Throughout April I have been asking people to read Avengers: Rage of Ultron so we could discuss it as part of the How to Love Comics Book Club! For those who haven’t been paying attention or have just joined us this is essentially how it works:
- I set a book at the start of the month.
- We all go out out and read it.
- And then come back and discuss it.
We’re now up to the discussion phase of the process. The part where you get to have your say and what you enjoyed or didn’t enjoy about it. Before we get to the actual discussion I’ll lay down some ground rules, mostly for the sake of keeping the discussion friendly.
Book Club Rules
- Keep conversation friendly. You’re allowed to disagree with people, but do so in a way that is neither aggressive or belittling the person with apposing views.
- No trolling.
- Keep on topic.
- I have the right to delete any comments which break rules 1-3.
- Finally, have fun with discussion!
You can discuss Avengers: Rage of Ultron anyway you want but if you are looking for some talking points here are a few questions to help get you started.
- If this was your first Avengers read, what did you think of the team featuring that were different to their movie equivalents?
- While this graphic novel does feature a good vs evil storyline, there’s also an over running father-son dynamic of Hank Pym and Ultron. Do you think this dynamic made Pym’s actions harder or more justifiable?
- Speaking of Hank Pym and Ultron, what do you think of what happened to them at the very end and would you like it will be explored more in the future?
- Did you think Ultron becoming a planet was a bit silly or do you think it worked?
- Overall, what was your favourite part of Avengers: Rage of Ultron?
It’s now over to you, jump down into the comments and let’s talk about Avengers: Rage of Ultron!
I bought this as supplementary reading for Age of Ultron movie. So after I watched the movie, I read this. There were a lot of similiarities in stories, in terms of how Ultron was and why he was so resentfu.
Trevor, I wanted to know how you think the movie / Marvel Cinematic universe would have been if they had released Ant Man first, and THEN Age of Ultron, with Ant Man having created Ultron.
Though, it was pointed out to me that the movie Ant Man will be Scott Lang and not Hank Pym so….
Also, Trevor, what did you think of movie Ultron??? Really curious to hear your thoughts.
Raj
Hi Raj,
I remember Whedon saying in an interview that he decided not to include Ant-Man as the creator of Ultron was because there were already two geniuses on the team so they didn’t need a 3rd to create Ultron. Which I think makes a lot of sense.
I think Scott Lang is a more logical Ant-Man to use in the cinematic universe as he has a more interesting story to tell than Hank Pym. It’s a more human story of regret, bad mistakes and trying to make up for those mistakes. While Hank Pym has those elements too, Lang’s are more grounded and more relatable.
I think Ultron, could have been executed a little better. It wasn’t terrible, but he spent most of his time just hiding. In the comics I feel like he’s a bit more proactive in his antagonising.
i loved rage of ultron it was probably the first book to explore ultron and it did that with great writing and art.
Yeah, I like how Ultron in relation to his creator Hank Pym. It made me look at him in a new light.
Great book! I just watched Age of Ultron before I read it and, although in the movie Ultron has a different origin, I think it gave me enough of a back story to understand what was going on. You are right Trev, I had no idea who StarFox was but it wasn’t too hard to look up.
I agree. What was your favourite element of Rage of Ultron?
I enjoyed Avengers: Rage of Ultron a lot and it was probably the best story I’ve read that features Hank Pym. The exploration of the father-son dynamic between him and Ultron was what sold me with this. It’s that interesting concept that whatever your children do you live them. In Pym’s case that created a conflict with his values as a hero.
I didn’t mind Ultron as a planet. It could’ve cone off really cheesy but I think it was done in showed the next step in Ultron’s evolution and the core of the villain that he is constantly evolving. Plus, it also allowed for the great full-page spread of Ultron’s face carved into the ground.
If there was one downside it would be that Rick Remender relies on continuity which could leave new readers confused. While there was some explanation, the addition of a bit more probably would have benefited new readers. Characters like Starfox and the Decendents could have been explained better but I don’t think it was a deal breaker in any way.
Overall, I enjoyed this and based in the ending I would like to see if there would be a sequel or how they could take the Ultron/Pym further.