Fantastic Four: World's Greatest TPB (Fantastic Four (Graphic Novels)) (Paperback)

~ Mark Millar (Author), Bryan Hitch (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

MARK MILLAR! BRYAN HITCH! Need we say more? All right, we will! Who is Mrs. Fantastic? And how will her return into Reed's life rock comicdom's First Family? Also, get ready to meet the Invisible Woman's brand-NEW super-team! These stories will make Fantastic Four "The World's ULTIMATEST Comic Magazine!" Promise! Collects Fantastic Four #554-561.

Product Details

• Paperback: 200 pages
• Publisher: Marvel Comics; illustrated edition edition (April 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0785125558
• ISBN-13: 978-0785125556
• Product Dimensions: 10 x 6.5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #254,336 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good but flawed, September 26, 2009

By	Kid Kyoto (Beijing) - See all my reviews

Hot off their top-selling run on the Ultimates writer Mark Millar and artist Brian Hitch took on the Fantastic Four in an attempt to bring its sales up to the top. The results were a bit of a disappointment sales-wise and the story has some flaws but overall it's an interesting book worth checking out. Both the art and writing are quite similar to the Ultimates, even the FF's costume are changed to look more like the Ultimates. So if you liked the Ultimates add a star, if you didn't then stay away.

In a nutshell the plot is Mr. Fantastic and Invisible Woman's marriage is strained when his old flame Alyssa Moy shows up with a plan to evacuate everyone on Earth for an artificial "Nu World". In the meantime a group of time travellers called the New Defenders are up to something.

No one can accuse Millar of thinking small. In his first issue he introduces the Nu World, a life sized, precise, duplicate of the Earth being build in another dimension. The Nu World will have healers called Nightingales who can eliminate disease, a supercomputer called the World Bank that will balance the economy for 1000 years and a robot named CAP (Conserve and Protect) to keep it safe.

But he doesn't really think these ideas through. If the architects of the Nu World can do these things... why can't they save Earth's environment? Building an artificial Earth is much more complicated than taking carbon out of the atmosphere! And why aren't they sharing some of their technology now? Why are people dying of disease when they can stop it? And why doesn't our hero ever ask these questions?

Soon enough these issues are pushed aside as the robot CAP gets free and starts destroying military bases. Here Millar makes a basic error in forgetting the 'show don't tell' rule. CAP destroys dozens of army bases, off panel. He defeats all of Marvel's heroes. Off panel. We hear how powerful this boring giant robot is but never see it.

We have a similar problem with the New Defenders. To show how powerful they are Millar has then defeat Dr Doom and Galactus, off panel.

Hitch's art is as gorgeous as ever, and as stiff. He's photorealistic artist who tries to make each image look like a movie still. He forgoes things like motion lines and sound effects. The problem is everything looks stiff and motionless, too calculated, too plastic. Nothing seems to move on the page.

The ending has some twists but unfortunately they're pretty obvious. And they include the most pointless Wolverine cameo in years.

Bottom line, it's a lot like the Ultimates, it has the same virtues and the same flaws so make your purchase accordingly.