The debut issue of Ultraman X Avengers was everything I wanted, both as a Marvel fan and an Ultraman fan. But the real question is: does Ultraman X Avengers #2 live up to that high standard? The answer is yes – not only does the action continue to hit hard, but the creative team of Kyle Higgins, Mat Groom, Francesco Manna, Matt Milla and Ariana Maher have fun exploring the connections between the Avengers and the Ultra Squad.
Those connections are forged during the mission to gather resources to hold off Galactus. Captain America leads a group to raid the USP, but encounters its malevolent director, Moreheim. Captain Marvel and Ultraman fight off a pair of kaiju terrorizing Tokyo. Iron Man and Kiki bond while upgrading the J.A.C.K. for combat. It’s here where Higgins and Groom’s script sign, as they find unique bonds between these characters.
Captain Marvel relates to Ultraman because she’s a half-alien/half-human as well. Captain America gives an inspiring speech to the world, telling Shin Hayata that one day he’ll rise up to the occasion as well, proving that Sam Wilson’s true superpower is inspiring others. Kiki feels that since she doesn’t have superpowers, she can’t add much to the anti-Galactus plan, but Iron Man – being the resident genius/billionaire/playboy/philanthropist who whipped up his own robot suit – encourages her otherwise. It’s this kind of character work that’s made Higgins and Groom some of my favorite writers, and I’m glad it permeates their work on Ultraman like it does with the Massiveverse. (They also have the perfect handle on Peter Parker.)
Manna’s artwork continues to be the perfect fit for this crossover. Once again, he delivers a cinematic heft to Ultraman throwing down with Kaiju, and even pulls off a cool combo with Captain Marvel. Really, if your heroes aren’t pulling off cool combo attacks, are you even doing a Toku story right? But Manna doesn’t just excel with the big but also the small; the battle between Moreheim and Captain America is a great example of this. Not only does he repel her alien powers with his shield, but he’s able to hold his own in hand to hand combat.
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Finally, I have to point out how Milla’s colors and Maher’s letters add to the universe-spanning scope of this crossover. Maher gives each character a distinct voice; Iron Man has an electronically-filtered voice, Ultraman’s remains the same booming red-and-white, Galactus’ is royal purple. When Galactus finally appears and confronts Ultraman, the page is bathed in glowing blue with the only standouts being the Devourer of Worlds’ purple armor and Ultraman’s signature red/white frame. It’s awe-inspiring to behold.
Ultraman X Avengers #2 keeps up the momentum of its debut issue, thanks to strong character work and blockbuster-level artwork. This year has been ripe with crossovers, but this one is definitely at the top of the pack.
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