Ultimate Fantastic Four #1 old & new covers

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A side-by-side comparison of the old and new versions of the cover to Ultimate Fantastic Four #1 by Bryan Hitch. The version on the left was released along with the initial press announcements, but Hitch later felt that it didn't reflect his character designs properly, particularly Sue, and he touched up the cover accordingly (this has been moved from the features section of the old site).

ultff01newold.jpg
 
Here's a cover Bryan Hitch made. But they never used.

bh04ultimreed.jpg
 
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I don't think either one of the Sues represent Hitch's better work. Reed looks pretty strange, too.

I like the unpublished cover that watcher posted. Hopefully it'll find it's way on a issue one day.
 
That eye picture is just horrible. It represents what I hate about Reed Richards: "I stretch all the time! Especially when I don't have to!"

And the old Sue looks like the Joker. Ben's head look like a disgruntled ball of bleh. And Reed looks like he's going to hug them all (aww).

Sorry for comming off sounding like a jealous and bitter marvel ex-artist.
 
Korinthian said:
That eye picture is just horrible. It represents what I hate about Reed Richards: "I stretch all the time! Especially when I don't have to!"

And the old Sue looks like the Joker. Ben's head look like a disgruntled ball of bleh. And Reed looks like he's going to hug them all (aww).

Sorry for comming off sounding like a jealous and bitter marvel ex-artist.

Don't worry, I agree with you, you John Q. Public clone.
 
I have no idea who John Q. is, but I'll take that as a compliment!

Let's be friends!
 
the watcher said:
Here's a cover Bryan Hitch made. But they never used.

bh04ultimreed.jpg

That is posted elsewhere here too.
 
When I first saw the promotional cover back then, my first thought was, "HA! I knew Hitch isn't perfect!" I like his work I really do, but it came out at a time I was reading way too many ***-kissing treatises to his brilliance.
 
ourchair said:
When I first saw the promotional cover back then, my first thought was, "HA! I knew Hitch isn't perfect!"

Yes...I don't know how anyone could like that first cover. Sue looks terrible and the coloring is all pale and washed out.
 
The first one with Sue, she looks demented, like shes about to eat somebody's soul. And The eye is very dumb, wouldnt that take alot of consentration to do?
 
Random said:
And The eye is very dumb, wouldnt that take alot of consentration to do?
True.

As dorky as this may sound, I've always had trouble with writers and artists who have interpreted Reed's elasticity with too much liberty. Making him stretch one eyeball at a time ranks second to shapeshifting into complex objects like boats on my list of annoyances.

I've always felt that Reed's powers are to some extent limited by his musculature. That's why casual use of his malleability usually involves increasing the reach and range of how a normal human would move anyway (i.e. long-legged strides, reaching for high places) rather than something crazy like individual fingers moving like tendrils.

Humans don't have the autonomous muscular control required to bug our eyes forward with great control and the manner in which we can move one eye independently from another is usually limited. As such, Reed should be stretching both eyeballs and not just one.
 
ourchair said:
True.

As dorky as this may sound, I've always had trouble with writers and artists who have interpreted Reed's elasticity with too much liberty. Making him stretch one eyeball at a time ranks second to shapeshifting into complex objects like boats on my list of annoyances.

I've always felt that Reed's powers are to some extent limited by his musculature. That's why casual use of his malleability usually involves increasing the reach and range of how a normal human would move anyway (i.e. long-legged strides, reaching for high places) rather than something crazy like individual fingers moving like tendrils.

Humans don't have the autonomous muscular control required to bug our eyes forward with great control and the manner in which we can move one eye independently from another is usually limited. As such, Reed should be stretching both eyeballs and not just one.
I agree. And isn't there an instance where Reed uses his powers so that he could enlarge is pupils to use them as a form of microscope? That would make more sense, wouldn't it?
 
First, on the two #1 covers:

I prefer the first one but, like others have said, with the second ones coloring. The first one is a bit too light. However, as much as some may feel that Sue looks insane on the original cover, she just looks sprayed over on the second cover (which, technically, she is) and doesn't look much like Sue (not that the first one does, but she looks MORE like Sue than the second one).
Also, I dislike the fully-flamed on Johnny because it's another "spray-on" job and looks that way. Reed in both versions looks stupid; like a giant "smiley" teddy bear doing a Barney the Dinosaur impersonation.
Ben looks good in both, IMO. And so does Johnny's expression. The background addition of the "cosmic rays" looks cool on both, but better on the second where it is colored a bit better.

On that unused cover:

I like it. I think that, yeah the covers should represent the reality of the characters, but that you guys are also just griping about it for nothing. Not only is it an unused cover, it's also a cover to a friggin' comic book...NOT a book on physiology!
Relax and enjoy the image for its novelty-factor (which is pretty high) and the detail (which I always appreciate on a close-up shot by Hitch).

As for whoever that guy was who said Hitch was getting too much praise and stuff. Sure he was. But he's good. Damn good. Of course he has some weaknesses, all artists do. There's no need to pick on Hitch just because he was popular.
I mean, look at Bruce Banner (in the restaurant) in #2 of vol.1 of The Ultimates. There are bits where he looks NOTHING like Bruce Banner. That ticked me off and took me out of the story, and yet I don't care enough to search for the secrets of face muscles so I can work out if it's possible for Bruce's face to look like that or not.

So...bwahahahahahahahahaha! I'm crazy!
 

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