I want to like this story arc.
I mean, Bendis is really doing some interesting stuff with it. X-23 meets the Ultimate Wolverine's son, James Hudson, setting up a pretty awkward family reunion. Bobby goes toe-to-toe with the Mole Man, finding himself inspired to use his powers in the way that his older self does, and Hank has piqued the interest of Victor Von "Damme," who successfully guessed that he wasn't from the Ultimate universe. Jean wisely decides to head to Westchester to get her hands on Cerebro to find her teammates, but she (and a helpful Miles) encounter the X-Men instead. It's good stuff.
One problem that I have here is an obvious disadvantage in never having read an issue of the Ultimate line. Bendis has obviously been in the Ultimate sandbox for a long time, and he doesn't exactly throw us a lot of bones by giving us background information about the characters that we encounter here. But, in that way, we're at the same disadvantage as the team, so it works.
The problem is, as I've already stated, that it's hard to feel engaged in yet another story about the kids being displaced. Sure, this time it's in space, not time, but it's the same "fish(es) out of water" story that already drives this series. I feel like we're just reading the same story that we've been reading since the first issue. Maybe, if you're a fan of the Ultimate universe, it's cool to see the team interact with the Ultimate characters, but it doesn't really do anything for me.
In other words, the issue is pretty solid, but I'm only giving it two stars because I'm struggling to care about rehashing a concept this early in the series' run.
** (two of five stars)
No comments:
Post a Comment