.”

In fact, that might be the biggest disappointment of all about this volume.  If this didn’t have “X-Men” in its title, you wouldn’t be able to tell that this was meant to be the next “Ultimate” incarnation of the series.  That Momoko is choosing to focus on C-list characters isn’t a problem in itself as this could’ve been the chance to allow them to really shine in an all-new context.  It’s just that we’re lacking things that have been fundamental to the concept for decades now:  The school.  Training young mutants.  Dueling perspectives about living together peacefully or through violent dominance.  Fighting to protect a world that hates and fears them.  All of that is missing here and in its place is a story that offers barely enough to sustain itself, let alone replace them.

There’s also the matter of how this is meant to fit into the current “Ultimate” universe.  Showrunner Jonathan Hickman has started an ongoing plot about The Maker and we’ve seen how his absence has been affecting things in the “Ultimate Universe” one-shot, and “Ultimate Spider-Man” and “Ultimate Black Panther” (review forthcoming, soon).  In “Ultimate X-Men” there’s… nothing.  No mention of whoever’s meant to be in charge of Asia.  No looking into what’s happening here.  No talk about the superhero action in other parts of the world.  What’s here feels completely divorced from everything else that’s going on in the line, in other words.

The characters themselves also feel kind of flat as they all fall into familiar types.  Hisako is the protagonist who has lots of things done to and around her, but doesn’t do much of anything herself.  May is a new character meant to fill the role of “spunky best friend.”  Which she does.  A new version of Nico Minoru is also here too and is ordinary enough to make me long for the goth stylings of the character in her original version, or even the one featured in “Marvel’s Midnight Suns.”  We also get what looks like this universe’s version of the Shadow King, or just another riff on the bullied nerd who gets superpowers trope.  It’s hard to tell.  Or care.

Oh, and as for how the “X-Men” name gets worked into this series?  No.  I get it, but it’s such a reach that I have to believe someone at editorial told Momoko she had to do it and then she did so in the most ham-fisted way possible.

At least the characters have Momoko’s strong face game going for them.  The creator is good with creating memorable expressions for the cast as they react to the powers they gain and are witness to.  I’d say that some of them come off as comical, or even over-the-top, but they’re easily the most distinctive part about this volume.  Momoko’s art is nice overall with an appreciable amount of detail in it, as well as a real willingness to get experimental when it comes to showcasing some of the superpowers on display.

I’ve heard that there’s a big “Ultimate” crossover planned for sometime in 2025 and I’m really curious to see how they’re going to work this title and its characters into it.  Right now it doesn’t feel like this is meant to have any connection with the wider universe, so it should be something to see Hickman or someone else try to find a way to work them in without disrupting what Momoko is doing here.  Maybe they’ll even find a way to make it more “X-Men” like in the process.

Then again, what’s here is so lacking in originality that some disruption may be exactly what it needs.  “Fears & Hates” regrettably fails as both a new take on the “X-Men” and as a satisfying story on its own terms.  I commend Marvel for letting a creator pursue their own vision on a project, but this time the results just didn’t pan out.  At least Paul O’Brien can sleep soundly at night knowing that he didn’t waste his time with this.