They think they'll fool you with a ho-hum lead-in about a parallel dimension with a parallel Earth and, apparently, the mainstream Marvel Comics version of the Fantastic Four. But hey, when you're a 20-year-old Reed Richards and your more experienced self tells you to build a teleporter, you don't ask questions, right?

Forget that parallel dimension crap. This book is actually about zombies. Not only that, but super-powered zombies, featuring the rotting features of everyone's favorite Marvel heroes. Hooray!

From there, it's off to Atlantis, following the return of Sue and Johnny Storm's long-absent, believed-to-be-dead mother, who abandoned her family 15 years earlier for a chance to go searching for, you guessed it, Atlantis. Now she's found it, but the tomb of kings she thinks she's found is actually, a prison of sorts, and its sole occupant is none other than the Ultimate Namor. And Namor, he likes Sue. Thinks she's cute. Doesn't care she has a boyfriend already. You just know this will go badly.

I know a lot of people were put off by the previous book in the Ultimate FF series, primarily because of Jae Lee's substandard art, but Crossover should win everyone back. Not only is Mark Millar's writing excellent throughout this volume, but Greg Land's art is simply, well, fantastic. It all combines to put UFF back at the top of its game.

And remember, even if seeing a new interpretation of Namor's complex character doesn't excite you, even if you're put off my Reed's youthful imaginings of his girlfriend's mother in her underwear (cough), this book has a whole lot of zombies. Why aren't you buying it now?

by Tom Knapp
Rambles.NET
24 March 2007