Ultimate X-Men Annual #2 - Marvel

This is by far the best of the Ultimate Annuals this summer. This one focuses mainly on giving us more information about Nightcrawler. This version is a Weapon X subject. We start out, in a flashback sequence, seeing how they used him for some covert operations. Kind of ala "X-Men the Movie" when he attacks the President. Then we see him brooding in Dazzler's hospital room, as he has ever since she was hurt. She finally wakes up, he tells her that she is not safe and that he must take her to a hiding place until the danger has passed. He takes her to an underground cavern where he has decided it's safest and she can continue her recupperation uniterupted. He brings her books and food and tries to keep her as comfortable as possible. Everything goes along swimmingly until, at a mission breifing, where Xavier lets everyone know that Allison's been abducted, Wolverine and Charles sense the presence of Allison on him. They then perform a little search and rescue pull out Allison, and in trying to help Kurt, after he professes his love for her, get into a brawl. Him against the whole team. It is Allison that brings him down though, eventually. She tells him that no matter the outcome of the fight, he will never be with the one he loves, because it's really up to her. In the process though Rogue gets to close to him and absorbs most of his power. Allison of course quits the team, and in a tender moment later, Rogue comes to his hospital room to visit and explain that she understands how he feels since she was so intimately close to him and absorbed his thoughts and feelings. She also express', "I just wanted to say that after being in you head . . . . . seeing what you really are . . . . . . on the inside. . . . .I know you're a MONSTER!!" Fantastic book by Robert Kirkman and Salvador Larroca. Like I said, the best Ultimate Annual this summer.