Iron Man 2.0 #3 – Review

by Nick Spencer (writer), Barry Kitson & Carmine Di Giandomenico (art), Kano (art & colors), Matthew Wilson & Frank Martin (colors), and Joe Caramagna (letters)

The Story: As the mystery deepens, Rhodey gets a very special present from Tony Stark.

The Review:  After a fantastic first issue, it seems that Iron Man 2.0 continues to struggle to find its feet.

I think a major reason for this is a sense that the series is treading water.  Plot progression is certainly on the slower side, with few questions answered regarding Palmer Addley.  Yet, while things are moving slowly, I don’t think it’s fair to say that nothing’s happens this month.  Rhodey gets a cool new suit that emphasizes a change in War Machine’s modus operandi and there’s a development in just who Palmer Addley was.  That said, this latter development is pretty small and not all that surprising.  Hence, the story seems to be spinning its wheels a bit, with still no clearly defined enemy or conflict.  What makes this more frustrating is that Nick Spencer’s writing is really quite solid, it’s just the pacing that’s off.

Also off is the artwork.  While it’s worked surprisingly well over the first two issues, the division of duties between three artists is really starting to tell, with their styles feeling increasingly disparate.  Not helping is the fact that all three also have different colorists.  Kitson’s art remains strong, but some of the other work here is too muddy and, at times, kind of ugly.   There are a few particularly gruesome character close-ups.  Suffice it to say, the sooner Kitson can pull off a full issue, the better.

Iron Man 2.0 #2 – Review

by Nick Spencer (writer), Barry Kitson, Kano, & Carmine Di Giandomenico (art), Matthew Wilson (colors), and Joe Caramagna (letters)

The Story: Rhodey tries to enlist the help of an old friend and ends up finding himself in some very deep trouble.

The Review: Iron Man 2.0 is, in some ways, a frustrating issue.

Take for example how it deals with last month’s awesome and delightfully twisted cliffhanger.  Quite simply, it doesn’t.  The mad scientist mom or the idea of Palmer Addley’s transplants is never picked up, never discussed, and never even referred to.  Reading Morning Glories, this seems to be a common thing for Nick Spencer;  he’ll throw a crazy development at us, leave it clouded in mystery, and toss it aside for a few issues.

Then there’s Rhodey’s extraneous use of the suit.  Why does he have to fly in to meet Suzie Endo at an academic conference while fully decked out.  More than that, why does he have to make his entrance by exploding through a goddamned window and into the lecture hall.  It’s never really explained and frankly, I don’t think there’s any explaining it at all.

Suzie Endo herself is also a bit of an issue.  On the one hand, I liked her personality in this comic; it added a much more distinct face to Rhodey’s support team, which is something the comic definitely needs.  It gives Rhodey someone fun to bounce off of and gives the book a nice, unique character to go along with Rhodes himself.  On the other hand, however, it also forces Spencer to trawl a bit into the continuity of Rhodey’s previous failed series.  With the title being “Iron Man 2.0,” the major shift in tone, and the Salvador Larroca covers, it’s clear that Marvel is attempting to bring in readers like, admittedly, myself; that is, people very familiar with Fraction’s book but really only familiar with the current Rhodey based on his presence in that same book.  As such, referencing previous War Machine’s titles seems a little counter-intuitive to that end, especially given the book’s poor sales.

But that said, the book does do a lot of things right as well.  The opening, involving a suicide bomber attack on a military base, is expertly told and plotted again showing Spencer to be a demented guy when he wants to be.  I love it when a writer makes us yawn, expecting the inevitable and predictable twist, only to give us a way more nasty variation of that twist.  I also enjoyed the very contemporary and realistic setting that this scene employed, which is really the sort of thing that the Marvel Universe can be put to use with.

Iron Man 2.0 #1 – Review

by Nick Spencer (writer), Barry Kitson & Carmine di Giandomenico (art), Kano (art & colors), Matt Wilson (colors), and Joe Caramagna (letters)

The Story: James Rhodes takes on a new assignment, one that challenges the limits of War Machine, as he is faced with a man who no longer exists.

The Review: It’s a rare thing, but I truly love it when I’m able to come into a book with high expectations and have those expectations be completely fulfilled.  Iron Man 2.0 is exactly what it says it is: a high-tech Iron Man-franchise title by Nick Spencer.  It has the witty dialogue that got the writer props in Forgetless and Morning Glories along with the trippy concepts a la Existence 2.0/3.0.  But let’s back up a bit and go into a bit more detail about what exactly Spencer gets right.

The issue opens with a team-up action scene between War Machine and Iron Man and an old school villain, Blizzard.  The dialogue shows Spencer’s depth perfectly.  The banter and conversation between Rhodey and Tony is comfortable and pretty damned funny overall.  The sense of camaraderie is well done.  This is balanced against Blizzard, who spouts the same ominous, surreal line in repetition (perhaps hinting at Fear Itself?  I’m not sure).  It’s a weird dynamic, but one that’s a lot of fun to read.  It’s also worth mentioning that Spencer writes a really fun Tony Stark.

Similarly strong is Spencer’s fleshing out of Rhodey’s direct superior, General Babbage, who we’ve been seeing lately in Invincible Iron Man.  Spencer quickly creates an enjoyable, blistering dynamic where the two men prod one another constantly, one overtly and the other covertly.  It’s really fun and I’m happy in that it looks to be a continuing dynamic throughout the series.

But that’s not even touching about the story itself.  Put simply, the story-arc/conflict that Spencer introduces is trippy, demented, and perfect for a high-tech series.  It’s hard to discuss without spoilers, but essentially, Rhodey is charged with tracking down a super genius that is dispersing his super projects to terrorist groups.  Except that he’s apparently doing it from beyond the grave, having committed suicide.  That alone is a great plot-line, one that hints at possible cyber-crime and high-tech hijinks that challenge the limits of Rhodey’s straightforward approach in that it’s not a threat he can fight.