When Brian Michael Bendis relaunched Spider-Man under the Ultimate banner, he maintained a foundation of the basics. High-school kid, accidental bite by a special spider in a lab, dead uncle... the usual setup. He has nevertheless transformed Peter Parker isn't a far more believable character, but Stan Lee and Steve Ditko's wallcrawler is still a big part of him. Here, Bendis and Mark Millar take a much different approach with the "Ultimatization" of the Fantastic Four. The resemblances to Stan Lee and the late Jack Kirby's first family of the Marvel Universe are only passing ones. Youth is emphasized over family, partnerships over friendships.
The rigors and competition of studying at the Baxter Building are beginning to show. Other students have washed out of the program, and Reed, though successful, has yet to pierce the barrier between regular space and the Negative Zone. Reed's none too pleased to discover another student, Victor Von Doom, rummaging through his notes in his room, while Sue Storm's presence is a comforting one, albeit an anxiety-inducing one as well. Years of research finally pay off as Reed and the rest of the Baxter prepare to transport organic material into the Zone, but it looks as though someone forgot to carry the "2"...
Kubert's angular artwork is a little more intense than the academic tone of the setting and storytelling really calls for here, but what he does do well, much to the benefit of the book, is to capture the youth of the main characters. The mainstream-continuity incarnation of Reed Richards is one that's always been somewhat symbolic of authority, the establishment, the status quo. He's the father figure, after all. Here, he's no leader, no father figure. He's a kid in over his head, and it's much easier to relate to him.
When Lee and Kirby created the Fantastic Four, one of the catalysts for the story was the space race, competition with Communists. That theme was quickl set aside, though, in favor of simpler, more exciting ideas. Competition turns up as a significant theme here, but it's competition from within as opposed to without. It's not Reed's friends who drive him to succeed, but his rival, and vice versa. Dr. Arthur Molenski's opening tirade to the Baxter Building students also seems to emphasize conflict as opposed to fellowship.
Ben Grimm's appearance here doesn't really work as well as I'd wish. he turns up at a key moment because the book needs him to do so. The same could be said of Johnny's and Sue's roles in the Silver Age Fantastic Four #1. These laymen accompanied Reed and Ben on a space jaunt because the book was called Fantastic Four; there was no real reason for them to be there. The same can be said of Ben Grimm's role here.
Nevertheless, Bendis and Millar have brought a more credible tone to the world of the Fantastic Four with little asides that touch upon a son's desperate need to impress his father and a self-serving attitude among government and military officials.
