Post by mr. excellent on Jul 15, 2015 11:47:57 GMT -5
Ultimate Fantastic Four was an ongoing series from 2004 to 2009. Its initial architects were Brian Michael Bendis and Mark Millar, but the book had multiple writers throughout its run. I haven't read any Fantastic Four comics from the 616, and my experience with these characters beyond these books is limited to cartoon shows (with very limited viewing), cameo appearances in other comic books, video games and the movies. Talk about the books here! I'll get the ball rolling:
In this version, the Baxter Building is home to a think tank run by Dr. Richards (father to Johnny and Sue), and funded by a mixture of corporations and the U.S. government. The think tank also hosts a sort of apprenticeship program for young geniuses who show promise and potential in creating the world of tomorrow (it's a wonder Tony Stark never showed up). Reed is welcomed into the program after he demonstrates a homemade teleportation device that transports organic matter to the N-Zone*. Once there, he is rivaled in intellect by only Victor Von Doom of royal descent. You guys know the story of how they get their powers. I found the set-up to be impressive and pretty complex. However, I don't think the book was able to find an eloquent way to explain why Johnny and Ben Grimm are included on the mission which grants them their powers. Maybe there isn't one, I don't know. It's just that Millar and Bendis are so good at world building that it really made the inclusion of Johnny and Ben stand out as a weak spot. The two end up on the ship literally just because they want to and they have connections. That gripe aside, what may be different here than the original is the team's obligation and start out as superheroes. Due to their funding and the fact that their transformations were the result of a government sanctioned project, their new powers and abilities must be kept secret from the public eye. In the N-Zone (tpb volume 3) they team engages a malevolent being called Nihil after travelling to the N-Zone who follows them home. Once back on earth a huge confrontation occurs in Vegas, exposes the team to the world and jettisons them into super stardom and celebrity. As of tpb volume 6 (Frightful), the team is still bound to their beneficiaries and must finesse their superheroics around other mandated projects. Thus far, this has been the most common source of tension and drama, and one of the biggest deviations (I think) to Marvel's original superhero family.
I've currently read through volumes 1-6, tpbs entitled The Fantastic, Doom, The N-Zone, Inhuman, Crossover, and Frightful. These books really work well as family adventure stories, but the use of sci-fi is pretty clever too. The team regularly travels to different dimensions, or through time to thwart criminals and prevent our doom. It's great escapism for those looking to leave the confines of earth.
Thus far, my favorites of these have been The N-Zone and Frightful. Frightful is especially great because it really endears the reader to Ben Grimm and shows that in spite of the family's flaws, they do love each other and are willing to do whatever it takes to make things right. With regard to the first 6 volumes as a collective, the characterizations are okay, but sometimes I find myself getting frustrated with Millar's style. There's literally only 1 recurring female character (Sue Storm of course) in the first 25 or so issues. Sue is drawn as this sort of fantasy girl next door with pop star appeal, dressing with cut off midriffs and posing extra sexy for no apparent reason except for the fact that she's in a comic book. There are situations she is put in that are simply fan service to things in 616/canon (see the team's run in with Namor), that expose her to some really bad objectification beyond what the book typically is guilty of. There are two other recurring female characters: the Inhuman princess Crystal and Mary Storm. Crystal is your typical Americanized Disney princess, but I sympathize with her because of the systems she's forced to take part in. There's potential for some great stories up ahead for that character for sure. Mary Storm on the other hand is a selfish woman whose only interests are her work in science. Occasionally, when she's forced to watch her children endure near death experiences at her hand, she will display some sort of compassion. She's drawn as a very beautiful woman, and in case the readers didn't notice that, Millar even has Reed imagine her in her underwear in the middle of a huge battle in NYC. It's supposed to be funny because he's wearing a helmet that creates 3D constructs of whatever he's thinking (a la Green Lantern's ring), so he unintentionally creates a giant, scantily clad woman in the middle of NYC. To be honest, the 12 year old in me laughed a little, but it's just more of the same stupid treatment the women are getting in this series.
All in all, that's not going to stop me from reading the series. In its own way, the series is actually painting Sue Storm as the strongest of the group, and she does have somewhat of a leadership role in the group. Really, I'm not looking for a book that will put a woman in charge, or fix society's problems. There are a lot of good things this series has going for it that make me wish this particular issue wasn't an issue though. Hopefully, when I get to some of the other writers stories certain aspects will be written differently. For now, I have to say these books are pretty well done. I'm definitely looking forward to seeing these arcs adapted in other forms of media.
*The N-Zone is a parallel dimension, though much older than our own. The think tank run by Dr.Storm are the first human team to discover it, but it is Reed Richards who first breaks through.
In this version, the Baxter Building is home to a think tank run by Dr. Richards (father to Johnny and Sue), and funded by a mixture of corporations and the U.S. government. The think tank also hosts a sort of apprenticeship program for young geniuses who show promise and potential in creating the world of tomorrow (it's a wonder Tony Stark never showed up). Reed is welcomed into the program after he demonstrates a homemade teleportation device that transports organic matter to the N-Zone*. Once there, he is rivaled in intellect by only Victor Von Doom of royal descent. You guys know the story of how they get their powers. I found the set-up to be impressive and pretty complex. However, I don't think the book was able to find an eloquent way to explain why Johnny and Ben Grimm are included on the mission which grants them their powers. Maybe there isn't one, I don't know. It's just that Millar and Bendis are so good at world building that it really made the inclusion of Johnny and Ben stand out as a weak spot. The two end up on the ship literally just because they want to and they have connections. That gripe aside, what may be different here than the original is the team's obligation and start out as superheroes. Due to their funding and the fact that their transformations were the result of a government sanctioned project, their new powers and abilities must be kept secret from the public eye. In the N-Zone (tpb volume 3) they team engages a malevolent being called Nihil after travelling to the N-Zone who follows them home. Once back on earth a huge confrontation occurs in Vegas, exposes the team to the world and jettisons them into super stardom and celebrity. As of tpb volume 6 (Frightful), the team is still bound to their beneficiaries and must finesse their superheroics around other mandated projects. Thus far, this has been the most common source of tension and drama, and one of the biggest deviations (I think) to Marvel's original superhero family.
I've currently read through volumes 1-6, tpbs entitled The Fantastic, Doom, The N-Zone, Inhuman, Crossover, and Frightful. These books really work well as family adventure stories, but the use of sci-fi is pretty clever too. The team regularly travels to different dimensions, or through time to thwart criminals and prevent our doom. It's great escapism for those looking to leave the confines of earth.
Thus far, my favorites of these have been The N-Zone and Frightful. Frightful is especially great because it really endears the reader to Ben Grimm and shows that in spite of the family's flaws, they do love each other and are willing to do whatever it takes to make things right. With regard to the first 6 volumes as a collective, the characterizations are okay, but sometimes I find myself getting frustrated with Millar's style. There's literally only 1 recurring female character (Sue Storm of course) in the first 25 or so issues. Sue is drawn as this sort of fantasy girl next door with pop star appeal, dressing with cut off midriffs and posing extra sexy for no apparent reason except for the fact that she's in a comic book. There are situations she is put in that are simply fan service to things in 616/canon (see the team's run in with Namor), that expose her to some really bad objectification beyond what the book typically is guilty of. There are two other recurring female characters: the Inhuman princess Crystal and Mary Storm. Crystal is your typical Americanized Disney princess, but I sympathize with her because of the systems she's forced to take part in. There's potential for some great stories up ahead for that character for sure. Mary Storm on the other hand is a selfish woman whose only interests are her work in science. Occasionally, when she's forced to watch her children endure near death experiences at her hand, she will display some sort of compassion. She's drawn as a very beautiful woman, and in case the readers didn't notice that, Millar even has Reed imagine her in her underwear in the middle of a huge battle in NYC. It's supposed to be funny because he's wearing a helmet that creates 3D constructs of whatever he's thinking (a la Green Lantern's ring), so he unintentionally creates a giant, scantily clad woman in the middle of NYC. To be honest, the 12 year old in me laughed a little, but it's just more of the same stupid treatment the women are getting in this series.All in all, that's not going to stop me from reading the series. In its own way, the series is actually painting Sue Storm as the strongest of the group, and she does have somewhat of a leadership role in the group. Really, I'm not looking for a book that will put a woman in charge, or fix society's problems. There are a lot of good things this series has going for it that make me wish this particular issue wasn't an issue though. Hopefully, when I get to some of the other writers stories certain aspects will be written differently. For now, I have to say these books are pretty well done. I'm definitely looking forward to seeing these arcs adapted in other forms of media.
*The N-Zone is a parallel dimension, though much older than our own. The think tank run by Dr.Storm are the first human team to discover it, but it is Reed Richards who first breaks through.