Customer Reviews

Ultimate Annuals - Volume 1 (v. 1)

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Even though most of the Annual issues collected in the Ultimate Annuals trade paperbacks will likely appear in the trades/hardcovers of their respective titles, I still think collecting them in one book is a neat idea, especially for those who don't read the entire Ultimate Marvel line. Here's what you get in volume 1:

Ultimate Fantastic Four Annual #1 - The introduction of the Ultimate Inhumans! Fans of the Paul Jenkins/Jae Lee Inhumans limited series will no doubt rejoice to see Lee rendering these characters again. It's a great, if abrupt, introduction to the characters and it practically screams for at least an Ultimate Inhumans limited series.

Ultimate X-Men Annual #1 - Gambit and Rogue return, and so does the Juggernaut. Not everyone is walking away from this one! Tom Raney's artwork is the highlight of this issue.

Ultimate Spider-Man Annual #1 is a light-hearted tale focusing on the budding relationship between Peter Parker and the X-Men's Kitty Pryde. It's fun, but forgettable.

Ultimates Annual #1 is the best of the bunch, showing us exactly what Nick Fury has in the works in case his premiere super-team is out of the picture. It's particularly interesting in that it introduces some fairly compelling secondary characters as well as reminding us just how little we really know about the way Nick Fury's mind works. It's exactly the kind of story I'd expect from Mark Millar.

If you already collect the trades of each Ultimate Marvel title, you may want to skip this collection. If not, then it is definitely worth checking out. It would also serve as an ideal introduction to anyone unfamiliar with the Ultimate Marvel Universe, as it gives a nice preview of each title in one inexpensive volume.

There used to be a time, not so long ago, when comics released annuals once per year (hence the name "annual"). The pagecounts were bigger, the prices higher, and the stories often felt like they were outside of the continuity of the regular series that they were released with. Along with all of that, fans were usually treated to a fill-in artist and writer...ugh.

Thankfully, that's not the case with the first round of Ultimate annuals. Each of these stories, although standing on their own, are important pieces of their respective series (the Fantastic Four annual was even collected in the Ultimate FF hardcover Vol. 1). The X-Men's Kitty Pryde hooks up with Peter Parker, the Inhumans clash with the FF, the Ultimates reserves are introduced, and Rogue and Gambit's affair comes to an abrupt end.

Collects Ultimates Annual #1; Ultimate Fantastic Four Annual #1; Ultimate X-Men Annual #1; Ultimate Spider-Man Annual #1.

Since I'm a comic newbie, I don't know what the purpose of a an "Annual" is, and I would be very surprised if these issues weren't included in the trade paperbacks for their respective series (after all, they are very relevant to the plots of the different books).
In the Ultimates Annual, we get a better look at the Reserves team that is in place to serve if any of the main Ultimates fail. The book also serves as a great character study of Gen. Nick Fury. Overall, I'm not sure how much relevance this issue will have in the overall storyline of The Ultimates, but it does provide a lot of interesting side details.
In the Ultimate Spider-Man annual, Peter Parker begins dating Kitty Pryde of the Ultimate X-Men. Each has just ended their own respective relationships (Spidey with Mary Jane Watson and Kitty with Bobby Drake/Iceman), and each of them are going through similar emotional arcs. While the book doesn't have too much action, the drama is good, the dialogue is hilarious, and it sets up the relationship that is currently on-going in Ultimate Spider-Man.
In the Ultimate X-Men annual, we get a glimpse at what Gambit and Rogue are up to. While in Vegas, the two are pulling heists, but things get complicated when Juggernaut shows up to try to reclaim Rogue as his own. This book pleasantly surprised me, because the only other Ultimate X-Men stuff I've read is Ultimate War, which I found very disappointing (but apparently, the Ultimate X-Men is a pretty good book, especially the Millar issues).
I didn't get very far into the Ultimate Fantastic Four annual, because I know very little about that team, whether it is the Ultimate or 616 version, and I had a hard time following the story.
Overall, this is a good addition to your collection IF you are a fan of one of the four books contained within or just a fan of the Ultimate universe in general (while I prefer the 616 universe, I'm finding that the Ultimate universe does have its strengths, especially The Ultimates).

I'm giving this book such a low note with a bit of a heavy heart, because the reasons I bought it for, The Ultimates Annual 1 and the amazing artwork of the whole collection, are worth 5 stars easy.
SPOILER ALERT - PROCEED WITH CARE
I read them out of reprinting order and started with the one I thought I'd like less, the Ultimate Spider-Man one. It turns out Mark Brooks delvered surprisingly solid, classic with a modern twist artwork, on top of a Bendis script that didn't read too annoying. The reasons why a Bendis script would be annoying in the fist place are many and varied and mostly have to do wth him turning every book he writes into a sit-com or crime drama: Both attempts are very often, as it is natural given the chosen medium (superhero comics), doomed to falure. While not perfect, the story is still good and does a quick but solid job of giving Peter Parker the perfect love interest for his needs: A girl that his being Spider-Man would never endanger, the intangible Shadowcat of the X-Men!
Afterwards, on I went to the Ultimate Fantastic Four Annual, drawn by the appropriately fantastic Jae Lee and written by none other than Mark Millar! Aside from introducing the Ultimate Inhumans and making them look really cool, though, it doesn't do much more. Jae Lee does a wonderfl job in returning to the characters that made him famous, while re-designing them for the Ultimate Universe. Crystal looks postivly hot and it almost makes you understand/believe that ohnny Storm/The Human Torch would lose his head to the point of making the whole team go stupid for her. Black Bolt looks downrigjht scary, as a man of his stature and power would. Millar drops a few good bits in there, including: Medusa haing actual snakes for hair, and her relatonship with her husband being every bit like the self-delusion a combined marriage might bring about; remembering that the Gorgon of ancient Greek myths was a woman (thus making Ultimate Gorgon a woman too). Otherwise, the story is too short, fast and lacking depth of characters. A very minor Millar work, only for completists like me, I guess. I am sure I will read the rest of Millar's Ultimate FF run, but I have a hunch if you stick with Warren Ellis's two paperbacks, you got more than enough Ultimate FF to revere and you can forget about all the rest.
As for Brian K. Vaughan's Ultimate X-Men Annual, while I do like how he tries to take his characters away from estabilished directions (remember: Most, if not all of this guys, have regular Marvel Universe counterparts), there'sno comparison to the craft and depth he displays in his Vertigo masterpiece Y: The Last Man. Nonetheless, the story is enjoyable, relevant to the plot of the main book (something annuals seldom achieve) and seeing Tom Raney's art is always a pleasure.
Overall, it's fun and worth it if you getit cheap, to be honest, and if you're a fan of the main series and a collector. I highly doubt, though, the book will be of interest to you if you are a caual reader or you do not like superheroes in the first place.

This is a forgettable collection of stories, but not offensively so. It consists of four stand-alone tales, united only by the general time period in which they were written. The Fantastic Four story is the best of the bunch, with Jae Lee imagining the Inhumans to look eery and.. inhuman, for lack of a better word. It's the best visual interpretation of the Inhumans that I've seen, and it's a shame the story underneath the pictures is so lackluster.

The X-Men story is a long and drawn-out (but never interesting or exciting) fight scene, and even though the end is nice and surprising in a very Ultimate Universe "Gotcha!" kind of way, playing on the assumptions of regular comic readers, it isn't a particularly compelling story on its own.

The Spider-Man story is a nice little interlude, as Peter Parker goes on a date with Kitty Pryde. Bendis gets to show off his mastery of believable dialogue, and the story has a great deal of teen awkwardness and heart.

The Ultimates story, though, is pretty bad. It touches lightly on some back-up team members who have been given (intentionally?) generic costumes/powers based on the successful members of the Ultimates team. There isn't much of a plot beyond an assassination attempt that takes twists and turns that should not surprise a single reader. This work is inconsequential, with no effect on the greater Ultimates stories, which is about the only good thing I can say about it.

I do not recommend this collection to anyone but a completist.

Ultimate Annuals contains just what the title implies: annual issues of the various Ultimate universe titles. Ultimate Fantastic Four features the debut of the Ultimate Inhumans, and while the overall story isn't anything special, the superb art by Jae Lee makes it worth checking out for alone. In Ultimate X-Men, Juggernaut makes a play for a fabled gem (otherwise known in the regular Marvel universe as what actually gives him his powers), and ends up taking on both Gambit and Rogue. An otherwise average story, Brian K. Vaughan manages to leave a mark by offing a well-known character, and the story and Ultimate X-Men mythos are all the better for it. Brian Michael Bendis' Ultimate Spider-Man chapter finds Peter Parker and X-Men member Kitty Pryde going out on a date. Bendis' penchant for dialogue shines here, as does his ability to create the awkward tension that arises from a first date. Last, but certainly not least, Mark Millar offers up an Ultimates tale that gives us a glimpse of the tactical mind of Nick Fury, and what superpowered plans he has up his sleeves. Millar's story is by far the best, with Bendis' Spidey tale coming up close behind. The FF and X-Men tales aren't really anything special, but do feature important character introductions and departures respectively. The art throughout is solid as well, helping make Ultimate Annuals a more than solid collection of Ultimate universe tales.

This book collects four annual editions of Marvel's popular "Ultimate" series, the Fantastic Four annual, one of the X-Men, Spider-Man and an Ultimates adventure centered around the revamped Nick Fury. Mostly these stories are disappointing, particularly considering the high quality that the "Ultimates" books have maintained thus far. These seemed like standard annual-quality fare -- slightly longer stories that mostly stand separate from the regular series, and seems a little disconnected. The FF story has stylish art, but a kind of choppy story, wherein the FF meet the Inhumans. (This story is also reprinted in a new UFF paperback, so you may wind up paying for it twice...) Both the Ultimates and Xmen stories were mediocre -- although the X-story has the redeeming feature that Gambit gets killed... (Yay! Finally!!) The highlight of this collection is the Spidey annual in which Brian Bendis' teenage, hormonal Peter Parker has a sweet, shy date with Kitty Pryde, of the Xmen... The awkwardness between the two teens is well portrayed and kind of sweet... plus it's fun to see two of Marvel's most interesting teen-brainiacs hook up. Overall, this collection is okay, but there's better stuff out there.

I'd give it a 3.5, if I could.