Miscellaneous Comments:    21 December 1999

    Class.

    From start to finish, this is a class act. And much better than the talky issue one that re-launched the series.

    This instalment gets straight to the thick of things. Billionaire Consultant Tony Stark is out on assignment. Flashback fills in the needed details, and Tony is soon in the suit and up against armoured baddies.

    Maybe.

    Fact is: Tony ain't sure what is going in here. And - consequently - neither are we. The woman who hired him: can he trust her? Is she in danger? Or is she part of the problem?

    Pretty soon, Tony is under attack again, and his client appears to be dead.

    Dead from the actions of third party, apparently just to determined to kill his foes, as they are to kill Tony.

    Cue cliff-hanger ending.

    And there you have it. A fast paced mixture, of playboy living, intrigue, cool gadgets and high tech action. Iron Man at its best.

    Type of Series: Action-Adventure; Super Hero; Sci-Fi;

    Similar Comics: Hardware from Milestone is the first that springs to mind - since it, too, featured a hero donning armour to fight evil - but, at its heart, Iron Man is just a straightforward super-hero series. So "Similar Comics" would include The Flash, Spider-Man, Daredevil, and any other straightforward hero fare. The suit is just this particular book's spin on things.

    Typical Issue: A typical storyline would involved Tony in high tech crimes of some sort, where - in battling the evil - he has to suit up and use the armour against (a) another armoured person, (b) a robot, or (c) something inhospitable.

    Strengths: All that high-tech stuff. Plus the debonair hero and his playboy lifestyle.

    Weaknesses: This issue has no weaknesses. It's a perfect example of what it sets out to be.

    Plotting: Top notch.

    Logic: Perfect.

    Originality: None really. This issue, wonderful though it certainly is, is rigidly within the accepted formula for good Iron Man stories.

    Ending: Gripping cliff-hanger.

    Re-Readability: High. I enjoyed this so much more than Issue One and - when I finished it - I immediately wanted to read it again.

    Impressive Characters: Tony Stark is cool.

    Impressive Writers: Kurt Busiek is an excellent and highly regarded writer.

    Impressive Artists: Sean Chen pencils and Eric Cannon inks (with Sean Parsons and Al Milgrom). And the results are superb. Because technology is such a huge part of this series, you need to have literal, highly detailed artwork. This team deliver.

    Impressive Dialogue: When under attack for snooping, Iron Man quips: "It's obvious you don't want me around - and I don't much like you either. So, fine, thanks for the flowers but let's skip dinner."

    I love it when heroes are flippant like that.

    Impressive Scenes: I loved the bit where Tony used his watch to detonate some charges as a distraction.

    Continuity: Minimal. References are made to previous incidents here and there, but nothing that greatly affects the story.

    Guide:

    Reviews:

    Other Info:

GRADE: A

Review by Michael Leddy

Comments are welcome: rikerdonegal@hotmail.com

This page hosted by Get your own Free Homepage