Iron Man [2020] #18 - Marvel Comics

IRON MAN No. 18, May 2022

Essentially just chronicling Tony Stark’s realisation that “he’s become worse than Korvac” following him cold-bloodedly slaughtering a number of his super-powered colleagues whilst attending a pizza party, Christopher Cantwell’s script for “Hello, Darkness, My Old Friend” probably struck the majority of its readers as an overly-long, lack lustre affair. Indeed, for those bibliophiles familiar with the more ‘brisk’ penmanship of Bronze Age Iron Man luminaries Denny O'Neil or David Michelinie, this twenty-page periodical’s plot sadly smacks of being full of unnecessary padding, and would arguably have been depicted in the past with a single splash page pencilled by the legendary Bob Layton, rather than dragged out across an entire publication.

Of course, that isn’t to say that the American author’s persistent references to the story of Doctor Jekyll and Mister Hyde aren’t entirely without merit, as the comparison of the Golden Avenger being the physician, and egotistical industrialist the monster proves an incredibly thought-provoking analogy. But such an intriguing parallel could debatably be easily conveyed within the space of a handful of well-designed panels, as opposed to the numerous word-filled text-boxes which are repeatedly employed throughout middle of this comic book; “Rinse and repeat. I’m stuck, Patsy --”

Happily however, what this “penultimate issue of the Books Of Korvac” also provides is a reversal of the Iron God’s aforementioned murderous massacre, courtesy of the billionaire resurrecting his ‘friends’ with little more than a gesture of his cosmically-charged hands. The fact that each ‘victim’ retains the memory of what Stark did to them though is certainly an interesting twist, and will doubtless sow the seeds of doubt and uncertainty in the wider world of costumed crime-fighters once word of the killings gets out.

Undoubtedly assisting Cantwell in his endeavour to complete this comic is Lan Medina, who does a sterling job pencilling a number of page-sized single panels, such as the emergence of the original Mark One armour from an Afghanistan cave during a lengthy flashback sequence. This series of action-shots is especially noteworthy as the Filipino artist clearly takes “heavy inspiration from the character's counterpart from the Marvel Cinematic Universe”, so rather erroneously pencils Shell-head’s alter-ego with a goatee as opposed to the thin moustache he has sported throughout this ongoing title’s current run.

The regular cover art of "IRON MAN" #18 by Alex Ross

Iron Man [2020] #17 - Marvel Comics

IRON MAN No. 17, April 2022

Very much placing Tony Stark himself as this ongoing series’ main antagonist, Christopher Cantwell’s storyline for Issue Seventeen of “Iron Man” certainly provides a chilling demonstration of absolute power corrupting its wielder absolutely. For whilst the cosmically-enhanced billionaire seemingly thinks his dubious decision to ‘exponentially raise the intelligence of every New York City citizen’ is a good one, the Chicago-born writer’s narrative provides plenty of evidence as to just why making approximately nine million people super-smart is simply a recipe for chaos, crime and even cold-blooded murder; “The Frog never realises he’s dead until it’s too late.”

Disconcertingly however, especially for those readers who are fans of the Golden Avenger, “Farewell, My Space Friends” also shows the disastrously detrimental effect being the Iron God has had upon the mental stability of its current owner. The egotistical industrialist has arguably always struggled to accept justified criticism of his poorer pronouncements, but in this twenty-page periodical, the “proficient scientist” simply transforms all his detractors, naysayers and even friends, into persistently nodding “Yes Men” so he can “pull off my vision without all the headache and second-guessing.”

Such a massive abuse of his galactic-sized responsibility doesn’t even register upon the egotist’s moral compass, and subsequently sets this comic up for a truly terrifying confrontation between Stark and the rag-tag band of heroes who actually helped him achieve victory over Michael Korvac in the first place. Indeed, debatably for many readers Tony’s almost nonchalant destruction of the likes of the Silver Surfer, original Human Torch, Gargoyle, War Machine and Frogman one by one in a decidedly evil fashion depicts just how utterly insane Stan Lee’s co-creation could potentially always have become if given the ‘right’ circumstances.

Clearly helping imbue this homicidal so-called deity with a ton of hubris and self-satisfying swagger are Ibraim Roberson and Angel Unzueta, whose prodigious panels do a first-rate job of illustrating both the carnage caused by Iron Man’s highly questionable choices, as well as his matter-of-fact massacre at Patsy" Walker’s luxurious sky-line apartment courtyard. The vile sneer shown upon Stark’s face when he’s actually disintegrating his former comrades-in-arms is particularly disturbing, and instantly shows just how badly one of the world’s mightiest champions for justice has fallen.

The regular cover art of "IRON MAN" #17 by Alex Ross

Iron Man [2020] #16 - Marvel Comics

IRON MAN No. 16, March 2022

Seemingly determined to make Tony Stark appear even more egotistical than ever before, Christopher Cantwell’s narrative for Issue Sixteen of “Iron Man” was probably rather hard to wade through for those fans of Shellhead who recall the genius inventor’s simpler days when he was just a man fighting a carousel of super-villains in a technologically-advanced armoured suit. Indeed, the American producer’s reimagining of the Golden Avenger as a cosmically-transformed Iron God disappointingly doesn’t arguably lead to any sort of action whatsoever, but rather ensures that this twenty-page periodical predominantly consists of several characters just talking to one another; “Steve. Let me just wrap this -- Steve. Can I just. Finish. Please?”

Foremost of these dialogue-driven discussions is the silver-coloured deity’s disagreement with an understandably concerned Captain America over the billionaire’s ill-thought out idea to imbue everyone in the world with “my intellect”, and turn them into “Stark-level geniuses.” The sheer hubris on display by the titular character in this ‘set-piece’ is both absolutely breath-taking and extremely well-penned, as the Chicago-born writer makes the narcissist’s words all the more threatening by occasionally switching the spotlight onto the troubled concerns of his apprehensive audience, rather than focusing purely on the giant-sized figure towering over Washington Square Park.

However, instead of Tony’s poorly-planned decision leading to some exciting, action-packed adventure where the ultra-evolved industrialist’s misguided good intention causes a criminal mastermind to lay siege to New York City using their enhanced intelligence quotient, or even commit a minor felony for that matter, Cantwell’s script instead rather tamely just depicts a drawn-out series of tongue-in-cheek ‘six-panel long’ insights into how Iron God’s unrequested gift has impacted upon the lives of everyday mortal folk.

Perhaps therefore this publication’s best moment is when Jackson Weele is suddenly startled awake from a coma, and momentarily appears to be about to cause chaos to the Big Apple’s traffic network whilst dangerously driving a gigantic Big Wheel. Dynamically drawn by Julius Ohta, this initially intriguing confrontation looks set to pit Hellcat against a classic Spider-Man minor league foe from the late Seventies, yet lamentably swiftly peters out due to Stark simply unceremoniously cocooning Marv Wolfman’s co-creation within an energy bubble.

The regular cover art of "IRON MAN" #16 by Alex Ross

Iron Man [2020] #13 - Marvel Comics

IRON MAN No. 13, December 2021

Presented by “Marvel Worldwide” as an “epic showdown between Iron Man and his allies and Korvac and his cohort”, Christopher Cantwell’s narrative for “The Great I-M” must certainly have enthralled the vast majority of its audience due to its sense-shattering series of pulse-pounding punch-ups. Indeed, the American author even manages to pen Frog Man momentarily duking it out against this title’s central antagonist by having Eugene Patilio’s alter-ego literally getting a double-footed drop on the “human cyborg turned deity” before being badly blasted at point-blank range.

Admittedly, such an action-packed assault upon the readers’ senses could ultimately prove a little laborious if an endless chain of jaw-breaking thumps and crackling energy beams was all Issue Thirteen of “Iron Man” had to offer. But rather enjoyably, the television showrunner also uses these frantic skirmishes as a means of illustrating just how close to universal disaster Shell-head’s “Space Friends” actually are, whilst also presenting the odd glimmer of humour to an otherwise deeply dark storyline involving the Power Cosmic; “What’s up, my Little Pony?”

In addition, this twenty-page periodical’s plot provides Patsy Walker with plenty of spotlight to show just why the former Defender is still very much a fighting force to be reckoned with even when facing the formidable potential of “a power-crazed god”. Hellcat’s burgeoning partnership with Isaac Christians is particularly well-written, and really helps establish the super-hero’s fighting savvy when she arranges for the Gargoyle to hurl her into battle after spotting that the original Human Torch is actually being manipulated by one of Basil Sandhurst’s mind control discs.

Helping add loads of dynamism to this comic’s antics is Carlos Alberto Fernandez Urbano (Cafu), whose ability to bring so many ferocious fist-fights to blistering life cannot arguably be over-stated. The Spanish artist’s panels showing Iron Man’s maniacally mad hatred for Michael Korvac really help make Stark’s almost unhinged raw fury highly believable, especially when it becomes clear that despite all the billionaire’s best efforts to physically pummel the sentient machine to dust, it still might not be enough from stopping the utterly insane android from altering the course of human existence forever…

The regular cover art of "IRON MAN" #13 by Alex Ross

Iron Man [2020] #8 - Marvel Comics

IRON MAN No. 8, June 2021

Considering that Christopher Cantwell’s narrative for Issue Eight of “Iron Man” doesn’t actually feature the Golden Avenger in any way whatsoever, preferring instead to replace Tony Stark’s ongoing battle against Michael Korvac with a bizarre exploration of Hellcat’s seriously damaged psyche, it is somewhat doubtful “America’s #1 Teenager” landed particularly well with Shell-head’s fanbase. Indeed, considering that the vast majority of this twenty-page periodical arguably just concerns itself with a lack-lustre rehash of Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol” it was probably hard for some readers not to shake the impression that the American author was, for some inexplicable reason, having to pad out Patsy Walker’s attempt to rekindle her long-dormant psychosomatic powers for almost the entire comic book.

Of course, the sudden appearance of Moondragon and Walker’s subsequent surprising visit back to her old High School days does produce a modicum of momentary interest when first presented, especially when Hellcat’s “old friend and psychic mentor” indicates she hopes to make her pupil’s access to “the ol’ psychoactive radio waves” stronger than ever. However, Heather Douglas’ guest-star appearance does raise a few questions considering the Guardian of the Galaxy is apparently perfectly capable of reaching out across time and space to Patsy in order to imbue her with a considerable cerebral boost, yet unable to mentally attack Korvac when the “would-be deity” is in close proximity to Hellcat.

Similarly as illogical is Walker having to cheat at a history examination by reading the mind of her old teacher and fending off her former husband, Daimon Hellstrom with a couple of office chairs. This entire sequence lurches from set-piece to set-piece, including a disagreeable hospital bedside scene in which the heroine’s mother actually tries to convince her daughter to kill herself, simply so the Defender can supposedly show her own inner fear some kindness; “Your fear. Fear of your own mind. With a soft touch free it. Accept it. Hold it. Deep down, Korvac is afraid. If you are not… You can win.” 

Adding to the feeling that this particular publication is little more than a ‘filler’ edition are Angel Unzueta’s layouts, which whilst proficient enough, debatably lack the visual impact of series regular artist Cafu. This difference in consistent quality is particularly noticeable in the Spaniard’s pencilling of the events housed within Centerville, with the sketching of Mister Brown’s angry outburst over a decimated red apple proving particularly poor when compared to the drawing of Jim Rhodes’ desperate attempt to loop back upon an enemy spaceship in an attempt to destroy it with missiles.

The regular cover art of "IRON MAN" #8 by Alex Ross

Iron Man [2020] #7 - Marvel Comics

IRON MAN No. 7, May 2021

For those readers interested in Frog-Man discussing his religious thoughts on the existence of a one, true God with the likes of the Gargoyle, Misty Knight and the Scarlet Spider, or negotiating a twenty-six panel sedentary sequence in which Michael Korvac waxes lyrical about his “one single entity”, Christopher Cantwell’s script for Issue Seven of “Iron Man” debatably delivered. However, for those bibliophiles anticipating any action whatsoever from this particular publication, “Overclock” probably left them feeling bitterly disheartened; “This collective aggregate knows only peace and calm. All acts are ones of softness and grace. Universal good is omnipresent and owned by no individual. Not even myself. The Self melts away completely. It serves only the aggregate.”

To begin with, the vast majority of this comic is padded out with Hellcat and Shell-head receiving an utterly befuddling update from this ongoing series’ lead antagonist as to just what the villain’s central goal of establishing a “Universal Harmony” means. Word-heavy and stretched to almost breaking point by a couple of Cafu’s prodigiously pencilled splash page illustrations, this dialogue-driven scene eventually concludes with the bizarre revelation that Korvac wants to turn all galactic life into nothing more than an existence of “crystals eating crystals.”

Admittedly, such an insane admission definitely shows just how completely mad the “would-be deity” has become, whilst simultaneously making it abundantly clear that the resurrected android must be stopped from carrying out his diabolical plan no matter what the cost. But arguably this book’s American author could have accomplished a similarly convincing ‘reveal’ in a quarter of the sheet space, and subsequently have enlivened this periodical’s lethargic tempo by focusing more upon War Machine’s disappointingly brief battle against a faster-than-light spacecraft.

Perhaps this comic’s biggest curve-ball though is Cantwell’s somewhat head-scratchingly surreal cliff-hanger, which sees Tony Stark somehow teleported to another world which is apparently populated by a group of exotic-looking extra-terrestrials and a futuristically-armed Canadian. Such a sudden departure from this title’s long-running narrative must have proved a little jarring to this comic’s audience, especially for those already puzzled as to just how the billionaire industrial somehow managed to ‘piggy-back’ upon Hellcat’s telepathic conversation with Korvac beforehand.

The regular cover art of "IRON MAN" #7 by Alex Ross

Iron Man [2020] #6 - Marvel Comics

IRON MAN No. 6, April 2021

Proudly proclaimed by “Marvel Worldwide” as the beginning to Book Two of Korvac, “Dreams Of Deicide” certainly must have pleased some within the comic’s audience, with its sense-shattering start as a mentally scarred Hellcat desperately tries to wheel a fatally-injured Tony Stark off to hospital in a shopping trolley. Indeed, Patsy Walker’s panicky attempt to save the life of her recent lover is probably the highlight of this twenty-page periodical, thanks to the former Defender’s determination to flag down a yellow cab in the pouring rain and Shell-head’s palpable pain whenever his unlikely four-wheeled conveyance clunks off the pavement onto the road.

Disappointingly however, this sense of urgency to get the billionaire industrial medical care soon evaporates once Christopher Cantwell pens Iron Man deciding to simply ‘sit tight’ inside his metal suit and just have Halcyon fuse “my armour’s cervical column rings together” so as to “stabilise the spinal injury and prevent me from suffocating.” This rather disconcerting course of treatment seems incredibly foolhardy, even for someone as egotistical as Stark, and arguably erodes any sense of genuine peril to the titular character when it not only results in the Golden Avenger being able to walk around without any impairment, but immediately afterwards beat the living hell out of an unwise Guardsman with a single punch; “What? I gave him a break. You know you’re not going to stop me. So you’re either with me… Or not.”

Sadly, Issue Six of “Iron Man” also portrays an irate Tony at his sanctimonious worse, with the American author unconvincingly trying to depict the one-time Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. as some greatly wronged victim who, having politely apologised for all his past mistakes, is still being unjustly treated by life. Such a holier-than-thou attitude just doesn’t work, as it’s debatably difficult for any bibliophile to sympathise with this particular incarnation of Shell-head when he cold-heartedly tells the Scarlet Spider that a badly-wounded Gargoyle is now “a waste of my time” after the super-hero lost one of his wings whilst saving the rest of the team’s lives.

Happily though, what this comic lacks in persuasive plot-points it somewhat makes up for with sumptuously-sketched layouts. Cafu’s pencilling is particularly noteworthy during Hellcat’s aforementioned trolley-dash with many readers doubtless feeling the pouring rain actually striking Walker’s colourful costume, as she bundles an uncooperative Iron Man into a taxi.

The regular cover art of "IRON MAN" #6 by Alex Ross

Iron Man [2020] #5 - Marvel Comics

IRON MAN No. 5, March 2021

Featuring the likes of Gargoyle, the Scarlet Spider, Mercedes Knight and Frog Man as some sort of D-list Great Lakes Avengers, readers of Christopher Cantwell’s storyline for Issue Five of “Iron Man” could arguably have anticipated the Chicago-born writer injecting this comic with a modicum of humour. However, despite the likes of Eugene Paul Patilio certainly raising the occasional smile with his child-like enthusiasm to work alongside the titular character in an ‘official’ capacity, the predominant tone of this twenty-page periodical is deadly serious. In fact, somewhat snooze-inducingly serious as this comic's widening cast simply talk to one another, over and over again as to the desperate nature of their predicament.

Furthermore, absolutely no respect whatsoever is given to this book’s band of incoming mercenaries, despite the likes of Isaac Christians and Misty having been involved in numerous world-threatening escapades in the past. Instead, Tony Stark simply waxes lyrical on them panel after panel as to how outgunned his ragamuffin gang are against their mechanical opponent, and how even having “Spider-Man’s Xerox copy” on their side doesn’t mean they have any hope of winning; “My best answer is, you have me. So my advice is, do as I say. Then and only then can we hope to stop Korvac.”

To make matters worse though, Iron Man’s insistence on recruiting these ‘low tier’ heroes in the first place “or James Rhodes could get killed” is debatably moot as his enemy already knows what the Golden Avenger is up to, courtesy of the android establishing a seriously strong mental bond with Patsy Walker. Admittedly, this publication’s American author does do his level best to depict Hellcat as a psychologically unstable former-Defender, so potentially Michael isn’t quite getting sight of Shell-head’s entire plan. But that doesn’t debatably explain why the cyborg then subsequently sets a deadly trap for the crime-fighting cadre using a bogus radiation signature at “a warehouse in Port Morris.”

Lastly, it is genuinely difficult to have any sympathy for the utterly dislikeable Stark in this narrative. The Golden Avenger demonstrates incredibly poor leadership in front of his newly-formed team with his demoralising ‘pep-talk’, and then willingly risks sacrificing his costumed lover to Korvac when he decides to use the mentally unwell Walker as “bait” to lure his foe out into the open. Such selfish hubris is genuinely hard to stomach, and in many ways actually makes the audience want the hard-hearted hero to fail miserably, simply to teach the egotistical idiot a well-deserved lesson in the harshness of life.

The regular cover art of "IRON MAN" #5 by Alex Ross

Iron Man [2020] #4 - Marvel Comics

IRON MAN No. 4, February 2021

Starting with a demoralised Tony Stark being interviewed by the New York media over the sudden disappearance of his long-term friend James Rhodes, Christopher Cantwell’s script for “The Man With The Golden Arms” more than likely had some of its readers scrambling through the ongoing series’ back issues to see whether they had somehow missed an edition or two. For whilst the twenty-page periodical’s plot does an okay job in quickly explaining that War Machine’s alter-ego has apparently been abducted by the “cut-rate android” Michael Korvac as a deterrent to thwart Iron Man’s meddling in the cosmic entity’s plans, the comic never explains just how the U.S. Armed Forces Commander was kidnapped, nor how this event directly follows on from this book’s previous instalment which left both Shell-head and Hellcat apparently at their enemy’s mercy following them receiving a massive electrical discharge.

Instead, Issue Four of “Iron Man” simply takes up with the contrived narrative that Korvac allowed his opponents to live, even though he clearly thought the titular character was such a threat to his machinations that he needed the Controller to help snatch Rhodes, and will apparently kill his prisoner if Tony attempts “to bring in help.” Of course, even the arrogant billionaire inventor isn’t quite so egotistical as to believe he can tackle the cyborg “with mega-lightning powers” alone. But rather than apparently risk involving the Avengers, the Fantastic Four or “Xavier’s people on Krakoa”, the hero rather unconvincingly argues that it would be in James’ best interest if he fought the former “Wielder of the Power Cosmic” with nothing more than a group of “fringe” vigilantes; “I don’t even know if these people could win against the Phillies.” 

Perhaps this comic’s biggest disappointment however, is in its portrayal of a love-sick Patsy Walker, who despite suffering “insane fractal burns on my face” and disconcertingly hearing a strange voice in her head, decides the best course of action will be to start a romantic relationship with a man she has persistently criticised and scolded since she was first introduced into the storyline. In addition, Cantwell would have his audience believe that somehow Korvac has established a strong telepathic link with Hellcat, to the point that he physically takes over the Defender whilst she is helping Stark recruit his ‘new team’ and makes a complete mockery of any aspiration Tony has of surprising Michael with his "off the radar" rescuers.

The regular cover art of "IRON MAN" #4 by Alex Ross

Iron Man [2020] #3 - Marvel Comics

IRON MAN No. 3, January 2021

If Christopher Cantwell’s aim for Issue Three of “Iron Man” was to depict a truly despicable Tony Stark desperately trying to find a place within an equally detestable world, then the American producer almost certainly succeeds with “The Land Wherein Thou Art A Stranger.” Indeed, it is hard to imagine a less depressing twenty-page periodical than this particular publication, where the billionaire industrialist lurches from punch-up to punch-up, becoming increasingly irate that the general public don’t seem to “see how strong I am”, fail to understand “what I am capable of”, and are apparently all-too “blind” to his universal greatness.

Admittedly, in the past the Golden Avenger has often proven somewhat difficult to root for due to his overwhelming ego and sheer arrogance. But in this instance, Cantwell actually asks his audience to believe that Shell-head would purposely fly an unconscious Melter up above the city skyline, simply to then lethally drop and subsequently save the villain at the last minute in an effort to show his critics just how all-powerful the supposed super-hero apparently is; “I dunno, you were talking about, um… don’t have to play by our rules… and… whether we should thank you for being Iron Man…”

Unfortunately, the Chicago-born writer also seems intent on destroying Hellcat’s character as well, portraying the Defender as some sort of suicidal has-been who is literally “walking a razor’s edge” between taking her own life and fighting crime every second of the day. There’s no doubt that Patsy Walker has had her fair share of emotional rollercoasters since first appearing in the Marvel universe way back in 1944, and ‘working her way back from being dead’ has clearly taken its toll. However, it is difficult to imagine the former occult investigator persistently experiencing such dark thoughts now she is (supposedly) free of Daimon Hellstrom’s demonic influence.

Disappointingly, this comic’s quite significant cast of supporting villains don’t fare too well either, with the likes of the Gladiator, Madame Masque and the aforementioned Melter, all simply being penned as some sort of short-lived ‘comedic relief’. Bruno Horgan’s successor is arguably especially poorly served by this book’s script, with the former member of the All-New Sinister Six apparently tracking down Stark’s Lower East Side home just so he can melt his arch-nemesis’ car into bubbling scrap and make Tony mad at him.

The regular cover art of "IRON MAN" #3 by Alex Ross

Iron Man [2020] #2 - Marvel Comics

IRON MAN No. 2, December 2020

Whilst it’s quite possibly hard to argue with Marvel Worldwide’s pre-publication promise that Christopher Cantwell’s narrative for this ongoing series takes “Tony Stark back to basics, putting aside his high-tech toys and high-profile image so he can get his hands dirty as a super hero again”, the American author’s script for Issue Two of “Iron Man” probably struck some fans as being something of a choppy mess penned simply to include plenty of contrived, unrelated action sequences as opposed to presenting anything resembling a logical plot.

For openers, the twenty-page periodical starts with Shell-head inexplicably confronting the Absorbing Man in a simple wrestling ring for a pirate pay-per-view broadcast. Admittedly, this bout of pugilism is pulse-poundingly paced, as Carl Creel rather impressively batters his beleaguered opponent into semi-submission until the billionaire industrialist realises that the match referee is none other than the villainous Arcade. But just how Iron Man actually came to be in such a bizarre situation is never actually explained, nor whether it has anything to do with the “bolt of energy from a hidden source” which is referred to in the preamble for “Gods And Complexes”.

Instead, this book’s readers are forced to simply accept that having defeated Unicorn with the help of Hellcat in this title’s previous instalment, Tony was subsequently easily overcome by Chris Claremont’s co-creation and somehow spirited away to the criminal’s secret sports hall. This lack of background to the comic’s storytelling sadly then happens a second time when Cardiac pops up towards the end of the publication having somehow kidnapped several Stark Pharmaceutical scientists and confined them in a seemingly impenetrable bubble on the city’s shoreline.

As Iron Man himself states as he rapidly approaches the scene, the “setup seems very super villain.” Yet despite this debatably ludicrous-looking mission, the method used by Elias Wirtham to capture his hapless victims and house them inside such a peculiar prison is frustratingly forgotten in favour of action, even when it appears that the “accomplished physician” has miraculously constructed a device which is apparently capable of withstanding even the strongest of repulsor blasts; “They have to die, Stark. A message has to be sent. Our healthcare system is a crime --”

The regular cover art of "IRON MAN" #2 by Alex Ross

Iron Man [2020] #1 - Marvel Comics

IRON MAN No. 1, November 2020

Dealing with issues such as Tony Stark suffering a mid-life crisis, the brutality of social media’s unforgiving audience, and the theft of a fifteenth-century bible from the New York Public Library, Christopher Cantwell’s script for this thirty-page periodical probably landed reasonably well with fans of the armoured avenger. True, the comic’s opening half is rather dialogue-driven, courtesy of the billionaire desperately trying to rid himself of both “his high-tech toys and high-profile image” by selling his stocks in Stark Unlimited. But once Patsy Walker arrives at the industrialist’s celebratory party, the pace of this publication soon speeds up.

Indeed, arguably the highlight of Issue One of “Iron Man” is the television producer’s pairing of Hellcat alongside the titular character, as the ‘dynamic duo’ participate in “a little jaunt through the Big Apple” together, and stumble upon the Unicorn attempting a late night burglary. Enjoyably violent, and definitely not the one-sided affair readers might have expected from a battle involving such an old school villain, the American author definitely depicts the energy projecting criminal as a fearsome force to be reckoned with, rather than simply having him appear as harmless fodder for Stark to effortlessly trash; “I know that one of the twenty-one existing Gutenberg Bibles was destroyed in our battle with Unicorn, but there was really nothing I could do.”  

Cantwell’s handling of Iron Man’s ‘Twitter’ account is also cleverly interwoven throughout the story-telling, and does a good job of illustrating just how ungrateful humanity can be when a verbal few are inconvenienced by Tony’s efforts to save the planet. Spiteful, jealous and all-too quick to leap upon the hateful hindsight bandwagon, it soon becomes clear that Shell-head is in a no-win situation when it comes to justifying his actions to these people, and resultantly it comes as no surprise by the end of “Rest Your Brains” that the former Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. decides to delete his account.

Similarly as agreeable as Cantwell’s penmanship, is Cafu’s pencilling, which really begins to pack a punch by the time Iron Man has teamed up with Hellcat in order to defeat the Unicorn. The “Marvel Comics exclusive” artist’s style seems to particularly suit Alex Ross’ newly designed "vintage" armour, and really makes the energy blasts zing once the heroes begin their nocturnal battle atop the public library’s rooftop.

The regular cover art of "IRON MAN" #1 by Alex Ross