Age of Ultron #10 Review

Writer: Brian Michael Bendis
Artists: Alex Maleev, Bryan Hitch, Butch Guice, Brandon Peterson, Carlos Pacheco, David Marquez & Joe Quesada

Finally the end of Age of Ultron has arrived, and the series that I was so looking forward to, to only be a huge disappointment comes to an end. The only hope is that this issue will end the bellow mediocre story on a high, and even more so have a spectacular ending.

Plot

Time is running out, and can the events that have happened in Age of Ultron be rectified?

Review

This was a decent issue, and an very interesting way to end the series, but it was still far from perfect, and didn't rectify the series' overall poor quality. I hate to hate Brian Michael Bendis for what he's done here, as although the last few years of his Avengers run were poor, the entire run was relatively good, having a phenomenal start. I also find it hard to hate him as his current work on Marvel NOW! although at times slightly poor, has also been overall brilliant. I do however feel that he's seriously dropped the ball with this series, and although I wouldn't go quite as strong as to say that I hated him, I will say that I am very disappointed, as well as frustrated about this series, which I initially had high hopes for, and I seriously wish I'd just left it alone. Anyway, there were some good things about this issue, and it probably was one of the better issues in the series. At the same time it felt a little anticlimactic at times, as well as also re-printing parts of Avengers #12.1, but I'll talk more on that later. There was however a lot of excitement, and suspense in this issue, something that the series hasn't given much of, and overall it was enjoyable, just not spectacular, or overly memorable.

There were a lot of artist working on this issue, with everyone from Bryan Hitch, Alex Maleev, Jackson Butch Guice, David Marquez, Joe Quesada, and more. Now due to this I won't go into detail on every artists work, but I will mention the artists who's work stood out the most, as well as my overall feelings on the style, and layout. Anyway my favourite art had to be from Hitch, as although it was just a re-print of his work from Avengers #12.1, it was still amazing, and some of the most amazing, and explosive art this series has seen. It was also much better that his art on the earlier issue of this series that he worked on, having a lot more detail. The other art that really stood out to me was the small double page from Marquez, and the final few pages from Quesada, which were both truly phenomenal, with ton's of detail, and vibrancy. I did however find the overall style of the art to be inconsistent, which is expected when many artists collaborate on the same issue, and is the reason I don't like this sort of thing. Now I don't mind montages, in Finale issues, but as this was telling the end of the story I felt it should have had as few artists as possible, or artists with similar style, as although there wasn't one artist who's work I hated, the overall style didn't allow the story to flow as smoothly as it should have.

During the last issue we saw Hank Pym being persuaded to help stop Ultron without affecting the timeline. Now we see a continuation of this as the Hank Pym of the present receives a message from his past self. Now I won't go into any more details, as to avoid spoilers, but what would happen during this was very intriguing. It also was a interesting way of setting up the end of this story, and although it wasn't the most exciting way to do it, it was still very interesting, and appropriate. Besides this I also loved seeing the current Pym's reaction to this message, as although it was as expected, it was still brilliant, and added more drama, and suspense to the issue.

As I said earlier this issue took parts from Avengers #12.1 to finish the story, adding additional text to make it look, and seem like a different encounter. Now I wasn't too sure if I loved or hated this, as although I didn't initially notice that it was nearly an exact copy of Avengers #12.1, when I found out I wasn't sure is this was a brilliant, or terrible decision on Bendis part. I say this as part of me feels cheated, having what is virtually a previous used sequence added to this final issue. On the other hand I liked how the whole story has went full circle, with it starting, and ending with nearly the exact same sequence, in the exact same moment.

We did also get to see a fight between the Avengers, and Ultron, and although I won't go into too much detail, as well as zero story detail, to avoid spoilers, I will say what I thought of the sequence. First off, finally the Avengers/Ultron fight I was hoping for in this story, and although some of it was from the Avengers #12.1 issue, I was still happy to see the fight, as well as the fact that it was expanded, with Guice continuing from Hitch's art from Avenger #12.1. The fight itself wasn't spectacular, but it was still exciting, and clever, and although it still doesn't make up for the lack of Ultron in this series, as well as the overall quality of the series, it was still nice.

Now this issue speculated that there will once again be change in the Marvel Universe. Now I will once again avoid going into much detail as not to spoil anything, but I will say my thoughts on this. Now this for me was what made this issue so interesting, and really has me hooked on what may happen in the future. I will however say that although I liked the change that was shown at the end of the issue that was drawn by Quesada, I didn't understand the need for secrecy, as although I won't say what it was, I will say that it was something that was already mentioned prior. I did however still love this addition, and felt it was perfect considering what's to come, and although I still question the need for secrecy, it was still a nice surprise, all be it, not as big a surprise as I initially expected.

WARNING: POSSIBLE SPOILER AHEAD!

Now this is only me speculating, but I wonder if the events in this series have anything to do with the upcoming Infinity story arc. Now I very much doubt it, but I ask this question as there was a double page spread not long after the half way point, that had a similar smashed panel affect as the Free Comic Book Day Infinity issue had. Now this could easily be a coincidence, but with this also showing things to come, as well as the fractured timeline, it's a possibility, and although I personally feel that it is just coincidence, I felt it was worth sharing.

Final Verdict

This was a good way to finish the series, but at the same time it didn't make up for the previous down points during the series, and overall was itself not spectacular. It did however have some action, and excitement, as well as suspense, and drama, something that the series hasn't always had. It also showed that there will be some changes coming, which has me hooked, but still doesn't make up for the fact that this was a seriously poor series. I would only recommend this issue to people who have already been getting the series, as well as others who want to get a teaser for the upcoming changes, as although you should be able to find these changes on the internet, I found it more interesting finding them out through this issue.

Rating: 3/5

Age of Ultron #9 Review

Writer: Brian Michael Bendis
Artists: Carlos Pacheco & Brandon Peterson

This series has been nothing short of disappointing, and after all the time it took to come out, having originally been announced a couple of years ago it's a real shame. With only a couple of issues left I seriously hope that it goes out with a bang, but that's asking a lot from this series.

Plot

After the hero's of this new world have been destroyed by Morgan Le Fey, and her army, Iron Man warns Wolverine not to try and change time back to the way they were. Meanwhile as Wolverine is about to kill Hank Pym in the past, another Wolverine interjects, having something to say.

Review

To be honest I wasn't sure whether to love this issue, or hate it, as it started terribly, but then really picked up, becoming a very interesting issue, and if it wasn't for the terrible start it could have been the best in the series so far. Brian Michael Bendis did an excellent job of changing the past sequence that appears later in the issue, but the first seven pages having little to no dialogue, something that Bendis has done previously in this series, wasn't a good thing, and really hurt the overall quality of the issue. This also didn't allow for much to happen, which yet again showed that the series has been way to long, and could have easily been better at a shorter length. It's a real shame really, as Bendis can produce brilliant stories, having written some amazing crossovers in the past, like Siege, and House of M, whilst also currently writing fabulous series in the Marvel NOW! concept, with All-New X-Men, and Guardians of the Galaxy both being brilliant, making me question what went wrong here. I do however have to give him some credit, as although the start was terrible, the dialogue throughout the rest of the issue was brilliant, and although the issue overall was slightly dull, it did have it's moments, and could have easily been better with minor changes.

I was really happy with the art on this issue, as Carlos Pacheco returned to do art in the past sequences, whilst Brandon Peterson once again did the art for the present sequences. Pacheco's art on the past sequences was one of the things I loved about the last few issues, and although Peterson's art is still brilliant, Pacheco's is much better, and I really missed it on the last issue. Now before I continue talking about Pacheco's art I'll talk about Peterson's, as considering his art opened the issue it's the natural place to start. I actually much preferred Paterson's art in this issue, as although it wasn't quite as good as Pacheco's, it was much more impactful, and dramatic, and the way he drew the decimated New York City, and it's fallen hero's was brilliant. I also loved the layout in this sequence, as it as well added more drama, and overall Peterson did a fantastic job. Back to Pacheco's art, which although not as impactful as Peterson's, was much smoother, and appealing. I really loved how Pacheco redrew this amazing sequence, showing different view points this time round, which really made it much more unique. I also loved how he drew the two Wolverine's, and loved how the second had a more retro costume on, which was awesome. Pacheco also did a brilliant job of showing the character's emotions, and especially on Pym, who you could tell was both confused, and conflicted.

Now the rest of my review won't be quite as long as it'd usually be, as with not as much happening in this issue, there's obviously not as much to talk about. I'll start with the decimation of this new world, and it's hero's, and although I've already talked about this a couple of times, I'll go into more detail this time. What I liked about this sequence was that it showed that even if you take Ultron out of the equation, there's still always something just as bad around the corner, and this time it was Morgan Le Fey. Now as I said the sequence was very impactful, and amazing to look at, but I just can't help but think that it'd be much better if it had more dialogue, which would make it last a bit longer, instead of feeling like a flash in the pan.

During this we did however get some proper dialogue, and although it took seven pages to happen, we got a very interesting conversation between Wolverine, and Iron Man. Now I really didn't like this new Iron Man in the last couple of issues, but I have to say that I started to like him slightly in this one. He seemed much more human, and emotional in this issue, and although previous issues showed him as this mistrusting character, who was verging on becoming a tyrant, this issue showed that he did care about the fate of humanity. I also liked that he talked about time travel, and how even though changing things back may be the right thing, it's too big a risk, and would severely damage time.

As shown on the cover we got two Wolverine's in this issue, but unlike the cover they were both in different uniforms. Now although I was disappointed that both Wolverine's didn't fight each other, the conversation they had was extremely interesting, and one of the best things about this issue. What I loved best was how the Wolverine that was about to kill Pym was naturally mistrusting, whereas the other Wolverine was much more calm, and collected, something you don't see too often from Wolverine. I also found it very interesting how they reacted to what Pym, and the Invisible Woman (Sue Strom) had to say. There was however one thing that I questioned about this sequence, and that was how this didn't create a paradox. To be fair that question was also something I asked when Wolverine killed Pym in the first place, but with both character's crossing each other's time stream it just screams paradox, and I'm seriously shocked at how Bendis can easily dismiss these things, barely mentioning them.

Final Verdict

This issue wasn't bad, but it was yet again far from brilliant, which was a real shame, as there were parts that were brilliant, but unfortunately they were ruined by terribly parts. There were interesting things in this issue, as well as some imactful things, but the pacing was still very slow, and overall the issue was a disappointment. I would only recommend this issue to anyone who's been getting the series so far, as otherwise it's a waste of money, as the series as a whole has been one big disappointment.

Rating: 3/5

Uncanny Avengers #8AU Review

Writers: Rick Remender & Gerry Duggan
Artist: Adam Kubert

This has been a fabulous series, and although it didn't have the best start, it has recently became phenomenal, and my favourite Marvel NOW! series. At the same time however the Age of Ultron crossover has been very disappointing, and although there have been a couple of interesting tie-ins, they have also been generally poor, but if there's a series that can make Age of Ultron worthwhile it's this one.

Plot

Kang takes the Apocalypse Twins, Uriel, and Eimin to this alternative world that has been caused through the death of Hank Pym, teaching them that a warrior faces their opponent head on, tasking them with killing Colonel America.

Review

This was an amazing issue, and both a brilliant back story, as well as a fabulous tie-in to a disappointing crossover. As I said in my introduction, there have been a couple of tie-in's to Age of Ultron that have been entertaining, but nothing quite as good as this issue, which in a way makes Age of Ultron slightly worthwhile. Both Rick Remender, and Gerry Duggan did an excellent job in showing the development of the Apocalypse Twins prior to the main story, and how they became the killers they are. Now I don't really know how much influence Duggan had in this issue, as co-writing is still sometimes a bit of a mystery to me (with who actually did what), but Remmender has used this opportunity to delve deeper into the past of his storyline, without making it an essential issue to the story, and whatever involvement Duggan had didn't hurt the story. Another thing I loved about the writing was the way it played into the crossover, and this new universe, and to be honest if it came earlier in the crossover, it wouldn't have been as good, and would have felt slightly unnecessary. I also loved that despite this, Remender, and Duggan managed to involve as many members of the Avengers Unity Squad (as they are in this universe) as they could, and it really made the issue feel like it's part of the series, whilst being it's own stand alone story, that also fits into the main story.

The art in this issue was from Adam Kubert, and although his art is nothing compared to any of the artists that have featured on this series so far (John Cassaday, Olivier Coipel, and Daniel Acuña), it suited this issue, and this setting. I've enjoyed Kuberts art in the past, especially on Ultimate X-Men so it was nice to see him feature on this series, and even though his art isn't as visually stunning as the other artists I mentioned, the detail he produced in this issue was brilliant, and it was clear that he made a big effort. I also really loved how Kubert handled most of the character's, especially the changed state of the character's in this new universe. I was however not very fond of how Kubert drew Kang, as his face was a little too square, and overall not the awe-inspiring character that I love to see in comics. Kubert did however make up for this in many ways, as the detail in the settings was also amazing, and the fight sequences were just phenomenal, being very vivid, and exciting, whilst also adding more drama, and suspense, which was truly outstanding. The cover from Jim Cheung was also phenomenal, and the amazing way he drew Kang, reminded me of his brilliant artwork during Young Avengers, and he also drew the Apocalypse Twins perfectly.

The best thing in this issue for me was the genius way that it fitted into Age of Ultron, without spoiling the story, or Age of Ultron itself, although the latter would have been hard. With this being set prior to the main storyline, added the fact that Kang is a time traveller made the connection to this crossover an obvious choice, especially considering Kang is seeing this as a learning ground for the Apocalypse Twins. I also loved how the story utilised the changes that has happened to the Marvel Universe in Age of Ultron, and how that also plays into the hands of the story, giving a unique take on the Age of Ultron setting, making the crossover itself worthwhile to a certain extent.

Although the genius way Remender, and Duggan crossed this series into Age of Ultron was the best thing about the issue, my favourite thing had to be seeing Kang again. Now Kang hasn't really appeared in this story as much as I'd like so far, and it appears that the Apocalypse Twins left him on bad terms, so to see him return to the series was nice, even if it was part of a back story. I do however believe that Kang will return to the main storyline, and sooner rather than later. Anyway, in this issue Kang also continued teaching the Apocalypse Twins, and his teachings were rather interesting, and really showed the influence that Kang has had on the Apocalypse Twins, which was a fitting addition to this issue.

As I said earlier, this issue would show the changed to quite a few members of the Avengers Unity Squad that haven't already featured in Age of Ultron, whilst also mentioning others. The main change that is apparent is that Havok is now the leader of the Morlocks, a group of Mutants who live underground. Now I have to thank Remender, and Duggan straight away, as I really liked the Morlocks in the earlier comics I read when I was younger, and especially in the X-Men Animated series that was out during the 90's, so to see them again was nice. Besides that having Havok as their leader, with fellow Avengers Unity Squad member, Rogue by his side was nice, and a brilliant way to include them in this story. I also loved the interaction Captain America (now Colonel America) had with Havok, and the way this set-up the rest of the issue was perfect.

This issue would also show that the Avengers Unity Squad would have new relationships during this changed period, and although I won't name anyone, as to avoid spoilers, I say what I thought of this. To be honest my first reaction was that this revelation was a bit forced, and only added due to the situation. At the same time I found it slightly interesting, and liked how Remender, and Duggan thought of the what if? factors that come with a change in the universe, but overall it just felt a little too forced for me. It didn't however affect the quality of the issue, and it probably will appeal to quite a few people.

As I said earlier, Kang brought the Apocalypse Twins to this changed time period to advance their learning, mainly teaching them to become killers. Now I know I already talked a little about this earlier, but I felt I still needed to talk about the emotions that were shown during this, especially from the Apocalypse Twins. Now the thing I liked the most about this was that it showed that even though they are the heirs to Apocalypse, and that they've been raised by Kang, Eimin, and more so Uriel show signs of humanity, showing that although they can kill people, they didn't necessarily feel the need to kill for the sake of killing. I also loved how this showed the start of the wedge that would come between the Apocalypse Twins, and Kang, showing why the Apocalypse Twins would eventually leave Kang.

Final Verdict

This was yet another amazing issue, and although it's not quite as good as the main storyline that's featured in this series, it has to be the best crossover to Age of Ultron that I've read so far, and also the best issue in the crossover so far (including Age of Ultron itself). The issue showed the developments of the Apocalypse Twins prior to the main storyline perfectly, whilst also showing what's become of the Avengers Unity Squad in this changed universe, and it was simply outstanding, and I'd highly recommend this issue, even if you're not getting Age of Ultron.

Rating: 5/5

Age of Ultron #8 Review

Writer: Brian Michael Bendis
Artist: Brandon Peterson

When this series was first announced a couple of years ago I was extremely happy, and really looking forward to it, but since it's start, and with it now almost being over it's been one of the biggest let-downs I've seen in comics, and to be honest it will be good when it's over.

Plot

Captured by the Defenders of this new timeline, Wolverine is questioned by Iron Man over the death of Hank Pym, whilst Invisible Woman (Sue Storm) tries to escape, and Emma Frost tries to send the Defenders back to their Sanctorum.

Review

Yet another disappointing issue, and to be honest I'd be more surprised to see a decent issue come out of the remaining two issue that follow this one. Brian Michael Bendis has really dropped the ball with this storyline, as although he's had some bad stories in the past, I don't think there has been any as disappointing as this story, and I seriously can't wait for it to be over with. Don't get me wrong there are a few good bits about this series, and this issue, and I have been trying to be as nice as possible to this series, as I don't like being to negative, but it's really hard not to with this, especially when it's one disappointing issue, followed by another. Now the good bits in Bendis writing was that learning some of the history of this alternative future was interesting, and the reaction of the character's from this alternative universe was also interesting, but besides that the issue was slow, and slightly boring. There was however an exciting action sequence, but it felt a bit forced, and unnecessary. Besides that Bendis just continued to develop this disappointing story even slower than he's been doing, and if he is going to end this story with a bang, it better be a pretty huge bang, and even that won't save the story as a whole.

Only Brandon Peterson did the art on this issue, as with everything being set in the present there was no need foe Carlos Pacheco (who was doing the art for the past sequences), which was a real shame as I really enjoyed his art. Now Peterson's art again was pretty good, and normally I'd be happy with this, but after seeing both Pacheco, and Bryan Hitch produce some fabulous artwork it's hard to appreciate this for what it is, knowing that there's been better art on the series. I did however still love Peterson's more grittier style, and feel that it really suits this new version of the present, as it really fit's with the new tone's. I did however find some of the facial expressions a bit awkward, but that wasn't a big deal, and Peterson more than made up for it with a fabulous action sequence that was very entertaining, ans visually stunning. I also really loved Peterson's cover, and loved how it hinted at the content of this issue, without spoiling it early on. Peterson also did a fabulous job of the layouts, and the character's facial expressions, as both were handled perfectly, and really made the issue that much more dramatic, and dynamic, something that it really needed.

This issue started with Iron Man sifting through Wolverine, and Sue's memories, seeing what the universe would have been like if Hank Pym lived. This was a very interesting sequence, and the interaction Iron Man had with Professor X, and Emma Frost was very interesting, and dramatic, and the emotional reactions being very subtle really helped make a slow, and dull sequence that little bit better. I also liked how the character's had very similar characteristics as they did in the normal universe, whilst still having some obvious signs of change, which really made the connection between these character's much more unique, and interesting.

Iron Man would then go and question Wolverine about his actions, asking him if he felt the death of Hank Pym was worth it. Now I wont go into any more detail, as to avoid spoilers, but this had to be the most heated, and exciting conversations that we've seen in the whole story, and although when it comes down to it, I'm still not a fan of this new universe, the conversation was still very interesting. I especially loved how both Wolverine, and Iron Man were very emotionally driven during this conversation, with Wolverine showing little emotion, whilst showing that he isn't proud of his actions, whilst Iron Man feels angry about the death of his friend, as well as other emotions aimed at Wolverine.

Whilst this is happening Emma is sent to tell the Defenders to return to their Sanctorum, which doesn't go down well with the Defenders, who believe that Iron Man doesn't trust them. Now this was again a very interesting, and entertaining sequence, but like the others it just didn't stand out too much, and felt unnecessary, much like this whole alternative universe seems to feel. I did however like that we see how this changed universe has affected the characteristics of the other Defenders, as they are quite differnet from their normal counterparts. This issue would also go into saying why this team's called the Defender, and not the Avengers, something that I questioned last issue. Now again I won't go into details as this would give away an interesting spoiler, but it was nice to have some clarity to this, and it made the whole fact of naming them the Defenders very appropriate, which has been one of Bendis' more cleverer decisions in this series.

The thing that interested me the most about this issue however was learning the changes to the history of the Marvel Universe, which was really interesting. We already learned that certain events that are key to the Marvel Universe we know and love have changed, but this issue would go to show some events that never happened, and how they've caused these character's to be the way they are. Now again I won't go into too much detail as to avoid spoilers, but it was a very interesting, and unique turn of events, and although I still much prefer the event that really happened, it showed a more clever side to Bendis' writing, which makes the fact that this is a disappointing series that much harder to take in.

Final Verdict

This issue is once again very slow, and dull, and the series continues to be disappointing. Although there were some interesting, and clever things added by Bendis in this issue, I just couldn't get over the fact that this story has been developing at way too slow a rate, with the odd exciting moments being overshadowed by disappointment. I would only recommend this issue to anyone who's already getting the series, as you might as well for three more issues (four if you count Age of Ultron #10AI), but anyone considering getting this at a later date, or getting the trade when it's released, I'd recommend against it.

Rating: 3/5

Age of Ultron #7 Review

Writer: Brian Michael Bendis
Artists: Brandon Peterson & Carlos Pacheco

I was really looking forward to this series before it started, but so far it has been nothing but disappointment, after disappointment, and to be honest I can't wait for it to finish, and can only hope that it goes out with a bang.

Plot

Wolverine, and Invisible Woman (Sue Storm) return to the present, and are shocked with what they find.

Review

This series has really been disappointing, and it just continues to disappoint even more. Now although this isn't the worst issue in the series, it's still not any better than most of the rest, and although I keep hoping for things to turn around, and this to become a good series I very much doubt that it will. This hasn't been one of Brian Michael Bendis' best stories, and although I'm sure he's put a lot of effort into it, and probably thought it would be good, it's been nothing special, and really quite poor. With the way the last issue ended I was hoping that finally this would be when the series would start to get good, and although what has happened in this issue was interesting, it wasn't anything spectacular. The story itself continues to be trailing along at a slow pace, and although there was excitement, the entire story seems to be one continuous drag. Even the changes were disappointing, as we've had no explanation as to why these character's appearances have changed, and to be honest it seems to be a bad what if? moment, but I'll talk more on that later.

Like last issue, Brandon Peterson, and Carlos Pacheco were on the artwork, with Pacheco doing the short sequence in the past, and Peterson doing the new present. Again Pacheco's art was the better of the two, as it was much smoother, and overall appealing, and to be honest it was a shame that there wasn't as much of it in this issue as the was in the previous. Peterson however still did a brilliant job himself, and although it's not as good as Pacheco's, it's still very good. The detail from both artists was brilliant, as although they both had very different styles, with Peterson's art being very rough, and edgy, and Pacheco's being very smooth, and clean, they both did a tremendous job on the details, as everything looked near perfect, if not perfect, whether it was the character's or the scenery. Peterson also did a fantastic job of the action, as although there wasn't a huge lot of it, it was still very dynamic, also adding more excitement to the issue, something that it really needed. I also loved how Pacheco drew the Dinosaurs in the Savage Land, as I always love a well drawn Dinosaur, and these ones looked vicious, and awesome. Peterson's artwork on the new look character's was also interesting, as although I found some looked awkward, and silly like the Cable/Cyclops character, whereas others like the Captain America/Nick Fury style character named Colonel America, and Thing, who by the looks of things may have been sent to Sakaar instead of Hulk (ring indent on chest looks like a scare possibly made from having one of them obedience devices the slaves on Sakaar had, though I could be wrong) look kind of interesting.

Whilst Wolverine, ans Sue are still in the past Sue worries over whether they've done the right thing, or if they'll have made things worse. I found this very interesting, as for anyone who hadn't read Wolverine & the X-Men #27AU would question why she had no problem in Wolverine killing Hank Pym, whereas this shows that she did, and that she was worried about the consequences I do however feel that it's a bit late in having regrets, as having time travelled in the past herself she should know what re-precautions it can have. The interaction between Wolverine, and Sue over this was also interesting, as it added another opinion to the mix.

The changes to the present were also interesting, and this was what I was looking forward to the most. Now the changes to the city itself wasn't too interesting, as the only main difference seemed to be that there was a lot more Helicarrier's in the sky than before. The things that interested me the most about this new version of their universe was the references to previous events like the Kree/Skrull War, and the Secret Invasion, as due to the changes they've caused by killing Pym, it appears that these events have happened differently now, which interested me more than the fact that the world itself was different.

When Wolverine, and Sue entered the new New York, they were greeted by the Defenders, which consisted of Colonel America (a cross between Cap and Nick Fury), Hulk, Doctor Strange, Captain Marvel, Star-Lord, Wolverine, Thing, and a Cable/Cyclops character who's using the name Cable, but who appears to be Cyclops (called Scott). The fact that this team was called the Defenders, and not the Avengers interested me the most, as it shows the changes that have happened, and the way the hero's see themselves. As I've said before I liked some of the changes, and disliked others, but it was the way they greated Wolverine, and Sue, as well as the apparent small changes to their personalities that interested me, as although it wasn't quite as exciting as I'd hoped it'd be, it was still interesting.

There was also some action in this issue, as thinking that Wolverine, and Sue were Skrulls they attack them. Like everything in this issue, this wasn't the best fight in the series so far, but it was probably the most interesting. For starters the way Thing reacted to Sue's presence interested me, and also made me question as to what happened to her since Pym died. The main thing that interested me though was Wolverine against the new Wolverine, as the interaction, and fighting was brilliant. The rest of the fight was also interesting, and I look forward to seeing how things continue in the next issue, but won't hold my breath for anything special.

Although I've read plenty of sci-fi stories, and time travel stories, I still question how all it works in the Marvel Universe, as I'd have thought that preventing Ultron from being made would nullify the need for Wolverine, and Sue to go back and kill Pym. Time travel is however a wide subject, and you could argue that this is now a parallel universe, but it still makes me question things.

Final Verdict

Like usual this wasn't anything special, and the series as a whole has bee disappointing. There was however some interesting things in this issue, and it will appeal to some people, just didn't appeal to me. Now I don't know if it's due to me losing faith in this series, but it just continues to not amaze me, and although it's not as disappointing as it used to be, it's still nothing special. I would only recommend this to people who have the series so far, but otherwise would recommend leaving this issue, and the series, as it's generally poor, and when everything's said and done I'm sure it won't have much off an affect on the future of Marvel.

Rating: 3/5

Age of Ultron #6 Review

Writer: Brian Michael Bendis
Artists: Brandon Peterson & Carlos Pacheco

Saying that this series has been disappointing is an understatement, as it's been a disaster, even though it's had it's moments. It's a shame as well, as I was really looking forward to this series, and now I feel that it's been a waste, and am losing hope that it will become good.

Plot

Wolverine travels to the past to stop Ultron from ever being created, but isn't alone as Invisible Woman (Sue Storm) follows him. Also Nick Fury's team consisting of Captain America, Iron Man (Tony Stark), Black Widow, Storm, Quicksilver, Quake (Daisy Johnson), and Red Hulk (Thunderbolt Ross) travel to the future to stop Ultron, but who will succeed first, if either.

Review

This series just continues to disappoint, and although each issue finishes brilliantly, with the prospect that the following issue will be the same, it still continues to not meet expectation. Brian Michael Bendis has done an appalling job on this series, and I don't really know how, as he's doing a phenomenal job on both Guardians of the Galaxy, and All-New X-Men. I kind of feel slightly sorry for giving negative feedback on Bendis' work on this story as although it's been poor, it's still obvious that he's put a lot of effort into it, which is a real shame. There are however still positives about this issue, as both the future and past sequences were interesting, and the little action we got was amazing, but overall the development of the story continues to be dramatically slow, and at times the story's very dull. I did however also like that there was emotion in this issue, as although the story itself was still very slow paced, and disappointing, the characters emotions were shown perfectly, as you have these people who are generally good natured, but that have had so much taken away from them at the same time, which really shows, as there are characters that are obviously conflicted. I also used to blame the length of this series for it's poor quality, but now that it's over half way it should have picked up, so it's obviously more than that, which is a shame.

The art in this issue wasn't bad, but it wasn't as good a Bryan Hitch's art for the first half of the series. To be honest I wasn't expecting anyone to do a better job that Hitch has, as although he's had the odd moment were his art lacked detail, looking rushed, overall it was phenomenal, and truly amazing. Brandon Peterson, and Carlos Pacheco did however do an amazing job, and the art was brilliant. The detail from both artists was brilliant, as both the character's, and the scenery looked amazing. Overall I don't really know what out of the artwork I liked most, as they both did an amazing job, but I probably have to give it to Pacheco, as his art was much more smoother, and the way he drew the character's emotions was brilliant, and it really gave more depth to the story. That's not to say that Peterson didn't do a good job, as his action sequences were stunning, and the way he drew the futuristic New York City was amazing, but the way he drew facial expressions was a bit weird, and at some points unrealistic.

The past sequence was what opened this issue, and in my opinion that time frame was the best overall. Although the story itself was slow, the actually sequences showed promise, and were very interesting, with the past one being the most interesting. I always thought that it would be anyway, as with the dramatic way the last issue finished I was really looking forward to seeing exactly what Wolverine had in store. The fact that Sue followed Wolverine instead of going with Nick Fury to the future like she was meant to was also an interesting fact, as it showed how important Wolverine's presence in the past is, and that it's more important than stopping Ultron, as Wolverine could unravel all of time and space with what he's planing on doing. This entire sequence was probably the most emotional in the issue, as you could see the hate, and anger in Wolverine throughout, but more so you could see the sadness, and confliction in Sue, as she could see what Wolverine was doing was right in a certain way, but wrong in another.

The future sequence's were also interesting, but not as much as the past, and at times they were actually a bit dull, and boring. I did however like the team that Fury assembled, as even without Sue it was an interesting team, as with characters like Cap, Iron Man, Storm, Red Hulk, Quake, Quicksilver, and Black Widow it's a lot of different skill sets, and personalities, which is interesting. I also found the way Fury reacted to the absence of Sue interesting, as it showed how his plan was going bad right from the start. I did however feel that the progression of this part of the story was a bit rushed, as he gets Quicksilver to go and recon the area, then decided to continue the progression whilst he's doing so. I understand that they want to act quick as Ultron will know that they are there, but it feels a bit pointless to get Quicksilver doing that, whilst moving on anyway.

Hank Pym also featured in the past section of this story, were he was studying Dragon Man, trying to develop his Artificial Intelligence. I found it nice to see Hank in this issue, as with him being the creator of Ultron it's been weird not to have him involved in a story like this. I won't go into details about his involvement plot wise, but it was very interesting, and at times shocking. I also loved the way he acted, as this showed a more confident Hank Pym, who wanted to make the same kind of contribution to the work as the likes of what Tony Stark has.

This issue also featured two versions of Nick Fury, the one that travelled to the future to face Ultron, and a younger version that was in the past. Now the younger version didn't really do much besides unknowingly give Wolverine and Sue transport, but the fact that it had both versions was interesting, and for the younger version to be in the Savage Land at the same bunker that they were in at the present showed that he had it for years. The comparisons between both versions was also interesting, as it was nice to see a younger version of Fury.

Final Verdict

This series continues to disappoint, and it's a huge shame, as I had so much hope for it. Although this issue itself has some interesting points, the development of the overall story is still very slow. I wouldn't recommend this issue, or the series, and unless it gets dramatically better throughout the remaining of the series I wouldn't even recommend getting the trade when it's out, as the series is over half way through and hasn't progressed much.

Rating: 3/5

Age of Ultron #5 Review

Writer: Brian Michael Bendis

Artist: Bryan Hitch

I was really looking forward to this event, but it's been nothing but disappointing so far, and although it's had a couple of moments where it was good, overall it's been very disappointing, and I can't do anything but hope that the second half's much better.

Plot

Now in the Savage Land the hero's head to Nick Fury's base, and find none other than Nick Fury himself. Also Iron Man, Mr. Fantastic, and Hank Pym work on fixing Vision months prior to the events of this series (appears to be not long after Avengers Disassembled).

Review

This issue was better than the previous issue, and actually one of the better issues in the series so far, but the series is still not at the level of quality that I hoped it'd be at by now, and with the series being half way through, the remaining half will need to be extraordinarily amazing to make this series an overall success, something that I no longer see happening (but I still hope that it does). I don't know how Brian Michael Bendis has managed to do such a bad job of this series, especially considering he's doing such a good job on All-New X-Men and Guardians of the Galaxy, and although his Avengers run was inconsistent it's sad to see it end on such a catastrophic low. The positives I can say about Bendis' writing in this issue is that he's managed to develop the overall backstory, whilst also slowly developing the future of the story. In saying that as you've probably guessed from my last statement, the progression of the actual story is still going very slowly, and although it appears that the next issue will finally have something exciting it probably wont, as each issue as left me with the feeling that the next one will be when it finally kicks it up a gear, but when the time comes it never does, which is a shame. I did however like how Bendis re-introduced Fury back into the Marvel Universe, as he's been gone too long, but I'll talk about that more later. Overall the writing wasn't bad, but the story is still slow, and I still blame the length of the series for that.

Last issue Bryan Hitch's artwork wasn't quite as good as it's been throughout the series, or in fact as good as it's been in the past period, but this issue (his final issue on the series) his artworks back at the level that I've come to expect from Hitch, and it's truly magnificent, and the best thing about the issue, which is nice considering it's his last piece of art on the series. The detail in his artwork was simply brilliant, and although it still had the very minor imperfections it was much more detailed than his last issue, and you can see that he's put a lot of effort. I've also loved the way Hitch has laid the artwork out throughout his time on the series, as it's truly marvellous, and adds a brilliant dramatic feel to the series, making it feel more alive. The emotion he showed through the characters facial expressions was also brilliant, as you could really tell what they were feeling, especially Wolverine when he was angry, which overall made the story better, and yet again more dramatic. The pieces of art that I loved the most from Hitch on this issue was the gear that Fury had collected in his bunker, as it was brilliant, and there were some real nice retro pieces there.

WARNING: FOLLOWING PARAGRAPH CONTAINS MINOR SPOILERS!

I try not to include spoilers in my reviews, but with this being at the start, along with most of it being shown in some way in the past I felt that it wasn't too much of a spoiler. Anyway, this issue opened with a sequence that takes place months prior, with Iron Man, Mr. Fantastic, and Hank Pym trying to fix Vision, who's damaged. From what they said I assume this took place not long after Avengers Disassembled (which kind of questions how short a time everything since then's taken place in), which was interesting. The sequence itself wasn't hugely necessary, but after seeing the following sequence you can see why it actually is necessary. The following sequence basically had Iron Man laughing over the fact that Ultron set it up so that the Avengers would take Vision in, meaning that he could take over the world easier. This shows that it's probably the events in Disassembled that set this up, as Vision surprisingly appeared, and produced ton's of Ultron's, but due to that being the fault of the Scarlet Witch it does question if Ultron planned for that, or if Scarlet Witch is in some ways to blame for this also. At the same time it may not be connected to Disassembled at all. Anyway it was nice to get a bit of clarification as to how this started, and although it was rather obvious it was still nice.

When in the Savage Land the hero's find Fury's bunker, but with no way of getting into it Red Hulk (Thunderbolt Ross) is given the task of opening it. When he does he gets a nasty shock as he's shot by Fury himself. The re-emergence of Fury wasn't in itself too big of a surprise, as with them going to one of his bunkers it highly plausible that he'd be inside it. Anyway I was happy to see the return of Fury, and although this will most likely be a brief appearance, with him disappearing following the event, I'm still happy that he's involved, as I personally haven't seen him in anything since Siege (I think). Fury's just the perfect person for this kind of event, as with all the stuff he's seen in the past, on top of all the strategy skills that he possesses, he's the perfect person to lead a team against Ultron.

There was however still continuity problems in this issue, as Spider-Man still seemed to act like Peter Parker instead of Doctor Octopus (as he's still telling jokes when he can, which Doc Ock's not been doing), which shows that this was either written a while ago, or Bendis doesn't know how to write Spider-Man any other way, but I assume it's the earlier. This kind of makes me wish that Superior Spider-Man #6AU didn't show that Doc Ock was still Spider-Man, but I have a feeling that this story's going to end as if it's actually taken place between the series, meaning that Doc Ock would still be Spider-Man anyway. Either way Bendis should have spent a little time re-writing it in a style that Doc Ock would talk (assuming that it was written a while ago).

WARNING: FOLLOWING PARAGRAPH CONTAINS MINOR SPOILERS!

Again I don't like spoilers in my reviews, but due to there being so little to talk about, added with the fact that I found this very interesting I don't really have much of a choice. In a way this isn't really a huge spoiler, as the last issue revealed that Ultron was in the future, and ended with Red Hulk, Black Widow and Moon Knight saying that they're going to wipe Ulton from existence. Anyway, after talking through the options Fury decides to take a select group to the future to kill Ultron (as I said not really much of a spoiler), which doesn't sit well with everyone. I won't go into to much details over what was actually said as that would really spoil the issue, but the fact that Fury, and company are heading to face Ultron means that this series has a high potential of being really good really soon, but I'll wait and see, as each issue has ended with me feeling like this.

Final Verdict

Although better than the last issue, this issue still wasn't to the level of quality I hoped the series would be at. The series finally appears to be getting better, but it's done that before, and I won't hold my breath, only believing it when it happens. I would consider recommending this issue, just for the fact that it features the return of Nick Fury, but besides that I'd still recommend waiting until the end of the series, and if it's overall good getting it in trade.

Rating: 3/5

Age of Ultron #4 Review

Writer: Brian Michael Bendis
Artist: Bryan Hitch

I was really looking forward to this series, but overall it's been very disappointing, and I've started to think if it was even worth the trouble making it. The last issue was however a bit better, and showed promise, but will the series become as good as everyone hoped it would be, or will it go back to being poor?

Plot

Luke Cage has brought She-Hulk to what he believes was Ultron, but who was in fact Vision, but everything goes nasty. Also Captain America and the remaining hero's travel to the Savage Land, were they find Ka-Zar, and learn of Ultron's secret.

Review

Just when I started to think that this series was heading in the right direction we get this, yet another disappointing issue. What made this issue even worse was once again it continues to show promise for the future, but it's gotten to the point that I won't believe that this series will be good until I see it shown consistently throughout a few issues, but I still hope that it is eventually good. Brian Michael Bendis has done good work in the past, having done some good stories on the Avengers, and currently doing a brilliant job on All-New X-Men and Guardians of the Galaxy, but this hasn't been one of his best attempts at giving us a good story. To be honest I've wanted to love this series, and I can actually see why it's been so slow, as even though it's been doing it at a snails pace, the series has been developing, but at the end of the day it's not doing it quick enough, and the series has lacked in excitement. The action sequence also didn't really help the issue much as it lasted not very long, and due to it giving a highly entertaining start, it made the rest of the issue feel even more disappointing. There was however still the odd moment were I felt that this was a good issue, but it was only few, compared to the amount of times I felt it was dull, and disappointing, but I still hold onto hope that this series will become good, although I still think that this series' length was way too ambitious.

To be honest even the art from Bryan Hitch wasn't as good this time, and although it was still brilliant, it wasn't quite as detailed, and wasn't as good as it's been. Hitch's art was however still the best part about this issue, and was still better than a lot of other artists, it's just that there were points were it felt slightly rushed, and didn't appear to have quite as much emotion in it compared to his previous work on both this series, and previous series like The Ultimates, and Fantastic Four. There were however moments were his artwork shined, and looked like the brilliant artwork I've loved in the past, especially when he drew closer into the characters, as it gave so much more detail, whereas some of the other pages/panels felt like they were too over crowded. There was however still times were he also added brilliant emotion to the characters, making the artwork feel more alive, and that was nice. The character that I liked his art on the most was Red Hulk (Thunderbolt Ross) who actually looked better this time, and much more muscular, and overall more powerful, although he did do a brilliant job on him last issue as well.

As I said the start of this issue was fantastic, and it continued from the shocking conclusion of the last issue perfectly, and was everything I hoped it would be. Before I continue my thoughts on this sequence I have to repeat that although this was everything I expected from the start of this issue it was still very short, and the rest of the issue felt even worse after this. I did however enjoy the atmosphere that this sequence had, as it was very dramatic, and not exactly what I expected it would be (although very close). I also liked the interaction between all the characters involved in the sequence (She-Hulk, Cage, and Vision), as it added emotion, and made the sequence even better, but again it was too short, and set the bar high for the rest of the issue, a bar that was nowhere near reach (apart from maybe the end, but I'll talk more on that later).

This issue also actually gave a little bit of insight into what Ultron's been up to, and although it's not much, it's a nice change, as we've had nothing explained so far. I won't go into detail's, or reveal what was told as to avoid spoilers, but I will say what I felt on the subject. I've already said that it was an interesting thing to find out, and that I was happy that we've finally gotten some explanation, but at the same time it wasn't really much, and only left more question. Usually I'd love the fact that something's been revealed that leads to more speculation, but this time not so much, as I've been dying to get some backstory that I'm not quite satisfied by this small amount, and I desperately hope that we get more explanations soon.

This issue also continued the stories that were shown over the last few issues that involved Red Hulk, Black Widow, and Moon Knight, which was nice, but also a bit annoying. I say this as it was nice to see a continuation especially of the Red Hulk story, but both parts didn't really last long, or develop too much of the story, and felt mainly like filler. I did however prefer the Black Widow and Moon Knight sequence as although I wasn't too fond of the sequence during issue 2, there were parts that interested me, and I was kind of looking forward to the development of this, but again it didn't really do much for the overall story besides bring a few pieces together, which wasn't too bad.

The only other sequence that was almost as good as the first was the last. Again I won't go into details as to avoid spoilers, but once again it was a brilliant ending, and if Bendis hasn't found out how to keep me interested in the main part of the story he's done a brilliant job of keeping me hooked at the end of the issues, as I'm always wanting to read more, but as I also said it's gotten to the point that although I want to read more I'm not going to get too excited until I find out if it's good or not. This sequence was however good, as it brought most of the story together, and looks to be the start of the true story, but I've thought that at the end of nearly every issue, so I'm not holding my hopes too high.

Final Verdict

This series has went back to being disappointing, and to be honest I don't have a lot of hope left for it. This issue started very dramatically but most of it was slow, and dull, and overall disappointing. I wouldn't recommend this issue, and would recommend that you wait to find out if the series is good as a whole and get it in trade if so, as so far it's been very disappointing, and frankly a waste of money.

Rating: 2/5

Age of Ultron #3 Review

Writer: Brian Michael Bendis
Artist: Bryan Hitch

This was a series that I'd been looking forward to for a long time, and I have to say that I've been nothing but disappointed with it so far. I was expecting something phenomenal, and all we've been given is something mediocre, and I just hope that in the long run this will be a good series, with a bad start.

Plot

Captain America has came up with a plan, which involves selling She-Hulk to Ultron. Also Red Hulk (Thunderbolt Ross) has his own strategy.

Review

I have to say to start with that my rating is on the overall issue, as both halves of the issue were completely different in terms of quality, but overall this was an improvement. Brian Michael Bendis isn't a bad writer, as he's been doing brilliantly on All-New X-Men and Guardians of the Galaxy recently, and he did write some brilliant stories during his run on the Avengers, even if the run was a little inconsistent, but unfortunately the start to this story wasn't brilliant, which was a shame as I was really looking forward to it, and although this issue is better, it's still far from perfect. It does however show that there is more depth to this story, and I hope that it's now on the right track. The one problem that I did have was that still not a lot was explained, and although there was some stuff that was, it's still a bit annoying. There was however a few surprises that made up a bit for this, and overall, although still not as good as I'd have hoped it still manages to show potential, which keeps up the hope that it will eventually be as good as I was hoping it'd be, but I still fear that it may be one of the poorer Marvel crossovers in recent history.

The art from Bryan Hitch continues to amaze me, and this is easily the best thing about this issue, and the series so far. I've always loved Hitch's artwork over the years, and his work on The Ultimates, and Fantastic Four has been brilliant, and his more recent work on America's Got Powers has also been fantastic, but his art on this series has been simply phenomenal. Whether you think the story itself is good, or bad, you can't fault the artwork, as Hitch has really made this apocalyptic setting, and the people, and events in it look epic, and it's just beautiful to look at. The detail is also brilliant, and even the panels that have the characters in the distance has been handled well, as although there isn't a great lot of detail in them, there is in the surrounding setting. The characters emotions are also brilliant, and there simply isn't anything I can fault about the art, and all I can say is I will miss it after issue 5 (Hitch is only doing the art on the first 5 issues).

This issue starts with Luke Cage and She-Hulk having a small disagreement, which ultimately ends in Luke punching She-Hulk. This was quite a shocking start, but it soon rolled back to explain itself, as like we saw at the end of the last issue, Captain America has a plan, and this was it, selling She-Hulk to Ultron. This took up most of the first half of the issue, as the characters debated over whether it's a good plan or not, whilst also wondering if the right person was chosen as the person to be sold. Although it was a little slow the emotion was brilliant, and you could really feel the animosity coming from the characters, Hawkeye in particular. This sequence did also show that there might be hope for the series, and although this sequence was slow, hopefully it will lead to the hero's taking a stand against Ultron sooner, and not continue to hide in a bunker (even if that is the smart thing to do).

As I said earlier, both halves of this issue were very different, in both writing and quality. The first half had much more dialogue than the second, but I still much prefer the second half, as it was full of action, something we've not had too much of in this series so far. The second half basically consists of Red Hulk, Black Panther, and Taskmaster fighting Ultron's. I won't go into any more detail as that would give too big a spoiler away, and I don't really like to continue talking abut a issue after the half way mark to avoid spoilers, but I felt that these were two different stories that needed talked about, even if not in detail. The fight was epic, and the goal behind it was also very interesting, and I defiantly look forward to seeing the progression of this. I do however think that there could have been more dialogue, but I'm just glad to see some action to be honest, and Hitch did a brilliant job of it art wise.

I also said earlier that we still don't get any backstory to what has happened to cause this apocalyptic world, and although we got too see more of the Ultron's than we've seen so far, it still didn't give any explanation, and that is annoying. Like I've said previously I think that the origin of this story will be revealed in Ultron #1 AU, and that this series will deal with the actual events, but I still hope for some explanation in this series.

The future of this story. Due to having little to talk about from this issue, mainly due to a few things happening, with a lot of them containing spoilers I decided that I'd speak about what I expect quality wise in the future. This mainly comes from the end of this issue, and although I won't spoil anything, I will say that it was one hell of a shock, and I'd never have seen it coming. It was the perfect way to end the first month of Age of Ultron, and with the overall state of the series being mediocre I hope that this shock cultivates in a much better story from now on, but I have to be honest that although it's highly possible, and that I hope it to be so, I still fear that this series will continue to disappoint, with shocking endings that keep us ultimately hooked, but I hope that it is good, and that this is the turning point in the series, but like Avengers vs. X-Men, the number of issues in the series is too ambitious.

Final Verdict

Although this issue was better than the rest in the series so far, it was sill far from what I hoped for in this series, but I do hope that this is a turning point. I would recommend this issue alone, but as the series hasn't been brilliant overall, I'd still recommend caution, as it could easily slip back into being poor again, and if so it'd be better leaving it and considering getting the hardback when it's out.

Rating: 4/5

Age of Ultron #2 Review

Writer: Brian Michael Bendis
Artist: Bryan Hitch

I'd been looking forward to this series for well over a year, ever since it was teased in Avengers #12.1. I have to say however that after reading the first issue last week I was very disappointed, and this series has been nothing like I expected.

Plot

Black Widow is walking through the apocalyptic wasteland and gets attacked by a man with a gun, but fortunately Moon Knight's near by. Meanwhile Spider-Man is still recovering in an underground bunker which is home to the remaining 7,000 superheroes in New York City, and tells how he woke up to this nightmare, and how he was kidnapped.

Review

This series just keeps disappointing me more and more. I wanted to give the first issue the benefit of the doubt, as it's the start of a new series, but I can't believe that it's followed by an even worse issue. I know that Brian Michael Bendis can produce some amazing work, as his current work on All-New X-Men, and Guardians of the Galaxy has been outstanding, but he's not showing that here. To be fair his Avengers run was a bit inconsistent, and with this being his final work on an Avengers based story I'm upset to see it as poor as this. The story is basically how people are living in an apocalyptic world, and isn't progressing much. To be honest I'm not overly surprised as the Avengers vs. X-Men event last much longer than it needed to. For starters the contents of both issues could have been condensed into one issue, but even then the series would be still too long. If you look at the great Marvel events like Civil War, Siege, or Fear Itself, none lasted more than seven issues, with the shortest of them being only four. I also don't like that we've had no explanation as to how all this happened. Fair enough what happened to Spider-Man was slightly interesting, but it was unnecessary and made the story drag on.

The art on the other hand was once again phenomenal, and Bryan Hitch has really outdone himself on this series. His work on The Ultimates, and Fantastic Four was brilliant, and his current work on America's Got Powers was also fantastic, but they are nowhere near as good as his art on this series. His art is simply phenomenal, and the detail is superb. To be honest I can live with this series as long as the art stays like this, as it's truly worth it, but at the end of the day I'm hoping for a brilliant story, and no matter how good the art is I'll still be upset if it isn't. I also love the emotion that Hitch puts into the characters, as you can really feel what they're feeling, whether sadness, exhaustion, or anger. Paul Mounts colours are also fabulous and make Hitch's art look very lively, and set's the mood perfectly.

Although I liked the Hawkeye sequence in the last issue I'm starting to think that this is a series focused on depression, and the life of hero's in this apocalyptic world. Don't get me wrong I like that you can see the despair in the characters, it's just that it's eating into a lot of the story, and with a ten part event, that has three issues out a month for the first two months, with two a month for the remaining two, and at $3.99 it's a bit of a waste. However despite it slowing down the story I found the interaction between Black Widow, and Moon Knight very interesting. I also liked that they stumbled into one of Nick Fury's hideouts, as it's a nice throwback to Secret Invasion, but I still would have preferred some form of back story explanation.

The Ultron's attacking humans was also an interesting thing in this issue. The way the Ultron's act kind of remind me of concentration camps from World War II, as in unless the human's comply with what the Ultron's say they'll be killed, kind of like what the Nazi's did. I would however prefer to see the main Ultron, as he' has a similar role to what Master Mold was in the Wolverine and the X-Men TV series, appearing to be a kind of puppet master type character in this story. I also think that the background of this story's keeping until Ultron #1AU.

The sequence in the underground bunker was however more interesting, and I enjoyed seeing what Peter thought on the situation. What I liked most about this sequence was that Peter didn't appear to care about his secret identity any more, something that he's kept for years (besides Civil War, but One More Day rectified that), but in this world that is the least of his problems. I also like that this is a chance to see Peter as Spider-Man again (assuming it is), as I've not been the biggest fan of Doctor Octopus being Spider-Man in Superior Spider-Man. I also liked that he was happy to be amongst friends. I do however think that this also slowed the story down, as there hasn't really been any development to the story yet.

The end of the issue was however brilliant, and it shows promise for the remainder of the series, but I won't hold my breath just yet.

Final Verdict

This is a very disappointing series so far, and I desperately want it to get better, and become the series I hoped it would be. To be honest I wouldn't recommend this issue to anyone, unless like me you've been very excited about this series, but even then I'd still recommend you to wait for the trade, as if it's not better it should be cheaper.

Rating: 2.5/5

Age of Ultron #1 Review

Writer: Brian Michael Bendis
Artist: Bryan Hitch

I have been looking forward to this story for ages. Ever since it was teased in Avengers #12.1 I have been really looking forward to this story, as I'm a huge fan of Bryan Hitch's art, and I love Ultron as a character. I was however disappointed to notice low ratings on this issue, and was dreading how bad it might be. I still however hope the series good overall.

Plot

In an apocalyptic future Ultron rules, and the remaining heroes live underground. Hawkeye goes on a mission to rescue Spider-Man, and runs into Owl , and Hammerhead.

Review

I have to say this issue was nowhere near as good as I'd originally hoped for, but not as bad as I dreaded after seeing other review ratings. Brian Michael Bendis has had an all be it inconsistent run on Avengers since Avengers Disassembled. Overall I have liked his work on Avengers, especially the original series of The New Avengers, and Dark Avengers, but his two series after Siege (Avengers, and New Avengers) were very poor overall. His work on this issue was nothing short of a bit lazy, with Bryan Hitch's art doing most of the work in the story. There's also not been any explanation as to why these events have come to pass, but I'm sure we'll get that later on in the series. It is however nice that Bendis is finishing his run on Avengers the way he started it with a story that involves Ultron.

Byan Hitch's art was fabulous, and the thing that really made this issue as good as it was (which wasn't that good). I've always liked Hitch's art ever since I saw it in The Ultimates, and was very happy when I heard that he'd be working on this series. After hearing how long it took him to actually draw The Ultimates, and after seeing his art in this issue, I can see why it's taken so long to finish, as his art in this is much better than his art in The Ultiamtes. His art is simply amazing, and the detail is phenomenal. I would dread to think how this issue would have been without his artwork, as to be honest it's what's made it as good as it is. The final thing I'll talk about in the art is the cover. I'd already seen the cover before, and think the image is brilliant, showing Ultron standing over the heavy hitting superhumans, with two of the biggest getting taken out easily. What makes the cover even better is that Marvel actually made an effort to make it a bit special. The cover is shiny  with the logo, and Ultron embossed (sticking out), which makes it a lot nicer.

This wasn't a brilliant issue story wise, like I already said, but it wasn't a terrible way to start a new story. I did however expect a lot more from this issue, and was still disappointed. I did like that it didn't start with Ultron in your face, and lead you into the story gradually. I say this as it's always confusing when you're put in the middle of a story, with no prior knowledge, and ton's of action going on, so it was nice that this wasn't like that. On the other hand there still wasn't enough action in this issue, considering there wasn't any explanation towards the back story either.

Hawkeye as the centre of attention. Unlike other people who find this unnecessary, I actually liked this in this issue. Fair enough it did take up most of the issue, and I would have preferred a bit more explanation as to what's actually happened, but if the story's going to start of slow, it did it in a good way. I liked that it showed Hawkeye as a man that's willing to actually go out there, and do what needs to be done. We've seen Clint take a back seat in the past, and not care about others, but in the last few years it's shown him to be a more caring character. Another thing I liked about this was that Clint knows that there is a high probability that he's going to die, but he'd rather do it for something worthy, than hide in a whole whilst his friends get torturer.

That takes me onto my next point, Earth's remaining heroes living underground. I understand that if a AI unit like Ultron managed to take over the world in this fashion that it'd be the smart move to stay underground, but surely they'd be heroic and try and save people. The thing that shocked me the most was that Captain America was with them, not helping people. This confused me, as Cap is a character that doesn't back down from a fight. I'm sure that we'll get an explanation for this over the next few issues, and I'll be upset if we don't.

The involvement of Owl, and Hammer Head in this issue was a little unnecessary. I understand why they were added, but it still was unnecessary, and took up too much space in the comic. Anyway I'll explain why they were in the comic, or at least why I think they were. They were in this comic to show that Ultron wasn't the complete killer that he's appeared to be in the past, and that if you obey him, he'll let you live (the whole submit or perish slogan to the series). Although I liked that it showed this straight from the start, I still would have preferred more time to explain other things.

The lack of Ultron. Although I said earlier in my review that I was happy that the issue didn't start with Ultron in your face, I still would have liked to have seen more of him in this issue, than we seen. He's in it very little, and to be honest his limited appearance appeared to be simply to show that he was in control, and how everyone reacted to him. From the advert for the next issue at the back of the comic, I expect that we'll see more of Ultron(s) next issue.

Overall this wasn't as bad an issue as it could have been, but if the series continues at this level it will be a huge disappointment, but I doubt it will.

Final Verdict

This was a disappointing issue, and I expected better things from this issue. I do however still have a lot of hope in this series, and think that the series as a whole will be brilliant, and that this issue will be nothing more than a blip (although I thought that about Avengers vs. X-Men also). I would barely recommend this issue, but would advise patient people to wait and see if it gets better.

Rating: 3/5