When you’re making a crossover story, there are a few unspoken rules to keep in mind. It has to be two or more franchises that make sense together, you have to have a story that fits those franchises, and above all else, you should have a great story. I’m happy to report that Ultraman X Avengers #1 fits the criteria, thanks to the creative team of Kyle Higgins, Mat Groom, Francesco Manna, Matt Milla and Ariana Maher.
But what exactly brings Ultraman and the Avengers together? The answer (as I learned at an Ultraman-themed panel at San Diego Comic-Con) is Galactus. An interdimensional event brings the Devourer of Worlds to Ultraman’s universe, where he empowers the alien Zarab to be his newest herald. But Galactus isn’t the only Marvel character who shows up in the Ultra Universe; Shin Hayata and friends wind up encountering Miles Morales! Miles and the Avengers soon work with Hayata and his allies to stop Galactus before he devours the Earth.
Higgins and Groom previously worked on a trio of Ultraman miniseries, but what’s great about Ultraman X Avengers is that they treat this like it’s the reader’s first-ever introduction to Ultraman. You don’t have to read the previous series (although I’d recommend it because they’re pretty great). The basics are all there – Hayata turns into Ultraman and fights monsters, Miles does Spider-Man stuff, etc.
Marvel Comics
Ultraman X Avengers #1’s strongest features are the character dynamics between the Ultra Guard and the Avengers. Miles, in particular, gets some of the issue’s best moments: when he’s questioned about whether there are other Spider-Men out there, he immediately launches into a list of nearly everyone in the Spider-Verse, and when faced with ray guns that could kill him, he asks Shin and the rest of the Ultra Guard to chill out. There’s even a shoutout to the Toei Spider-Man and his giant robot, which I thought was great.
The biggest reason folks will probably pick up Ultraman X Avengers is to see giant monsters throw down with superheroes, and Manna delivers on that front. He draws a fight between Ultraman and Zarab that is full of the kaiju-wrestling, specium blasting goodness fans have come to expect from the Ultraman franchise, but it also applies to how Miles moves when fighting a Kaiju; his flips and web-blasts are delivered with the acrobatic grace one expects from Spider-Man. Manna even draws a panel of the Avengers and Peter Parker coming through a portal that rivals the portals scene from Avengers: Endgame.
None of these fights would work without colors, and Milla delivers. Ultraman’s white and red outfit immediately draws the eye, as does the bright blue specium rays he fires – it’s hard not to notice those since they take up half the page. Galactus himself is depicted as the terrifying figure he is, with his purple armor covered in smoke as he stares at the destruction he’s wrought on Zarab’s planet. And the Avengers, with their multicolored costumes, provide a stark contrast to the gray and white uniforms of the Ultra Guard.
Ultraman X Avengers was everything I wanted and more from a crossover of this magnitude. It’s got action, it’s got great character dynamics, and it’s got a story that makes sense in the context of both worlds. More crossovers should be like this!
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