Comic Review – “Utimate X-Men Vol. 3: World Tour”

The updated version of Marvel’s most famous mutants tour the world to spread their message of love and peace.

General Information

Title: Ultimate X-Men Volume 3: World Tour
Credited to: Mark Millar, Chuck Austen, Adam Kubert, Chris Bachalo,
Esad Ribic, and others
Original Publication Date: 2002
ISBN: 0-7851-0961-7
Cover Price: $17.99 US, $29.00 Can
Buy from: Amazon.com
or Amazon.ca

Premise

The Ultimate version of Proteus is introduced while the X-Men are
trying to convince the world that they’re the good guys. There’s also
a sidebar that introduces Gambit to the Ultimate Universe. It
collects Ultimate X-Men issues 13-20.

High Point

The alterations made to Proteus. This is a better version than Chris
Claremont’s, primarily because he lacks the nonsensical and convenient
vulnerability the original had.

Low Point

The way Gambit was introduced. I love the character, and like to see
him here, but the plot was a little saccarine and predictable. The
nature of his powers are also poorly explained; I’m not sure if I’d
have known what he could do if I didn’t already know the normal
version.

The Scores

The originality here is limited by the fact that it’s
basically an adaptation of storylines originally used in Uncanny
X-Men
in the late 1970s. Much of the story was altered and
updated in ways that set this Universe’s Charles Xavier and Colossus
apart from the originals, but it’s still a team of people with the
same powers fighting an enemy with the same abilities. I give it 4
out of 6.

The artwork by Adam Kubert and Esad Ribic is very good. The
Chris Bachalo work is often off-model and distracting. Mark Millar
has said that he wants to ground these characters in reality; why then
do they tend to pick artists that make this look like a cartoon? I
give it 4 out of 6.

The story was well developed. We know who these people are
and why they do what they do, and the action is well connected from
place to place. I give it 5 out of 6.



The characterization is the best part of the book. We get
some insight into these versions of Charles Xavier, Colossus,
Marvel Girl, and Beast as the story progresses. That’s what kept me
turning the pages. I give it 5 out of 6.

The emotional response this produced depends on the scenes.
The super hero battles didn’t really thrill me until we neared the
conclusion, and I realized that they weren’t going to be as gentle as
the traditional versions. The character-driven scenes had me
interested, though. I give it 4 out of 6.

The flow was clean and clear. The only time there was a
jarring change from one scene to another in this volume was when that
was the intention. There are a couple of times in which I’m not even
sure where one issue ends and the next one begins. I give it 5 out of
6.

Overall, this is a nice departure from the traditional X-Men
series, but it’s not that thrilling in itself. The information about
the characters brought forward here will undoubtedly be important in
future storylines, but the villain and conflict doesn’t seem to stand
very well on its own. I give it 4 out of 6.

In total, Ultimate X-Men Vol. 3: World Tour receives 31 out
of 42.