Grimlock ♥ Ultra Magnus

And I can't imagine them getting all that much creepier, or digging too much harder into the whole extended family issues that the Avengers play into.   From Hank Pym himself, cursed by demons, bipolar, abused and neglected throughout his childhood while his self-doubt haunts him, to the debate over whether AI can be murdered, to the oedipal relationship between Ultron and his father, Hank Pym, to the fact that Ultron tries to take over every single biological entity every created?   There is a lot to this multi-generational story which swings between the modern Avengers and back when Ultron was just created. 

It's marvelous because it plays up the tension between that created family: Hank, so disgusted with Ultron, creates friction between himself and The Vision.   Since Ultron calls both Hank his father and The Vision his son, this is a battle between family members, whether or not Hank will outwardly admit the fact.   

Hank himself bounces between claiming that machines aren't alive and can't be killed to mourning over the loss of his son.   Then again, Hank isn't consistent; his character has changed so often that it would be less in character for him to stick to one conviction.   Part of this is explained within this graphic novel, where Ultron dares his father to face the truth about himself.   Ugly truths. 

Hank hides behind bravado, behind his genius, behind a lot of things, but Ultron simply won't let him in this case.   And it all builds up to a frantic climax that is simply breathtaking in it's scope.   I was left with tears in my eyes. 

And as a new Vision fan, this just hit the spot.   I'm actually really glad I didn't wait for the paperback version of this, partly because I got a free e-book version along with this hardcover, and partly because this is so all around gorgeous - the art, the writing - that I feel like it deserves to be owned in a hardcover. 

I have to go get a little weepy over this now, so if you'll excuse me.