Ultimate Fantastic Four #19 Review

Archive

Reviewer: Tim Sheridan
Story Title: Think Tank: Part 1

Writer: Mike Carey
Artist: Jae Lee
Colorist: June Chung
Letterer: Chris Eliopoulos
Production: Tom Valente
Assistant Editors: John Barber Nichole Wiley
Editor: Ralph Macchio
Publisher: Marvel Comics

This issue is the very definition of a fill-in. This is part one of a two part story in between two different creative teams. But it’s not bad.
I liked this issue more than I liked the last two arcs by Warren Ellis. But there has always been something preventing Ultimate Fantasic Four from it’s true potential as a great book. Maybe it has to do with the fact that no creative team has stuck around for too long, so the whole series has no “showrunner” and seems like a lot of good ideas with no goal.

But onto the issue at hand. The art, by Jae Lee, is quite good. He has a very specific style, and it’s just beautiful. Though I don’t know if it fits here. This is a very sraightfoward story, and Lee’s style seems a bit more than what is needed here.

The story is interesting because it goes back to the origin of the FF, and is something we haven’t really been shown before. It deals with another smart kid, who was pretty much on par with Reed Richards. Except she’s evil now. So that’s that.

Mike Carey is a name who I have come across from time to time. He’s a talented writer who is getting some great work from Marvel. And this issue is one of his best.

While there are elements of this book that I liked a lot, there is still something about the title overall that just doesn’t sit right with me. And I really think it is due to a lack of goals. Next issue is the last fill in before a new “regular” team starts on it, so I hope they will be around for a while, and we can watch this team really start to grow.