In this exciting issue of “Age of Ultron”: something happens! No, really! What, don’t you believe me?
Written by Brian Michael Bendis
Illustrated by Bryan HitchThe super hero survivors of the Ultron devastation follow a trail to the Savage Land in the hopes of finding a way to survive or turn the tide of the Ultron apocalypse.
• But with half the Marvel heroes dead, what chance do any of the survivors have?
• The choice that will forever change the course of Marvel history…!
This issue is like many others in Brian Michael Bendis’s Marvel portfolio. First of all, there is a lot of dialogue — then again, that describes a lot of Bendis’s entire ouvre. More specifically, this dialogue is primarily about things that either have happened or will happen: background, speculation, plans, and the like. It’s moderately interesting — Bendis manages to provide a good amount of exposition without necessarily hammering the reader over the head with it — but it doesn’t make for an exciting single issue. There are some nice touches: the little quips that the various characters make when entering Fury’s armory are rather charming (Mark II!), and I’ve always liked the voice Bendis gives Nick Fury. Of course, these come at a cost: the joking tone seems tonally displaced, and Bendis, like many other Marvel writers, has a weakness for using Fury as a plot device. The entire issue is one big “Here we go!” build-up without any actual… going, and, independently, it’s disappointing in that regard. Overall, though, this is an issue that really relies on context. On its own, it just exists — it isn’t bad, it isn’t good, until you consider where it falls in the overall story. So let’s talk about context.
Until this point, each issue of “Age of Ultron” has been more atmosphere- than plot-driven. The focus has primarily been on establishing the setting, with only plodding efforts to advance the overall story. Finally, in this issue, all the heroes involved arrive in a single location, a plan is formed, and the first steps of enacting that plan are taken.
Bryan Hitch is in a difficult position these days. Without a question, his work on “The Authority” and “The Ultimates” forever changed how superhero comics look; even without mentioning actual style, many artists follow Hitch’s lead when it comes to composition. Unfortunately, this leads to a “Seinfeld isn’t funny” scenario. There are lots of artists out there who do work that is both stylistically and compositionally similar to Hitch’s, and so Hitch no longer really stands out like he used to. It’s an unfair way to judge an artist, but Hitch hasn’t really done anything since those early days to make himself stand out. To my admittedly untrained eye, his line work in “Age of Ultron” hasn’t really developed since those days — I know, don’t fix what isn’t broken, and all that, but at this point, Hitch’s work is almost… plain. Considering that this issue has less of the explosions and general rampant destruction that fans love Hitch for, this is even more apparent. It’s a shame, because in the more objective areas, Hitch is still great: his grasp on figure drawing is refined, his panels read smoothly, and his art still “thrums” — though maybe not as loudly as it used to. Still, considering Hitch is one of those big guns you want to pull in when you’re aiming to impress, if his work only impresses when looking at it critically and not when just reading the comic… well, then it doesn’t impress at all.
Back in February, I named Bendis the best writer of the month, and I stand by it — for that month. With “Age of Ultron,” though, we see him slipping back into some of his bad habits. On its own, this issue is dull, and Hitch’s art doesn’t help it go down any easier. As part of a whole, it’s unfortunate. The “event” is finally gaining some momentum, but only at the halfway point. Some readers may view this issue as a step in the right direction — personally, I think it’s too little, too late.
Final Verdict: 4.5 – This one’s for you, vjj.
