Comics Review- Age of Ultron: Was All This Really Necessary?

For those unfamiliar with the character, Ultron is an artificial intelligence created by Hank Pym, a founding member of the Avengers who has gone by various superhero identities, the most prominent being Ant-Man. But like most artificial intelligence programs, it went evil and became bent on eradicating humanity, and essentially became the Avengers' greatest enemy.
In 2011's Avengers #12.1, Ultron had been reactivated and escaped a confrontation with the Avengers to plan his next attack. Tony Stark feared that when Ultron came back, he would bring the end of everything. And thus, Marvel set the stage for a story called "Age of Ultron."
After a couple years of waiting due to art delays, Marvel finally announced "Age of Ultron" would happen in 2013. While I was a little peeved it was happening so soon after Marvel's last big event "Avengers vs. X-Men", the hype around it made it forgivable because I was excited to see what would happen. So, now that the story is over, did it live up to the hype? Short answer: no. Long answer: I payed almost $40 for this?

To begin, when Marvel first announced this series, they made it sound like that it would be Ultron succeeding in taking over Earth with the remaining heroes mounting a resistance, and that some of the focus would be on characters like Hawkeye, Moon Knight, Black Widow, and Spider-Man. As more info on the story started to come about, it was starting to sound like much of the events of the story, Ultron's takeover in particular, would be done away with through time travel and become a world in Marvel's multiverse, similar to the 90's "Age of Apocalypse" event. That theory was becoming very prominent from the first half of the series. For one thing, many prominent characters being featured in main Marvel books were killed or said to be dead, including 75% of the Fantastic Four, Hulk, Thor, Cyclops, and Black Panther. Along with that, there were many continuity errors for a story that was supposed to take place in the present, including Spider-Man acting like Peter Parker when Otto Octavius was currently in control of Peter's body, Emma Frost retaining her psychic powers even though she lost them after AVX, and Wolverine wearing a costume he has never worn before. In response to those first two errors, I would have forgiven them if Marvel said AoU took place before AVX, but they were adamant that Otto was Spider-Man in this storyline, even including a tie-in issue of "Superior Spider-Man." While on the subject, I think the tie-in issues for series like Spider-Man and Fantastic Four really hurt the impact of the series, because those issues were place in the middle of the regular runs of the titles. They showed Reed, Johnny, and Ben die in the AoU issue of Fantastic Four, but then they're back like nothing happened in the next regular issue.
By #6 of the series, the story shifted gears from what it originally promised and become a time travel story involving Wolverine and Invisible Woman. By the end of the series, Ultron himself appeared only in the final issue. So a storyline involving Ultron, and the damn robot is only it for one issue.

I can basically summarize the story in five sentences:

• Ultron takes over the Earth, leaving very few heroes left to fight back.
• Wolverine and Invisible Woman travel back in time to kill Hank Pym before he can create Ultron, which they succeed in doing.
• They come back to a drastically altered present where a cyborg Tony Stark pretty much controls the world.
• Wolverine travels back again to stop his past-present self from killing Pym, where they devise a new way to stop Ultron before he attacks.
• The events of Avengers #12.1 are changed to when Ultron reactivates, he is unable to escape a battle with the Avengers, thanks to Pym, who was also able to give Stark equations to download into Ultron, that would lead to the robot being deactivated and its body destroyed by Thor.

So that's basically it. The past 9 issues becoming nothing more than paperweights because of the finale. I would have said "Spoiler alert!" but that would have been as fucking pointless as this series was.
The story doesn't technically end there though. Apparently, the main point of this series was to establish that because of Wolverine's tampering with the past, the space-time continuum had been broken and the walls of the Marvel multiverse were crumbling. While that plot point is very interesting, was 10 issues really needed to explain that? Hell, the issues dealing with the altered present felt more like filler. Honestly, with as much travel through time or between universes that has happened in Marvel's history, showing that they're heading towards a "Crisis on Infinite Earths" level event could have easily been done in an issue of "All-New X-Men" or "New Avengers", which deal with time travel and alternate universes respectively.
"Age of Ultron" was just Marvel's greed gone overboard. This tops "Fear Itself" as Marvel's worst event in the last 10 years. While the major after effects of "Fear Itself", the supposed deaths of Thor and Bucky, lasted what seemed to be only a few months, the story itself at least brought some allusion of possible change. With "Age of Ultron", when a majority of a story is effectively erased by its climax, it makes it hard to not feel cheated.
Also, when the potential stories coming out of an event sound more exciting than the actual event was, you know it was bad. One of them is the upcoming miniseries "Hunger", which deals with the main Marvel universe Galactus being transported into the Ultimate Marvel universe. I will probably wait for the collected edition of the series to read that, but I am interested in seeing how the Ultimate universe deals with a major threat originating from outside their own world, which will no doubt lead closer to the "Crisis" level event Marvel seems to be planning. When that happens, I feel that the main universe and Ultimate universe will become one, but that's my own wishful thinking.
Aside from that, while it hasn't been officially stated to be an affect of "Age of Ultron", Spider-Man 2099 will be appearing in an upcoming storyline in "Superior Spider-Man", which will pit Miguel against Otto to see who is the superior Spider-Man. Considering Miguel was used as a red herring as the identity of the Superior Spider-Man before the new book started, I'm happy to be seeing him back in comics. The end of AoU makes me glad to have a theory on how their encounter will happen.

As for the whole "Angela from 'Spawn' now in the Marvel universe" thing, it might be because I know nothing about the character, but I honestly thought it was over-hyped and did not give a shit when she showed up at the end of the book.

After this series, I am setting my expectations low for Marvel's next event, "Infinity." I want it to be good, but it's been hit and miss lately for Marvel events. Maybe if they actually spaced out their events...but that's probably too much to ask for.

For my comics reviews, there will be two ratings. The story rating is how I personally felt about it as a whole. The recommendation rating is how much I'd recommend it to friends or readers who are either new or lapsed. So the scores for Age of Ultron:

STORY RATING: 2/10
RECOMMENDATION RATING: 1/10

The story has its moments, but lasts too long and ultimately becomes pointless by the last issue of the series. You'd be better off waiting to see what future stories will come about because of it. If you're into post-apocalyptic, time travel, or alternate reality stories, it might be worth a look, but don't expect a big payoff.

J-Pull's Poetry Corner: "'Give Me My Own Movie Motherfuckers!'"

With the release of the Deadpool video game this week, I thought this would be the perfect time to share a Deadpool poem I wrote for my poetry class I took in my final semester at EIU, which was well received by the class and hopefully loved by anyone else who is reading this. While on the subject, expect a most likely positive review of the Deadpool game to be posted sometime this week or next.

So, without further ado, for the inaugural edition of J-Pull's Poetry Corner (yes, this will be a recurring segment), here is "'Give Me My Own Movie Motherfuckers!'"

“Give Me My Own Movie Motherfuckers!”

By Wade Wilson (filling in for Justin Pullen (Good thing his first name isn’t Richard. Ha!))

Oh how patient I’ve been for my own movie.
                (And patience is really against his nature.)
So many years at work, yet nothing to show for it.
                (Like Brandon Routh’s career.)

Fans want to see me shoot
             (BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG!)
 and slice the shit out of people in live action,
and quite possibly 3D.
            (4D would be fun though;
            heads and limbs falling in your lap!)
So somebody pull Ryan Reynolds out of Blake Lively
                (What a downgrade from ScarJo.)
and let’s make my goddamn movie!

Now to make sure
this college nerd won’t say anything
about hogtying him and using his junk laptop
to express my emotions.
             (You’re such a good poet.
          And those old white guys make it look hard.)
Where’d I leave my knife?
                (But you just cleaned your suit!
            ...It’s on the microwave.)

Hey Tammy! Does this long poem annoy you?
Or do my trademark yellow boxes make it hard to read?
             (Breaking the fourth wall for the win!)
Comedy over. Deadpool, OUT!

 

 

To clarify something, Tammy was a girl in the class that hated long poems.

Turning Off "Two and a Half Men" and "Anger Management"

As I'm sure most people remember, Charlie Sheen went pretty crazy around the start of 2011, which led to him being fired from "Two and a Half Men." Then he went on a media bender showing people just how crazy he had really gotten. He would call himself, and I'm paraphrasing here, a warlock with tiger blood in his veins. And who could forget his hashtagable use of "WINNING!" Eventually, it seemed that Sheen had cleaned himself and got a new show on FX loosely based on the Jack Nicholson comedy, "Anger Management." More on that later.

In the meantime, CBS decided to continue "Two and a Half Men." Charlie's character would be killed off, presumably murdered by Rose, and a new character, billionaire Walden Schmidt, played by new lead Ashton Kutcher, would buy his house and for some reason allow Alan to keep living there. I watched most of Kutcher's first season on the show and did find it, for the most part, entertaining. It was a good experiment and I did not bat an eye to when the show was renewed for another season.
The latest season, however, did not impress me. It mostly had to do with character and plot development. For the two seasons he's been on, Walden has been in two meaningful relationships that ended in him being dumped, with attempts reconciliation in both of them ultimately being sabotaged by Rose. It makes me feel bad for the guy, but if this is going to be pattern, it makes it hard to care for any relationship he has.
As for Alan, he has, in the simplest way of putting it, devolved into a total loser. When he was sponging off Charlie, it made sense because they were brothers. While the start of the Walden era on the show made sense at first for Alan to keep living there, I really find it hard to believe Walden would still have him there. Besides that, did his chiropractor practice just dissolve? To the best of my recollection, he has not been at his office or even mentioned going to work in the two years he's lived with Walden. It seems like he is sponging off Walden for everything, which does not make him very likable in my opinion. Then there is his on again/off again relationship with Lyndsey the last three years. This past season, they become engaged (I assume because it wasn't a very formal proposal) but then she just dumps him out of nowhere. This was practically the longest relationship Alan's had in the show's history and it ends just like that? Like I said, it makes it hard to care for characters' relationships you start to become invested in and then suddenly have them separate. I felt the same way with Charlie and Chelsea's relationship.
While Jake has not been on this much this past season since he joined the army at the end of the previous season, anytime he does appear, almost everything he says is insanely idiotic that I repeatedly smack myself in the forehead and check to see if I left a red mark by the end of the episode. I know this is supposed to be an absurd comedy, but no one is that stupid.
You can probably imagine my surprise when I found out the show had been renewed for another season. Along with that, it was announced that Angus T. Jones (Jake) would be downgraded to a recurring role, even though it seemed that way this past season anyway. If Jake is hardly around anymore, why is the show still called "Two and a Half Men"? He isn't even a "half" any more. As the show no longer has anything to offer me, I will not be watching this fall. If it is renewed after this coming season, I will have no words.

Now, on to "Anger Management." They made 10 episodes for the first season, and I enjoyed it for the most part. Then they made the deal for 90 more episodes, a surprising amount to say the least. While I did continue to enjoy the show, I felt it has been lacking lately, prominently in the Charlie/Kate relationship, which has been my favorite aspect of the show. They start out as friends with benefits, even though they both seem to have real feelings for each other, but Kate doesn't want to get serious and decides to go back to being just friends with Charlie, but now they have to work together on a grant funded sex study which makes things totally awkward for them. Yes, it is as convoluted as it sounds. But with the whole "will they or won't they" aspect gone, I just haven't found the show as enjoyable lately.
This week, it was announced that Selma Blair (Kate) was fired from the show, per Sheen's orders.

Source: http://www.deadline.com/2013/06/future-of-anger-management-co-star-selma-blair-in-limbo-over-falling-out-with-charlie-sheen/

Now, I had thought that Sheen had gotten his act together after getting fired from "Two and a Half Men" and would start behaving a little differently. But as sources say, he is apparently being just as big a drama queen on his new show as he was on his last one, with many of the cast and crew becoming frustrated with him. Since Blair was the most vocal, Sheen issued the ultimatum that either she goes or he goes. I guess FX saw Sheen as a bigger a bigger loss than Blair. It doesn't end there though; Sheen apparently fired her through an expletive filled text message. Now the show is searching for a new female lead to replace her character.
I actually like Selma Blair, particularly in the Hellboy films. It seems like the show is taking a big loss letting her go. I think she'll be fine though; she's a talented actress. I wouldn't say that I'm that big of a fan of her that her exit would make me stop watching "Anger Management", but it's part of the reason I am. I feel as though that if I continue watching, I will be supporting Sheen's supposed reign of terror on the set. Like I said, the show hasn't been as entertaining as when it started so I don't feel like I'll be missing out.

So I say goodbye to a show that is long past its prime and another that I sense is going to start spiraling, of which I have seen the early signs. There's plenty of other shows for me to watch.
You can call this a rant about television shows if you want, but I thought this would be a good idea for a piece of writing.

Coming soon: Age of Ultron miniseries review

 

So today, spoilers leaked for the final issue of Marvel current event miniseries, "Age of Ultron." I decided to look at them due to my lack of enjoyment in the course of the story and just wanted to know how it ends. I have my own thoughts on the whole thing as a whole now, but will not post an overall review as I was already planning to until I have read the issue myself.
However, since I will not be able to make it to my comic shop until next week, I will be unable to read the issue or put up my review of the series until next week. So stay tuned, readers.

Movie Review- Man of Steel: Not Your Daddy's Superman (SPOILERS)

In 2008, Warner Bros. and DC Comics were in danger of losing Superman's rights to the heirs of his creators unless a new film in production by 2011. Rather than a sequel to the mediocre "Superman Returns", they decided to restart the franchise altogether. Once David Goyer and Christopher Nolan, the men behind the Dark Knight trilogy that revitalized my own interest in Batman with "Batman Begins", joined the project in 2010, I knew Superman was in good hands; Zack Snyder of "300" and "Watchmen" fame signing on as director only made it better. While the rights issue was taken care of, there was still much more on the line with the new theatrical Superman adaptation, not only for the character himself, but with any future DC superhero's film future aside from Batman. Now that the movie's out, has it lived up to what it was set out to do? As a starting point to a new universe, I believe it has.

This is the Superman movie I have been waiting for, and it did not disappoint. In fact, it left me wanting more. I will admit that it takes a little bit to get into, but it all pulls together as it goes on, especially when he acquires the suit. I have seen comments from people questioning why we need a new Superman movie or why they have to tell the origin even though it's so well known. To answer the first question, people tend to forget that he was the first superhero. THE superhero. Without him, people wouldn't be watching Batman, Spider-Man, or any of the Avengers on the big screen. He deserves such treatment as the rest of them. As for the origin, I saw similar complaints when "The Amazing Spider-Man" reboot came out last year. Here's how I feel about retelling origins: if the film makers feel there is something new to tell, then I am all for it. Considering how "Man of Steel" is the first theatrical depiction of Superman's origin since the original 1978 Christopher Reeve film. I'll admit, the opening Krypton scenes were very reminiscent of the original. Given that was over 30 years ago, it was time to restart for a new generation, especially in a time where, realistically, such an individual would be viewed with fear and mistrust, which is indeed what the film set out to do.
Some people have complained that the film is "too dark." Well to that I say, that's how the world is. The movie is supposed to show that even in a dark world, someone will rise up and give us hope. As Jor-El put it "[he] will give the people of Earth an ideal to strive toward...they will stumble, they will fall, but in time, they will join [him] in the sun." Like the title of this post reads, this is not your daddy's Superman. This is Superman in the modern world, and it's a broken one he is trying to help.

Out of the reviews I have seen, critics complain that it devolves into a "generic blockbuster." Going in to the movie with that in mind, I could see where it could be seen that way. However, it was necessary. As far as cinema and special effects have come, Superman's capabilities could now be shown to their fullest in film industry of the 21st century. Yes, this was attempted with "Superman Returns" and what did they show? Superman LIFTING a space shuttle. Superman LIFTING a car. Superman LIFTING the Daily Planet globe. Superman LIFTING a boat. Superman LIFTING an island made of Kryptonite (which makes no sense). Did I mention he lifted things? My point is, "Man of Steel" was able to showcase the Superman of modern cinema in a fight, whether it was with Faora or Zod. It reminded me of the fights in Dragon Ball Z.
And while speaking of Superman's powers, I felt the filmmakers did a good job showing him develop his powers and the ways and reason in which he uses them. Whether or not it was intended, the way he was shown to be leaping at first is a good reference to the original Superman comics of the late 1930's where he would originally leap. The morality issue worked both in the ways of holding back, such as Jonathan Kent telling Clark to stay where he was in order to protect his secret, even if it meant he had to die, and doing what was necessary, such as when he had to snap Zod's neck to save a family from being incinerated by his heat vision. I feel I knew how Clark felt in both situations.

Now onto the cast members. I felt Henry Cavill did a brilliant job as the new last son of Krypton. He played the role of a man trying to find out who is very well, but apparently that translates to some critics as not showing enough emotion; I don't know where that's coming from, but I digress. The point is, Cavill portrayed Superman as I expected the hero to be.
Amy Adams played the go-getter reporter we know as Lois Lane quite well too, especially in the aspect that she goes deep into her investigations as she is usually shown too. But what I really like about this depiction of Lois is that she isn't an idiot. As someone who spends as much time with both Clark Kent AND Superman, she should know they are one and the same.
When they announced Zod would be the main villain of the film, I groaned because I hoped for a villain not yet used in film, like Brainiac. But in the first film of a new series, it worked out quite nicely. I liked Michael Shannon in the role. Zod showed how determined he was in his conquest to save his people and later on revenge. I liked her performance overall, but felt he overacted whe he kept yelling "I WILL FIND HIM!", referring to Kal-El.
While Cavill was the star, I believe Russell Crowe stole the show as Jor-El, a role I believed would only encompass a few scenes in the film. As much as Superman is supposed to be the symbol of hope, it was his father that helped him become that symbol.

With the movie out now, I wonder what will come next. Critics have been mixed but the box office is looking promising. Unlike "Green Lantern", this DC film looks like it will be a success and have sequel potential. If we also compare "Man of Steel" to the Transformers movies in terms of critics and box office, it is most likely we will see Cavill suit up again in the future. And in said sequel, I do have some questions. What will the relationship between Clark and Lois be in this new series and how will it develop? Will anyone else at the Planet recognize Clark as Superman even with the glasses? (Should be worth mentioning that I had a feeling he would join the Planet at the end of the film). Will this help springboard more DC films within the same universe and eventually lead to a Justice League movie? Like I said, alot was riding on this movie.

If there was one thing that was left to desire, it was set-up for the next film. I mean, in "Batman Begins" we had the Joker card. Something referencing Brainiac or Darkseid (for a Justice League movie) would have been nice. There were a bunch of LexCorp signs around Metropolis, but it's not like Lex is anything new. I can see why they would avoid it though, given that they do not want to get fans' hopes up in case nothing new comes to fruition (I'm looking at you "Green Lantern"-post-credit-scene-with-Sinestro-putting-on-the-yellow-power-ring).

In conclusion, I feel it's up, up, and away for the new Superman and here's hoping we get to see him soar again in the future, and maybe along with some other heroes. Wink, wink. Nudge, nudge.

Score: 8/10

Intro Post

As my first post of my new blog, I might as well begin with an introduction. I'm Justin Pullen, recent graduate of Eastern Illinois University with hopes of becoming a professional writer, hopefully in the comic book industry.
Per suggestion of an old friend, I have started my own blog as a way to continue writing and having it out there in hopes of attracting any potential employers. I will be writing about anything that interests me. Movie reviews, the goings on in comic books (mostly DC and Marvel), political and social issues, and from time to time, I will share some poetry I have written over the last couple years for some classes.
You can expect my first real post tomorrow when I review the new Superman movie, "Man of Steel."