Age of Ultron #8- Written by Brian Michael Bendis, Art by Brandon Peterson
After the last two issues finally picked up the pace, Age of Ultron once again decides to take its time and poke around in the Hank Pym-less universe that Wolverine and Sue Storm created a few issues back. Rather than have the alternate Tony Stark or Steve Rogers simply explain the situation on the strange new world, Bendis chooses to leave breadcrumbs and let the reader connect the dots himself. This technique would, sadly, be better suited for a more story driven issue; for an issue built around exposition, there is very little information delivered in this issue and not enough character work or action to make up for this failing.What character work does get done is pretty good. The Fantastic Four characters are the standouts in this area; the raw emotion behind the alternate Ben Grimm's determination to break Sue out of the helicarrier is only matched by that fueling Sue Storm's attempt to free herself and see her children again. The alternate Iron Man also displays a startling amount of death, presenting himself as something of an unwilling dictator who yearns for the times before Pym's death, and yet is completely willing to perform objectively evil deeds to serve a greater good. This is the dark side of Tony after Civil War (well, darker side), and makes for a fascinating character.
Unfortunately, Bendis doesn't elect to really dig his claws into this Tony Stark, or any of the other alternate universe characters he has running around. Instead, they hint at some ongoing conflict against a Morgan le Fay dominated Europe and the less than prosperous nature of this world is made clear through the rather dreary visuals, but no concrete timeline is presented that explains why exactly Hank Pym's absence would be so disastrous. Considering that this universe is unlikely to be around for longer than another full issue, this isn't a huge deal, but as the plot moves along at a snail's pace its clear that this issue was designed around exposition, and its simply baffling not to feature exposition in that case.
The action in this issue is sparse, and the two main battles - the Defenders infiltrating the helicarrier to save Sue and a large scale invasion of New York by Morgan le Fay - aren't anything to write home about. With only 2 issues left, its still unclear what wider ramifications this event is going to have on the wider Marvel Universe, leaving the events that have transpired without much weight as its clear that everything will just be reset at the end. Hopefully Bendis has something up his sleeve for this book's conclusion, but based on its performance so far, it may take until halfway through the final issue before the plot picks up again. Final Score: 3.5/10
Iron Man #10 - Written by Kieron Gillen, Art by Dale Eaglesham
This week's Iron Man takes a step back from Tony's space adventures to begin The Secret Origin of Tony Stark in earnest. Our story begins as Howard and Maria Stark learn that their baby isn't going to survive until childbirth, and from there proceeds into a classic Vegas Heist starring the characters of the Marvel Universe during the 50s and the 60s. What may seem to be something of a jarring transition actually is the books greatest strength; the high drama of Howard and Maria's struggle adds an emotional weight that most heist stories are missing, and Gillen is smart enough to slowly ease into the idea of doing a heist based story, letting each element of the story breathe to some great results.The good decisions come early in this story, as Gillen frames his story with Tony's reaction to the film previewed last issue before showing it to the audience. This establishes that, no matter how noble the Stark's quest to save their child may seem, its going to have an ugly ending, which adds something almost Shakespearean to the tale. The scenes in which Howard and Maria discuss their unborn child could easily be bungled by a lesser writer; the loss of a child before birth is a sensitive topic, and sensitive topics are not something comics are known for handling well. Gillen, however, is able to come at this topic with great subtlety (helped immensely by Eaglesham here, whose characters say more than Gillen's words manage to), with the pain of the couple shining through without the whole thing feeling heavy handed.
Howard's exploration of the Marvel Universe post-Captain America and pre-Fantastic Four is another fun sequence; this is an oft forgotten time in Marvel history, as there aren't any superheroes to speak of, but its always fun to see Nathaniel Richards and Jimmy Woo. The space alien casino fits well with the overall space theme the book has been going for, and is a good a reason as any to connect the Rigelian Recorder to Stark. The actual heist sequence is good fun too, as anything featuring Dum Dum Dugan is oft to be, providing a solid, light hearted wrap up to a pretty heavy story.
Iron Man #10 hits all the marks it needs to; it provides a great balance of emotional drama and light hearted fun while setting up its story arc and advancing it forward, all in the space of a single issue. It's safe to say that Gillen has fully rebounded from his early misteps on this title, and while the ultimate quality of his run is still uncertain, its safe to say that its going to be an improvement on the treatment Tony has been receiving the last few years. In the more immediate future, The Secret Origin of Tony Stark promises twists galore in upcoming issues, and if this month's entry is anything to go off of, it should be a pretty fun ride. Final Score: 9/10
Nova #4 - Written by Jeph Loeb, Art by Ed McGuinness
After 3 busy issues setting up the character of Sam Alexander and the world he inhabits, Nova #4 seemed primed to begin the new Nova's adventures in earnest. Instead, Loeb accomplishes very little with his fourth outing. A few revelations about Sam's father and some fun character moments with Sam, coupled with some great action from McGuinness keep the issue entertaining, but after finishing this issue leaves one feeling that its adventure is all too brief.This issue reveals that Sam's Dad abandoned his fellow Nova's to see Sam's birth, but it doesn't carry the emotional punch that Loeb seems to think it will. It was already made clear that he wasn't a perfect person, and having him return to Earth to be there for his sons birth doesn't seem all that awful compared to the state he was in at the beginning of the story. The reveal that former Nova Titus is leading the Chitauri also lacks any emotional whollop; we never got to know Titus as a Nova, so his betrayal is somewhat less than a shocker.
While the comic lacks serious weight, it makes up for it in some great action scenes. There isn't much to say about them; its Ed McGuinness at his best, with Nova really feeling like a human rocket as he zips around the Chitauri ships. Sam remains a fun character to read; he's childish, yes, but somehow Loeb manages to keep him from being annoying. His theft of the ultimate nullifier followed by a "So, yeah, that just happened" was enough to bring a smile to my face, as was his obvious joy at being able to zip around (once again a big bonus from McGuinness).
Sam's guilt over having to lie to his Mom near the tail end of the book reinforces that Sam isn't always going to be as happy go lucky as he is while in space, and lets the book retain some weight, even if it isn't coming from where Loeb thought it would. Nova #4 ends up being another fun issue of the new series, and as we move into the end of the first arc I find myself looking forward to the future adventures of Mr. Alexander. While Nova #4 doesn't do anything amazing for the character, it continues the books trend of putting out enjoyable stories and reinforces the likability of the main character. Final Score: 8/10
Wolverine and the X-Men #28 - Written by Jason Aaron, Art by Ramon Perez
After a stretched out 4 issue sojourn to the savage land, Wolverine and the X-Men take a trip 25 years into the future for a change of scenery. Jumping from a storyline about the past to one about the future could be something of a jarring transition, but Aaron uses it to juxtapose the animalistic man Wolverine was, the present man trying to atone for his past and create change, and the confident professor he is growing into. Surrounding by all the trappings that make WatXM different from everything else on the shelves (Eye-Boy co stars in the big action scene), WatXM #28 continues the character study that Aaron has been doing for years and assures everyone he isn't anywhere near done with Wolverine just yet.Similar to Iron Man this week, WatXM wraps its time displaced story with present day segments, featuring Wolverine giving a speech before burying a time capsule and his efforts to open a box found at Dog Logan's cabin. The speech features Wolverine working through some of the doubts he has surrounding his ability to actually lead a school, but by the end he's resolved to do it right; anyone who has been following Wolverine the past few years can't help but beam as much as Kitty Pryde does in the audience. The Dog Logan scenes are great too; as someone who hasn't read Origin, Aaron has me fully on board for more of this character, particularly after the reveal of the contents of his safe added another layer to an already complex character.
The future scenes that make up the meat of the book don't disappoint either. Seeing a future is always fun, and Aaron and Perez don't hesitate to have some here; a sentinel attending classes at the Jean Grey School was a particular favorite moment of mine. The focus here is, however, squarely focused upon an older and grayer Wolverine, now a more elderly scholar who opens the time capsule and finds himself filled with regret. After a conversation with a grown Eye-Boy (Eye-Man?), he resolves not to try to alter the past and instead only offer himself a few words of encouragement.
While the battle of Eye-Man and Wolverine vs some robots is admittedly lame, this issue more than overcomes that failing with its trademark combo of offbeat visuals and plots with strong character work. While it doesn't serve to advance the series' greater plotline regarding the Hellfire Club, WatXM #28 is a great breather that allows for some reflection on what the Jean Grey School really means to Wolverine and the X-Men as a wholeFinal Score: 8/10
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