The best line of dialogue from the new issue of Ultimate Fantastic Four? This sad lament from Ben Grimm, who’s realizing that they’ve come all the way to the N-Zone (the Ultimate version of the much cooler-named Negative Zone) only to meet yet “another freak who gets his — its — kicks from controlling people”:
The universe is this fantastic place, full ideas and, you know, cool stuff. And everyone else seems to think it’s somewhere to set up their frickin’ butt-hat franchise.
The Ultimate series always make me nervous, even though I’ve really liked a few of them. I’ve been so happy with Ultimate Fantastic Four, which really nails the esstential personalities of the characters, and really gets into the sense of wonder they feel as they explore their own powers and the universe around them. Yes, it’s a gimmick to reboot the Marvel Universe and fill it with younger, edgier, remixed versions of its characters, but in this case Warren Ellis is really rocking it.
I think he’s the best writer to handle this particular series: he writes solid, funny, nuanced characters, but he also writes incredible stories of science fiction, which is what the Fantastic Four really thrive on. I haven’t minded the slow pace of the series, because I’m totally loving the sci-fi ideas he showing us and developing along the way. Frankly, I’d be happy to have the action go slower if we could get more rumination about the things they’re seeing along the way.
And I’m glad to see Ben get so many good quips in, and to have them mixed in with the incredible decency that I’ve loved about the Thing. He’s probably my all-time favorite comic character, and this book is really letting him shine so far.
My only quibble is with the Invisible Gi…er…Woman, and it’s one that I have with just about every reboot of the FF done during the last 15 years or so. Now, she’s another one of my favorite characters, but because she really grew into herself over the years. For this, I think we have to thank John Byrne (who these days should be kept a minimum distance of a million miles from any characters we love). It was Byrne who really developed her from the plucky, girly Sue Richards into the powerful emotional rock of the team. That journey really made her, and it’s a shame to see her start out as absurdly accomplished as Reed — not because she shouldn’t be, but because she was a richer character when she grew into them after all her Fantastic experiences.
I liked the Thing miniseries after the Secret Wars. Ben could take human form, and had a progressively scruffier beard at each new issue, until finally he was a hot musclebear daddy. WOOOF!
If you keep bringing up Byrne’s stuff from the 80s you are going to make me have to trudge through 8000+ unorganized comics to find those an reread them again!!!!
Byrne was on my mind because I also picked up the trade “Fantastic Four Visionaries #4” this week, which includes another batch of superb FF work by Byrne, and even a tied-in issue of Alpha Flight. Those trades have really been vivid reminders of why I loved him so much back then, and when he’s such a disappointment now. The old stuff really holds up, and the new stuff remains poop.
Indeed. The old stuff does hold up.
I didn’t jump in on the Byrne conversation below because you said just about everything that needed to be said, Sparky. But here I have to chime in. Sue Richards is definitely one of my all time favorite comic book characters. I’ve always had a soft sport for her, but it was under Byrne’s hand that she became a favorite.
It really is amazing how much amazing writing he did back in the early 80’s, and how quickly he degenerated, in the artistic department as well. I loathed his West Coast Avengers, although a lot of people liked that. That’s where he started to lose me. And his Wonder Woman was an atrocity.
But I loved his Alpha Flight too. Snowbird and especially Marrina are another of my two faves. But no one else has really been able to do anything with those characters.
Now I wish I could agree with you on the Ulimate stuff. It makes me nervous too, and I really enjoyed the Ultimate FF when it first started, but I dropped it after the first 6 – 8 issues. Maybe I’ll check it out again.
FF was one of those groups I never read or collected and I ultimately just thought I would never be able to dive into such a long and complex mythology. That’s why when Ultimate FF came out, I jumped at the chance to start from the beginning, even if it is just a reboot and rework. I’m definitely into the scientific explainations for their powers and I look for that level of thought and concern in any story so for now, I’m all good with FF. I do wish the comics were actually longer, though. FF seems particularly short each issue.
Last time I checked, The Thing vol. 1 was an ongoing series, not a mini.
Ben Grimm is my favorite Marvel U character. He has actual depth to him, and I can’t say that about the Ulimate version.
I finally had to give up on the Ultimate FF. It was wasting its early potential, especially with Ben. Oh well.He’s such a good character to work with, though, so I’m glad to see other creators take the challenge form time to time.