Stuff I Read This Week Episode 5 or Evil Robots and the Fanboys Who Love Them....

Age of Ultron #1: Although I've never really liked Ultron, I have to respect a determined, goal-oriented supervillain who knows what they want. He's cold, calculating android. He wants to enslave and/or destroy humanity. More or less, he's the worse case scenario of "I'm sorry. I can't do that, Dave." He's a lot like a couple of my exes, actually. He's also perfect since Marvel was due for a new bloated crossover event for us to get behind and they wanted to bring us a villain we haven't seen truly shine in a while (Kobe Bryant was busy).

In this first installment Brian Michael Bendis throws us head first into the post apocalyptic war zone, not bothering to catch us up on how Ultron managed to throw the set pieces from Blade Runner right on top of New York and conquer the world. This is awesome and bizarre all at once, considering at least half the point of Marvel NOW is to reel in new readers (presumably the movie audiences). Current fans will feel right at home, seeing the state of some of their favorite characters. First timers might feel like they're playing catch up despite the right-to-the-point synopsis offered on the first page.

While actual storyline progression is light, we get some quality action and a pretty good idea of the desperate emotional state most of our characters are in. Bendis is fond of getting his readers' attention before giving up backstory, so it's safe to expect a bit more context in issues to come. Bryan Hitch's pencils are every bit the top notch work fans of his work on the Ultimates and The Authority have come to expect. His vast landscapes portraying the battle-scarred, techno wasteland that was once New York City are gorgeous. The two page splashes for action beats are more than enough to consider your money well spent.

Bottom Line: A vague yet action packed, engaging opening to what could be a strong crossover title. 8 out of 10.


Avengers #7: It seems Marvel has adopted the idea that, being the flagship franchise, the Avengers books should offer different things for different readers. Whereas Uncanny Avengers, gives us more of the slugfests we're used to thus far, this title seems to offer conflict of an epic yet cerebral scale. With a writer like Jonathan Hickman on board, the world isn't ending...."the universe is broken." The heroes don't jump out of their jet guns blazing. They ponder, plan, prepare and react. In this book, existence is definitely in some unknown peril and, in this issue, the Avengers are....well, talking about it. Hickman is clearly fond of classic sci-fi lore from the likes of Orson Scott Card and Isaac Asimov, masters of crafting epic adventures with characters as vehicles for grand scheme events. Some comic fans might be harder to sell on that than others. For readers who are used to their heroes seeing a bad guy and solving the problem by punching him in the face, this book might not be their cup of tea right away.



Dustin Weaver's pencils are lovely. The scenes are consistent and coherent, making Hickman's story easy to digest. His everyday citizens don't exactly jump off the page, but the renderings of Captain America and Iron Man stand out in particular. Hopefully we get to see how they look when they're in action.

Bottom Line: Despite a glut of exposition that may turn some readers off, this is a strong, good looking book that is worth keeping up with if you enjoy story over instant gratification. 7.5 out of 10

All New X-Men #8: This book is still in winning form with the X-Men teaming up alongside their young counterparts. The original five are still finding their bearings, coming to grips with the state of mutant affairs in the present day. And they are still not liking the things life is showing them. This is focuses mainly on young Angel trying to figure out what's happened to old Angel. Bendis handles the awkwardness between the idealistic naivete of teenage Warren Worthington and his older self's (let's face it) crazy humorously while staying true to the character. Not only should Bendis be writing ALL of the X-books, but after reading a hilarious exchange between Iceman and Shadowcat, Kitty Pryde is long overdue for her own solo title. While the head this whole story should be building towards is coming slowly which tends to be a frequent worry when writing a Bendis title. However, the journey is so good, you almost forget about the destination. David Marquez's pencils are incredible. His characters really know how to emote during dialogue panels and the aerial combat scenes are awesome although, at times, it's easy for his characters to get lost in the backgrounds.

Bottom Line: Another gorgeous addition to this already fantastic X-saga. Hopefully, it's going somewhere soon. 8 out of 10.