Ultimate Fantastic Four #30
	Story Title: 'Frightful' (Part 1) Writer: Mark Millar Penciller: Greg Land Inker: Matt Ryan Art (Pages 8-14): Mitch Breitweiser Colorist: Justin Ponsor Letterer: Virtual Calligraphy's Randy Gentile Editor: Ralph Macchio Published by: Marvel Comics
	Reviewed by: Bruce Logan

As much as I want to drop this title, just give it up, there is something here that keeps me latching onto arc after arc. It does not mean that the storytelling is so great, but it is good enough with more than the adequate sprinkling of captivating bits to keep it in my pull list.

To be frank, the last arc (President Thor) and the one before that (Tomb of Namor) both (to me) seemed as mediocre. While the Thor one seemed just too loose, the with Namor reminded of my high school days and the way there used to be quite a few fights and all for one thing….girls. Just about to give up, I picked up this issue because of one thing, the ‘Crossover’ arc (the one before ‘Tomb of Namor’). While I am not too keen on another ‘Marvel Zombies’ mini, I am still interested in what is the fate of the ‘Fantastic Zombies’ or as they have taken to calling the ‘Frightful Four’.

The first quarter of the issue is simple enough with Ben and Johnny enjoying the bright sunny day in the company of their girlfriends, Alicia Masters in case of Ben and with Johnny….well, whoever. However, things soon go wrong and what happens next is something that usually…hmm, never happens to the male half of the human or any species. Without revealing too much, let me just say that it looks like that another mainline Marvel villain (race/species) is looking to get Ultimat-ized.

At the same time the countdown set about by the Zombie Reed continues, with all of the parties, both good and bad, scrambling to play their part in it. And with Dr. Doom’s expected return, also returning is yet another character, one with close ties to at least half of the Fantastic Team. Its Sue and Johnny’s mother, and whether she is acting the way she is on account of the tattoo on her back, or whether is a just plain bi*tchy-witch, it is still not known. Most probably it will be a mixture of the both. Whether her character lives or dies, I for one don’t care much about, for the use of this familial angle seems just too…..clichéd.

One last thing I’d like to say before I end this review is about the art. Although Greg Land’s work still as good as ever, and well above some of the other titles out there, the use of a second artist (Mitch Breitweiser) and that too for just a few pages, caused the smooth flow to falter. Breitweiser ‘s close-ups (and larger panels) are fine but elsewhere…well, its doesn’t work quite that well.

Conclusion: Just one issue and already this arc has given more than the (whole) last one.

Rating: 8/10 (Misses 8.5 due to Art)