Ultimate Comics X-Men by Brian Wood
I don't normally have much time to write about the Ultimate Comics after Mark Millar's influence. I never really pay much attention to this imprint unless it's about Ultimate Spider-Man or Fantastic Four. But as I go through Comixology Sales and the limited time ability to get fifty percent off; I take an opportunity. Ultimate Comics X-Men is a series that tries to have the mutants get back on their feet after Ultimatum. Nick Spencer has the first shot at the series; but as the reviews on Comic Book Round Up say, he does not make the best impression. In comes Brian Wood for more focus on story rather than repeat Spencer's Morning Glories.
Disclaimer: Brian Wood has been accused of repeated sexual misconduct, continue on with that knowledge.
The Premise
After the arcs by Nick Spencer, Brian Wood takes a new approach to the X-Men. After a near genocidal attack on Mutants from all sides, Kitty Pryde steps in with a bold choice. Rather than hide in the shadows, Kitty organizes the scattering mutants to reform the X-Men. It's no longer about fighting evil mutants or xenophobes; for Kitty she makes the deal with Fury for sanctuary. It's rather fitting that the enemy she faces is a version of William Stryker. The best X-Men stories usually revolve around the enemies they face rather than X-Men's representation.
With the 2012 elections going on this feels like the hype surrounding then Senator Barrack Obama. The campaign for Hope certainly brings this idea up in the air with the amount of help from Captain America. For their part in Divided We Fall, United We Stand a more mellow Cap grants the Mutants land for Utopia.
Ultimate Comics X-Men: Reservation X
I have to admit though that something like a reservation is kind of controversial. Effectively they serve more like prisons, just ask any of the First Nations. I actually like how this serves as a point of conflict with the X-Men. Some of the mutants like Nomi Blume (Mach 2) dislike how Kitty runs things. The choices Kitty makes can be controversial to a few people. For one Kitty gives people a choice in keeping their powers or take a cure for the X-Gene. Please try not to draw anymore parallels than necessary.
Ultimate Comics X-Men: Natural Resources
After some messy conflicts from inside involving some overbearing teenagers; the next conflict the X-Men face come from the US Government. But this isn't one of the standard "Everybody Hates Mutants" gimmick. Utopia is a place where real progress is happening. The seed can even help end world hunger; others are helping develop technology where they can earn money and help the economy. Some of those ideas even reappear in Jonathan Hickman's X-Men. However this doesn't sit well with US politicians who see the mutants not as threats to the status quo; but in their eyes, the X-Men are government property as per the origins of mutants. As such with Captain America no longer in the White House, they decide to try and take Utopia.
It's certainly nice to see Thaddeus Ross in a role other than a witch hunt for the Hulk. Like any good soldier, he dislikes it when diplomacy on his side turns ugly. Ross also has a good head on his shoulders and isn't the gung-ho brute he is normally. He's strategic, follows orders, and knows when to back down. In fact he even respects the X-Men after they show an ability to fight against the US Army. Of course, dealing with a saboteur from within also helps. Later issues have the US government not even bother with mutants; the mutants are just too much trouble for them. But of course the biggest threats that the mutants face actually comes from one of their own.
Ultimate Comics X-Men: World War X
Jean Grey even during the Ultimate Comics is a major force within the franchise. Overtime she makes sacrifices and hard choices because of how much Ultimatum costs the Marvel Universe. Under the alias of Karen Grant, she shows signs of how the harshness affects her. With needing to keep a low profile and going from place to place, she finally finds sanctuary in Tian. Jean makes it obvious on how much she changes. With influence from the Chinese culture of the Xorn brothers, she like Kitty wants to create a paradise for mutants. But unlike Kitty, who wants to stay in close contact with humanity, Jean believes that mutants need to be segregated from them.
Jean's powers also seem to change over time. In the Natural Resources story, Jean just uses her power to read minds and affect them. However after no longer holding back after some attempts at negotiation fail, Jean summons her Phoenix power. With this, Jean becomes Dark Phoenix not because of the overwhelming power or outside manipulations; it is a rebirth to a cause. As such her rule on Tian requires complete and total obedience. Like any other dictator she smears Kitty's name and starts attacks on Utopia. Living in isolation shows just how far Jean removes herself from the world. Even some of her subordinates lose faith in Jean and instead leave for Utopia as Tian crumbles. At the end Jean has to leave behind her kingdom and goes under surveillance.
Conclusion
This is not by any means one of the best X-Men stories. I mean part of the Divided We Fall, United We Stand stories has less interesting neighbors. If at all, that's the one part of the event that people can fish for quality. Still you have to give props to this run having some decent character development. Kitty really steps up in ways she relates to the Main Marvel Pryde. The mutants vs humans conflict actually feels like something that fits in the Ultimate Universe. Finally there comes Jean Grey, who unlike the main Jean goes down a more believable path of becoming Dark Phoenix.
It does come with some flaws though. Not-Psylocke influencing the battle between the army and Utopia feels out of place. The conflict with Mach 2 also seems to go nowhere after a while too. All in all, this run gets an 8/10 for breaking the mold but misses a couple of marks.