By Isaac Mills
You know the drill: we use a random number generator that selects random comics for us to review. We then blindly read whatever it chooses, regardless of issue, publisher, or knowledge of prior events. Enjoy.
Isaac’s Book (In fact, the only book this week. Miles and Owen are out of town.) (Not together, though.)
Fantastic Four #554
Written by Mark Millar
Pencilled by Bryan Hitch
Marvel Comics, 2008
I don’t usually pick up Fantastic Four but two things strike me as I open this comic: one, that the Four look like they are older versions of the characters in Ultimate Fantastic Four, and, two, that Johnny Storm looks and sounds like a doofus.
That impression actually does a fair job of describing the whole of this comic: Ultimate Fantastic Four in the regular Marvel universe. Therefore, we get guest appearances by She-Hulk and the Wasp, as well as utilizing history from the regular canon.
And as far as Johnny looking like a doofus, well, there are a couple of questionable art decisions made with him. Considering the creative team of Mark Millar and Bryan Hitch, this isn’t a surprise. Both have been knee deep in the Ultimate Marvel line of comics, so it’s only natural that that style would stick with them as they move on. It’s a fresh perspective, and it’s a good thing.
One very important thing they got right is all the little details that make the characters real and how accustomed they are to the weirdness around them. Like Reed Richards boring a class of kids with his mind boggling adventures because he goes off into tangents on the ethics concerning who should foot the bill for an anti-Galactus suit.
This was a pretty cool comic, I may even give the next issue a try. I’m pretty biased though, they started the issue with them pulling a Back to the Future 3: escaping from a crowd of Indians in a time machine built like a train.
I love that movie.
More comics could benefit from reminding me of Back To The Future 3. After all, there are not many things that warm my heart like thoughts of a hoverboard in the old west.