This issue provides us our first real vignette of the "Age of Ultron" saga, with Victor from the Runaways trying to do his best to save kids trapped in the post-invasion chaos of Los Angeles. It's a sad story, but an important one, particularly as the main title moves onto other matters.
My knowledge of the Runaways is limited to their appearances with the Young Avengers, but Immonen quickly makes Victor accessible to the new reader. After all, he's the "son" of Ultron, so it's pretty easy to see why he's been seriously affected by recent events. Immonen makes real his guilt over his cyborg side, using it to get across how alone Victor feels, even surrounded by people. The story gives an emotional grounding to the event that the most recent issues of the main title have lacked. Issue #2 of "Age of Ultron" was probably the last one that focused on the impact of the invasion on the heroes, with the more recent ones focusing on their plans to stop Ultron. As such, this issue is a well-time story, keeping some focus on the personal side of the greater tragedy as the main title gets swept into the larger drama.
Along those lines, Jaime's comment that he knew he was in trouble when his father told him to find someone to follow (given that his father usually wouldn't let him go to the park by himself) reminded me of "The Road" by Cormac McCarthy. It's heart-breaking, but Immonen doesn't dwell on it, making it clear that the kids have other worries at the present. Despite all his sacrifices, Victor realizes that his attempts to defy Ultron meant little in the end. As Cait and Cloudy's fate is left uncertain (and Jaime and Marcus certainly dead), Victor sacrifices himself to buy them some time. Although heroic, it's meaningless, underscoring just how complete Ultron's victory has been. Dark days, friends. Dark days.
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