Ultimate Fantastic Four, Vol. 5: Crossover [Paperback]

Mark Millar (Author), Greg Land (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 12, 2006

Mark Millar returns to Ultimate Fantastic Four, and he's brought X-Men: Phoenix - Endsong superstar Greg Land with him! Even in their short careers, the Ultimate FF have seen a lot of amazing things - but nothing will prepare them for the world they're about to enter! Reed Richards has used his scientific genius to contact an Earth in a surprisingly familiar parallel dimension - and he's ready to visit! Plus: The shocking secret of the Storm family is finally revealed! Locked away at the bottom of the ocean for 5,000 years, Namor the Sub-Mariner's Atlantean tomb has been breached; now, he's back to rule a planet. This is a Namor you've never seen before with a vastly different agenda. This is Ultimate Namor! Learn about the ties between Atlantis, the Ultimate Inhumans and the super-races that existed before man ruled the Earth! Collects Ultimate Fantastic Four #21-26.

Product Details

• Paperback: 144 pages
• Publisher: Marvel (April 12, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0785118020
• ISBN-13: 978-0785118022
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 0.5 x 10.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #86,991 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Along with Brian Michael Bendis, Mark Millar has been one of the key writers for Marvel Comics in the 21st century. After proving himself in the '90s as a talent to watch while writing for DC Comics and the UK comic 2000AD, his arrival to Marvel came at a time when Ultimate Spider-Man had just shot up the sales charts. It was in this environment that Millar made his first major contribution to Marvel with Ultimate X-Men, as Millar integrated forty years' worth of X-Men history, characters and lore into a solid two-year run, making the companion title to Ultimate Spider-Man every bit the creative and commercial success. Next up was The Ultimates, a new rendering of the Avengers that was to continue building on the success of the Ultimate line. He and artist Bryan Hitch pulled it all off in spades: The Ultimates and its sequel, Ultimates 2, were ensconced at the top of the sales charts every month; what's more, they were critical successes, as well. Meanwhile, Millar was invited to enter the regular Marvel Universe to take a stab at two of its most iconic characters: Spider-Man and Wolverine. Paired with industry heavyweights to draw his stories -- Terry Dodson on Marvel Knights Spider-Man and John Romita Jr. on Wolverine -- Millar brought the same fast-paced and cleverly constructed plots with which his Ultimate fans were already familiar. Amid building a small library of Millarworld indie comic books -- including the titles Chosen and Wanted, the latter of which was turned into a Hollywood blockbuster starring Angelina Jolie -- he managed to write Civil War, the epic seven-issue miniseries that definitively reshaped the landscape of Marvel's heroes. Kick-A**, a Marvel Icon project done in tandem with John Romita Jr., made an impressive impact on the sales chart before also being adapted for a major motion picture. In addition, Millar has reunited with Civil War artist Steve McNiven in both the pages of Wolverine and their creator-owned book Nemesis.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Better, June 5, 2006

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Ron (Jersey) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Ultimate Fantastic Four, Vol. 5: Crossover (Paperback)

This is one of the better Ultimate Fantastic Four collections. Greg Land's art works well with the team, and the writing is great. This collection introduces us to Namor, who thanks to a little Ultimate tinkering is back to being a badass again. It also has a really cool story about a parallel universe in which all of the heroes have been infected by a virus that pretty much makes them zombies. The story involves them trying to get to the Ultimate universe to start the plague there. All in all, this was an enjoyable read.

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Presenting the gastronomical exploits of the Frightful Four..., December 10, 2006

By 

H. Bala "Me Too Can Read" (Just moved to posh Marina Del Rey, CA - where if you drop a quarter, why, you just keep on walking) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Ultimate Fantastic Four, Vol. 5: Crossover (Paperback)

I feel a little guilty about admitting this, but I derive so much more enjoyment from the ULTIMATE FANTASTIC FOUR series than I do from the mainstream Marvel Universe version. The Ultimate concept of rehashing the comic book venerables into fresher, more exciting reincarnations is, frankly, more appealing. And, yes indeedy, the ULTIMATE FANTASTIC FOUR, VOLUME 5: CROSSOVER trade paperback is yet another awesome exercise in freshness and excitement.

This collection reprints ULTIMATE FANTASTIC FOUR #21-26, which includes two awesome story arcs. The first story arc consists of young Reed Richards's harrowing adventures as he foolishly ends up in an alternate universe in which all the resident super-heroes have been zombified and "food" has run out. This story arc is what gave rise to the very popular MARVEL ZOMBIES mini-series. But, here, young Reed runs afoul of an older, more powerful version of himself, as well as horrifically altered versions of Sue, Ben, and Johnny. With the zombie Richards being uncontrollably ravenous for flesh, and twice as old as young Reed, being, therefore, "almost certainly ten times as smart," is there any doubt that it's only a matter of time before he has his way with the more naive Mr. Fantastic and gains entry to a new universe filled with bipedal snacks? The second storyline deals with the return of a member of the Storm family long thought dead and the debut of Ultimate Namor, resurrected from hibernation after thousands of years, who is initially believed to be an enlightened Atlantean monarch but turns out to be...not.

The vibe and energy exuding from these pages are palpable. This TPB is certainly rife with epic encounters. Writer Mark Millar treats his audience with more cool ideas, neat twists, and fun facts (for example, we learn that, with his power of malleability, Reed's elastic brain causes him to grow ever more intelligent as he can literally "warp" his mind around a problem). The zombie universe has rapidly become a fan favorite, while the advent of the not-so-noble Ultimate Namor was only a matter of time. Certainly, the old classics are touched on again: a rather abrupt face-off between the Thing and Hulk (who, here, is the "hungriest of all"), as well as the destructive donnybrook between Sub-Mariner and the Fantastic Four fondly recall to mind the original encounters as enlivened by Stan Lee and "King" Kirby. And lest folks forget that this Ultimate version of Susan Storm is nearly as brilliant as Mr. Fantastic, Millar offers several scenes which demonstrates the fact. Susan Storm proves yet again that, in this universe, she, not Reed Richards, is the born leader and, certainly, she can be the most forthright and aggresive personality of the bunch.

Phenomenal artist Greg Land begins his 12-issue run here with "Crossover" and later ends it, aptly enough, with the "Frightful" story arc. Land's contribution cannot be lauded enough. The glossy and wonderful photorealistic renderings he brings to the table nicely fleshes out Millar's writing, brings it to vibrant life. The fabulous artwork is, of course, enhanced by the solid inkwork of Matt Ryan and the textured colors of Justin Ponsor and Laura Martin. Oh, those pretty, pretty pictures. I never knew, for instance, that Sue Storm's mom would be so hot in her undies. And Land's dread depictions of the zombie Frightful Foursome elevate these dentally-challenged villains to a stalking, menacing ghoulishness. Land downright invokes a sense of hopeless desolation with his stark, torn images of the mostly inert zombie universe. I've never been a fan of Namor but I must admit that he certainly looks virile and despicably regal (if two such descriptives can be paired), utterly capable of world domination. Once again, great stuff by Greg Land and the rest of the art crew.

The only concern I have about this title is the constant change of writers and artists and what that might portend continuity-wise. I don't just mean continuity-wise in terms of the story arcs, but also in the look and feel of the series. The latest team to come on board comprises of Mike Carey and Pasqual Ferry, and they seem promising. So far, ULTIMATE FANTASTIC FOUR doesn't seem to be negatively affected by the various writer/artist overhauls. It's still fresh and exciting. Let's keep it that way, huh?

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great story and art, May 4, 2007

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Orion1 (Chicago, IL United States) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Ultimate Fantastic Four, Vol. 5: Crossover (Paperback)

The story time in with Marvel Zombies was outstanding, even better than the actual Marvel Zombies stories. And the last chapter with Namor was a nice re-imagining for that character. Greg Land is one of the best artists working today, right up there with Carlos Pacheco and Alex Ross.