Rating:  -
I'd give this a 3.5 if I could -- I tilted towards the high end to balance out some of the overly negative reviews from other readers.
I agree this isn't the greatest story arc for the Ultimate FF, but it was okay. This volume collects issues #33-38 of the series, which comprised a stylish if somewhat muddled space opera featuring remodeled versions of Marvel's cosmic big baddie, Thanos and Ronan The Accuser (formerly a Kree super-cop, here the equally uninvolving son of Thanos). The FF team up with a boring, techno-fethishy outerspace supergroup called Seed 19, and find themselves in the middle of a transdimensional civil war, in a cluttered storyline that was painfully reminiscent of Chris Claremont's endless space operas in the 1980s "X-Men."
Still, it was an engaging read, fun enough if a bit thick in the cosmic, sci-fi jargon. The series is still involving for the way that the fledgling teenaged FF is still finding its feet (although here they are so capable and self-assured that the book comes perilously close to being just the same as the regular FF title.) Still digging the Thing's Ultimate persona - hopefully they'll "teen" him up a bit more, so that he's not just an "Earth Two" version of the adult Ben Grimm we already know and love.
In short, this volume was okay - I still find it a diverting, entertaining title, but I agree it does seem to be tilting towards the same-old, same-old and losing the originality and verve of the Ultimate universe. (ReadThatAgain book reviews)
Rating: -
Wow, no love for the God War from Amazon's reviewers.
I found both the art and the writing to be a welcome change from the previous team on Ultimate Fantastic Four. Pascal Ferry is a wonderful, expressive artist with a distinctive style that's reminiscent of classic European sci-fi comics (e.g. Moebius) while still displaying his own unique style.
Mike Carey's story, while a bit complex, and loaded down with new characters, is still an enjoyable and rewarding read. With Seed Nineteen, he's introduced a new, interesting group of characters to the Ultimate Universe (obviously inspired by Jack Kirby's Forever People), but more importantly, his sprawling, ambitious sci-fi tale is more than a little reminiscent of the over-the-top madness of the original Fantastic Four in their 60s heyday.
Carey and Ferry have created one of the most enjoyable and distinctive stories to come out of Ultimate Fantastic Four in a while.
Rating:  -
The story is interesting, but developed too fast. The new Thanos is not so cool than the "real one". The new penciler increases the confusion and the changes of placement of the action are a mess. It is not the best book of UFF.
Rating:  -
This volume introduces the new creative team of Mike Carey and Pasqual Ferry. Although I've enjoyed much of Carey's work ("X-Men," "Lucifer"), the storyline here introduces new characters at breakneck speed and ends up as a confusing mess. Also, what began as a more realistic take on the Fantastic Four mythos has devolved here into cheese on a cosmic scale. Pasqual Ferry's artwork looks like animation cells from a television cartoon--a big change of pace from previous artists such as Jae Lee. This book might appeal to younger fans of Marvel's "Adventures" line of comics, but definitely lost my interest.
Rating: -
It's been a good run with the Ultimate Fantastic Four, but volume seven of the collected series, "God War," takes a stumble.
Despite the appearance of writer Mike Carey at the helm, this book suffers from an overabundance of new characters and new situations that leave a reader feeling both overwhelmed and underwhelmed at the same time -- which is a pretty neat trick, when you think about it. Overwhelming is the sheer number of new characters that are thrown at Our Heroes in an overused plot twist wherein strangers are mistaken as foes and pummeled. Who are these people? Where are they from, and what are their powers? Why is everyone fighting?? By the time the UFF is transported to another dimension and even more potential foes are dumped into the equation, I'd stopped caring -- I was underwhelmed by the lack of real excitement and empathy for these new folks in funny outfits. Sure, it all boils down to the introduction of cosmic archvillain Thanos into the Ultimate world, but by that point I was already yearning for something else to read.
by Tom Knapp, Rambles.(n e t) editor
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