Review: Ultimate Fantastic Four, Vol. 1

Ultimate Fantastic Four, Vol. 1 by Brian Michael Bendis
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I don't know why, but I never really got into the Fantastic Four. There's a lot of potential. Something about the characters never hits home for me. This book collects the first two volumes of the Ultimate series. The first volume is okay. It introduces the characters and sets them in the world. Volume two is really good because it focuses on the conflict with Dr. Doom and explores some of the ideas that I tend to associate with these characters.

The FF are younger in this series and are involved in a government program to train the brightest minds in the country. An accident gives the heroes their powers, which is nothing new. Despite some reframing of character origins/ideas the initial story is, or seems to be, mostly a throwback to older FF comics. As someone who hasn't read much of those, it didn't work very well for me. The art is cartoony and bright for the most part. It's not bad, but it's not my preferred style.

The second half of this picks up quite a bit. I could have done without the backstory that is used for Doom. Maybe it seemed cool or edgy, but it just ends up pigeonholing the character. It's like he couldn't even have a chance. Anyway, the effect that the accident in volume one has on Doom is interesting. I feel like the story plays to his strengths in a lot of ways and gives a realistic approach to his situation. The art felt like more of the same from volume one. As much as I enjoyed the second half of the book, I don't anticipate reading more from this series.

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