If you’re interested in villains, Ultimate X-Men #5 is going to be your bread and butter. So far, the series has revealed a shadowy threat that seems highly dangerous, but it has remained mostly a mystery. There’s also a strange man who seems guarded, distant, and fishy, and in this latest issue, it starts to make sense of what is going on.
As we continue to learn more about the new Ultimate Universe and how mutants fit in, can we just stop and appreciate how unique Peach Momoko’s story is here? Not often do the Big Two allow a creator to be so creative and unique with a superhero story? Each issue slowly unveils its characters while creating a sense of realism that’s not always apparent. Ultimate X-Men #5 leans far more into the supernatural aspect of the X-Men, but it took four issues to get to know these characters for it to land so well.
Ultimate X-Men #5 opens with young boys bullying a kid with a knife. We soon realize it’s a video being played by the same strange youth who wears glasses. Enter a new character with blue hair and a purple unnatural looking scar. How these characters relate is another mystery, but one thing is for sure: They’re not good mutants.
This becomes more apparent in this issue near the end, with the main thread of the story focusing on Armor (Hisako) and Maystorm (Mei) pressing Nico for help. She’s a psychic and soon learns the shadowy figure is very real.
This shadow character is a weird one.
Credit: Marvel
In this great scene, one could liken it to teens playing Ouiji, the three mutants try to figure out what is going on with Armor’s charm. Soon, the shadowy figure is attacking them in an intense moment that feels dangerous and quite weird. In one panel the shadow oozes over Armor, creating a nightmarish visual.
The blue-haired mutant is particularly compelling in this issue. She does something to a man that’s horrific, particularly because Momoko frames her, grabbing his head so well. She also spits on a poster, which seems like a key bit of information on the rulers of the Eastern territory.
Zack Davisson adapts the script with letters by Travis Lanham. Given that many panels have only a single-word balloon, it should not go unnoticed how well the dialogue works. Lanham’s goopy word balloons for the shadow character continue to work well, and the placement of word balloons is quite good.
The last two pages are what everyone is going to talk about. Not only does it officially set up the X-Men – albeit a bit quick for my tastes – but it is an evil organization to pit our new mutants against. It’s an exciting shift as the story seems to be moving away from the quieter introspection of each character and moving into a team aspect.
I have to admit the mysteries piled onto mysteries are starting to feel tiring. Our bespeckled is nearly as much of a mystery as before, and the shadow character has yet to be fully explained. Still, it’s nice to see the story shifting towards a central conflict.
Ultimate X-Men #5 edges ever closer to a good vs. evil storyline. As the mutants understand their powers, a larger threat looms, and only the X-Men can take it on. Pieces are coming into focus in this freshly weird and invigorating series.
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