Marvel has announced that the acclaimed writer and artist Peach Momoko will be releasing her brilliantly fresh take on the X-Men in a revamped Ultimate X-Men series, debuting this March. Spinning out of the events of Ultimate Invasion, the mutants of the newly formed Ultimate Marvel Universe will be revealed, and take their place among the other Ultimate heroes.
Revealed at Marvel’s Next Big Thing panel at this year’s NYCC, there is little known so far about Peach Momoko’s Ultimate X-Men series, except that she is to be the series writer, artist, and cover artist, and that it will be ongoing.
The announcement included a gorgeous cover for Ultimate X-Men #1 by Momoko, featuring the iconic mutant Armor and a mysterious character lurking in the background.
Peach Momoko Is Finally Writing The X-Men In A Shared Universe
Peach Momoko’s beloved and acclaimed Marvel series Demon Days and its sequel Demon Wars debuted an alternative universe interpretation of the Marvel Universe. Demon Days recasts everyone’s favorite heroes and villains as characters in a Japanese folktale-inspired universe, focusing on Mariko Yashida and her adventures with various yokai. Peach’s “Momoko-verse” has been incredibly well received, with many fans clamoring for the talented writer and artist to write the X-Men in a shared universe with other creators. Now, Momoko will get that chance, writing the new Ultimate Universe’s interpretation of Marvel’s Merry Mutants.
Ultimate Invasion, by writer Jonathan Hickman and artist Bryan Hitch, only introduced a few mutants into the Ultimate mythos of the new Earth-6160 created by the villainous Maker, including Magik, Colossus, and Sunfire. This means that Peach Momoko has pretty much been given a blank slate to create a new X-Men universe and her cover for Ultimate X-Men #1 hints that Hisako Ichiko – the X-Men hero who goes by Armor – will play an important role in the series. Momoko’s cover also includes a hidden figure in the background with 3 slices in front of their face, teasing that Wolverine will also be introduced in Momoko’s Ultimate X-Men, especially considering that Wolverine is known for being Armor’s mentor.
The Original Ultimate X-Men Was Met With Critical Acclaim
The original Ultimate X-Men series debuted in 2001 from writer Mark Millar and artists Adam and Andy Kubert and was met with critical acclaim over its 100-plus issues, sometimes outselling mainline Earth-616 X-Men titles. Ultimate X-Men was seen to be an exciting and fresh take on some of the X-Men’s core themes, and fans and critics both praised the character development and relationships between the core heroes in the franchise. Now, Peach Momoko has the chance to once again provide a fresh take on the X-Men, given a world where the X-Men mythos can be built from scratch.
Peach Momoko’s Demon Days and Demon Wars are proof that the beloved writer has the talent and vision to create a truly exciting and new take on the X-Men, one not bogged down by preconceived notions of the franchise, but instead breathing new life into the mutants of Earth. With the Krakoan Age officially ending for the Earth-6160 X-Men, it is time for a bold new take on the X-Men and Peach Momoko’s vision of mutantkind will surely deliver.
Ultimate X-Men #1 from Marvel Comics debuts on March 6th, 2024.
