This week's only ongoing X-book is Ultimate X-Men, with Robert Kirkman completing his first three-issue arc. 

Actually, it looks like this is going to be another of those titles that nominally runs in arcs while actually drifting quietly back to the old open-ended format.  In reality this is more of a series of set-up arcs introducing storylines for the individual characters - except Kitty, who presumably doesn't need one right now because she's already got a regular solo role in Ultimate Spider-Man.  Otherwise, though, Kirkman is trying to write an old school team book and ensure that everyone has something to do.   By modern standards this means that there's a heck of a lot going on, but there's nothing wrong with that.

The main focus of this issue, however, is Xavier interrogating Ultimate Lilandra about the Ultimate Shi'ar.  Assuming that this issue isn't an elaborate feint, Kirkman's taking a drastically revised approach to the Shi'ar, turning them into an obscure religion that worships the Phoenix.  Supposedly they're the good guys who had a schism with the Hellfire Club a few centuries back.  It's certainly a bold attempt to redefine the Phoenix as a more concrete piece of mythology, bearing in mind that it's generally been thoroughly unclear what the mainstream version is supposed to represent.  On the other hand, given that this bunch don't seem to be a secret religion - and certainly have no apparent motivation to be - it rather strains credibility that a whole religion worshipping Phoenix somehow escaped the X-Men's attention until now.  Then again, I suppose that logic hole would be closed if they turn out to be aliens after all.

The other major strand is new character Eliot Boggs, who seems to be developing worryingly ill-defined powers.  Characters like that tend to be bad news, and lead to very woolly plotting, but we'll see where Kirkman is going with him.  To be honest, he hasn't been a particularly compelling character so far, but then he's only really had the opportunity to run around and panic.  Still, we really need to start seeing some other sides of his personality in the next issue or so.  The window of goodwill to make us care about new characters is not indefinite.

Despite all that, I'm generally pretty happy with Kirkman's run so far.  He's continuing to make it a character-based series, and he's taking the opportunity to do an old-school team book, a format which the mainstream X-Men titles can no longer manage because of the ludicrously extended cast.  He's juggling a number of interesting storylines, and he's got solid support from Tom Raney on art.  And while the Phoenix stuff has a few logic holes, it's fundamentally still an intriguing idea.  A flawed book, perhaps, but still generally very promising.

 Rating: B+

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