Review: ULTIMATE FANTASTIC FOUR VOL 1 by Brain Michael Bendis, Mark Millar, and Adam Kubert

About fifteen years ago, Marvel Comics launched the Ultimate Universe, an attempt to reboot some of its signature characters for a 21st-century audience. It was a success, resulting in four ongoing series and innumerable miniseries, all tightly interwoven, until it all imploded in the Ultiatum miniseries.

Bendis and Millar were two of the main architects of the Ultimate Universe, and while it's n pot clear exactly how the writing was divided between them, the dialogue seems to be by Bendis. The characters are similar to their counterparts in the main universe, and are easily recognizable. The art by Adam Kubert is detailed and energetic, but it's also clearly a product of its time. 

What sets this book apart is that the Fantastic Four aren't superheroes. They're fundamentally explorers, and in this book in particular they're people to whom something terrible has happened. I recommend it.