Episode 1352 Talkback: Age of Ultron Issues 1 to 3

Pants

The Age of Ultron has arrived! We discuss the first three issues of this event series and what it may mean for the Marvel Universe. (1:20:11)

Listen here.

alienal

As I'm waiting to see IF I will get the trade, I don't mind being spoiled a bit. So, the listening begins: Wow, Murd didn't know about the barber shop chair? Amazing. Anyway, I don't know for sure, but I knew Steranko DID use it in both the SHIELD comic and Strange Tales, but I'm guessing that maybe even Kirby used it before Steranko took over. Matt's comment about decompression is why I didn't buy the series because I suspected that might happen. Hitch wide-screen style and Bendis style of writing equals a story longer than it needs to be. And I agree with Jamie in wondering where does this story fit in? Why not just issue it as a graphic novel? Well, I guess that's why I'm waiting for a trade of some sort.

Corwin

Just started listening.

I think you guys are giving Marvel a little bit too much credit. While they probably did give Hitch some lead time this event was supposed to happen before AvX but got bumped back.

rebis

I get the feeling this was supposed to come out of the Ultron storyline that ran in Marvel's Cosmic titles a few years ago.

Last years Free Comic Book Day, "Avengers, Age of Ultron" shows how Ultron got to Earth.

I don't know if this is bothering anyone else, but Spidey in the AoU titles reads like Pete. In Superior Spider-Man, it's still Octavious.

Elsiebub

Another Bendis/Breevort production in which readers are forced to spend half their time wondering why heroes are acting so out-of-character and how the heck any of this fits into continuity.

You can tell the Bendis of 2011 wrote this. I'm loving his X-stuff so far, but if it ever starts to seem this slapdash and "shocking", I'll cancel my subscriptions in a second.

Corwin

LOL good call on Cap's shield there is supposed to be a crack in it after it was shattered in Fear Itself. It was probably two months after Fear Itself where the crack suddenly disappeared in all the books.

I think things from the first arc of Avengers (vol 4) are going to come into play here...remember Ultron Vs Kang? And them breaking the Universe? Or future Stark giving Stark some future weapon? Or Ultron returning in the Avengers Point One issue where he commendeers a Space Knight armor? Hopefully all these things will come into play.

I think a good portion of the corkboard was left over from Secret Invasion...some of it is way out of date...

rebis said:

I get the feeling this was supposed to come out of the Ultron storyline that ran in Marvel's Cosmic titles a few years ago.

Last years Free Comic Book Day, "Avengers, Age of Ultron" shows how Ultron got to Earth.

I don't know if this is bothering anyone else, but Spidey in the AoU titles reads like Pete. In Superior Spider-Man, it's still Octavious.

After Annihilation Conquest he (digitally) returned to Earth during Siege and took over the Jocasta duplicates in the Infinite Mansion attacked Pym. That story ended with him taking Jocasta as his bride. She would split her time with wherever Ultron is (by transferring her conciousness between bodies) and here on Earth.

The FCBD issue was a reprint of Avengers 12.1.

In Superior Spidey # (something) AU we see it is Ock...but his quips do sound like Pete in the main series...funny because it's not like it should be hard to change dialogue.

rebis

Corwin said:

rebis said:

I get the feeling this was supposed to come out of the Ultron storyline that ran in Marvel's Cosmic titles a few years ago.

Last years Free Comic Book Day, "Avengers, Age of Ultron" shows how Ultron got to Earth.

I don't know if this is bothering anyone else, but Spidey in the AoU titles reads like Pete. In Superior Spider-Man, it's still Octavious.

After Annihilation Conquest he (digitally) returned to Earth during Siege and took over the Jocasta duplicates in the Infinite Mansion attacked Pym. That story ended with him taking Jocasta as his bride. She would split her time with wherever Ultron is (by transferring her conciousness between bodies) and here on Earth.

The FCBD issue was a reprint of Avengers 12.1.

In Superior Spidey # (something) AU we see it is Ock...but his quips do sound like Pete in the main series...funny because it's not like it should be hard to change dialogue.

I had forgotten about that story in ... MIghty Avengers.(?)
Anyway, the way Ultron manifests himself in Avengers 12.1 is very much like how he did in Annihilation Conquest.
Btw, IGN has an Origins on Ulton thing up that sheds some light on the origins of AoU.

Chuck_Melville

alienal said:

As I'm waiting to see IF I will get the trade, I don't mind being spoiled a bit. So, the listening begins: Wow, Murd didn't know about the barber shop chair? Amazing. Anyway, I don't know for sure, but I knew Steranko DID use it in both the SHIELD comic and Strange Tales, but I'm guessing that maybe even Kirby used it before Steranko took over.

Yeah, the barbershop originally appeared in the very first Nick Fury, Agent Of SHIELD story by Lee and Kirby, when Nick Fury was first recruited from the CIA to be head of SHIELD.

JDick

Can anyone think of another major event book in recent history with absolutely no hype at all? Nobody is talking about this (present company excluded). Has event fatigue really set in at Marvel?

Matt

I think its falling too close to MarvelNOW! That felt like an event, with a lot of changes. This feels more like a storyline then an event. Maybe if it was released during the summer, people would care more & it'd get hype.

M

Greg

I don't see AoU as an event compared to Civil War, Secret Invasion, Fear Itself and AvX. There is only a handful of tie-ins and to me it seems so far to be a self contained story that could have been told in an ogn. Becaue AoU was pushed back, maybe there was supposed to have been more tie-ins before Marvel Now happened and with it more fanfare from Marvel.

I'm a little underwhelmed by it so far, but the the image of Vision at the end of #3 got my attention. I'm eager to see how Ultron managed all of this in what seems to have been done in a very short amount of time.

There were changes made after the uncolored preview art was shown months ago. Some of the photos were changed and I'm guessing that Thing was originally supposed to be in the story or as the guys said it could have just been a sloppy mistake. Why did Sue say Ben instead of Reed or Johnny?

Anybody read Fantastic Four #5AU? Good story in there.

Corwin

Greg said:

There were changes made after the uncolored preview art was shown months ago. Some of the photos were changed and I'm guessing that Thing was originally supposed to be in the story or as the guys said it could have just been a sloppy mistake. Why did Sue say Ben instead of Reed or Johnny?

So what's changed from original to the page printed?
Rom has become Ikon
extra Deadpool has become Valkyrie
Patriot now Ms America
Spidey's pic went from saying "Parker" to "Spider-Man"

Things that are different off:
Cyclops in old visor
Bucky Cap

Characters that are now dead:
Ares
Victoria Hand
Xavier
Sentry


Yeah this is probably Nick Fury's wall from Secret Invasion.

mbatz

Age of Apocalypse is one of my fave stories. This feels alot like that, right down to the title.

Mr_Cosmic

While I've enjoyed it so far I couldn't get over the knowledge that this was supposed to come out months ago. Why spend time focusing on Moon Knight of all people? Oh!..because when this was written Bendis was in the middle of his Moon Knight run.

Why is Sue there? Her family is off in space...oh, thank God I got the Fantastic Four #5AU issue so I can read the stupid explanation. Still..no explanation for the Thing being in the first issue.

Peter Parker seems to be acting like..well..Peter Parker.

The Beast should look like he does in All New X-Men

etc....

LibraryBoy

No one sounds terribly enthusiastic about this story, huh?

Chuck_Melville

LibraryBoy said:

No one sounds terribly enthusiastic about this story, huh?

I've only read the first two issues thus far; I won't see the next two until I receive my shipment next week. Thus far, I'm not really having a problem with it, though I do see where the complaints about the decompression come from; to that end, I can almost agree that this would work better as a graphic novel rather than as a mini-series. (But I also have yet to read the cross-overs, and so have no idea how they well they work with the series, or if they're entirely superfluous.)

I'll have more of an idea how much I do or don't like it when the story is over, but at this point I'm enjoying it.

LibraryBoy

Squirrel Girl's knack for defeating the seemingly undefeatable predates Bendis, going back to her first appearance written by Will Murray where she saves Iron Man from Dr. Doom. Dan Slott picked up on that thread in the GLA mini-series and GLX-Mas Special where we get glimpses of her beating even more powerful foes like Thanos (and we get the explanation that the Doom she faced in that first story was the genuine article and not a Doombot).

gothamkid

rebis said:

I get the feeling this was supposed to come out of the Ultron storyline that ran in Marvel's Cosmic titles a few years ago.

Last years Free Comic Book Day, "Avengers, Age of Ultron" shows how Ultron got to Earth.

I don't know if this is bothering anyone else, but Spidey in the AoU titles reads like Pete. In Superior Spider-Man, it's still Octavious.

It feels and reads like when this was written Fraction's FF plans and Slott's Spider-Man plans weren't known so the AU tie-ins were to try and shoe-horn them (Look its clearly Otto in Superior Spider-Man 6AU so it must be him in the mini!!!) It gives it a very Secret Wars feel in that sense New York isn't destroyed in Superior Spider-Man #7 either everything gets neatly put back in the box or its dfinitely an alternate reality.

Greg

There is an interview with Breevort over at CBR. He was asked when AoU takes place and his answer was right now and in the 616. The answers as to how and why Thor and Hulk are dead are forthcoming along with answers as to why the heroes are all business as usual in their own books. After reading issue #4 today, one my hunches is at least partially right in regards to how Ultron pulled it off.