A FANTASTIC FEW MINUTES WITH MARK MILLAR

[MattBrady]

The first in a series of check-ins with Marvel’s Ultimate titles leading up to July “Ultimate Starts” Month, Newsarama spends a few minutes talking to writer Mark Millar about this “return” to the Ultimate Fantastic Four with issue #21.

Wrapped around a couple of preview pages from penciler Greg Land, Millar discusses how he plans to make the Ultimate FF comparable to The Simpsons (no, really); how this story arc may be his last work-for-hire assignment for a very long time; and yes… about that oft-rumored and discussed possible (but as-of-yet unconfirmed) Marvel-Ultimate Universe crossover.

Newsarama: Mark, we’ve talked about this with you previously, but again, but why did you want to pick up Ultimate Fantastic Four again? Was this an itch that you still needed to scratch after your and Brian Bendis’ first arc? Or did Warren Ellis’ run light a fire in you? Or none of the above?

Mark Millar: To be honest, my involvement with the first arc was really very minimal. As we mention in the introduction to the upcoming hardcover, I really wanted to launch that book and Brian did too and Marvel appeased us both by throwing us together and co-writing the thing. However, co-writing, as I've said before, is as impossible as co-"guitaring". It can happen if you're lucky, but it's very, very difficult and the bald one and I have radically different styles. I decided the best option for me would be to stand back and let Brian work his magic and contribute nothing more than a simple plot and re-conceptualizing the team. This was great in the sense that I got half the money for doing a tiny amount of work, but it genuinely did leave me with an itch I wanted to scratch. So I wanted to write the Fantastic Four. For the first time.

NRAMA: Okay, so backing things up to the basics then, in your view, how do the “Ultimate” FF and the “regular” Marvel Universe (“616”) FF differ? Obviously, there’s the age, but is the dynamic between the “family” different as well?

MM: The family dynamic is clearly important to both, but the age difference creates an entirely different structure within the unit. The difference having their parents around makes is enormous, especially having Professor Storm there. Reed living with what might be a future father-in-law has actually conjured up some really nice scenes.

Having Reed's parents, who never understood him, come to visit him for the first time in the Baxter Building is actually really interesting. Kirby and Lee did a lot of this stuff in their early issues in particular where we had the sudden appearance of Sue's doctor father or we'd have whole storylines based around Johnny's girlfriends and whole new supporting casts who'd just show up and disappear.

I'm basing it a lot on that and the kind of house I grew up in myself where there were always endless streams of friends, neighbors, crazy uncles, brother's girlfriends, sister’s boyfriends and so on passing through. Some stayed forever and some were never seen again and I want to tap into that to some extent.

The Simpsons does this very well where we have the family at the center of this massive network of interesting people and, in terms of structure, that's how I'd like to approach this. It's a fun book. Something different is happening on every page. I want this to be something you can give to anyone. The FF movie is aimed at everyone and the comic should be too. It's an angst-free comic book and just leaves you in a good mood.

NRAMA: Which character do you gravitate towards naturally, and how come?

MM: I've resisted the temptation to gravitate towards anyone in a very structured way. What I've done is created a one year run comprised of four 3-issue storylines and I've mentally given each story an invisible title, called – and in order – “Reed”, “Sue”, “Johnny” and “Ben”.

The actual titles are different, but these characters – again, in that order – are the heart of each individual story and the others are organically written around them. It's actually very balanced and I genuinely can't pick a favorite. They're all great. Kirby and Lee and don't make up bad characters and it's surprisingly difficult to write a bad story when you have these ingredients.

I've genuinely had a great time on this book and both Greg [Land] and I are very happy with how it's come together. It's really off on quite a new direction here and has a very different flavor. No story is longer than three parts and the thing just moves like a rocket. It's not the MUNDANE Four, it's the FANTASTIC Four and you have to remember that with every page.

NRAMA: Character-development-wise, where are the four when you pick them up? Are they, for lack of a better term, more comfortable in their respective skins?

MM: I hesitate to give too much away because it annoys me how little we have to enjoy when we pick up a book or go see a movie these days. I can't think of an event from the last five years where I didn't know every detail thanks to online previews. So forgive me for being vague, but the only thing I'll spill is that the guys have suddenly found themselves with amazing superpowers, they've got cool costumes and they even have a bloody headquarters. But you know what? They work for a bunch of Fortune 500 companies and these little adventures they've tasted in the first few arcs are completely denied to them because they aren't being FUNDED to go out there and fight the Green Goblin or Magneto. They're being funded to make gadgets and discoveries and cash for their investors. In other words, they're starting to get a little bored. Reed in particular. He was never the cool kid either here or in his old school, but this little taste for adventure has him encouraging the others to get quite naughty...

I'll say no more.

NRAMA: Does this take place right after Warren Ellis’ final issue, a few months after…or when?

MM: Warren and Adam [Kubert] finish “N-Zone” and then there's a two-part story from Mike Carey and Jae Lee. This means we launch "Cross-Over" in July and that's great because it means we can tie in with the movie launch and also the “Ultimate Starts Month” event where all the other new Ultimate story arcs start.

But most importantly, it gave Greg a chance to finish off the beautiful Phoenix: Endsong and get a nice head start on Ultimate FF. I've committed to twelve issues and I said from the beginning I'd only invest a huge chunk of time on this if they could guarantee we'd have an uninterrupted run. Greg's really fast and doing an amazing job so we're all very excited.

NRAMA: So, give us the set-up again…Reed saw/sees something while they’re in the Negative Zone?

MM: Again, I'm saying as little as possible, but what happens is that Reed starts getting emails from another dimension with a warning of an impending crisis. Details of how they can open a bridge between these two universes are quickly conceived and then much madness ensues.

NRAMA: The story arc’s title is “Cross-Over”…and by-and-large much of online fandom are thinking this means with the Marvel Universe proper…but…playing Devil’s Advocate for a moment, there are many more universes in the overall Marvel Universe than just those two, right? Exiles would’ve been a pretty short series if there wasn’t…

MM: Would a crossover between the Ultimate and Marvel Universe really be that bad? Nobody complained when the Justice League met the Justice Society. Just sit back and enjoy the story.

NRAMA: So any teases at all to clarify just a touch what is coming in the storyline?

MM: We've got time-travel, fights at the beginning of time, fights at the end of time, pretty much every character Marvel has on their books and probably the best villain I've ever come up with. And that's just the first story and leaving out the best parts.

After this we have the undersea pyramids of Atlantis; the Tomb of Namor; the hidden secret shame of the Storm family; Johnny's new best pal; a rival school that resides in a great big building near the Baxter Building and hates their guts; alien invasions; the Thing going mad; Reed and Ben shrunken down and chasing bad guys inside the President; and a million other things I can't even remember. Plus two other big things I can't reveal because they're major spoilers for later in the year.

It's non-stop and probably the most unselfconscious thing I think I've ever written. It's just a good comic and will pretty much round out the rest of my Marvel contract. I'm up in the autumn and, if anything, would only have time for a short project after this. But there's a very good chance this'll be my last company-owned thing for a long time. Wolverine, Ultimates 2, Marvel Knights Spidey, and this one-year run on Ultimate FF are all books I'm really pleased with this year, but this is the only one I can really show to my kid.

[HowAreWeToLive]

Who wants to campaign that Millar write Superman instead of Ultimate Fantastic Four?! I want to.

[Marxist 64]

I am looking forward to this so much you cannot know!!!!!!

[Shoeface]

This run sounds pretty crazy, but also a whole lot of fun. I just hope it isnt being written to appeal to the new audience the FF film will create. Obviously the Ultimate line is there to invite new readers who dont want to catch up with 500+ issues of back storys with the Avengers, Spidey of the FF, but I prefer comics when they are written for avid comic fans. I'm sure it will be good though even if it is written like that, I like Millars writing.

[Mark Cardwell]

So Millar's happy with how MARVEL KNIGHTS SPIDEY turned out? Different strokes for different folks, eh?

[Skyldt]

but i seriously can't wait for this. i really hope its gonna be a crossover with the 616 MU, but it still sounds like a kick ass idea.

[Banana_Oil]

Originally posted by HowAreWeToLive
Who wants to campaign that Millar write Superman instead of Ultimate Fantastic Four?! I want to.

Paul Levitz and Mark Millar...er, well let's just say they're not so fond of each other these days.

Don't miss out on the Superman Adventures digests, which are all Millar all the time.

[twoarmman]

I can’t wait. UFF has been great so far. I enjoy most of Millar’s stuff so I’m betting this won’t disappoint.

When the hell will they get the 4 on their uniforms?!?!

[Grendel Prime]

Originally posted by MattBrady
MM: Would a crossover between the Ultimate and Marvel Universe really be that bad? Nobody complained when the Justice League met the Justice Society. Just sit back and enjoy the story.

This, to me, has been the problem with the Ultimate universe for the past couple years: writers who treat it like it's "just another universe". As I see it, the concept of Ultimate Marvel was to start with a clean slate and a modern sensibility, to (hopefully) attract new readers who might have been scared of 40+ years of continuity and the constant fan-boy in-jokes (which the vast majority of comic book writers use today to "connect" with their readers).

But, when writers treat these books like writing for any other Marvel imprint (Max's 4 and Spider-Man are also good examples of this), then the Ultimate universe starts to lose what made it exciting and special to begin with. A crossover between "Ultimate" Marvel and "616" Marvel is just asking for trouble; it opens the door for endless crossovers and complex continuity that go completely counter to the founding principles of the Ultimate line.

That's just my opinion, anyways.

(Oddly enough, if this "crossover" was happening in the regular Marvel title, with the current FF meeting a younger and more naive version of themselves from "another universe", then I would have no problem with it whatsoever.)

[kingofcities]

This ought to be fun.

I've enjoyed all of the Millar/Bendis/Ellis stories so far on this book. Can't wait to see the new stories as well.

[Lex]

Hmmm... this interview was much more interesting than I thought it would be and, for the first time I find myself interested in Ultimate Fantastic Four. The way Millar described his plans for this 12 issue run reminded me of the original Lee/Kirby run. New idea after new idea after new idea and a very fast pace. Just *bam* *bam* *bam*... one after another and sometimes more than one new idea at a time.

From what I heard about UFF so far, it sees like they have just been repeating ideas from the regular universe with a modern twist. Doom. N-Zone. Repeating old ideas didn't interest me and is not in the spirit of Lee and Kirby's FF. But, what Millar has described definately is in that spirit.

So, I think I'll start picking up UFF in July.

[sixsh0t]

Gonna miss Warren Ellis for his Johnny Storm, a true delight.

[choisez]

With Greg Land's obvious skills at drawing from likenesses, I'm hoping the Ultimate FF crosses-over w/ the movie FF. It'd be a great tie-in to the big screen and who wouldn't want to see Jessica Alba on the cover of a comic?

They could even release the tpb the same time the DVD hits stands too.

-Eddy

[StripedTiger]

We've got time-travel, fights at the beginning of time, fights at the end of time, pretty much every character Marvel has on their books and probably the best villain I've ever come up with. And that's just the first story and leaving out the best parts.

I like Millar's stuff. I wasnt a big fan of his run on Spiderman but his Wanted series blew me away. All of this two universe, crossover, fights at the beginning and end of time talk just sounds a bit too "Crisis" for me though.

It's just my own opinion, but I think the Ultimate line works much better as a stand alone concept. This cross over thing just sounds like a can of worms that Marvel is going to regret. Back when Ultimate Spiderman hit big I remember thinking that as much as I loved the book and the writing, I'd drop it the first time Ultimate Peter met 616 Peter. To me, it's such a potential "jump the shark" moment that I'm surprised Marvel is risking it already. The Ultimate line is doing great each month and doesnt need such an obvious ploy for sales.

[The Champion]

Originally posted by Grendel Prime
This, to me, has been the problem with the Ultimate universe for the past couple years: writers who treat it like it's "just another universe". As I see it, the concept of Ultimate Marvel was to start with a clean slate and a modern sensibility, to (hopefully) attract new readers who might have been scared of 40+ years of continuity and the constant fan-boy in-jokes (which the vast majority of comic book writers use today to "connect" with their readers).

But, when writers treat these books like writing for any other Marvel imprint (Max's 4 and Spider-Man are also good examples of this), then the Ultimate universe starts to lose what made it exciting and special to begin with. A crossover between "Ultimate" Marvel and "616" Marvel is just asking for trouble; it opens the door for endless crossovers and complex continuity that go completely counter to the founding principles of the Ultimate line.

That's just my opinion, anyways.

I agree. Having the 616 and Ultimate universes crossing over would cause nothing but problems, and would defeat the original purpose of the Ultimate verse.

I'm glad Millar decided not to do the Thor relaunch project. I don't think he would have been a good fit on that.

[beetle1million]

Originally posted by HowAreWeToLive
Who wants to campaign that Millar write Superman instead of Ultimate Fantastic Four?! I want to.

I don't know. Ever since he had that interview in Wizard where he was so damn smarmy about how he would be writing Superman one day, and what he said he'd do with the character... Please, no. I still really enjoy Ultimates 2, I think it's the best thing he's done for Marvel by miles, but the rest of his recent work has been, really, for me, terribly underwhelming.

[Grape Fruit]

Originally posted by Mark Cardwell
So Millar's happy with how MARVEL KNIGHTS SPIDEY turned out? Different strokes for different folks, eh?

Yeah, and his Wolverine run is aweful as well. Millar is a one trick pony. That trick works well on the Ultimates but I doubt it will on UFF. Here's hoping his little cross over doesn't destroy the ultimate universe because yes Mr. Miller that would be "bad".

[CarlBowen]

SHOEFACE sez:
"Obviously the Ultimate line is there to invite new readers who dont want to catch up with 500+ issues of back storys with the Avengers, Spidey of the FF, but I prefer comics when they are written for avid comic fans."

Just a rant here, Shoeface. Not a response to your point specifically:

Dear, THE BIG TWO, you don't have to keep rebooting or ret-conning or relaunching or bringing in new creative teams who hate the past in order to appeal to new readers. [Stop spitting on the graves of the honored titans!] Nor do you have to keep making increasingly obscure references to things that happened one time 40 years ago--or 20, or even 10--just to please that handful of people who are still reading after all that time. [If I need a flowchart, you've lost me, Ass.]

How about just giving us short, creative new stories every month? Look back at all that continuity and pick out the recurring themes and elements, sure, and use that to guide you thematically as you write new things. But don't make 10-20-40 years of backstory -essential- to understanding your story. Stick to what's important. If you're writing a Batman title for a year, give us 12 stories about Bruce Wayne solving crimes the police just can't solve or catching criminals the police just can't catch. If you're writing a Fantastic Four title for a year, give us 12 stories of the family either having adventures in exciting places or saving humanity from nigh-inconceivable dangers with the powers of advanced Science (of which they, themselves, are products). Give us Spider-Man stories about how science used irresponsibly can be terribly dangerous. Give us Superman stories about how noble ideals are worth fighting for, no matter who you are.

I don't care who the Reaper was or which convent his daughter went to after Batman: Year Two. I don't care what planet the Silver Surfer used to be from or how many heralds Galactus has had. That trivia might be important to give context to a What If...?, an Elseworlds story, or an Exiles story, but it's just not important to the month-to-month stories that keep people coming back.

If you can write 12 good creative new short stories a month that don't make the characters into people they're not, you're fine. You don't have to Ultimate-ize your title, and you don't have to make your story impenetrable to the casual reader. Look at X-Men Unlimited or Spider-Man Unlimited. Those are just good entertaining reads, and you don't have to keep up with everything that's gone before. Hell, you don't have keep up with every issue of those titles themselves. They're just good stories about characters people like. (And it's two good stories an issue!)

CHOISEZ sez:
"I'm hoping the Ultimate FF crosses-over w/ the movie FF."

That would be awesome.

--Carl.

[sniperboy2]

What is that expression on Ben Grimm's face in the promo picture? It looks like he has just realized that he is in a lousy book!

[blackandwhite]

Originally posted by beetle1million
I don't know. Ever since he had that interview in Wizard where he was so damn smarmy about how he would be writing Superman one day, and what he said he'd do with the character... Please, no. I still really enjoy Ultimates 2, I think it's the best thing he's done for Marvel by miles, but the rest of his recent work has been, really, for me, terribly underwhelming.

agree with u beetle1million, after reading that interview in Wizard im having afterthoughts that Millar is appropraite to write Superman. i don't know, he really pissed me off with that interview

and his MK spidey was a bad, bad, bad book. talk about wasting ur money

[Marxist 64]

Originally posted by blackandwhite
agree with u beetle1million, after reading that interview in Wizard im having afterthoughts that Millar is appropraite to write Superman. i don't know, he really pissed me off with that interview

and his MK spidey was a bad, bad, bad book. talk about wasting ur money

100% disagree. Millar is one of the best writers out there and MK Spiderman was great.

[Grape Fruit]

Originally posted by Marxist 64
100% disagree. Millar is one of the best writers out there and MK Spiderman was great.

I hope your KIDDING!

[tgail]

Originally posted by MattBrady
Reed starts getting emails from another dimension with a warning of an impending crisis.

OMG! Reed's made contact with the DCU! Ultimate FF is going to cross-over with Inifnite Crisis!!! HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!

[JLAJRC]

Originally posted by CarlBowen
SHOEFACE sez:
"Obviously the Ultimate line is there to invite new readers who dont want to catch up with 500+ issues of back storys with the Avengers, Spidey of the FF, but I prefer comics when they are written for avid comic fans."

Just a rant here, Shoeface. Not a response to your point specifically:

Dear, THE BIG TWO, you don't have to keep rebooting or ret-conning or relaunching or bringing in new creative teams who hate the past in order to appeal to new readers. [Stop spitting on the graves of the honored titans!] Nor do you have to keep making increasingly obscure references to things that happened one time 40 years ago--or 20, or even 10--just to please that handful of people who are still reading after all that time. [If I need a flowchart, you've lost me, Ass.]

How about just giving us short, creative new stories every month? Look back at all that continuity and pick out the recurring themes and elements, sure, and use that to guide you thematically as you write new things. But don't make 10-20-40 years of backstory -essential- to understanding your story. Stick to what's important. If you're writing a Batman title for a year, give us 12 stories about Bruce Wayne solving crimes the police just can't solve or catching criminals the police just can't catch. If you're writing a Fantastic Four title for a year, give us 12 stories of the family either having adventures in exciting places or saving humanity from nigh-inconceivable dangers with the powers of advanced Science (of which they, themselves, are products). Give us Spider-Man stories about how science used irresponsibly can be terribly dangerous. Give us Superman stories about how noble ideals are worth fighting for, no matter who you are.

I don't care who the Reaper was or which convent his daughter went to after Batman: Year Two. I don't care what planet the Silver Surfer used to be from or how many heralds Galactus has had. That trivia might be important to give context to a What If...?, an Elseworlds story, or an Exiles story, but it's just not important to the month-to-month stories that keep people coming back.

If you can write 12 good creative new short stories a month that don't make the characters into people they're not, you're fine. You don't have to Ultimate-ize your title, and you don't have to make your story impenetrable to the casual reader. Look at X-Men Unlimited or Spider-Man Unlimited. Those are just good entertaining reads, and you don't have to keep up with everything that's gone before. Hell, you don't have keep up with every issue of those titles themselves. They're just good stories about characters people like. (And it's two good stories an issue!)

CHOISEZ sez:
"I'm hoping the Ultimate FF crosses-over w/ the movie FF."

That would be awesome.

--Carl.

AMEN CARL. This is how continuity should be used, sticking to the basics. If I have to do research to understand a story, it's poorly written.

This is what I'm afraid for about the upcoming DC Crisis. I'm excited about it, but I also am kind of scared at the potential continuity mess that may come from it. Look at Hawkman post-Zero Hour pre-Geoff Johns. The fact the DC had to start a web page on the various happenings worries me.

I enjoyed Millar's Spider-Man and am enjoying UF4.

[BLACKBRIAR]

What I like about The Ultimates is that each character was re-envisioned for today's audience and the whole book reads like it takes place today. (Rather than being hampered and horribly dated by regular super hero conventions.)

I find most of the the other Ultimate books disappointing since they clear do not have this in mind. The Ultimate Fantastic Four is pretty much the same as the "regular" Fantastic Four. There are even no interesting new designs for the characters. For example, Ultimate Wasp, Ultimate Nick Fury and Ultimate Iron Man are easily distinguishable from theit regular counterparts. Ultimate Fantastic Four look exactly the same.

Unfortunately, the real "ultimate" version of the Fantastic Four was not even produced by Marvel: it is called the Incredibles. Marvel completely missed the mark with this ultimatization, and Pixar/Disney trumped them completely. They updated the Fantastic Four concept in a way that would embraced by the general public in a way the Fantastic Four NEVER will.

They should cancel this book. It is not needed.