Writer: Jeph Loeb
Artist: Carlos Pacheco
I recently decided to start collecting the Superman/Batman series in trades, with this being the third that I've read/reviewed. So far I have been very excited over the series, and it has shown Jeph Loeb at his best, with really unique and interesting stories.
Plot
When Superman and Batman's timeline is changed by a group from the future they turn into tyrants who rule the world, taking out any cape or superhero standing in their way.
Review
This was a disappointing story, as although I didn't expect Jeph Loeb to keep the level of quality of the previous volumes forever, I never expected the quality to drop this far. Now before I go any further the story isn't terrible, as it was very interesting, with a brilliant concept. At the same time I don't think the concept was executed right, as it just didn't feel right to me, feeling too false and a bit forced. Loeb did however do a good job of keeping the suspense and drama up in the story, with the diversity throughout the story grabbing my attention. Loeb also added some brilliant twists to the story's development, though at the end of the day the story just didn't appeal to me, as although it showed Loeb's great imagination and brilliant storytelling abilities, there was just something about it that didn't feel right, which ruined the story as a whole.
The artwork on this story however was brilliant, as although it wasn't on the same level as Ed McGuinness or Michael Turner's brilliant artwork from the last two volumes, it was still amazing, and Carlos Pacheco did a spectacular job. The detail in Pacheco's art was also fantastic, being very smooth and consistent throughout. I also really enjoyed Pacheco's layouts, as although nothing extraordinary, they did manage to add a lot of depth and tone to the story, also making it more dramatic. On top of that I also loved the way that Pacheco drew all the characters, as he did most of them justice, showing their emotions and facial expressions perfectly. I didn't however enjoy his drawings of Darkseid, as he didn't look quite as powerful as he's meant to. Pacheco did however make up for this by doing a fantastic job of showing the carnage and action throughout, adding a lot of excitement to the story.
The main focus of this story would show Superman and Batman's origins being changed by time travellers, resulting in them being brought up to be tyrants. Now I have to say that I had a hard time getting used to seeing Superman and Batman as villains, as although Loeb has thought of a brilliant way of making them this, I personally can't get the idea that this is wrong out of my head. I did however find it interesting to see them like this, and especially due to them no longer holding back. I didn't however enjoy the brotherly bond that they made due to this, as it seemed a bit forced, and once again didn't feel right, as although they've always had a strong friendship, this took it slightly too far in my opinion.
The time travellers who would come up with this plan would be none other than Cosmic King, Lightning Lord, and Saturn Queen from the Legion of Super-Villains. I loved the fact that these three were behind the change in time, as due to all the appearances from the Legion of Super-Heroes appearances over the years, it's nice to see their villainous counterparts take the centre stage. I also loved the mysteriousness behind these characters at the start, as it would add even more suspense to the story, also helping to add to the atmosphere. I would however have liked them to have had a more active role in the story, as although it made sense for them to work from the background, it would have been nice to have seen more action from them, though the action we got was amazing.
The main them of this story would be time altering, and time travel. I'm usually sceptical about time travel stories, as although when done right they make for brilliant and exciting tales, when done wrong they can be horrendous. The time travel in this volume probably falls somewhere in between, as although there was a lot about it that I didn't like, there was stuff that I did. The thing that I personally enjoyed most about the time travel in this story was the constant change in attitude for certain characters, as although as I said I didn't like the initial changes made to Superman and Batman, I did like some of the later changes, as well as the changes to other characters, and overall it was built-up very well.
The thing that I loved most about this story had to be all the characters that made cameo appearances, as due to all the time travel, and changes in the time line it allowed for some characters that you'd never expect to see in a Superman/Batman story, such as Jonah Hex and Sgt. Rock. The other characters who I enjoyed seeing in this story included Uncle Sam, Green Arrow, a slightly changed Wonder Woman, Darkseid and more. Apart from these appearances I also enjoyed how these alternative versions of Superman and Batman reacted to some of these characters, as well as how the characters reacted to them, with there being some very entertaining encounters.
Final Verdict
Though nowhere near the same level as the previous two Superman/Batman volumes, this was still an interesting story, as although it didn't appeal to me too much, it had a very interesting concept, with some brilliant character interaction, and a lot of excitement. It also had some nice cameo appearances, but I did feel that this was not a successful time travelling issue. Due to this I'd probably barely recommend this to people, and especially if you are a fan of Pacheco's artwork, though I would stress that this is nowhere near as good as the previous two volumes, and that you may be disappointed.
Rating: 6/10
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
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
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
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
I was really looking forward to this series for a few years now, and ever since it was teased way back in Avengers #12.1 (April 2011) I felt that this series couldn't come sooner. After a long wait I started to feel that this series may never come out, but just shy off two years following this point one issue the series has finally hit the shops, and I question has it been worth it?
Length
Now I know that it's a little early to criticise the entire series, with only three out of the ten issues haven been released, and seven still to come, as well as the tie-ins, but in my opinion this series is too ambitious length wise. The previous big event at Marvel was Avengers vs. X-Men, which lasted twelve issues, which was way too long. Avengers vs. X-Men was considered by many as a disaster, but in fact I felt it wasn't a bad story, just that it was spread over too many issues, and had way too many tie-ins, which lead to it being slow and boring most of the time (luckily Age of Ultron isn't quite that long, and doesn't have as many tie-ins). If you look at the better crossover events in Marvel like Siege and Civil War, neither have near as many issues as either Avengers vs. X-Men or Age of Ultron, with Civil War having seven issues, and Siege even less with only four, and both of these series were brilliant, and if they were longer I'm sure they'd be a bit slow.
Story So Far...
So far the story has consisted of Hawkeye saving Spider-Man (revealed to still be Doctor Octopus), and took him to an underground bunker, where the remaining superhero's live. Captain America finally came up with a plan that involved selling She-Hulk to Ultron, making a shocking discovery (won't spoil that).
As you can probably tell from that summary the story hasn't been the most entertaining one in the world, and in fact it's been rather slow. The first two issues basically showed the superhero's mopping about their situation, and not knowing what to do, and even when Cap does come up with a plan it takes half an issue to explain it, which slowed that particular issue down, although I was happy that the series was finally making progress. The second half of issue three was however very good, and exciting, with Red Hulk (Thunderbolt Ross) attacking an Ultron and removing it's head, giving the head to Black Panther and Taskmaster to run away with. At the same time however this sequence had very little dialogue, meaning that it didn't last long. Although I've got all these complaints about the construct of the story so far my main complaint is the fact that we've had not backstory to how this all happened, and how Ultron suddenly took over the Earth, apart from certain superhero's recounts (Spider-Man and Fantastic Four) of seeing the world go to hell. I do however think that the backstory will get told in Ultron #1AU, although I hope we also get some proper backstory in the main series.
Tie-Ins
Now there have only been two tie-ins released so far, Superior Spider-Man #6AU, and Fantastic Four #5AU, but I already start to question the necessity of these tie-ins. To be fair both tie-ins weren't bad, and both good to a certain extent, with fun and unique stories, but I still question were they necessary? Most tie-ins to comic book events don't actually do anything for the overall story, and although some actually do, there are many against that one that don't, but mugs like me continue to try and get as many tie-ins hoping that they help develop a certain part of the story a bit more.
Anyway the tie-ins in this so far are no different, with Doc Ock trying to control the Ultron's in Superior Spider-Man, failing, and all of the Fantstic Four apart from Sue Storm getting killed by the Ultron's whilst Sue and Reed's children, Franklin and Val watch a goodbye video. As I said both of these issues were fun, and entertaining, to a certain point, but they didn't really do anything to help the story as a whole, and although you could say that's a good thing as it doesn't ruin the main story, they still could have made the issues achieve something small that helps with the development of the story.
Future tie-ins include, Ultron #AU (which I already mentioned), Avengers Assemble #14AU &15AU, Wolverine and the X-Men #27AU, Uncanny Avengers #8AU, Fearless Defenders #4AU, and Age of Ultron Epilogue, all of which beside the Epilogue, and Ultron#1AU I believe will also do nothing for the series, but I hope that I'm wrong (even though I won't be getting all the tie-ins).
Best Part About the Event So Far
The best part about this event so far is easily Bryan Hitch's artwork. I know that you can argue that he hasn't really been used properly on this series, drawing mostly rubble, but I think that his artwork has been astonishing and easily the best thing about the main series, as well as the event. His art has been nothing short of phenomenal, and although some may argue that his work on The Ultimates, The Ultimates 2, and Fantastic Four (Fantastic Four: World's Greatest & The Master of Doom) I personally feel that some of his best art has been featured in this series so far, as the entire scenery (even if most of it's rubble) is beautifully detailed, and the art on the characters, and action is simply stunning as well as dramatic, and I can't really fault anything about his art. His art also feels like you're watching a movie, as it's so lifelike, and the character emotion is brilliant, with everything looking perfect. The bad news however is that Hitch is only working on the first five issues (with only two left), and after that the series will have Brandon Peterson, and Carlos Pacheco doing the artwork, with Marvel's Chief Creative Officer Joe Quesada drawing the final part of issue 10.
Future of the Series
What do I see in the future of this event? Like Avengers vs. X-Men, I expect that this event will be brilliant in the long run, and that it will have some really exciting, and shocking moments throughout. I do however still have some fears that this series will continue to be slow and mundane, and nothing more than a reason for Marvel to have an event, but my faith in the series outweighs that, and I really expect that this series will be remembered as a fantastic series that had a horrific start. Also from the events in the last issue, I expect that the next issue will have some dramatic events, and from the preview it looks to have more action than the series has had so far, and I hope that the series continues to have plenty of action, whilst also actually developing the story (which as I said has been the big problem).
Thanks for taking the time to read this feature and please feel free to leave a comment expressing your thought on this topic, and what you think of Age of Ultron so far.
