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Review: Ultron #1AU

By | April 12th, 2013
Posted in Reviews | % Comments

Despite its several shortcomings, one good thing about “Age of Ultron” is its relatively low number of tie-in issues. The latest tie-in issue, “Ultron” #1AU, has a strong concept that’s extremely relevant to the event (despite the issues’ absurd naming convention). However, much like the event series that spawned it, “Ultron” #1AU is packed with melodrama that ultimately leads nowhere.

Written by Kathryn Immonen
Illustrated by Amilcar Pinna

• Ultron took over the world.
• Ultron killed the heroes.
• Ultron…is your father.
• When you’re Victor Mancha, android teen Runaway, “daddy issues” doesn’t quite cover it.

Judging by the title, you might expect “Ultron” to show the events of “Age of Ultron” through the villain’s perspective. Rather, this issue focuses on Victor Mancha, member of the Runaways and “son” of Ultron. In a way it is appropriate for Kathryn Immonen to tell the story of how Mancha has survived his father’s rampage, as she was the last to write “Runaways” before its cancellation in 2009. In fact, Mancha’s connection to the latest scourge of the Marvel universe takes a back seat to his history as a Runaway.

Like nearly every issue of “Age of Ultron,” the book opens on our lead fleeing from robots in the midst of a ruined city. The story revolves around Victor’s uncertainty regarding his place in the Ultron invasion, as well as his attempts to rescue survivors. While the concept is strong on paper, it’s hard to pin down the point of this issue.

Although it’s possible Immonen is setting Mancha up as a major player in “Age of Ultron” proper, it seems just as likely that this is an elaborate way preparation for the character’s upcoming role in the recently announced “Avengers A.I.” series. Immonen plants potential plot seeds that never come to fruition. While Mancha’s character progresses ever so slightly over the course of the issue, the book ends essentially right where it began.

On the bright side, up and coming artist Amilcar Pinna crafts a great looking book. Pinna’s heavy lines and bright, vivid coloring bears more than a passing resemblance to the work of Adrian Alphona, further cementing the “Runaways” connection. The only noticeable fault in Pinna’s art is with his character’s faces. On more than one occasion, a character’s eyes, nose, or mouth shifts to a completely unnatural position on his or her face, leading to some unintentionally funny expressions. However, this is just a minor complaint, and fortunately one that doesn’t damage the overall quality of the book.

It’s great to see Victor Mancha get some attention, and it would’ve been a major oversight to not take advantage of “Age of Ultron” to spotlight the character. Unfortunately, “Ultron” #1AU fails to add much of anything to an event that is pretty shallow to begin with. While this story’s importance may come to light later on, at this point it’s best left for “Runaways” junkies and event completists.

Final Verdict: 4.0 – Pass


Zach Wilkerson

Zach Wilkerson, part of the DC3 trinity, still writes about comics sometimes. He would probably rather be reading manga or thinking about Kingdom Hearts. For more on those things, follow him on Twitter @TheWilkofZ

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