With the mutant hunting Sentinels and the
extremist agenda of mutant supremacist Magneto threatening to ignite a world
war, Professor Xavier enlists the help of six young mutants to keep the peace
and promote his integrationist beliefs. Though the world may fear and hate
them, the X-Men must overcome this and learn to use their unique abilities as a
team in order to save the world from total destruction.
Ultimate
X-Men Volume 1: The Tomorrow People collects Ultimate X-Men #1-6, written by Mark Millar and illustrated by Adam
Kubert.
From its very first few panels, Ultimate X-Men paints a far darker and direr
picture of the world than Brian Michael Bendis and Mark Bagley’s Ultimate Spider-Man. Mark Millar and
artist Adam Kubert mine the darker impulses of 21st century America
by examining the increasingly relevant themes of discrimination and extremism.
They focus on the allegory of mutants as minorities with unrelenting precision,
exposing how very little we’ve come in terms of acceptance of those who are
different from the accepted norm. The
Tomorrow People introduces the X-Men as young, inexperienced mutants who
are thrust into the roles of heroes without much training. They’re
disenfranchised outcasts who society has cast aside. In this respect, it makes
it easy to relate to and root for these characters.
The X-Men face the dual threat of the
Sentinels and the Brotherhood of Mutants. Their first assignment as a team
requires them to retrieve a mutant in the heart of New York City before he can
be incinerated by the Sentinels. Naturally, the mission goes sideways and the
X-Men are forced into a direct conflict with the Sentinels. It’s an exciting
high octane way to initiate the team and showcase their individual abilities,
as well as their shortcomings. Millar and Kubert also smartly include a scene
in which the X-Men are jeered at after saving innocents from the mayhem, which
helps to further emphasize the senseless discrimination mutants (i.e. people of
colour and the LGBTQ+) face in this world. However, perceptions towards them
shift after they save the President’s daughter from the clutches of the Brotherhood
of Mutants and when they successfully defeat Magneto in an all-out fight to the
finish in Washington, D.C.
The
Tomorrow People is probably the strongest introductory storylines the X-Men
have had across any comic book incarnation or adaptation. Millar introduces his
cast with ease and establishes the central themes to the X-Men mythos in a way
that feels modern and relevant. He excels at pacing and plotting, as he forges
a very cohesive and evenly paced storyline that ticks all the necessary boxes
to make this a good X-Men story. His very literal portrayal of Magneto and the
Brotherhood of Mutants is chilling (but necessary) due to how closely it
mirrors modern day terrorists. What is especially eerie about this is that The Tomorrow People feels very much like
a Post-9/11 text, but much of it was written and published prior to those
events. Where he’s less successful is in his characterizations of the X-Men
themselves. Without question, Jean Grey is his most well-written character
here. She’s kind and sympathetic, but also sassy and strong-willed. Jean is
also a force to be reckoned with on the field and really shows off her skills
as a field leader. I’m far less impressed with Millar’s portrayal of Storm. The
decisions he makes with her character are problematic as she feels like an
entirely different person in comparison to every other version we’ve ever seen.
She lacks the confidence and willpower that is a trademark of the character, as
well as her warmth and wisdom. Millar instead portrays Storm as a hot mess and
a bit of a brat who is quite possibly the team’s biggest liability in the
field. There’s also some awkwardness regarding Millar’s decision to have
Wolverine (whose age is undisclosed, but we can only imagine is much older than
the rest of the X-Men) seduce and sleep with Jean Grey (who is only 19).
Additionally, Professor Xavier is nowhere close to being the pacifist we would
expect him to be. He uses his powers without discretion and permission of
others, while his dialogue skews less towards wise teacher and more towards
stern disciplinarian.
Just as Bagley helped set the tone for
Bendis in Ultimate Spider-Man, Kubert
does the same for Millar in Ultimate
X-Men. Kubert pairs well with Millar’s style. It’s very expressive and
vibrant, but also has an edge to it. His aesthetic takes on a more real world
approach, especially when it comes to costuming. The redesigns Kubert gave the
X-Men are among some of my favourites. He updates the classic black and gold
costumes for the 21st century, giving us really cool and chic
individual looks that act cohesively when viewed together. While Iceman and
Wolverine’s costumes are a little lackluster, the remaining X-Men look pretty
snazzy. I especially appreciate the risks he took while designing Jean Grey,
who is given a short pixie cut, as she is visually portrayed much differently
from what we’d expect of her. Kubert is to further be commended for his
composition skills, as he creates some awe-inspiring splash pages and epic
action sequences. He’s additionally quite adept at inserting little quirks here
and there particularly when it comes to reactions.
In terms of plot and artwork, The Tomorrow People comes pretty darn
close to being a homerun. Millar and Kubert create what very well could have
been the perfect basis for an introductory X-Men film. The combined threat of
the Sentinels and Magneto gives the narrative that essential feeling, but it
also pays homage to some of the earliest adventures the X-Men had and really
modernizes them for today’s audiences. Where The Tomorrow People loses points is in its finer details. When it
comes to characterization, Millar portrays certain characters in ways that
makes them unlikeable and almost unrecognizable. It’s not a glaring problem
(yet), but it does shift which characters I like and relate to.
RATING:
A-
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