Ultimate Fantastic Four, Vol. 4: Inhuman [Paperback]

Mike Carey (Author), Mark Millar (Author), Jae Lee (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 24, 2008 | Grade Level: 4 and up

A classic Fantastic Four villain makes the debut here in Ultimate form, turning the Baxter Building into a virtual trap set to capture and eliminate the fledgling adventurers. And what of the other denizens of the skyscraper, including Johnny and Sue's father Dr. Storm? And who has the power to outthink even the most brilliant man alive, Reed Richards? Wait and see! Plus: the first appearance of the Ultimate Inhumans! From a hidden race, she came to steal the heart of the FF's youngest member. She's the beautiful elemental called Crystal! Collects Ultimate Fantastic Four #19-20 and Annual #1.

Product Details

• Paperback: 96 pages
• Publisher: Marvel; Direct Ed edition (September 24, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0785116672
• ISBN-13: 978-0785116677
• Product Dimensions: 6.5 x 0.2 x 10.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #804,589 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Both stories get high marks and are excellently penciled, November 23, 2005

By 

R. Hall "Dazed Genoshan" - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Ultimate Fantastic Four, Vol. 4: Inhuman (Paperback)

So far the Ultimate Fantastic Four has yet to loose its flair, and with Jae Lee's artistic genius brought on board in this (the fourth) volume it is even more of a delight. More so than other installments in the Marvel Ultimate line, the Fantastic Four is the most clever when it comes to taking a classic Marvel series and bringing its beginnings into the new millennium while remaining as true to its origins as possible.

In Inhuman we get two stories. The first is taken from issues #19-20, and pits the FF against the Ultimate versions of the Mad Thinker and the Android. As our heroes return from their battle with alien horrors from the Negative Zone in Las Vegas, their helicopter is hit with a focused EMP beam as it heads in for a landing at the Baxter Building. After recovering from their crash landing, the FF and their military escort quickly realize that all is not well at their headquarters. It has, in fact, been turned into a death trap by the Mad Thinker, who seems to have an unhealthy fixation on Reed Richards. Not only must the FF get to bottom of what has gone wrong with the Baxter Building, they also have to worry about the fate of the other residents, the potentially deadly experimental devices housed in the various laboratories there, as well as surviving against the Android's deadly orders to exterminate them all.

In the second story, taken from Ultimate FF Annual #1, we get our first look of the Ultimate Inhumans. (Note: Jae Lee also did the penciling for the utterly sublime Marvel Knights: Inhumans series, so this is not his first work the characters.) The Ultimate versions the Inhumans are quite similar to their core Marvel universe counterparts (although Gorgon is now a woman, which seems more fitting for one named Gorgon, and Medusa has much more in common with her mythological inspiration), but it seems as though the Ultimate renditions are less friendly than their mainstream equivalents. Crystal is the first to show, and as it was in the original FF she and the Human Torch share an attraction to one another. There is a problem, though, in that Crystal is to be married to the King's (Blackbolt) wormy brother Maximus. This story is less of a flashy action sequence and more of a look into the spellbinding society of the Inhumans, dealing with the timeless theme of clashing cultures rather than clashing super-beings.

I highly recommend this to any and all, even if you are not a fan of the Fantastic Four or the Ultimate line (but if you are a fan or either or, you simply must check this out). The stories are very well done and the art is superb. The Ultimate Fantastic Four and the Ultimates are quite possibly the two best comics being published by Marvel at this time, and both share the same approach to the Ultimate-concept as well as a good measure of captivating ingenuity.

4.0 out of 5 stars The Fantastic Four Face an Old Student and the Inhumans, December 9, 2011

By 

Joseph Born "Joe" (Alaska, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ultimate Fantastic Four, Vol. 4: Inhuman (Paperback)

Mike Carey writes a brief two issues of Ultimate Fantastic Four, an arc called Think Tank. Jae Lee does the art for these two issues, along with the annual. Think Tank is more of a thriller story, which is something that isn't done in Marvel comics that often. Jae Lee's art is perfect for this type of story. Reed, Johnny, Sue, and Ben end up trapped inside the Think Tank, and a former classmate is playing sinister games with them. They come across freaky inventions and unsettling situations. They'll have to work together to stop this evil individual before they find themselves torn apart. Jae Lee's art is eerie and his gothic style accentuates the horror feeling Carey seemed to be going for. The dialogue is good, and I'm looking forward to reading the rest of his run, which takes place after Millar's 12 issue run.

The annual, which is written by Mark Millar, introduces the Inhumans into the Ultimate universe. Jae Lee returns for art and does a fantastic job. Once again his gothic style suits this type of story perfectly. The story opens with Reed, Sue, and Ben trying to stop Dr. Storm's cancer. Things quickly change once Johnny rescues a superhuman girl named Crystal. While the Ultimate Inhumans are basically the same to their 616 counterparts. This annual makes for a fun self-contained story. Overall these two arcs get a solid 4/5.

2.0 out of 5 stars Not so Fantastic., October 5, 2011

By 

Penny Suchman "Proud Mother!" (Essex Jct. VT USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Ultimate Fantastic Four, Vol. 4: Inhuman (Paperback)

Rhonda is a terrible villain. The entire Think Tank arc was boring, and the art was bland at best. The best part was Mark Millar's annual that introduces the Ultimate Inhumans. This book is very thin, only holding 2 issues and an annual that's only slightly longer then an issue. Sadly you have to read this to have completely read UFF, but at least it's a short nightmare.