book: Ultimate X-Men, Vol. 8 | Robert Kirkman, Sean McKeever, ... ...

book: Ultimate X-Men, Vol. 8 | Robert Kirkman, Sean McKeever, ... ...

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	• Ultimate X-Men, Vol. 8 Robert Kirkman, Sean McKeever, ... Marvel Comics, 2008 - 352 pages average customer review:based on 1 review view larger image
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Now that's more like it!

I wasn't exactly thrilled by Robert Kirkman's initial Ultimate X-Men run, but I had faith enough in the Invincible scribe's abilities as well as the overall strength of the series to stick around for another hardcover installment. I just finished reading Ultimate X-Men volume 8, and all I can say is WOW.

This hardcover volume collects the following storylines:

Cable - The enigmatic mutant from the future makes his Ultimate debut in this 4-issue storyline, and while he's very familiar in some ways, trust me when I say this definitely isn't the Cable we're used to. I remember when Cable was first introduced in the New Mutants, and Kirkman's reintroduction here matches those old issues in terms of mystery and sheer excitement. As if that's not enough, we get to meet the Ultimate Bishop as well. This is of those storylines that is going to have major repercussions for our favorite mutants. Artists Ben Oliver and Yanick Paquette really outdid themselves here. I wasn't a fan of Oliver's earlier Ultimate X-Men work, but the difference here is startling.

Aftermath - This 2-part storyline deals with the fallout from the events in Cable. I don't want to give away any surprises, but let's just say that Xavier's school and the X-Men are under new management, and the status quo is shattered. Yanick Paquette ably handles the artwork for these two issues.

Cliffhanger - This single-issue story features the return of a character I honestly believed was dead. You'd think 20 years of Marvel Comics would have taught me otherwise. Again, I don't want to spoil the story, but I think it's a positive development for the series. The art on this one is by the continually improving Ben Oliver.

Underneath - This 2-part storyline, which introduced the Ultimate version of the Morlocks, didn't seem necessary, though it did move some of the series' sub-plots forward and resolve the fate of one troubling character. It didn't help that Pascal Alixe's artwork was not at all up to the Ultimate X-Men standard.

Sentinels - Here's the hardcover's other major storyline. This 5-issue adventure has everything from the new and improved X-Men taking on an army of new and improved Sentinels to the return of Fenris and the Hellfire Club to revelations about Cable and his allies that set the stage for major events to follow. Fortunately Yanick Paquette is back on board, with assists from the always-impressive Salvador Larocca.

Extracurricular - The hardcover collection closes with an independent single-issue story by Sean McKeever and Mark Brooks featuring Doug Ramsey at Emma Frost's school. It's a fun little story, but it has nothing to do with the ongoing storyline and distracts from what should have been the single most ominous final page in this series' 8-year history. They should have stuck it somewhere in the middle to avoid ruining the mood.

I'm back on board with the Ultimate X-Men in a big way. Robert Kirkman has managed to bring the best aspects of the X-Men characters together with an obvious appreciation for X-history (seriously, the Wild Pack?), and has finally brought the youthful energy and wonder he does so well in Invincible to the X-Men. I don't know how I'm going to manage to wait another year for the next hardcover!

PS - The hardcover features gorgeous cover artwork by Michael Turner, who died earlier this week. He will be missed.

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This deluxe hardcover collects Ultimate X-Men Volume 16: Cable and Ultimate X-Men Volume 17: Sentinels, plus extras. In Cable, if one man is capable of disrupting the carefully controlled world of Charles Xavier's School For Gifted Youngsters, it's this one: Ultimate Cable! He comes from a tragic future to wreak havoc on mutantkind today, and his sinister secrets will shock the X-Men to their very core. Plus: Delve into the secret life of the X-Men's rivals, Emma Frost's Academy of Tomorrow, in a special bonus story! And in Sentinels, the X-Men are no more. Long live the X-Men! The man from the future, Bishop, completes his own team of mutants, ready to carry on the legacy of Charles Xavier. And their first task is to stop the attacks of the deadly Sentinels against their kind. And you'll never guess who's behind the attacks - or who the new Ultimate X-Men are! Collects Ultimate X-Men #75-88.

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