Ultimate Captain America Annual #1

We're awash in a sea of Ultimate Annuals, presumably in an effort to clear the decks for the upcoming Ultimatum Mega-Event that will change everything. (Sure it will!)

The Ultimate universe has become such a mixed bag that you definitely get the impression that it's hanging by a thread. In fact, I really think the Ultimate Spider-Man series is the only thing that keeps it going.

Familiar characters take a different form in the Ultimate line of comics, of course. Spider-Man is still a teenager in high school, the Fantastic Four are young adults and work for the government, the Ultimates are a brutal and unlikeable bunch.

Captain America, like his counterpart in the Marvel Universe, was awakened from suspended animation into the modern world. But there's a difference in their personalities - the original Steve Rogers is a patriot, super-hero and a heck of a nice guy. The Ultimate Captain America is a solider first, tough and unforgiving. He's also cold, callous and, basically, a jerk.

This annual doesn't do much to expand on his character - it's mostly about the Black Panther and his origins, and the story is a real step down from the much more interesting original version of that African hero.

The basic difference is that the original T'Challa is intelligent, resourceful, regal, and in control of his destiny, guiding his kingdom, Wakanda, into the forefront of civilization. This new version of T'Challa is a victim who's injured and forced to endure experiments to save his life. He's also apparently being used as a pawn by Fury, though we're not sure why.

This issue, written by Jeph Loeb, is thin stuff indeed, and you don't even get a full story for your $3.99 - it's all setup for a future story.

You do get some nice art, included 11 painted pages by Marko Djurdjevic and some nice pencilling by Rafa Sandoval and inks by Roger Bonet that fill out the issue. There's also an excellent cover by (I think) Brandon Peterson.

But I can't recommend this comic - it just rambles around, shows a few fight sequences and otherwise, it doesn't really say or do much of anything. It's an Ultimate comic, all right.

Grade: C