Back with the core titles, Ultimate X-Men continues the "Return of the King" storyline.

This is apparently part five of seven (more when you bear in mind that Ultimate War effectively forms part of the same story arc).  But it reads more like a second consecutive issue of climax.  Last issue, you will recall, the X-Men thwarted Magneto's evil scheme to wipe out the entire planet.  This time, they take care of the one bit that he did manage to get done: triggering a nuclear meltdown in Miami.

So basically it's an entire issue of mutants fighting to control a nuclear explosion.  And it ends up as another opportunity to marginally advance the Phoenix storyline by having Jean Grey turn up and be very powerful indeed.

While Millar's hyped-up, lunatic action sequences work in Ultimates, they never seem to click as well in Ultimate X-Men.  I think there are two reasons for that.  First, Ultimates has more rounded characters which means the action sequences take place in a more interesting context.  Second, Ultimates has Bryan Hitch, who specialises in massive devastation.  Ultimate X-Men has Adam Kubert, whose strengths lie more in dynamic figures than in dynamite layouts.  It's not that Kubert does this stuff badly; it's just that the bar has been raised very high indeed these days.

Anyhow, this ends up as a slightly sub-par issue.  It feels slightly like it's been tacked onto the plot to provide an action sequence, and there are some slightly irritating glitches - sorry, but I just don't get how Xavier "multiplying [Rogue's] abilities by a factor of nine" makes sense as an application of telepathy.  Moreover, though, this is a seven issue storyline already, and this feels like flab.

Rating: B-

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