During the Ultimate Panel at WizardWorld Chicago Marvel Editor-in-Chief Joe Quesada presided over the announcement of a new Ultimate book -- the Ultimate Fantastic Four.  Marvel has purposefully kept its roster of Ultimate titles small, but Quesada hinted that even more Ultimate titles could be on the way.  Brian Michael Bendis will team with Mark Millar to write the Ultimate Fantastic Four -- a somewhat unorthodox arrangement for these two high-powered scribes, which both writers professed to enjoy immensely.  The FF will be 'Ultimatized' to a degree, with a new origin story and a contemporary setting, but both authors indicated that they wanted to capture the spirit of the original -- and yes, Dr. Doom will return.  The talented Adam Kubert will draw the Ultimate Fantastic Four, which launches in December.  With the FF Movie (see 'Director Leaves Fantastic Four Film') still slated for December of 2004, Marvel obviously sees an opportunity to raise the profile of this important core property.

During the extended Q& A session, Mark Millar talked about the current wave of exclusive signings.  Millar said he was very happy working with Marvel, due largely to his access to a very high level of artistic talent to illustrate his work, and his good working relationship with his peers at Marvel.  Despite the rumored overtures from DC, Millar stated that he would continue to work with Marvel for at least 2-3 years.