Iron Man: Viva Las Vegas #2 – Review

By Jon Favreau (Writer) and Adi Granov (Artist)

Eye candy, pure and simple. As flashy, beautiful, and spiritually empty as the town it’s named for, Iron Man: Viva Las Vegas left me briefly exhilarated, slightly nauseous, noticeably poorer, only partially satisfied, and certain I’d be coming back for more.

In this issue, we are reintroduced to Elsa Bloodstone who, like any other self-respecting archeologist, dresses in skin-tight clothes and keeps her shirt unbuttoned down to her navel. She suggests to Tony that perhaps the giant mystical lizard she dragged out of its curse-laden tomb might have had something to do with the plague of lizards they experienced last issue. So they do the logical thing: change Elsa into a different skin-tight outfit and wait for a crowd to arrive before investigating. The giant lizard turns out to be none other than Fin Fang Foom and, well, if a giant lizard came to life in front of a crowded casino and didn’t start crushing buildings and tearing down roller coasters, we’d all be disappointed, wouldn’t we?

Fin Fang Foom, you may recall, was last seen in Nextwave: Agents of H.A.T.E., bemoaning his visible lack of genitalia. Since then he seems to have overcompensated with a ton of plastic surgery. The new and improved Fin Fang Foom is constructed from an alloy of titanium and pure coolness, has more fins than a shark frenzy, and is probably in negotiations for his own maquette at this very moment.

Granov’s art is, as always, gorgeous. Favreau’s dialogue is, for the most part, clever. Sure, there are panels where he clearly just jotted something off to fill up the empty space, but you don’t buy a book like this for the prose.

So, is this book worth your hard-earned cash? Will the next two issues pay off, or will they be as stupid as you might expect of a book that features a character named Fin Fang Foom? Hey, buddy, this is Vegas. You pays your money, and you takes your chances. (Grade: B)

– Andrew C. Murphy

Iron Man: Viva Las Vegas #1 – Review

By: Jon Favreau (Writer) and Adi Granov (Art)

Jon Favreau’s Iron Man miniseries is off to a promising start thanks to some great artwork by Adi Granov and crisp dialogue courtesy of Mr. Favreau. It looks to be a nice compliment to the summer movie and all signs point to it being an entertaining, if light, summer read.

After a quick introduction that hints at the series threat, the issue kicks off with a bang as a hijacker attempts to take over a Stark company passenger plane that Tony Stark happens to be traveling on. After some Iron Man intervention and a bit of public backlash, Tony decides to head to Vegas for some much needed rest and relaxation. Needless to say, it looks as though Tony will get anything but rest as some strange happenings grind Vegas to a halt on the eve of a casino grand opening.

What surprised me most about this issue was how visual the story was, as much is told without the use of any dialogue. As mentioned earlier, Adi Granov’s work is quite stunning and does an excellent job moving the story forward even when there aren’t any people present to move it along. A little more detail with some of the facial features would have been welcome, but all in all what’s here is very nice.

What dialogue is here works well and Jon Favreau continues to show that he has a solid grasp on Tony Stark as a public figure, a playboy, and as Iron Man. I wish there was more Tony Stark to be honest, but this was very much a stage setting issue and reads as such. I expect much more in the way of character and dialogue in the following issues.

Overall, I was quite pleased with what this Iron Man story has to offer so far. It looks to be a good, solid, summer series that will satisfy anyone looking for a little more than just the summer movie to get their Iron Man fix. Just don’t go into this one expecting a complex story or deep ties to current happenings in the Marvel Universe and you will find a lighthearted, entertaining Iron Man story. It was just what I was looking for. (Grade C+)

-Kyle Posluszny

A Second Opinion

Wow, that was fast. Not Kyle’s review, but the issue, itself! i was really psyched to see Adi Granov doing some interior artwork again and then I remembered why I prefer him as a cover artist. Yes, his art is beautiful, but it all feels so artificial due to his heavy use of photographic material. Sure, people like Alex Maleev do it all the time, but Maleev has also shown a lot of diversity (check out some of those retro Daredevil issues he did). I don’t know what it is but Granov’s art just feels like it lacks character and soul.

As for the story itself, it feels a bit disjointed at times, but there are some good moments scattered about (like Iron Man being boo’d off the airplane). It’s too early to tell if this series will be worth the price of admission, but I do like how Jon Favreau’s writing style is much different from the norm. It’s good that Favreau doesn’t waste any time, the downside is this issue is over before you know it. If it continues at this blistering pace, a trade might be more worthwhile.(Grade: C+)

– 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