Age of Ultron Book Three is, if one was to use a boxing metaphor, a whole slew of jabs, one serious body blow, and then a massive surprise uppercut to end the whole thing. Writer Brian Michael Bendis has tipped his hand a bit with issue #3, but still managed to keep it exciting. Whereas the first issue was a dark introduction to what Ultron has wrought, and the second more of a look at where we are in the story, Age of Ultron #3 starts the heavy lifting of pushing the story forward.
Bendis begins the surprises right away by opening with Luke Cage knocking out She-Hulk. What? Why? What’s going on here? No, Luke Cage hasn’t sold us out – rather, he and She-Hulk are instigating a plan to stop Ultron. Turns out Ultron will allow humans to live and thrive if they agree to sell him superheroes. Captain America wants to sell an Avenger, then have said Avenger steal secrets and wreak havoc on Ultron’s ship. After debating the merits of every hero, She-Hulk is chosen to be the bait, with Luke Cage posing as the barter.
Meanwhile Taskmaster, Red Hulk and Black Panther are attempting to steal the skull of an Ultron drone. During the attack, Black Panther is killed. Yep, the man we know as Black Panther has been etched off the active roster. Why they need this head and what happened to Red Hulk remain a mystery. The final shot of Age of Ultron #3 is Luke Cage being allowed access to the mother ship to barter for She-Hulk. When he arrives, to his horror, he’s confronted with the half-destroyed body of Vision heading up the trade. Is Vision simply working for Ultron, or is he part of the events that have left Earth in tatters? Bendis is playing his cards close to the vest here.
Overall, Age of Ultron continues to be one of the better Brian Michael Bendis stories of recent years. His main triumph thus far is making the Avengers, and heroes in general, look and feel defeated. This is one of the first arcs where the emotional impact seems to match the physical devastation. I will say this, Bendis has tipped his hand. Killing off Black Panther? There’s no way this can remain a real part of the Marvel canon. At some point, history will be reversed or the heroes will be allowed to go back in time to stop Ultron or, possibly, they’ll discover they are all asleep and dreaming this new reality, a la The Matrix. Whatever it is, we now will read more to see how it all works out as opposed to fearing it might not.
Bryan Hitch’s pencils are again something to marvel at. His absolute love for carnage and destruction are obvious here. The detail work in a fallen New York City is breathtaking. Hitch also knows depth and scope – his Ultron mother ship seems like an unstoppable monolith, which makes the danger our heroes face that much more insurmountable. All this detail and destruction takes nothing away from how Hitch handles faces, his great way with movement and action, or his ability to communicate emotion. These are the kinds of pencils all comic artists should strive for.
Kudos also to Paul Neary’s inks. Inking such massively detailed work is never easy. Too much and the effect is too busy, too little and the impact of the destruction has no weight. Neary walks that line perfectly. He accentuates what Hitch is doing and solidifies it all. Paul Mounts’ colors are another triumph. With this kind of story, the palette is limited. Greys, browns, slight colors for heroes costumes, that’s all there is. Mounts uses what he has perfectly. The glow of the mother ship, the dark overcast nature of the fall city. All of the colors punch up the emotional impact of the story.
Age of Ultron, quite simply, shows us all how event stories should be handled.
(4.5 Art, 4.5 Story)
