Marsha's Reviews > Ultimate Fantastic Four, Volume 1: The Fantastic

This is a different version of the Fantastic Four origin tale. Rather than getting bombarded with rays while in space, Reed Richards tries an experiment to get into another dimension. Years of long, hard work have led nowhere except to peek into the other realm and talk with its inhabitants. Yet, when it seems like there’ll be a breakthrough, matters don’t go as planned.

The graphics are stellar, with action-packed sequences ranging from above-ground fights against a kaiju to underground battles against mole men. We see the group initially split apart after the experiment, then coming back together as they struggle to control their newfound abilities.

Benjamin Grimm is a football star who inexplicably befriends the bullied Reed Richards. Reed is a quiet, passionate genius who suffers silently under an abusive father. Sue and Johnny are the happy children of a brilliant father. Victor is an antisocial genius who barely speaks. They all teleport to various places on the globe when the experiment goes awry.

I’ve never been a fan of the Fantastic Four, so I might be forgiven for not realizing that their powers correspond to the form elements. Sue Storm = Air, Johnny Storm = Fire, Benjamin Grimm = Earth and Reed Richards…Water? That’s what threw me. I associated him with rubber not water but, now that I think about it, I see the correlation. Silly me.

Fantastic Four films have never done well. But this comic makes you wonder why that is. They’re such a colorful and amazing bunch.