Customer Reviews

Ultimate Fantastic Four, Vol. 11: Salem's Seven

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This is, for sure, the worst volume in the Ultimate Fantastic Four line. The story is slight and the volume only contains four of the "pamphlet" comics. Not much there in quality or quantity. The real problem here is the art. It just looks terrible. Ultimate FF has had some impressive visuals. Not so here. Half of the book looks unfinished, using the uninked pencils for the final art. Bad idea. With the over-done coloring thrown on top of it, it looks like a fifth generation color copy. Not sure what Marvel was thinking here. Did they run out of time? Did they actually think it would be a good idea?
The new characters (The Salem's Seven) are completely disposable. The costumes look like something that would have been found in a 1990s Image comic better left forgotten. The Ultimate Agatha Harkness presents herself as a military colonel and a psychologist, but she looks more like she's abut to deliver a discount strip-o-gram. None of the characters notice or comment and we are supposed to take her seriously. In fact, artist Mike Perkins seems to have used porn magazines for all of his female photo reference. I'm no prude, but it seems women characters deserve better than the puffy blow-me lips on every female face in this book.
This is a very weak ending to the Ultimate Fantastic Four line. This series deserved much better.

This is the penultimate arc in Marvel's Ultimate Fantastic Four series. It's a four issue arc named 'Salem's Seven.' This is Mike Carey's last arc and he is joined by Top Cow artist Tyler Kirkman. Ever since the end of Mark Millar's run, Ultimate Fantastic Four has been on a steady downward slope in quality. Carey has done a valiant job of attempting to keep the series interesting, unfortunately it seems Carey has hit rock bottom. Salem's Seven had good artwork but lacked a good story. Sue journeys to the Lemuria ruins to investigate a mysterious ancient egg. After journeying back to New York, the Fantastic Four find themselves facing off against Salem's Seven... who aren't who they appear to be. Agatha Harkness is introduced, a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent who's job is to maximize the team's effectiveness. She frequently makes passes at Johnny. Perceptive people will be able to predict the whole story from the first issue. The story itself is boring and Salem's Seven makes for an uninteresting and lame villain(s). Overall I give this arc a 1/5. Do yourself a favor and pretend this doesn't exist. Nothing important or influential happens here. Skip it.