So, Brian Michael Bendis finally left The Avengers to take on the daunting task of making a good X-Men book, something that hasn’t happened in years, even with Matt Fraction’s best efforts. We all knew that wasn’t all he’s up to right? Well with the announcement of Age of Ultron we now have a better idea of why he had to leave all of those Avengers books. The Age of Ultron appears to be another of his Marvel Universe sweeping epic story arcs. It all starts in March with a little help from Bryan Hitch (Ultimates, Fantastic Four), Carlos Pacheco (Uncanny X-Men), and Brandon Peterson (AvX: VS).
In this 10-issue story, Ultron, a powerful robot created by Hank Pym, has devastated the world and taken control of nearly all of Earth’s heroes. An eclectic group of “resistance fighters” is all that’s left to try and defeat Ultron and save the day including Invisible Woman, Taskmaster, Beast, Emma Frost, She-Hulk, Luke Cage, Spider-Man, Wolverine, and Moon Knight. Marvel of course promises that “the reverberations will be felt in every corner of the Marvel Universe, leaving no hero or villain unscathed.”
“From the very first page, readers will see the unthinkable – Ultron has won,” said Axel Alonso, Editor In Chief, Marvel Entertainment. “In a world where we’ve learned to depend on technology to sustain us, what would happen if one villain found a way to turn it against us? In order to survive, the world’s greatest super heroes will have to make drastic choices whose ramifications will be felt throughout the Marvel Universe. This is a story so huge that we’re shipping the entire ten issue series from March through June so fans don’t have to wait more than a few weeks between issues.”
“In the vein of Infinity Gauntlet, Secret Invasion and Civil War, Age of Ultron is a massive Marvel Universe-spanning Event,” explained Bendis. “One of our most famous villains, Ultron, the super artificial intelligence, has fulfilled his destiny and taken the Earth. This story touches every corner of the Marvel Universe and will have an amazing effect on things going forward. We have taken the time to do this right- everything is gorgeous, every page matters, and most of all- something I’m very proud of- is that it will be shipping at a furious pace. Every day for the last year and a half people have been asking me when this story will come and I’m thrilled to announce that it is here.”
Marvel’s next big thing starts in comic book shops and digitally in March. The big question is, do you care?
