Age of Ultron #1: Submit or Perish

Marvel’s newest mega-crossover event is here, and it feels like we just got done with Avengers vs. X-Men. This ten-issue series is the usual dystopian saga where evil has prevailed, all hope is lost, our heroes are holding on by a thread, and it’s all thanks to the technological terror created by Dr. Hank Pym.

Age of Ultron wastes no time getting to the good stuff as we join our regularly scheduled program already in progress. New York City is in ruins, and we know who is at fault, but we don’t know how or why it happened. As of right now, there are a few superheroes left and no villain’s insight. The world as we know it is gone. There is kind of a “Fallen Skies” vibe to the whole thing, which adds a different element to the usual song and dance we’re treated to this time of the year.

If you read Matt Fraction’s Hawkeye, and you should, the grounded version of the character will not be found as it is the arrow shooting badass that takes the lead and is the central figure of the story.

I’m convinced that Ultron is Brian Michael Bendis in disguise. He writes so many ongoing comics a month and gets all the big events as well. Hopefully, the different elements, such as how this issue began, will keep on coming to separate themselves from past crossover events.

Earlier promotional material advertised last October was the kick-off to this event. Good things come to those who wait, and if the rumors regarding a major universal shift change are true, we are in for one hell of a ride!

Grade: B+