Since his return to Marvel Comics, Jeph Loeb’s work has generally fallen into three categories.

• Bad
• Horrendous
• and OHMYGODMAKETHEBADSTOP

It’s difficult to conceive that the writer who created Daredevil: Yellow and Batman: The Long Halloween is responsible for Ultimatum and the third season of Heroes.  I’m not sure which is the greater crime against humanity.  Nevertheless, I continue to invest money in Loeb’s work in the dim hope that one day he’ll get back that spark that once drove his career.

And slight as it is, it seems hope may have arrived.

Ultimate X professes to be a strange little book. It’s not an X-Men title.  No mansion, no jet and no team.   It’s a semi-monthly title that looks to explore the shambles of the mutant sector of the Ultimate Universe.

Though it looks to be an ensemble cast, the main star will undoubtedly be Wolverine’s son.  Don’t worry, for better or worse, this is not the story of Ultimate Daken.  In this world, James “Jimmy” Hudson is the son of a small town sheriff in South Florida.  Prior to the events of this issue, he has no knowledge of his true lineage or abilities.  And over the course of two days, his whole life changes.

Make no mistake, this is a Jeph Loeb comic.  The obnoxious narration and melodramatic analogies are still there.   But the difference here is that the book is far more subtle than anything he’s written in the last four years.

Instead of constant blood and explosions the focus is on what it means to be a mutant in the wake of Ultimatum.  (Hint: it sucks.)

Perhaps the biggest draw here is the fantastic pencils of comics’ legend Art Adams.  For my money, Adams is one of the greats.  His clean, euro-centric style lends a lot of depth and credit to an intimate script.  I confess, I have a certain amount of affection for the book just based on the art.

In addition to the main story there is also a short preview of Loeb’s Ultimates 4 with Frank Cho.  Here again is a more mature script.  Whereas Loeb’s previous iteration of Ultimate Hawkeye was a suicidal, racist dirt bag; here Clint Barton is reflective of the world he lives in and the absence of his wife and children.  Not a single explosion goes off, even when a team of possible villains shows up.

Ultimate X isn’t perfect.  There is a lot to be desired. And Jeph has a long way to go toward regaining my trust. But if the contents of the first issue is any indication of what the book may become, I’m in for a while.  At the very least, the worst written Art Adams comic is ten times better looking than half of Marvel’s other comics.

For my Book of the Week, click here. Or here for last week’s BotW.  And of course, you can always find me at Rebelcomix.com