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Ultimate Fantastic Four #30 Frightful, part 1 of 3 Review posted: 02 July 2006 Writer: Mark Millar Artist: Greg Land, Mitch Breitweiser Letters: VC's Randy Gentile Ink: Matt Ryan Colors: Justin Ponsor Editor: Ralph Macchio Publisher: Marvel  2.50 out of 5 Stars Reviewed by Matt Yocum

I read every book that comes out of the Ultimate line. I feel they do a good job of keeping the entire Ultimate universe tight and concise, using excellent creators, and growing it gradually and thoughtfully. Yet one word came to mind when I read this issue of Ultimate Fantastic Four #30: competent. This issue was merely competent in what is a sea of superior work from these exact same creators in other series and issues.

Having read every issue of Ultimate FF, I find myself with not much to say about this issue.

I’ll try to summarize the plot. Marvel zombie counterparts to the Ultimate Fantastic Four are trapped in a Baxter building holding tank, promising to get out. Johnny Storm is infected with a space virus he received while in the N-zone. Sue Storm asks Crystal of the Inhumans for help with this virus, which in the span of a few panels has escalated to proportions equating to possible human extinction. Reed Richards finds he must travel to Latveria to ask Victor Van Damme (Doctor Doom) for help to save the world. I think I got it all in there. I’m not sure, because it sort of all ran together in a soupy mess.

Mark Millar is one of Marvel’s best writers, showcasing his talent on the rarely seen but hugely welcome-when-it-comes Ultimates 2 (the slow delivery not being his fault) as well as this summer’s blockbuster Civil War. But I’ve felt for some time that his work on Ultimate Fantastic Four has been lackluster. I feel he wants to like Ultimate Fantastic Four, that he wants to have fun with it, but as I read each issue, I get the feeling his attention is elsewhere, on other titles, and that this is getting his leftover attention. The Marvel zombies idea he introduced in the pages of Ultimate FF was a hit with fans, so he ran with it and is stretching it well past its breaking point. He’s bringing Ultimate Doctor Doom back as well, converging several villains and stories, all hoping for some grand collision, but I’m not feeling the weight of it.

Also, there’s Greg Land, a superior artist, but ultimately the wrong artist for this book. The fun and craziness of Ultimate FF needs not the hyper-realistic look but someone like they’ve had in the past — Adam Kubert (which I know isn’t possible now that he’s with DC) or Stuart Immonen, someone who can stretch the characters and settings beyond the believable into the “fantastic” range that only comics can showcase. Ultimate Johnny Storm was not meant to look like he should walk off the page and into the sequel to The Blue Lagoon but rather a comic book/cartoon character finding himself with his family in impossible and crazy, fun situations.

The artistic talents of the fill-in artist this issue of Ultimate Fantastic Four were impressive. For once, Marvel found a fill-in artist to take several pages without missing stride. Mitch Breitweiser did a terrific job inserting seven pages that do not break with Land’s renderings. However, these two should not be working on this book. It’s simply the wrong title for two such accomplished artists.

One of my fellow ComicCritique.com collaborators wanted to review this book, but he passed because he’d not followed the book in some time and found himself with absolutely nothing to say after reading it. And I, having read every issue of Ultimate FF, also find myself with not much to say about this issue. My CCdC colleague was quite correct in his estimate — for a new reader to the book, this issue is completely inaccessible. Too many old plot elements were included, with little to no explanation of any of it, so that no one could jump into this series with any idea of what’s going on. Even as someone who’s followed it faithfully, I found it difficult to follow (or difficult to care about with the Marvel zombies just not working, with their torn-off mouths and blank stares).

Marvel editorial needs to move on this book. Let Millar focus on Ultimates 2 and Civil War, give this book to someone fresh, and allow Land and Breitweiser to work on a book more suited to them. Bring in an equally crazy mind to write the tales of the Ultimate universe’s first family and allow someone with more cartoon-like sensibilities draw the thing, and this book will be at the top of my read list again.

Comments about my comments? Feel free to email me at comicreviewer@yahoo.com.

 

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