Ultimate FF #1 Review: Neither Ultimate Nor All That Good

Having no expectations going into this issue, I suppose that makes it all the more damning when I say that I was disappointed. Without exaggeration or hyperbole, I would be hard-pressed to point to anything that this comic does particularly well. Some elements are competent, but I’m hesitant to go any further than that.From writer Josh Fialkov (Echoes; Elk’s Run; I, Vampire), pencilers Mario Guevara (Solomon Kane, Blackbeard: Legend of the Pyrate King) and Tom Grummett (The New Teen Titans), inker Juan Vlasco (Ultimate Comics: X-Men), and colorist Rachel Rosenberg, Ultimate FF has the difficult task of launching a Fantastic Four-related title removed from the core book and without the core, recognizable team in place, which history has proven to be a difficult, nigh-impossible task. If this first issue is any indication, this title will quickly go the way of the mid-90s’ Fantastic Force. Anyway, here’s the breakdown… SPOILERS!!!The Good:Like I said, this comic doesn’t do much well. The most interesting bit is honestly a throwaway reference to the big reveal character of Doctor Doom. Agent Coulson (yes, even his presence in this comic does not elevate it) mysteriously refers to him as prisoner “5-7-62” in advance of his unveiling. Fialkov himself has stated that this is a reference to Doom’s first appearance in The Fantastic Four #5 released in July (7) of 1962. I always appreciate callouts to past Fantastic Four continuity.