Two generations of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes rise to the challenge and come face-to-face with the Avengers greatest villain in Avengers: Rage of Ultron! New York Times bestselling writer Rick Remender re-teams with artists Jerome Opeña and Pepe Larraz to take heroes old and new to the brink of destruction in a story that will redefine Ultron and have long reaching effects for the Avengers!

Time and again, Ultron has reformed himself. Each time more vicious and destructive than the last. Today, he has returned, unleashing his destructive fury upon Saturn’s moon Titan – home of the superpowered race of Eternals and birthplace of Thanos the Mad. With the Eternals decimated, and Ultron gaining complete control over Titan’s central computer core, there is nothing to stop Planet Ultron! What hope do the Avengers stand against an entire planet of Ultron robots?

Only Ultron’s creator Hank Pym holds the secret to defeating his unhinged creation. A secret that dates back to the Avengers of a bygone era. A secret that comes with a terrible price…

With just a few releases, Marvel‘s original graphic novel line hasn’t lived up to the quality I’d have expected, especially considering the quality of talent attached. So, I went into this latest offering with low expectations… very low expectations. They might have been even lower since I felt this was a cash-in as far as the upcoming Age of Ultron and Ant-Man. For once, I came away pleasantly surprised.

The story’s focus is Ultron and the rather messed up family that revolves around him. Out of all of the Avenger’s villains Ultron is the family member that went bad and whose family has to reign them in. That strange relationship drives Ultron’s motivation, but there’s more too. On top of that interesting layer Remender also gives us debates about life and what we should consider living or not. There’s an interesting philosophical base to it all that the story doesn’t get to bogged down in.

Helping Remender is Opeña and Larraz’s fantastic art. That alone could be a reason to pick up the graphic novel. The are is solid, but that’s expected from that team.

There’s some storytelling issues, like what happened with Planet Ultron at the end? What was it made out of? What happened to all of the people enslaved? There’s a LOT of issues, but despite that, the story is really good. And, with the way it ended it actually becomes a vital story and if pursued further in comics, could actually give us something new going forward when it comes to Ultron. It’s a graphic novel where a lot happens, but not a lot is actually resolved, almost as if this was to be an Avengers arc in the comics but plans changed and it couldn’t be fit into the schedule.

Remender has given us an Ultron that fits the modern comics landscape, and with that a more sinister villain. He’s also created an original graphic novel from Marvel that’s not only great to read, but also may be a vital one due to what happens within.

Story: Rick Remender Art: Jerome Opeña, Pepe Larraz
Story: 7.75 Art: 8.75 Overall: 7.75 Recommendation: Read