Ultimate Fantastic Four #55 (Spoilers)
It seems everyone dropped this book, which is a shame, because it just might be the best of the Ultimate books left. Last issue may have started slow, but this one has character to go with an interesting bunch of subplots. It seems to me Four Cubed was so short because this is a story Carey wanted to be able to tell.
Spoiler laden summary:
Last issue, Ultimate Agatha Harkness was introduced as a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent with a specialty in psychology, who had been sent to evaluate the Four. The Nursery, full of ex-Baxter Building children who didn't so much run away as take a chance to do so, were revisited and had friendly terms established. The Seven, a powerful new team in the style of a lot of Carey's God War stuff (at least, their powers reminded me of Seed Nineteen), appeared but until the end only on the news. There was also an unseen entity following Sue.
This issue, the Seven have been shown to have relocated to New York and are sort of like the Defenders could be if they were competent; they're in it for the celebrity and aren't very moral. They challenge the Four for the right to save the burning building that was set up last month and Reed gives it to them so no one will die. The Seven strut their stuff and John Q. Public cheers while Reed leads the team back home.
Harkness is there and continues an evaluation, this time as a group. She sows a lot of discord, with Johnny angry at no one caring about anything not fire-related, Ben citing continuing, steady depression, and she pretty bluntly attacks the Reed Sue relationship.
Then she gives Johnny another massage while Reed is dumped by Sue on the rooftop. Although quick, the situation seems real and has gravity. Sue thereafter accepts a ride from Agatha, who appears to be working with the Seven (like 616?) as she leaves Sue on a building after saying that the Trsikelion is unsafe.
The Seven attack Sue and while she fights her hardest, at least three have ways through her field. She is turned dense by the unwisely named 'Alpha Dog', who isn't strong but alters things, like Bishop. He drops her in the bay. The end is a cliffhanger with a pissed off Namor who won't reach the surface until next month, but I suspect he's a little curious as to who dropped his favorite woman into the water.
Subplots: Ben and Johnny realized they weren't even employed by S.H.I.E.L.D. and become reckless, breaking into Sue's lab to bring down the Seven on their own. The mysterious entity continues to observe Sue.
The Best: Dialog is top-notch and character driven, continuity is flawless for those that care, action to plot and question to answer ratio is to my liking (but that one's more subjective).
The Bad: Seven are pretty much enigmas, and the Top Cow art remains mostly unimpressive.
My own theory is that UFF has been canceled post Ultimatum, and the seeds are being sown amidst one of Carey's good ideas. Too bad it's going to be a stupid, pointless waste of everyone's time.
Does anyone else read this book? Much better than Ultimate X-Men or god help me, Ultimates 3.
