Hulk Grow Two Heads - Avengers: Ultron Forever

Review:

This little collection has an outsized number of oddities in its slim number of pages. It has time travel, an almost random collection of heroes of different epochs and eons, a Doombot, an all-powerful Ultron and his robot Avengers, and of course the two-headed Hulk.

The three-part Ultron Forever crossover across various Avengers titles moves along at a brisk pace. Doom is making a last-gasp effort to resist and defeat Ultron, who has become the All-Father of Asgard, a self-declared deity. Doom pulls Black Widow and Vision from our present, female versions of Thor and Captain America from near futures, Jim Rhodes-era Iron Man, and early-days, biologically unstable Hulk. In this last addition, Banner and Hulk compete constantly for control of the shared body.

The battle with Ultron and his minions is loud, continuous and near-hopeless, at least until Asgard defies Ultron and sides with the Avengers. This very odd group of Avengers are still Avengers, of course, and fight with intelligence, teamwork and self-sacrifice despite the odds.

Filling out this otherwise too-thin volume are three reprints from different heroes and eras. Their inclusion is explicitly as proof, reference docs as it were, to the bemused and confused reader. These time-torn heroes really were once this way, proclaim the reprints.

Hulk #6 by the legendary duo of Stan Lee and Steve Ditko, is not quite so weird as the two heads of the Ultron story, but there is definitely some genetic volatility and a battle for control happening.

Thor #378 gives us the Hela-cursed God of Thunder that was the explanation for his absence in the cross-over. It is a tale of Loki's treachery and Thor's heroism coming through in spades.

And Iron Man #188 has Jim Rhodes battling headaches and making hilarious mistakes as he seeks to control the armor and make intelligent split-second decisions, with sometimes hilarious consequences.

Overall, this is an unimpressive, scattered and weird collection of stories.

Description:

From the pages of Jonathan Hickman's AVENGERS, witness the Ultron Singularity of the 25th Century! Machines have inherited the Earth, with Ultron as their All-Father. Mankind's only hope will be a time-torn team in the tradition of AVENGERS FOREVER! An early Hulk, Jim Rhodes as Iron Man and a Hela-cursed battle-armor Thor are plucked from the past. The unlikely duo of Vision and Black Widow are drawn from our present. And from the near and not-so-near future, the new Thor and an even newer Captain America, with her own heroic legacy to live up to! Who cries "Assemble" to this unique group? The one and only Dr. Doom! Caught between Ultron and Doom, can the Avengers find a way to save forever?

Collects: Avengers: Ultron Forever 1, New Avengers: Ultron Forever 1, Uncanny Avengers: Ultron Forever 1, Hulk #6, Thor #378, Iron Man #188

Authors: Al Ewing
Artists: Alan Davis
Published By: Marvel 
Published When: Nov. 10 2015
Parental Rating: 
ISBN: 978-0785197690
Pages: 144 pages

Painting Mythology - Avengers Mythos

 

Review:

The historically large roster of Avengers characters spans the whole range of hero recognizability, from the widespread cultural awareness of Captain America and Hulk, with their TV shows and feature films, to the more obscure. But all come from somewhere, all were shaped by something outside themselves, all are motivated in some way.

This beautiful collection of seven one-shot stories retells and reinterprets the origins and motivations of nine heroes. All are striking standalone stories, with some more notable standouts rising above the rest.

Top of the pile are the two titular chapters, reprinting Mythos: Hulk and Mythos: Captain America. Both are written by Paul Jenkins, and drawn / painted by Paolo Rivera. Both are deeply moving but in different ways. Captain America's Steve Rogers suffers childhood tragedies but has a natural survival instinct. Yet he is almost swindled into the Super Soldier program and accepts his duty. In the end he comes full circle and embraces those childhood challenges, and the people that made them so challenging, with a sweet reunion.

For all the melancholy in Mythos: Captain America, the Mythos: Hulk story contains the real tragedy. Filled with love, loss, betrayal, pride, anger, all painted in cleverly shifting tones and palettes. You will grieve for Dr Banner's dying humanity, and wonder if he is the real monster, not Hulk.

The origin tales of Ant Man and Wasp, and of Vision, are by different creative teams, yet they mesh very well with the flavor of the Hulk and Captain America stories. The visuals by Stephanie Hans (Ant Man and Wasp) and Stefane Perger (Vision) continue with a style of line and color evocative of watercolor paintings. The stories are also in roughly the same thematic space, with complexity and nuance in abundance. Vision's struggle with purpose in life and eventually outgrowing his creator is well-told. Ant Man and Wasp dealing with love and loss, courage, fame and obligation is at times funny, other times deeply moving.

Also of note is the discovery of Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch by Magneto and their struggle with right and wrong, loyalty and betrayal.

Such a wonderful collection of reimagined yet faithful origin tales!

Description:

Avengers origins, updated and reimagined! It's a fully painted retelling of the earliest days of the gamma-powered Hulk! Witness Steve Rogers' transformation from a weakling with a heart of steel into Captain America! Revisit the unlikely courtship of the astonishing Ant-Man and the winsome Wasp! Can a lifetime of good deeds make up for Luke Cage's years spent on the other side of the law? See Pietro and Wanda Maximoff grow from children on the run to Earth's Mightiest Heroes! Tasked with destroying the Avengers, the android Vision must defy his creator. And finally, join Thor for a timeless family drama played out against a cosmic backdrop.

Collects: Mythos: Hulk and Captain America; and Avengers Origins: Ant-Man & The Wasp, Luke Cage, Quicksilver & The Scarlet Witch, Vision and Thor

Authors: Paul Jenkins, more
Artists: Paolo Rivera, Stephanie Hans, Stefane Perger, more
Published By: Marvel Universe
Published When: Dec 18 2012
Parental Rating: Teen
ISBN: 978-0785148609
Pages: 208 pages