It’s been a year in hype build up, but Marvel‘s next big event hit shelves this week with the release of Age of Ultron #1. I read through the comic and have been sitting on it, trying to figure out exactly what I thought about it.

Enter the darkest days of the Marvel Universe as it’s heroes fight for survival. Written by Brian Michael Bendis with art by Bryan Hitch Age of Ultron #1, is another dystopian tale, similar in it’s presentation as House of M or Avengers Vs. X-Men. Evil has triumphed over good and leading this new age is none other than Ultron, the deadly sentient robot created by founding Avenger Hank Pym who turned on his creator to achieve his twisted  objective…the utter destruction of humanity. Now, it’s up to the few remaining heroes to band together and find any way to topple their new monarch.

Thrown into this first issue with little explanation, we’re presented with the action sequence before the credits of the movie starts. We’re strapped in for a ride and due to that, I’m kind of mixed.

To paraphrase Shakespeare this issue is “full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.” There’s lots of action, lots of excitement, an intriguing world, but I feel like we’ve been here before, even with so little explained. The issue is lots of flash, not much depth.

Lets look at some of the previous events.

Avengers Vs. X-Men saw a band of heroes fighting for survival against mutants who have taken over the world.

House of M saw a band of heroes fighting for survival in a world controlled by Magneto (sort of).

Age of Apocalypse saw a band of heroes fighting for survival in a world ruled by Apocalypse.

Days of Future Past saw a band of heroes fighting for survival in a world ruled by Sentinels.

See a pattern here? We’ve been here, done that. It’s Madlibs Marvel Events.

That’s not to say this first issue wasn’t interesting or exciting. But, as a first issue, it feels familiar and therefore not as exciting. I’m trying to not get too down, in the end I think the event will be a solid one, they usually turn out to be a greater whole than individual parts. I just wish we got something slightly different here than normal to start.

This first issue is exciting, but I can’t quite recommend it because it’s not a story, it’s a beginning scene before the credits. While it might be a read, my opinion of the overall event will hopefully be different.

Story: Brian Michael Bendis Art: Bryan Hitch

Story: 7.5 Art: 8 Overall: 7.75 Recommendation Read