Ultimate X-Men #75

Written by Robert Kirkman

Pencils by Ben Olivier

Cover by Michael Turner

 

It’s been said many times, many ways, that Michael Turner really knows how to draw a cover. He brings a classic balance to his work with an attention to detail that makes the whole image ‘pop’. In contrast to Ben Oliver’s detail-less style, it is all the more striking. Not that Ben Oliver’s work is at all unsuited to the book, his style is simple in a manner similar to Immonen Stuart’s and Adam Kubert before that—emphasizing the similar styles of ‘light-action oriented’ story-telling.

 

So far, Kirkman’s on the right footing—despite the dangers in bringing in a character that was too complex for his own good. Kirkman has decided to simplify Cable and will hopefully keep it that way by throwing out all that baggage that weighs down his 616 counterpart. Cable’s metal arm is not a virus but just a cybernetic arm, and most importantly, he’s not the son of Scott or Jean in some alternate future. He certainly doesn’t appear to have any messianic aspirations or have earth-shattering telekinesis powers. What he does have is claws. This being a rather late review, I feel no qualms in revealing that Cable is in fact supposed to be a future Wolverine (one that’s lost his healing factor). Of course, this could easily turn into trading one set of baggage for another, something this comic could do without.

 

It is a very interesting idea however and puts a spin on the character that still gives Kirkman room to clean up all the aforementioned, absurd complexity. Being a Wolverine whose survived life without his healing factor (for thirty years as Cable himself says) then it is very believable that he is able, with some obviously advanced technology, to dispatch with the X-Men in short order. The only moment of cheesy action that had me rolling my eyes was Cable’s deflection of Cyclops’ optic blast—it ends up causing an explosion on the X-Wing (right after they just got a new one too).

 

Thrown into the book, but not without raising the price by a dollar, is a backup story of Emma Frost’s kids, penciled by Mark Brooks and written by Sean McKeever. The whole story focuses on Doug Ramsey, who is evidently NOT a mutant but just a really gifted human. It’s an interesting idea, since the power to understand all languages is a stupid power anyway, and because it allows him, the human, to be the outsider among the group of mutants.

 

Doug’s friends decide that Emma Frost’s pacifism isn’t to their liking (why should the X-Men have all the fun), so they go out to take down a drug ring. Doug’s wish to be included backfires when he is the cause of the splinter-group’s outing. The conflict’s resolution is abrupt and too neat, and I’m not entirely sure what this does for the character except to use him as an example of how outcasts become cliquish? This is a gimmicky use of Doug’s character.

 

This issue, despite the higher price, is the best one we’ve had since Kirkman’s initial story arc. He’s gotten his jitters out just in time to be removed from the book.

 

Rating - 8