Cataclysm: The Ultimates’ Last Stand #4 – Review

by Brian Michael Bendis (Writer), Mark Bagley, Andrew Hennessy (Artists), Jason Keith (Colorist)

The Story: With Galactus still doing his rather ominous-looking actions, the Ultimates recruits the X-Men to their cause.

The Review: To talk about Brian Michael Bendis is to talk about decompression. While Bendis can be an effective writer when he exploits a situation to its maximum through different angles, he can be somewhat problematic when it comes to pacing. Single issues aren’t his specialty, most of the time, with some particularly great concepts being stretched out in order to maximize his strengths. Unfortunately, it does the very same with his weaknesses as well, which can be overly apparent occasionally.

This issue is an unfortunate showcase of the writer’s weaknesses, which sadly does not make for a very satisfying issue. Being a transition issue for the most part to set things up for the conclusion, the story in itself moves characters from point A to B, explain a few things to its readers and set up many elements for things to arrive at their narrative peak later. Unfortunately, there are several problems in the execution of this approach that makes this much-less exciting than it could be.

The first thing that Bendis does right, yet not in the best of way, is to set up some kind of plan and use the characters in order to move things along. Doing so at a frantic pace, the readers are reintroduced to the X-Men as well as to the potential manner in which the Ultimates might confront Galactus. Presenting many facets of their plans and somehow explaining the gist of it in a rapid manner, there is little to no time given for the possible implications, be they moral, scientific or to show how many of the characters might react or feel about the many possibilities offered by the plot and decisions therein. In its quickness, Bendis unfortunately dazzles through the more interesting tidbits which could have made this story much more exciting, treating most of the characters as set pieces more than actual persons with problems, traits and what-not.

The other problem that the comic face is the fact that nothing really does happen here. There is an explanation and a plan at the beginning, some very few moments for characterization and then a good amount of action, all leading to the same conclusion as the previous issues: they need to do something or their world is screwed. There is a lack of accomplishment or surprising twists that makes this rather slow, but also rather safe, with close to no consequences being actually presented for the readers to enjoy. The sensation of cataclysmic events is well done, but it comes at the sacrifice of the characters and the story in general.

Age of Ultron #9 – Review

By: Brian Michael Bendis (Writer), Brandon Peterson (Artist), Carlos Pacheco (Penciler), Roger Bonet (Inker), Paul Mounts, Jose Villarrubia (Color Artists), VC’s Cory Petit (Letterer)

The Review: I’ll say this: Wolverine’s lucky that Doc Brown ain’t an Avenger. He’d have a few harsh words for the hairy canuck right about now, least of which would be “Great Scott!” Then again, perhaps it’s for the best. All Marty ever gave back was a “Gee, Doc!” as he gurned a weary frown; Wolverine would probably have gutted him from top to bottom with a “Stick that in your Flux Capacitor!” Either way, the Space-Time Continuum would still be stretched to breaking point…as may be your levels of patience and willing sense of disbelief at this point.

Ultimate Comics The Ultimates #24 – Review

By: Sam Humphries (Writer), Joe Bennett (Penciler), Ruy José (Inker), Matt Milla (Colorist), VC’s Clayton Cowles (Letterer)

Review: I’ve taken a l’il sabbatical from my Ultimate Comics Ultimates review duties of late. Partially this is the fault of Bioshock Infinite and Injustice: Gods Among Us – both of which give Heroin and Marshmallow Fluff a run for their money in the addiction stakes – and also because I thought it best to give Sam Humphries a break. Most of his issues I’ve…well, ‘savaged’ is a strong word. I’ve ‘lightly rebuked’ them? Yeah, that sounds better. However I honey-coat it though, here’s the main gist; this has not been a good run. At its best Humphries’ Ultimates has read like a parody comic flirting dangerously near Robot Chicken territory while at its worst it’s been one of the most depressing uses of a Marvel licence since *dry-heaves for a few minutes* that Hasselhoff Nick Fury film *vomits all over his keyboard*.

Age of Ultron #7 – Review

By: Brian Michael Bendis (Writer), Brandon Peterson, Carlos Pacheco (Artist/Penciler), Paul Mounts, Jose Villarrubia (Color Artists), Roger Martinez (Inker), VC’s Cory Petit (Letterer)

Review: Regular WCBR readers will know that I’ve been a staunch supporter of Age Of Ultron. Amidst the general criticisms that it’s been sluggishly paced or too low on action and characterisation, I’ve instead found it to be a well-plotted and atmospheric success that’s offered a welcome change in tone to the more overt histrionics of other Marvel event books. It’s been bleak but beautiful, the hypothetical death rattle of the Marvel Universe. But everything that’s occurred in those first six issues has really just been a set-up; a teaser playing up the eventual reveal of what happens when the past is definitively altered in a final act of desperation by the heroes of the present. With Ultron retroactively defeated, what exciting new world has Bendis created for us? If the Rabbit never existed, what now rests in the Magician’s hat? Well, it’s just the Magician’s hand. And he’s giving you the finger.

Age of Ultron #6 Review

By: Brian Michael Bendis (Writer), Brandon Peterson, Carlos Pacheco (Artist/Penciler), Roger Martinez (Inker), Paul Mounts, Jose Villarrubia (Colorist), VC’s Cory Petit (Letterer)

The Review: If you’ve read every issue of Age of Ultron up to this point you’ve probably been in one of two camps. You may have been growing increasingly impatient with Bendis’ glacial pacing, begrudgingly putting down your $3.99 week after week hoping each time that this will be issue to get things moving. Alternatively you’ve enjoyed it every step of the way, have withstood the downbeat and malevolent mood and savoured a Marvel event book that’s employed more substance than style. Either way it’s been a bumpy, expensive ride with few signs pointing to how, if at all, its outcome will impact on the wider Marvel Universe. Age of Ultron #6 signals the beginning of the end of this journey, and it might just have managed to keep everyone happy into the bargain.

It covers quite a lot of ground. Ostensibly it’s the natural progression from last month’s cliffhanger; Nick Fury and a handful of the more powerful Avengers head into the future to confront Ultron while Wolverine goes into the past to kill Hank Pym (thereby circumventing the whole Ultron problem in the first place). Admirably, this issue really jumps into both storylines head first and there’s immediate outcomes presented on each front. And when I say outcomes…I mean deaths.

You could probably have guessed that Fury’s camp would suffer the most casualties. The dude almost drops his team straight into the meat grinder after all as they move from the Savage Land direct to New York (even time-travelling genocidal robots want a piece of the Big Apple it seems).  Now a gleaming technopolis devoid of human life, the city offers nothing but an ambush from thousands of flying Ultron heads and the Avengers are pretty much sitting ducks. They are, after all, just drifting in the wind thanks to Storm’s weather powers, and that can’t allow for much manoeuvrability. They get slapped around some and a major character literally loses his head – we may see a few Avengers captured and brought before a gloating Ultron before the series is up, but otherwise it looks like this particular plan has gone wronger than corduroy.