When you're thinking about comparisons to the Golden Age of Comics (the late 70s and early 80s), the contrast between Avengers: Ultron Unlimited and the more recent vintage X-men titles, for example, is dramatic. With today's X-men, I often have no idea who some of the recent additions to the team are, and even some of those I knew (e.g. Wolverine) occasionally seem completely out of touch with the characters remember.

With the Avengers, it's all about continuity. Ultron Unlimited features an old villain, and Kurt Busiek brings back a classic team of Avengers - Captain America, Thor, Iron Man, The Vision, The Wasp, Wonder Man and Black Panther. Sure, there were two newcomers - Justice and Firestar - but they both seemed appropriately green. The Scarlet Witch/Vision and Wasp/Yellowjacket marriages had broken up, but those seemed more like the result of the passage of time.

The end result was that I didn't feel at all out of touch with what was going on, or what had happened to these characters since I'd stopped reading comics. In fact, because of Busiek's apparent reverence for Avengers past, I really felt like I could jump in without missing a beat. He really uses the history of the Avengers, right down to their origins, throughout the story. Was it the best Avengers tale of all time? I wouldn't presume to say that, but for me it really was a pleasant surprise and thoroughly enjoyable.

By the way, did I mention that George Perez has really evolved since his glory days on the Teen Titans? He's really come into his own, to the point that I'd say he may be as influential a comic artist as John Byrne was in his heyday. Very impressive. All in all, I'd have to say that Avengers: Ultron Unlimited was good enough to get me to take a chance on another of Busiek/Perez's Avengers reprints.


Damn, how can anyone not like this?!   February 24, 2003
 6 out of 7 found this review helpful

I don't think I'm exaggerating when I say that this is the best Avengers story ever written! What is wrong with Busiek's writing? Nothing! His plot and script are not simplistic at all. Some other writers have handled Thor, Cap, Iron Man, et. al. in a simplistic way, but this shows them at their most complex: With an ever-changing force of evil in the world, they must find an unconventional way to tackle it. Add Justice's hero-worship problems, the Scarlet Witch leaving the Vision for Wonder Man, and, of course, Dr. Pym. This is the best he's ever been written! This trade paperback could easily be all you need to read about this character, the man who was and was not Ultron.
I haven't even gotten to Ultron yet! He is at his most evil and most powerful here, doing something that many readers thought him incapable of doing: wiping out a country. No, it was not "rushed and glossed over". You could clearly see the shock, horror, and anguish on everyone's face, thanks to Mr. Perez, the glue that holds this together. I have always been a fan of George's artwork, which tells a story unto itself, and he is sorely missed on the book now. I hope he is doing better. Busiek and Perez never failed during their run on Avengers, and if you want the best example, this is it.


Perez is better than ever   June 7, 2002
 4 out of 8 found this review helpful

Over the years Perez's art has grown much better than when he started back on the Fantastic Four in 1976. Even if Perez's work remained the way it was back then I still feel that he is one of the best artists in the comic industry. This one has everything. Battles with the ultimate villian, Ultron are one of the best I have seen. I am what you call an older comics fan. I still have a sense of wonder that I once had. Spectacular battle scenes only done justice by George Perez. I rememer once how John Byrne once ridiculed Perez's art as simplistic...he can eat his words now. Perez's style has grown to surpass Byrne's by light years. While Byrne's art remains stagnant Perez is always evolving and growing into a much better artist than a lot of the current crop at Marvel.