So when you pick up a copy of a book called Ultron #1 with a giant picture of monster currently causing chaos on the Marvel timeline on the cover and an ‘Age of Ultron’ tie in logo at the bottom, your first thought might be that you are picking up a book about Ultron. If you thought that without reading any blurbs, you are going to most likely be extremely disappointed with this issue.
This issue starts off with a few details leading you to believe that Victor as one of Ultron’s “sons”. Victor Mancha is going to be returning to Marvel soon in Avengers A.I. and while I look forward to his return I really felt let down by this one. I should also point out that it bothers me they didn’t go more into detail that Victor was one of Ultron’s sons. Anyone who hasn’t read The Runaways really can’t appreciate Victor or his relationship with his ‘father’ from what little is given in this issue.
Don’t get me wrong I loved seeing Kathryn return to writing the last of the surviving Runaways and the small little homages made in the issue felt right. Her work on the series was one of the better runs of non-mainstream characters in Marvel and the fact that any of them look to be on the verge of becoming a mainstream character makes me happy. The problem was the issue itself didn’t feel right.
Victor’s a cyborg and being one of Ultron’s creations is able to pass by them undetected. He uses this to his advantage to take out a few of the Ultron-bots that are in charge of security.
At the end of the comic we don’t know if he and his new group of orphans were able to make it away or if they will further tie into the Age of Ultron story line. All we see is Victor engaging a group of Ultronbots. The issue itself ended feeling incomplete and without knowing if we’re going to even see Victor mentioned again until Avengers AI just feels like a misuse of the character, the Ultron name for the title, and my money.
The artwork was a bit lackluster for the Age of Ultron experience that we’ve been being fed so far. What are are being told is Victor has taken in a group of orphans and is protecting them from the maniacal robot who wants to exterminate all of humanity. He hasn’t told them that he is a cyborg and when they find out no one is really happy about the situation. That doesn’t last long though as Ultron apparently has decided that is the perfect time to attack.
From the poor art, the lack of direction in the tie-in, and the lack of successfully using Ultron, I have to give this issue (with a character I love) one of my lowest scores to date.
Writer: Kathryn Immonen
Artist: Amilcar Pinna
