Iron Man #26 – Review

By Daniel & Charles Knauf (writers), Roberto De La Torre (art), Dean White (colors)

Tony Stark’s a busy guy this week! In Avengers he’s sucked into a time vortex and in his own book, well, let’s just say he’s sucked into another kind of vortex. The story arc involving the Mandarin doesn’t conclude this issue, but we do finally get the confrontation we’ve been waiting for. Because Tony isn’t using his Extremis based armor, the playing field is pretty even. So what do we get? An all out slugfest that leads to one gorgeous piece of art in the middle of the book.

Once again, the Knauf brothers deliver a solid script that never chugs along. My only complaint is they get a little heavy with the techno jargon. I can see why a scientist may talk in this manner, but it’s something that we could have done without. It’s not that I want it simplified – the dialogue is just totally unnecessary. That said, I love the way they handle Maria Hill and Dugan. Finally, someone tells her to drop the “by the book” crap and just do her job. And she does step up and makes a gutsy call.

As far as art goes this is Roberto De La Torre’s best Iron Man work to date. He and colorist, Dean White hit a homerun are pure magic together. De La Torre really knows where to put the camera. His angles give the art so much more expression and drama. I’d really, really love to have the double-page splash they did in this issue made into a poster. (Grade: B)

– J. Montes

Iron Man #25 – Review

By Daniel & Charles Knauf (writers), Rob De La Torre (art), Dean White (color art)

At $3.99 this one’s meaty! I don’t just mean the page count, but the story as well. After dragging its feet in the mud for the past three to four months, issue #25 delivers some payoffs. The whole creative team is in top form this month – needless to say, I’m impressed.

I love the new direction they’ve taken with Mandarin. Much like what Ed Brubaker has done with the Red Skull, Daniel and Charles Knauf have made Mandarin more of a calculating villain with the foresight to challenge anyone in his path. Instead of being just plain evil, he’s more of an insane person who sees the world from a warped perspective. Like I said, this issue’s meaty. That means you’ll be doing a lot of reading. It’s not all meaningless dialogue either, everything finally comes together this story as Tony Stark connects the dots. Personally, I would have loved to have seen this story wrapped up this issue, but I can hang for one more.

The bonus stuff we get at the end of the issue is a nice touch, but not necessarily needed. We get a fun trip down memory lane as Bob Layton discusses the past revisions of Iron Man’s suits. Then there’s an excellent reprinting of Iron Man’s first appearace from Tales of Suspense #39 – always a gem. Lastly, we’re treated to a preview of Iron Man: Viva Las Begas #1 by Jon Favreau and Adi Granov! Sure, this issue’s a bit more expensive, but I think the bonuses justify the extra dollar. Plus it’s issue #25. Did you expect anything less from a milestone issue? (Grade: B)

– J. Montes