Even if they’re open and welcoming towards your gender and sexual identity, family gatherings can be difficult even during the best times. Especially if “grandpa” is a killer robot, and hubby is descended from two warring extraterrestrial races. Wiccan and Hulkling: Raid of Ultron #1 uses the utterly insane family background of Teddy Altman and Billy Kaplan to tell some heartstrings pulling stories about family and romantic relationships that happen to feature magic, robots, and lots and lots of punching. Wiccan solo series writer Wyatt Kennedy and artist Stephen Byrne handle the frame story “Family Matters” that introduces the comic’s kooky cast of characters at Wiccan and Hulkling’s anniversary party. They set up the conflict and seal it with a kiss, integrating seamlessly into the three short stories.
After the Ultrons attack, each of the party guests and hosts is thrown into portals that are different short stories written and drawn by a talented group of LGBTQ+ comics creators. Up first is Wiccan and Speed are trapped in Billy and Teddy’s favorite wind-down, sadly-on-hiatus reality TV show in “Mixed Signals” by Tegan Quin, Luciano Vecchio, and Brittany Peer. The stressful setting allows Wiccan to talk about the issues in his marriage with Speed and the ever-present Ultron, who has hacked Billy’s smart watch because, of course, he would. This story satirizes “smart” and optimization culture, where we can have physical items and feedback about mental health at the press of a button, but we’re not open about how we’re feeling. Quin writes zippy banter for Wiccan and Speed, definitely leaning into the gentle sibling ribbing, and Vecchio and Peer go big, loud, and high tech with their line art and colors. The comfort TV show setting makes everything a little bit more surreal, but there’s plenty of blasting, punching, and of course, speed lines. “Mixed Signals” gets this comic started off right with a shot of adrenaline and a chaser of reflection.
The sibling relationship through-line continues in “En Garde” by Zoe Tunnell and Rachael Stott, which features a duel between Hulkling, Phyla-Vell, and Ultron, plus a lot of relationship talk with a telepathic assist from Phyla’s partner, Moondragon. The contrast between Ultron being in their own little world and taunting the heroes while Billy and Phyla have a serious conversation about communication and complacency in relationships is the height of comedy. While slashing, flipping, and flying, this story’s protagonists burn through some important topics like being at different life stages than one’s friends or giving your partner space while still speaking about your needs. There’s also some great sibling bonding between Hulkling and Phyla-Vell as they seamlessly hack and slash their way through this story. Stott brings a real muscularity to her figure work that makes the combat feel like a real battle and not just cartoons jumping and blasting. It pairs nicely with Tunnell’s humorous and honest script. (I need a follow-up story where Wiccan and Hulkling and Phyla-Vell and Moondragon go to brunch.)
Vision and his daughter Viv star in the third Raid of Ultron short story, the cheekily named “Machine Learning,” where they face off against Ultron and his daughter Ultronica, who is basically robot Cher Horowitz. Josh Trujillo, Bradley Clayton, and Fabi Marques shift the dynamic from sibling to father/daughter. The emotional heart of this story is the difficulty of knowing when to introduce your parent to your partner, as Viv feels a little awkward bringing her new girlfriend to Wiccan and Hulkling’s party. This heartfelt emotion is counterbalanced by the hilarity of their opponents, who are pop culture tropes of father/daughter interactions turned up to eleven. Also, the Sanctum Sanctorum makes for a visually interesting environment and creates a natural contrast between science and magic. Vision and Viv definitely aren’t on their home turf. However, it’s nice to have yet another story in this comic that’s both introspective and action-packed. Marques’ bright, brash color palette truly ties everything together and gives both the fighting and conversations a heightened feel.
Wiccan and Hulkling: Raid of Ultron uses the superhero soap opera backdrop of the Marvel Universe to tell fiercely queer stories with big action and even bigger feelings. Also, as an added bonus and fitting the family theme of the comic, there’s an interview with Tegan and Sara discussing their sibling dynamic, relationship, and history with comic books, making this book a delight for both fans of LGBTQ+ comics creators and musicians.
Story: Wyatt Kennedy, Zoe Tunnell, Tegan Quin, Josh Trujillo
Art: Stephen Byrne, Rachael Stott, Luciano Vecchio, Bradley Clayton
Colors: Brittany Peer, Fabi Marques Letters: Ariana Maher
Story: 8.6 Art: 8.8 Overall: 8.7 Recommendation: Buy
Marvel Comics provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review
Purchase: Zeus Comics – Kindle
