Last week, we liked “All-New Ultimates” #1 for its truly fresh new take on a team that looks to redefine the purpose of the ‘Marvel Ultimate’ line. Is “Ultimate FF” #1 just as refreshing? Read our spoiler-free review below to find out.
Written by Joshua Hale Fialkov
Illustrated by Mario Guevara & Tom Grummet
Inked by Juan Vlasco
Colors by Rachelle Rosenberg
Lettered by Joe Sabino• The Future Foundation is all that stands between us and COMPLETE AND UTTER DOOM.
• Sue Storm, Tony Stark, Machine Man and Sam Wilson face the ONCOMING DESTRUCTION.
• A mysterious new member will join their ranks, whether they like it or not. Hint: They will not.
“Ultimate FF” is nothing if not one hell of a shake-up. Jonathan Hickman’s “FF” was notable for being a companion piece for his “Fantastic Four” run which mostly dealt with the same characters, but perhaps had a slightly different focus tone-wise. It basically was required reading to get what was going on in “Fantastic Four” most of the time, but the mission statement of the Future Foundation was new. “Ultimate FF” has no familial counterpart, and uses the constant shaking up and relaunching of ‘Ultimate Marvel’ to its advantage to put together a cool team – nothing more, nothing less at this point. In that way, it’s more like Fraction’s “FF”, which brought 4 individuals together for no other reason than “wouldn’t it be cool?”
Tonally, though, it’s a mix of the two – and something all its own. More than “All-New Ultimates”, this book feels like the one that will continue to tackle galactic, pan-dimensional threats against humanity, while the latter goes street-level. Fialkov has assembled a team of super geniuses and tech wizards in Tony Stark, Sue Storm, Danny Ketch (Machine Man), and Sam Wilson. In doing so, “Ultimate FF” loses the family feel that its predecessor tried to reimagine for the Ultimate Universe (even with Reed Richards eventual downfall). Fans who want that from all of their “FF” books won’t get it here. Instead, they’ll be treated to big personalities and big brains that bounce off of one another in some entertaining and unexpected ways. Tony Stark is about as Tony Stark as Tony Stark gets, here, and a fine foil for Sue Storm. Hell, Danny Ketch even out-snarks Phil Coulson a time or two. If nothing else, “Ultimate FF” is not lacking in personality.
Fialkov is careful to drop in some references to the humble beginnings of the Ultimate Fantastic Four, and even one big bombshell at the end which everything builds to. So even without the family element, there are references to it, and key links to “FF” characters remain in the ether of the book. Up front, this is a new science-adventure book, with our heroes exploring the unidentified fallout of the recent Galactus event. Underneath, it looks like Fialkov is going to fold the truncated mythos of “Ultimate Fantastic Four” into the book slowly but surely.
But while “Ultimate FF” works right alongside “All-New Ultimates” to reset the table for the Ultimate universe by shaking up teams and mission statements, it also shares an inconsistent visual effort. While the original Ultimate Marvel launch featured superstar artists turning in untimely work that was hit-or-miss as far as tastes are concerned, there was a concerted effort towards “blockbuster” visuals. While that may or (in my personal case) may not have been your preference, it’s unclear what the Ultimate universe is going for now.
“Ultimate FF” features art from Mario Guevara mixed with Tom Grummett – two artists whose styles don’t exactly mesh and it’s noticeable when they don’t. They both use a very sketchy, dynamic style, but Grummett’s facial work sticks out as being very signature, while Guevara’s is rougher, with the intent being more variable. Guevara’s action scene layouts are loose and dynamic, which keeps the Ultimate universe as a place to go for explosions and geographical devastation, but the character work is too ill-proportioned and inconsistent to be entirely enjoyable. Even as the action is clearly rendered for an understandable read-through, the placement of the characters into the action isn’t always aesthetically pleasing.
Continued belowMarvel’s willingness to do away with anything resembling a “house style” is a welcome aspect, but off-putting facial work and characters who contort themselves in odd ways in an attempt to create dynamism make it difficult to fully immerse into the story. Oddly enough, the unconventional design work of the costumes, color scheme, and the world-building work just fine – the linework just isn’t consistent enough. The costumes are actually quite attractive in practice, and serve to separate the Ultimate U from Marvel 616 in the starkest of contrasts yet attempted.
“Ultimate FF” could be something great yet, but a more consistent artistic vision is needed. Actually, the book is just a handful of visual tweaks away from being as wholly appealing a product as something like Remender & Scalera’s “Black Science” – with a similar conceptual aesthetic, as well. Unfortunately, that sort of improvement doesn’t look to be possible with the split-duty sort of art that we’re getting on this title. As a love-letter to the science explorer aspect of Marvel’s First Family, the book passes muster. As a complete visual product, it seems to devolve a little bit as the story goes on.
Final Verdict: 6.0 – Browse
