Rating: 4/5 – Last issue’s dramatic change pays off here.
After reading the last issue of Iron Man, I was a bit disappointed in the ending of that issue as it felt like it was change for the sake of change. Now that it’s out and described in the recap page, Tony has found out that he has a brother, and that he himself is adopted. Although it doesn’t change the fundamental characteristics of the character, it does set him up for some future story lines, including the one started in this issue that has the Stark Brothers attempting to change the world.
As the cover says, Tony and his “new” brother Arno look to build a futuristic city so that all people may have a better way of living. The opening pages of this issue had me hooked, but unfortunately due to the story not being exactly what it seems, it ultimately fell a little flat. I was excited by the prospects of the ideas set forth in the opening by writer Kieron Gillen, and it looks as though it may continue on the path set forth in some capacity, I just wish that Gillen would have taken the story he opens with, and see it through while exploring some of the concepts introduced. It’s still a smartly written issue that I really enjoyed after coming off the disappointment of last issue.
In regards to the art, it’s great to see Joe Bennet’s work on this title. He’s a solid story teller and he mixes up the panel pages and the splash pages nicely. His Iron Man in this issue is a bit more boxy looking, which I like. It looks as though the suit has hard edges and is a suit made of Iron, rather than a liquid metal look that most artists are currently using in their depiction of the Iron Man suit. I’m excited that he’ll be the artist on this storyline, and look forward to him tackling a bit more action in upcoming issues.
This story has promise. I’m sure this is what Gillen wanted to get to when he made the changes last issue. If he can deliver on this storyline, then those changes that he made may have been well worth it. I’ve gone from disappointed to intrigued.
Reviewed by: Shawn Hoklas – shawn@comicspectrum.com
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