Nightcrawler is thinking:
A. "Um, I, uh, can't hold my accessories."
B. "Man, Robert Kirkman made me look like a prick, didn't he?"
C. "Is my costume the same color as my skin, or is my costume pretty much just a speedo? I don't even know any more."
D. "Wait, do I have blue skin like an Atlantean, or blue fur like Beast? F***ing Ultimate continuity."
From the first solicitation cover, I was looking forward to Ultimate X-Men Annual #2, even though I only occasionally read the regular book. I had kept up on it enough to see the subplot where Nightcrawler freaks out on Colossus for being gay. The obvious story would've been to make an after-school special out of it, where Nightcrawler learns the error of his ways, and everyone has a laugh as the end credits roll.
I saw the reviews before I got to the comic shop, though, and Kirkman took the story in an admittedly different direction, with Nightcrawler going completely off the deep end, and kidnapping Dazzler so he wouldn't be alone. Paul O'Brien at the X-Axis had a pretty good review, and nails my disappointment: I would prefer to have fun swashbucking Nightcrawler, rather than grim priest or homophobic loon or some of the other directions that have been done in the last few years. So, even though Nightcrawler is probably my favorite comic character, I still haven't picked up the annual. I will again give Kirkman credit for not taking the easy route, but I'm trying to avoid buying comics that I'm pretty sure I'm not going to like.
I did buy the new Ultimate Nightcrawler action figure, if you'll excuse the terrible photo. I like it, and don't mind the light-up feature, but he can't hold his swords! There was a lot of that going around: also picked up Madjack, aka Spider-Man scab villain Jack O'Lantern, and the Falcon. Madjack came with two giant pumpkins, and can kind of, sort of throw one. Falcon came with Redwing, which didn't quite attach the way it should, and a piece of the build-a-figure, Mojo. Big, fat, Mojo, and his fat yellow belly. My wife said it looked like a vagina, but I'd have to say not a good one. Yeah, that's fun for the kids.
Anyway, I'm trying to remember, so I went to look it up: Jack O'Lantern's first appearance was Machine Man #19, and was a Steve Ditko design. Madjack's updated a little, has a big light-up head, and those pouches that everyone has since the Image 90's. Check him out if you see him on the shelves.
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