Review: ‘The Ultimates’ #4 Is A Poignant & Tragic Origin
by Tony Thornley
The new Ultimate Marvel universe’s most tragic figure is easily its Doctor Doom. In The Ultimates #4, we get the full picture of his story for the first time.
Deniz Camp, Phil Noto and Travis Lanham reveal the fate of Earth-6160’s Fantastic Four.
In another life, Reed Richards would have been Mr. Fantastic, the leader of Earth-6160’s Fantastic Four. However, he’s the only survivor of the rocket that flew into a storm of cosmic radiation, an accident that sent him on a collision course with the Maker and his life as Doom. Now that he knows what his destiny was though, he’s on a desperate hunt to be able to save the Fantastic Four
Camp doesn’t just tell the tragic story of Earth-6160’s Fantastic Four, but he also plays with the form of comics to tell four simultaneous stories. Each page is four wide panels in four different timelines — Reed Richards’ youth and schooling up to the rocket launch, the tragic results of the launch, and Doom’s struggles after joining the Ultimates. Each leads into the other, but plays with simultaneous parallels. In one page, we see Ben come out of his shell, then his suicide after the accident, then Reed watching through a time portal, and Reed’s desperation with Tony Stark.
It results in a story that’s equal parts a reimagining and a tragedy. We quickly come to care for this version of the Four, just to see them unravel, leaving only Reed. It’s such a unique story that really can’t fully be summed up without reading it. And one of the most tragic parts of it is the ambiguity of whether the Maker was involved in the tragic change of the F4’s fates (like he was for other heroes), or if this Reed was the cause himself.
I cannot imagine anyone but Noto drawing this story. He doesn’t just tell four stories in a unique sequence, he ties each panel on the page together. Ben’s smirk is centered in the top panel, his body in the centered in the next. Reed meets Johnny, while he bursts into flames in the panel below. Noto is easily one of the greatest storytellers in comics right now, and this issue proves how capable he is, especially thanks to how unique this story is.
Every moment of this issue is expertly depicted, and Lanham is key to that. He matches Noto is making the letters part of the art — not distracting from what’s in the panel. He keeps the dialogue subtle and in doing so, ensures it’s more impactful.
The Ultimates #4 is available now from Marvel Comics.
Overview
This is one of the best single issues of the year without a doubt. It’s an excellent science fiction story on its own, and a beautifully tragic reimagining of Earth-6160’s first family. This is a rare 10/10 for me.
