Ultimate Fantastic Four Volume 3 N-Zone

Awesome.

That's all that really needs to be said about N-Zone. Just awesome. This has been my favourite so far (obviously) but the reason is that it's just written so well for super-high science fiction.

I really liked the way Reed was using his powers outside of the box. Being stretchy is about so much more than being able to tie oneself in knots. I didn't like what they did with Johnny in the N-Zone. To me, his exotropic powers seemed to be reacting to the endotropic universe and it made sense. Instead, he was shedding his skin like some kind of snake?

There was great tension built up with the escape and while it ended with the obligatory fight scene I still really liked it. I'm giving it a 5.

Ultimate Fantastic Four Volume 1 The Fantastic

Everything I know about the Fantastic Four I know from the movie so I was intrigued to visit the ultimates version of the team.

The Fantastic is the origin story for the new team. They're younger than the classic tale so Bendis and Miller have to massage things some for them to be where they're supposed to be. Reed and Sue are easy. They're both geniuses so it makes sense that they'd be together at a special school. Johnny (my favourite by the way) is Sue's brother so he'd be with them because he has to stay with his dad who's also at the special school. Ben? Ben's a bit different and I didn't really believe that they'd let him attend the test of Reed's machine but I'll go with it.

I liked seeing Reed grow up and I liked how the authors chose to give their version their powers. I also felt very stupid for never noticing that the team is essentially the four elements. Fire and Air are easy (Johnny and Sue) but I never really thought of Ben as Earth because he never really looked as if he were stone before and Reed elasticity is certainly akin to Water.

I enjoyed the story. I'm looking forward to reading the next volume so I'll give it a 4.

Ultimate Spider-Man Volume 17 Clone Saga

Apparently the original run of Spider-Man had a whole clone thing. I'm not aware of that. I do know that I enjoyed Clone Saga from the Ultimate Spider-Man , even though it felt like a giant excuse to get Peter and Mary Jane back together after their earlier break up.

By far, the most interesting clone was Spider-Woman. I'd like to see more of her. The Scorpion clone, not so much. The thing I really like about Brian Michael Bendis is his ability to give real emotion to his characters. The scene where Peter finally tells Aunt May his secret is really moving. His reaction to her subsequent heart attack just feels real. I'm giving this one a 5.

Ultimate Spider-Man Volume 16 Deadpool

What happens when superheroes date? According to Deadpool they get kidnapped and forced to star in reality television.

There's actually a lot of team-ups in Ultimate Spider-Man. This one has him with the X-men, Moebius (the vampire) and Daredevil. Some of them are treading the same ground, especially the Daredevil/Punisher/Moon Knight story but the X-Men arc that starts the volume is fun. I sort of wish Bendis spent more time writing Peter and Kitty dating rather than Spider-Man and Shadowcat fighting bad guys but he gives hints that there is something going on behind the scenes. Because there could have been so much more I'm only giving it a 3.

Ultimate Spider-Man Volume 11 Carnage

I don't know what to think of this one. Carnage just seemed a bit rushed. From the introduction of Carnage and what he was to the death of Gwen Stacy to the ultimate battle between Spider-Man and the genetic experiment gone awry to Peter quitting Spider-Man (yet again). It just seemed like it had to cover too much ground in not enough space. I kind of get the feeling that Brian Michael Bendis was just not that into telling this part of the Spider-Man story. It felt like there were certain points that he felt had to be made, and that they might as well be made here but they weren't really story elements that he was all that interested in. It was OK, I guess. It's a 3.