Comic Book News Report: Ultimate X-Men #99

Report: Ultimate X-Men #99

Marvel Correspondents Team -

Writer - Aron E. Coliete
Pencilers - Mark Brooks and Dan Panosian
Inkers - Danny Miki, Karl Story, and Victor Olazaba
Colorist - Edgar Delgado
Letters - Albert Deschesne

Story: Ultimatum Part 2

As we've already reported, Magneto of Earth-1610, that's the Ultimate Universe, has declared war on the human race after the death of his daughter, Wanda Maximoff...the Scarlet Witch. Magneto shifted the Earth's axis causing New York city to flood and freezing Eastern Europse, including the domain of Doctor Doom, Latveria. Coliete reports in this week on further developments in how the X-Men have responded to the situation,

According to Coliete, the X-Men have gone off to confront Magneto, leaving behind the younger students and novice mutants, including Psylocke, Toad, and Liz Allan. That's awefully short sighted of the Ultimate X-Men not planning for a violent retaliation from humans for the deaths of millions of people at the hands of one mutant. That's exactly what William Stryker, Jr. and a group of anti-mutant reactionaries do dressed in Sentinel-esque armor and weaponry. Being overwhelmed, Psylocke sends out an SOS to anybody...and gets Rogue and Alpha Flight.

Rogue and Vindicator of Alpha Flight are...interrogating...Sabretooth and Juggernaut to learn Magneto's full plan. That's not working out too well for them when they hear Psylocke's plea.

After a debate between Rogue and Vindicator as to whether they should help or not, they finally choose to do the right thing. There's no explanation for how, but with Juggernaut and Sabretooth going along to help, Vindicator and Rogue show up to fend off the posse, but not before the apparent death of Cain Marko...Juggernaut. And Sabretooth runs off with Madrox to rejoin Magneto.

Meanwhile, Rogue gets confronted with William Strker, Jr.'s prejudice and hate and learns, maybe mutants should be hated and feared.

The Players:

Good Guys: Rogue, Vindicator, Juggernaut, Toad, Liz Allan, Psylocke...a mixed bag. Rogue and Liz Allan can be equally annoying in their naivite. Psylocke and Vindicator of whom we really don't see much, but Vindicator's willingness to ignore children being killed makes him unlikeable. Juggernaut and Toad are the only good guys who are of interest. Toad's bravery seen when he tells Liz, "...I'm not pretty like you or powerful like you, but we gotta fight..." makes him, in his small role, one of the most likeable characters and one whom I hope we see more. Juggernaut also delivers an endearing, self-aware line when he tells Rogue, ""No one tells me nothing. Big, dumb, 'member?" and his death scene was touching. I suppose that will be the unfortunate last we'll see of Cain Marko...the Juggernaut of Earth-1610.

Bad Guys: Sabretooth, Madrox, William Stryker, Jr. and his posse...I've never liked Sabretooth in any reality...Well, one exception...Earth-295, the Age of Apocalypse Sabretooth was cool. All others annoy me to know end. I like the main Marvel Earth-616 Madrox, but we haven't hardly seen his Ultimate counterpart. I'll give him the benefit of the doubt and assume I'll like the Ultimate version, too. Stryker and his boys? I hate prejudicial villains...They give villainy a bad name. Where's the greed and lust for power? Villains based on prejudice bore me...

News Rating: 2 1/2 Worms. The events were ok, but the characters generally boring and annoying.