Ultimatum: March On Ultimatum

Ultimate Spider-Man (2000) (Single Issues) #Annual #3

by Aron Coleite

A group of X-Men from the future come back in time to try and assassinate the Fantastic Four - attempting to prevent the events of Ultimatum from ever happening. Who are these warriors from the future and what role will they play in the shocking scenario to follow? Also, who can stop the future X-Men from killing today's Fantastic Four? Who else - the future Fantastic Four! If you think you know who the Black Panther is, you haven't spent enough time in the Ultimate U! What secrets from his past cross into Captain America's origin? What deal did they make that will throw Cap's loyalty to the Ultimates into question? Plus, it's the Ultimate Road Trip of the Year! The HULK and Zarda - a.k.a. Power Princess from the Squadron Supreme - team-up for the most wild cross-country smash-and-grab you can imagine! Then, the relationship between Peter Parker and Mary Jane is one of the most iconic and popular romances in all of comics - and in this very special story that relationship delves into an area never before seen in any Spider-Man comic! Collects Ultimate Fantastic Four/Ultimate X-Men Annual #1, Ultimate X-Men/Ultimate Fantastic Four Annual #1, Ultimate Captain America Annual #1, Ultimate Hulk Annual #1, and Ultimate Spider-Man Annual #3.

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Marvel, Superheroes, Graphic Novels Comics, Science Fiction, Fantasy

176 pages, Hardcover

First published February 4, 2009

About the author

Aron Eli Coleite is an American comic book writer, television writer and producer best known for his work on the Netflix series Daybreak, and Ultimate X-Men Comics.

Reviews

[Baba · Rating 3 out of 5]

Starts with a team of future X-Men coming back in time to kill a Fantastic Four member(!) in Ultimate X-Men/Fantastic Four (Ultimate X-Men/Ultimate Fantastic Four. Some very interesting takes on the future, but ultimately rushed and poorly drawn. Still a Three Star, 7 out of 12. Ultimate Captain America Annual #1, is a little delight composed of two stories about Cap and ...the Ultimate Black Panther! 7/12.

Jeph Loeb tries humour as a Squadron Supreme comes across the Hulk in Ultimate Hulk Annual #1, note I wrote 'tries', hence a Three Star, 6 out of 12. The best Ultimate annual in this March to Ultimatum money-grabber, I mean prelude, is Ultimate Spider-Man Annual #3, in which the coolly David Lafuente drawn Parker and MJ ponder going 'all the way' as the Ultimate version of Mysterio is want to go all the way with a banks' money. A Three Star, 7 out of 12 overall for all five annuals, which you don't have to read to 'get' Ultimatum, by the way.

2022 read

[Steve Chaput · Rating 2 out of 5]

Maybe if I had read the Ultimates titles when Marvel was publishing those books this would have meant something to me. I frankly never got further than the first issue of Ultimate Spider-Man, so the versions of the characters that appear here don't have an impact. Let's face it, if you don't know or care about a character than their death (sometimes in multiple incarnations) doesn't mean anything.

I was never really sure what the point of the Ultimates were, except that some of the characters (Nick Fury, in particular) more closely resembled the ones we saw in the MCU films. As this hardcover is a compilation of several annuals the writing and artwork varies depending on the creators. The artwork is never bad, but some artists are certainly better than the material they work on here.

If you are a total Marvel Zombie (I think there's a trademark on that now) or a fan who loved the Ultimate titles, you're bound to get more out of this than I did. Really glad I could borrow this from the Library and not have to pay for it.

[Justin · Rating 3 out of 5]

With a title like March on Ultimatum, I was kind of expecting a cohesive story that set the stage for the Ultimate Marvel Universe's first big crossover event. Instead, this is essentially Ultimate Annuals Volume 3. Yes, it vaguely leads into Ultimatum TPB, but if they had just called it what it is I probably wouldn't be so bothered.

Anyway, the Ultimatum tie-in comes in the form of the Ultimate X-Men and Ultimate Fantastic Four annuals, which feature a complex, time and dimension hopping storyline with future X-Men, a tyrant Sue Storm and...I don't know. I kind of lost interest halfway through, which is a first for me as a major fan of the Ultimate Universe. Aside from a cryptic warning about the upcoming Ultimatum, the story didn't seem to have much to do with the crossover.

The rest of the book wasn't much better. The Ultimate Captain America Annual gave us a very well illustrated origin of the Black Panther, but the story was a bit dull. Then again, it tied into Ultimates 3 so how good could it have possibly been. The Ultimate Spider-Man story was fun and full of teen angst, though it read more like an issue of Invincible. What (barely) saves this book from a 2-star rating is the Ultimate Hulk Annual, which featured a massive (and hysterical) encounter between Hulk and that psycho Zarda from the Squadron Supreme. It had an ending I was definitely not expecting.

Ultimate Annuals Volume 3 - sorry, March on Ultimatum - is worth picking up if you're a fan of the Ultimate Universe, but if you're expecting it to be important to the Ultimatum crossover, you're going to be disappointed.

[Sean Brennan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Again this edition has a low rating 2.62. There is a reason for this, and that reason is both Marvel and DC is a continual universe, so it is like Lord of the Rings being transferred to a series of Graphic Novels, picking one at random and then being expected to understand what has gone before. Quite simply it is NOT going to happen.

I myself being a comic geek can say that the X-men/FF crossover is a reworking of the classic X-men storyline 'Days of Future Past' and works marvellously. The three other stories will all be linked to the grand finale of The Ultimate Universe ULTIMATUM.

[B · Rating 3 out of 5]

So, check me if I'm wrong, but I think Ultimatum is considered one of the biggest creavie disasters in Marvel history. Is there one that's biger? The New Universe?

But these stories (excepting maybe Zarda and the Hulk) are good enough and fun enough. Maybe a little too hormonal.

I guess, ther also wasn't anything too Ultimatum-y about it. Just annuals hat told bigger, wilder stories that could have used some constraints.

[Garrett Ballendine · Rating 1 out of 5]

Lament further the death of the Ultimate Universe in this trade.

Utter horseshit as far as the eye can see, continuity be damned.

[Frans Kempe · Rating 3 out of 5]

A couple of stories. Best was when a team from the future goes back in time to kill Reed

[Art · Rating 3 out of 5]

Looks like a set up to an "event." The whole event trope has gotten a little tired. Totally changing the universe one a year is too much.

[Nico · Rating 3 out of 5]

It is a fantastic feeling when both the universe of heroes you love collide and interact with each other. There are dynamics in this issue and the dialogues are pretty good.

[Desmond Killian · Rating 3 out of 5]

A smattering of pre-Ultimatum Ultimate annuals! Or maybe it's more like a splattering-- as much fun as I had with this volume, there's no denying it's messy and uneven. Come for the kickass future Fantastic Four/X-Men designs, stay for the pretty David Lafuente art, and leave before you start wondering why a white guy is wearing Black Panther's costume.

[Adam Stone · Rating 2 out of 5]

A fairly dull lead-up to a much maligned event crossover comic. The Fantastic Four / X-Men story was okay, but it doesn't really help lead into Ultimatum. Interestingly, it's sort of a long-game prequel to Cataclysm and Secret Wars, as it shows us another group of parallel universe superheroes crossing into The Ultimate Universe and mucking things up for people, in an attempt to ... or ... wait, no ... it's time traveling parallel universe superheroes coming through to prevent ... you know ... it's kind of a mess. This makes sense as it's a bit of an homage to X-Men: Days of Future Present, which is one of the most meandering messes of crossovers Marvel has ever produced. This is a bit tidier than that. But it's not particularly fun, and it really doesn't do anything to set up Ultimatum, despite the collection being called "March On Ultimatum".

The Ultimate Spider-Man annual was a good story, but it's also collected in an Ultimate Spider-Man trade, so it's superfluous here.

The Ultimate Hulk story is an excuse to show us what Zarda has been doing since she crossed over from Squadron Supreme's universe in Ultimate Power. You'll be shocked to know that she has nothing to do with Ultimatum. So I'm not sure why this story is collected here, either. Also, it's super stupid. It reads like an Assistant Editor's Month "What If" story. If you're in the proper mood, I guess it could be funny. But it's tonally Way Way Way Off from the rest of this collection.

I can't think of anyone who needs to read this, unless you're looking for Ultimate Universe continuity porn.

[Colby Pryor · Rating 1 out of 5]

Here is a book that is a perfect example of what not to do, Ultimatum is a story that is based in Marvel comic's Ultimate line. This story was designed to shake things up and change this particular universe irrevocably. However, what stems from this is a story where the characters do not act like themselves, and are forced to do things that are for the sake of the plot. The plot itself is a volatile thing that really holds no wait because the reasoning behind the main antagonist's choices do not really reasonate audiences. And then there are the deaths, now normally I'm in favor of a high death toll, and do not like it when authors care too much for their characters. Here, however, is what happens when you do not do it right. The character deaths do not mean anything, characters die just so the Ultimate universe can cleared of some of its fat. None of the deaths feel like they matter or feel right for the characters. All in all what I take from this book is what not to become when it comes to writing, and to avoid writing something like this.

[Todd · Rating 3 out of 5]

The breakdown:

Ultimate X-Men/Fantastic Four crossover is okay. Really kind of forgettable but still it's nice to see the Fantastic Four fighting something that wasn't a result of one of Reed's experiments. There's a little resolution to the Banshee storyline with Wolverine. Kitty is a bad-Ass of the future and apparently their Peter lived.

Ultimate Cap: This story is middle of the road. Loeb seems to get Cap here in ways that he just didn't in Ultimates 3.

Hulk: Loeb again seems to be obsessed with Sex because that's what Milar did. The story is fun though.

Ultimate Spidey: Pete and MJ have the talk. It's endearing and Bendis is best in these kind of issues.

I think that this rated so low because people are heavily conflating it with Ultimatum itself.

[Andy · Rating 2 out of 5]

This collects the recent Ultimate comic annuals leading up to Ultimatum. The X-Men/FF annual is confusing and difficult to follow, both in terms of story and art (trying to tell which character is which is quite difficult). The Captain America annual is ok but doesn't really say anything aside from explaining back story of the recent Ultimates vol 3. The Hulk story is amusing but of little substance. Finally, the Spider-Man issue which was built up as the big talk between Pete and MJ about sex was a big let down. I was expecting a big talking episode but alas. It's pretty much skipped over. We do get the introduction to Mysterio though. Didn't like the artwork for that either.

[Shannon Appelcline · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall, a nice set of stories some of which lead toward Ultimatum. The FF/X-Men stories are a fun look at a future history and the best teaser of the set [7/10]. The Captain America Annual explains something that was a mishmash in Ultimates 3, and has nice connections to Ultimate Universe history, but is ultimately held back by Loeb's poor writing skills [6/10]. The Spider-Man story is an excellent look at Mary Jane and Peter's relationship [8/10]. It's nice that someone remembers that Zarda is in the Ultimate Universe, but that's the only saving grace of the otherwise poor Hulk Annual, which is mostly stupid fight and stupid setup to stupid joke [4/10].

[yoimhungry · Rating 3 out of 5]

A weird collection of comics. There are 5 comics, and only two of them are part of a sequence. In this book, they aren't related to each other, but I heard that they are in a much larger series. On their own, they were okay.

The x-Men and Fantastic Four comics was quite confusing, and the graphics had a little to do with it since most of the females faces look the same, with the hair colors separating them apart.

Captain America & Black Panther: This was actually pretty good. Shows how the Black Panther came to be.

Spider-Man comic was the best one in this book.

Zarda vs Hulk: This was like a funny little side comic.

[J. · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Hulk story is a waste of time. The FF/X-Men crossover has some good ideas, but there ends up being way too much stuff crammed in and it ends up a confusing mess. The Ultimate Spider-Man story is standout, as usual. In Captain America, we introduce Ultimate Black Panther, which is interesting, but nothing really happens . Easily skipped.

[Travis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some fun little side stories though the first one was very confusing. Most of the stories are too short to really get into. But it was still a nice little read. Oh and shame on whoever did the Spider-man artwork, that was terrible.

[Jacob · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's not terrible, but seeing as it's mostly just reprints to remind you of what's happening in the various storylines it's not great either.
And if you aren't all caught up on those various stories than it really won't make a whole lot of sense

[Michael · Rating 2 out of 5]

Liked the Spidey story, and the Hulk story was fun, but the rest was pretty bleh.

[Joe · Rating 3 out of 5]

very, very good

[Shaun · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting lead in to ultimatum. Good enough read, but pretty ho-hum overall.

[Arianna · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really liked the Spider-Man story, kind of liked the Hulk story. Have a so-so feeling about the X-Men/Fantastic Four story; that one was harder to follow and there were some more odd art choices.

[Chad · Rating 1 out of 5]

Only the Spidey stories are worth anything.