The Good
It's not often we get to see immediate repercussions to decisions made in comics. Time travel stories can always get messy and Brian Bendis is showing us right away the results from Wolverine's plan to try to change the past to save the present. We'll just say Wolverine messed up in a bad way. Although you could definitely debate over which world is better off.
AGE OF ULTRON is become a giant WHAT IF..? story. I mean that in a way that we get to explore different situations. The world had been ravaged and numerous heroes were killed. What sets this apart is it's supposed to be happening in the current continuity. That still hasn't been fully explained as we're not seeing outside effects aside from the AU issues. Perhaps it will all make sense at the end.
It is always fun seeing different versions of familiar characters and you still get a sense of the unknown. We have no idea how everything will get rectified but we're assuming it all will by the end. Seeing these other versions of the characters and the things they do also give us a little insight into the regular versions. Knowing that they could be changed in this way is like watching a science experiment happen.
Brandon Peterson does a nice job in showing us some of the different versions, Iron Man especially. The action builds up and gets chaotic and Peterson's art captures the craziness.
The Bad
This is definitely a series I will be re-reading. Why I bring that up in this section is the series, so far, feels all over the place. Basically we have had three different directions so far in eight issues. When things heat up here, it's almost as if the craziness comes out of no where. Have we actually seen Ultron yet? It's almost as if he isn't even the overall threat here despite the title.
Not all stories can be judged as they unfold. I do still believe everything will tie together and we just might possibly get our minds blown. The idea that all this is part of current continuity is hard to swallow and we can't help but assume everything will get tied up in a neat fashion. There may be some repercussions but not to the extent we've been seeing.
The Verdict
AGE OF ULTRON is a book you can't look away from. There's been a lot going on and we can't help but wonder how it's all going to end to resolve it all. Bendis is giving us a chance to see the characters re-imagined and placed in crazy situations. Brandon Peterson's art manages to capture the different feel of these versions as well as cram the craziness that takes place towards the end. This is definitely a series that will have to be revisited once it's complete. I have no idea how this will all end. It does feel as if we're getting a lot of different things thrown at us. That can be a good thing. This series isn't exactly following the normal formula. Despite any reservations, I am still completely on board to see what's going to happen next.