Comic: Age of Ultron Comic Event (2023)

[Aotrs Commander]

(I wasn't sure whether to start a new topic on the re-release, and a search found a previous thread and I wasn't sure whether to err on the side of necromancy - I mean, look at my avatar, people - than start a second thread. Ultimately, I figured better to start a new one and have it merged if necessary than potentially restart debates from three years ago if people didn't notice the timestamp on the first six pages.)

https://sfdebris.com/videos/special/ageofultron.php

I can't remember whether I watched this before - I might have done, at first I was trying to remember whether Linkara had taken a shot at Age of Ultron yet or not; I want to say no, given the date of this thread, but 2020 was... A bad year, so it may well have just slipped my mind entirely.

Anyway, my thoughts on watching this today were that it is typical event comics issues (pun unintended) of the period - not enough happening (too many splash pages), pointless character deaths, blah blah blah.

But for Christmas this year (because in the age of digital gaming, I was running out of things to put on my list for presents) I had most of the DCAMU, the series that ran from Flashpoint to Justice League Dark: Apokolips War. The latter was by far the worst of the series.

And watching/rewatching Chuck here, I realised why. It's basically the same story, isn't it? Attack by overwhelming enemy, most heroes uncerimoneously killed off (on or off-screen), remaining heroes crushed, rejoin together to win the day and press the reset button at great cost.

Nor is this the only example, since I recall at LEAST one more event like this Linkara has covered (I forget, it was rthe one with Brother Eye and Wonder Woman's torso pointlessly grafted onto four robotic spider-legs).

And I came to a realisation about this sort of dark future story.

The whole premise, at its very core. Is.

Fundamentally.

Just.

BORING.

It's dull and predictable. Either at the end, the reset button is going to be pressed, or its an alternate universe. And if it isn't, then it's just ruined the universe anyway so it might as well be, because you've killed half the characters off in what frequently feels like a mean-spirited way.

It always feels, ultimately, like the whole premise is REALLY about writing a slasher movie only replacing hapless teenagers with otherwise competant heroes. (Especially with the gleeful nature of the character deaths these stories usually have.) And I have never found the idea of slasher movies remotely interesting[1].

The first time it was done, it *might* have been clever and novel. But I've seen this story enough times (even Star Trek did it at least once) - and frankly, I'd argue once was probably more than enough - that the whole premise just comes across as uncreative at this point. Weightless, because as I say, it either never happens, happens somewhere where consequences don't matter... Or just straight up craps all over everything that went previously. Written as a way to abuse the shock character death trope comics in particular over-used to the point of mundanity and so that I literally stopped caring about characters; after all the *writers* clearly didn't, so why the frack should I?

("Special" mention of Old Man Logan, incidently, for being the worst take on this concept and the second-worst comic run I had the misfortune of reading.)

I am increasingly convinced the entire concept is unsalvagable at this point, and if it was consigned to the dustbin of history, nothing would be lost.



[1]This goes for zombie apocalypses, too, incidently. I have never found the premise of zombie apocalypses remotely interesting, before or after it was popular. However watching Bennet the Sage's review of High School of the Dead yesterday, Sage quoting Patton Oswald (than man is a treasure) on it made me realise the reason; zombie apocalypse is a distillation and simplification of human factionalism down to "us and them" in way which cannot be resolved. And I fracking loathe factionalism, regardless of the form it takes more and more the older I get, so no wonder I never got the appeal.

[stryke]

zombie apocalypse is a distillation and simplification of human factionalism down to "us and them" in way which cannot be resolved.

I don't know how true that is given that the theme of many of those works is that we are the walking dead without much to distinguish us from the zombies. Be it the consumerist critique of Romero's Dawn of the Dead, the take on UK's pub culture of Shaun of the Dead, or the most blatant approach of just stating that line out loud like in the Walking Dead.

That one point aside though yeah you're probably right on everything else cause dang has bolting on the grimdark onto an existing universe has led to some truly, truly terrible stories. Marvel Zombies especially.

[Madner Kami]

It would be a less egrigious thing, if permanent consequenses in comics actually were an integral thing. They're not. At least in mainstream Marvel and DC. Those hinge on maintaining the status quo and so the outcome of such an event just doesn't matter, either because it's reset or hits another universe. You can do that once or twice, but it looses all impact after that. It's like the fifth time you read a certain book. You're never going to relive the moment you first read the book and never again experience what blew your mind the first time and at best, it's your memories that you can relive. And what's even worse is reading the fifth Lord of the Rings copycat.

[stryke]

There's something to be said for the status quo.

Sure it's not the only way to do it, and many excellent stories have been told by having proper lasting consequences, but having one does not mean you're doing it wrong. The Simpsons managed to do the best Marge and Homer relationship episode in 33 seasons since Life in the Fast Lane all the way back in the first season with Pixelated and Afraid. What matters is the skill in the execution. I've read good Batman going up against the Joker comics, I've read bad ones, and incredibly middling ones, and that order of quality is certainly not in the order that I read them. If say Joker had died for real after killing Jason Todd a lot of the ones I'd consider the best just wouldn't have happened.

Actually to be fair there's more than just how well the story was told. There's also the viewer or reader to consider, and how jaded they have become. I know there's some people who will be utterly aghast at my suggestion that the Simpsons did something worthwhile because they're just that burnt out on the show that if they tried to watch that episode they probably would turn their nose up at it thanks to their state of mind. I get it. There's nothing like the hate of someone who really truly loved something, and then saw it all turn to shit. Been there, done that, got the t-shirt and ranted about them plenty on the internet.

If you find a type of work overly familiar that's more a sign that you should be looking elsewhere not that it's a problem that the work exists. Other people with their own individual experiences exist and for them this new example of what is utterly rehashed to you might be fresh and exciting to them.

Then one of my favourite books of all time is a book in the Redwall series called Mossflower which is very much borrowing heavily from Lord of the Rings so hey. Then I think it also proves my point I think. That was the book that sparked my love of fantasy in the first place, and was how I then moved onto the Hobbit, Lord of the Rings, and yes eventually also some really terrible copycats.

[Jonathan101]

Where is Part 3?

Links only take me to Parts 1 and 2, even the link to Part 3 itself...

[HighPriest]

Where is Part 3?

Links only take me to Parts 1 and 2, even the link to Part 3 itself...

Hmm, doesn't seem to be on the website for whatever reason. That said, it's definitely on the Youtube channel. Here's a link:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LTrdQ997Ack

[Jonathan101]

Where is Part 3?

Links only take me to Parts 1 and 2, even the link to Part 3 itself...

Hmm, doesn't seem to be on the website for whatever reason. That said, it's definitely on the Youtube channel. Here's a link:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LTrdQ997Ack

Yeah, I managed to watch it there; just weird that it isn't on the site.