Ultimate X-Men - Volume 1: The Tomorrow People [Englisch] [Taschenbuch]

Gerade dieses Durcheinander, speziell in den klassichen Comics, macht Ultimate X-Men jedoch attraktiv, denn hier kann man reinschnuppern ohne sich mit 40 Jahren Historie auseinander setzen zu müssen. Die Charaktere, obwohl noch klar erkennbar, sind aufgefrischt und modernisiert.

Die Story, der Konflikt mit dem klassischen X-Men Gegner Magneto, bietet viel Action, zeigt aber auch den grundlegenden philosophischen Ansatz der Comics (Toleranz vs. Rassismus), der in dem ganzen Getümmel nicht verloren geht. Und auch die menschliche Komponente geht nicht verloren. Sei es die Dreiecks-Beziehung Marvel Girl - Wolverine - Cyclops oder die grundsätzliche Frage, ob es überhaupt Sinn macht den Helden zu spielen für eine Welt, die einen am liebsten tot sehen würde.

Komplexe Story, viel Action, gute Zeichnungen, und klassische Charaktere in neuem Gewand. Gut. Einen Stern Abzug gibt es nur dafür, dass mir einige der Charaktere (u.a. Professor X) ein wenig zu arrogant und überlegen daher kommen. Ansonsten aber eine klare Kaufempfehlung.

I was here for all three, so part of my appreciation for this six-issue story arc from Millar, pencillers Adam & Andy Kubert, and inker Art Thibert (w/Danny Miki) is how they have reconstituted elements from both of the origins. So I remember Quicksilver and the Silver Witch being part of the original Brotherhood of Evil Mutants as well as Storm and Colossus being recruited for the international version of the X-Men. Anyhow, here is a list of things I liked about "The Tomorrow People" without spoiling the actual story:

I liked the idea that in the beginning the X-Men were just Professor Xavier, Cyclops and Marvel Girl. This reconstitutes the idea that there were always the core of the group. Actually, they would be the heart (Jean Grey), mind (Professor X), and soul (Scott Summers) of the X-Men. Having the Beast and Iceman be part of the second wave is fine with me, as is jettisoning Angel (and Banshee from wave two). You have to have limitations on how many merry mutants are running around in the group. On the other side of the equation Wolverine is now the world's best assassin and is working for Magneto. That is obviously a nice little twist on the tale. The mutant hysteria is in full swing, so that the necessity of all the world's mutants having to pick which side of the coming war they want to be on makes a whole lot of sense. This just underscores the idea that "X-Men" was never just a standard superhero battles supervillain type of comic book.

I really appreciate the way the ante has been upped both in terms of the Sentinnels and Magneto. This time around the big purple robots are going around and not just picking up mutants, they are executing them on the spot. But the chief attraction of this sotry arc is Magneto. The original X-Men was one of the few times in the history of Marvel Comics that the first issue of a comic book actually came up with the greatest villain in the history of the entire series. What I liked most about what Millar et al. came up with is the idea that given the powers Magneto has, there can only be one big battle between him and humanity. I mean, with his powers, taking over the world should be relatively easy. Even in the end, he can only be defeated because of an Achilles heel sort of situation. But what really matters here is that this fight is for all the marbles, win or lose, live or die. This is such a big story that I can understand why as long as we are talking rewriting history fans are wishing that this had been the script for the original "X-Men" movie.

At the root of these changes and elucidations is, I believe, a commitment to taking the original ideas of the "X-Men" comic books to their logical extremes. That is the principle that leads to encouraging throughts about future issues of "Ultimate X-Men." After all, Wolverine was just a bit player this time around and I can easily see each of the X-Men and various super-villains defining future story arcs. So far I have really enjoyed the various Ultimate trade paperback collections that I have read, mainly because I find them to be both innovative and traditional at the same time.