Invincible Iron Man #5 – Review

By Matt Fraction (story), Salvador Larroca (art), Frank D’Armata (colors)

Matt Fraction continues to demonstrate how Iron Man should be written. This should have been the Iron Man movie. Seriously. Why can’t anyone in Hollywood write super-heroes this well?

If you’ve read the previous issues, you pretty much know what’s happening this issue. In a chillingly Al Quaida-like move, Ezekiel Stane has smuggled miniature multi-megaton bombs into four separate Stark facilities. Iron Man and his team are racing against the clock to evacuate the facilities and intercept the bombers before all Hell breaks loose. Worse, Stane himself is one of the bombers, and he’s armed with tech that might be more powerful that Stark’s. Iron Man just happens to arrive at the same facility (actually, I think it’s more than coincidence, but we’ll have to wait for the next issue to find out), and the battle that ensues is brutal. Fraction does a great job getting us inside the head of a madman, and we never lose the sense of just how much is at stake or how carefully Stane has planned it all out.

And the art! When I was young, the only comics that looked this good, where every panel was a painting you could hang on your wall, was in Heavy Metal—where 90% of the stories were incomprehensible and/or ridiculous. Larroca draws beautiful splashes (we get a nice establishing shot of each Stark facility before Stane blows it to bits), but he also knows how to tell a story clearly, which is trick that half the artists in the business haven’t mastered. I have only one complaint. Pepper Potts should have freckles. The Marvel Universe is full of red-heads, and only two of them have freckles: Pepper and the Red Skull’s daughter Sin. Why are Sin’s freckles so prominent, while Pepper’s keep disappearing? I think my wife is right. There is prejudice against red-heads.

Anyway, this is a great book. I should make a nod to the ending. It’s a shocker, but I think careful readers will see how Stark gets out of it. Pick it up yourself and see. (Grade: A)

– Andrew C. Murphy

Resurrection #1-2 – Review

By: Marc Guggenheim (writer) & David Dumeer (art)

Alien invade Earth – and win. After 10 years of domination they leave for unknown reasons. As you can imagine, they did horrible things to humans like experiments. Resurrection is about “what happens next”, with some flashbacks showing how it all started as well.

The first page gave the impression that I was reading The Walking Dead, with Rick still in the pen, all black & white. It also deals with a post-apocalypse world, but the similarities end there.

After finding out that the aliens are gone, Sara is going to see her son at the town of King. On the way there she meets with Ben who wants to go to Washington DC to investigate what happened with the bugs. Meanwhile, a woman (probably military) has had one of these alien bugs held prisoner for 23 years. The bug speaks English and is fairly intelligent. One only wonders if this lady has something to do with the invasion, as the bug (named Spock) asks her to kill it to clear her conscience. There is also a subplot about the President hidden in a mountain bunker, and his inhumane decisions regarding several refugees.

The black & white art is perfect for the book. Like Walking Dead, it effortlessly sets the tone. There are times that the character’s faces look different, almost as if they resemble another person. I noticed this inconsistency a lot with Sara’s profile. It’s a small problem, but it doesn’t hurt the book.

Check the first issue of Resurrection here. I’ll be reading a few more issues to see where it all goes. (Grade: B-)

-Daniel Yanez

A Second Opinion

Marc Guggenheim is a fan of the TV series, V, and it shows. It’s quite easy to make comparisons against the two, but this book seems to stand on its own. Others have also said this series is just “Walking Dead with aliens”. I can see why people say that, but from what I’ve gathered, this book reminds me of the early issues of Y: The Last Man more than anything. It’s got that whole post-apocalyptic “road trip” feel and it hosts a cast of supporting characters (including the President) scattered about the country – each with their own agenda.

Issues #1-2 do a good job setting things up and I’m definitely intrigued to see where Guggenheim takes this series. My only qualm with the book is David Dumeer’s art. It’s messy, uneven, and distracting. Emotional expression is something he really needs to work on. There are times where characters look downright evil, even though they’re trying to convey a simple smile. And then there’s the long shots and establishing shots that just look plain sloppy.

At $3.50 an issue, Resurrection is a bit pricey. I suggest trying a couple of issues to see if it’s to your liking. Me? I’ll stick around a bit longer. (Grade: C+)

– J. Montes