Age of Ultron Companion
Quick Summary
Pros: The majority of this collection’s stories are good and have a compelling theme tying them together. The Hank Pym story is great and works as a perfect epilogue to the Age of Ultron event.
Cons: Readers who do not know the characters in this book will likely be unable to appreciate many of the stories.
Overall: This is an enjoyable collection of stories but isn’t the best companion to the Age of Ultron event. The tales collected here are emotional dives into a specific character’s mental state, providing a touching look at how they view sacrifice. However, only a few of these tales provide anything to the main event and most of them are only meaningful if the reader already appreciates the character they are about. For readers who like these characters, this is a solid read; for readers who don’t care about these characters, the appeal is limited.
Story
Age of Ultron Companion is a collection of stories that depict some of the smaller events that occurred during Age of Ultron (Review). Though these stories are mostly unrelated, many of them are connected in the way they show the importance of fighting for what you believe in, no matter the odds. Each time this topic comes up it is well executed and allows most of these stories to read well. However, the majority of these stories are also highly dependent on knowing a specific character and knowing a little about what is going on in their life at this time. Because of this, I would recommend this book for readers who enjoyed Age of Ultron and who like some of the main characters in this book (Black Widow, Captain Marvel, Wolverine, the Fantastic Four, Spider-Man, Victor Mancha, Kang, Hippolyta, or Hank Pym). Otherwise, this collection has little appeal.
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The majority of the stories in Age of Ultron Companion depict heroic fights against insurmountable odds. Captain Marvel, Captain Britain, and three members of the Fantastic Four all fight to the death in order to save other people. Meanwhile, Black Widow, Spider-Man, and Victor Mancha see their world collapse around them, even while they are doing their best to prevent it. In this way, the majority of the collection is a reflection on fighting in the face of hopelessness. It shows that fighting for what you believe in is always worthwhile, even if it only has a small impact on the world around you. I enjoyed seeing this theme developed through a variety of different characters and stories and even thought it handled the topic slightly better than the main event.
However, in my opinion, the best story in the Age of Ultron Companion comes from Hank Pym’s epilogue, written by Mark Waid. This chapter puts the spotlight on a character who has experienced more ups and downs than most mainstream comic heroes. Now, his past actions nearly destroyed all of humanity. Watching him move past this and refocus on doing good is heartwarming. It also serves as an uplifting epilogue to the entire Age of Ultron event, providing some light to balance out the event’s darkness.
The problem with Age of Ultron Companion is that almost all of its stories are directly tied to specific characters and, occasionally, specific events from these specific characters. This means that readers unaware of Hippolyta or Victor Mancha’s backgrounds will not appreciate their entire chapters. It also means that, if readers do not understand Doc Ock’s present-day struggle with his own inferiority complex, they will not appreciate the majority of the Superior Spider-Man issue.
This character driven nature focus of these stories also does little to enhance Age of Ultron as a larger event. The only issues that actually feel like they contribute to the larger event are Avengers Assemble #14AU, which explains Black Widow’s condition, and Age of Ultron #10AI, which gives an epilogue for Hank Pym. In general, it feels like these tie-in chapters would have fit better alongside other issues from their respective characters, rather than grouped together in a book like this.
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Art
The artwork in Age of Ultron Companion varies, depending on the chapter, but typically trends around average. Spotlights can be seen in the Avengers Assemble issues, penciled by Butch Guice. These feature gritty takes on the environment, which match the mood of the narrative, and also contain some uniquely structured pages, which add to the appeal of the story. In addition, Phil Jimenez’s work on the Fearless Defenders issue makes all of the characters look great. However, many of the other chapters simply don’t end up feeling that memorable and do not contribute much to the overall visual appeal of this collection.
Continuity
Age of Ultron Companion collects a series of individual issues set during the Age of Ultron (Review) event. For more information about exactly how these comics connect see our Age of Ultron Reading Order.
This volume also makes references to other comic books, detailed below:
- A number of references are made to the creation of Ultron. This was originally shown back in Avengers #58, collected in Marvel Masterworks: Avengers Vol. 6 (Review).
- The Skrull invasion of Earth is mentioned a few times. This came to a head in Secret Invasion.
- Avengers Assemble #14AU has Black Widow reference her time living on the West Coast. This was during Daredevil #87-109, issues collected in Marvel Masterworks: Daredevil Vol. 9 and Vol. 10.
- Avengers Assemble #15AU has Captain Marvel reference her recent troubles with her superpowers. These troubles started in
- Fantastic Four #5AU mentions the Human Torch’s death and resurrection. Johnny Storm “died” back in Fantastic Four #587, collected in Fantastic Four by Jonathan Hickman Vol. 4: Three, and returned in Fantastic Four #600, collected in Fantastic Four by Jonathan Hickman Vol. 5: Forever.
- The Superior Spider-Man #6AU references the recent change involving Spider-Man and Doctor Octopus. This change is explained in Amazing Spider-Man #698-700 and Superior Spider-Man #1, collected in Superior Spider-Man: The Complete Collection Vol. 1.
- The Superior Spider-Man #6AU references the time Tony Stark was head of S.H.I.E.L.D. which began in Iron Man #15, collected in Iron Man: Director of S.H.I.E.L.D.
- The Superior Spider-Man #6AU references a brief meeting between Ultron and Doctor Octopus. This meeting occurred in Secret Wars (Review) (Reading Order).
- Ultron #1AU references many aspects of Victor Mancha’s history. These include:
- Joining the Runaways in Runaways Vol. 1 #1, collected in Runaways: The Complete Collection Vol. 1.
- The death of his mother in Runaways Vol. 1 #5, collected in Runaways: The Complete Collection Vol. 1.
- Him receiving a warning from the future in Runaways Vol. 2 #1, collected in Runaways: The Complete Collection Vol. 2.
- Wolverine & the X-Men #27AU mentions the Fantastic Four’s first battle against Ronan in Fantastic Four #65, collected in Marvel Masterworks: Fantastic Four Vol. 7 (Review).
- Wolverine’s past with the Brood stretches back to Uncanny X-Men #155, collected in Marvel Masterworks: The Uncanny X-Men Vol. 7.
- Age of Ultron #10AI mentions the moment where Hank and Janet first joined the Avengers. This is seen in Avengers #1, collected in Marvel Masterworks: Avengers Vol. 1 (Review).