IRON MAN #59
"In Shining Iron, Part 1"
Mildly Recommended (5/10)
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Marvel Comics
Writer/Artist: Mike Grell
Colors: Avalon Studios
Letters: Chris Eliopoulos
Editor: Tom Brevoort
Price: $2.25 US/$3.75 CAN |
Though Mike Grell has been working on this title for months, it's this issue that's really going to turn heads. Grell first became known in the industry in the 1970s for his artwork, and later developed his reputation as a writer/artist. He resumes that role once again. Though his visuals are enjoyable here, his script stretches credibility too far in order to push the plot forward, making for a jarring read.
A discovery an ocean away offers the final proof: the time machine that Tony Stark has just invented works. Excited at the prospect of exploring his new technology and a different era, he dons his Iron Man armor and dives into the past... which turns out to be a foolhardy move, and not just because the trip saps the armor of its power supply. Meanwhile, Happy and Pepper's marriage continues its downward spiral.
I've enjoyed Grell's detailed, textured art ever since I first saw it in the pages of Legion of Super-Heroes in the 1970s. His Neal Adams-esque boasts a nice realistic quality today. However, the sketchy nature of his artwork doesn't lend itself to the high-tech world of Tony Stark and Iron Man. I find his interpretation of the title character to be too inky. Mind you, Grell's vision of medieval times is quite strong, which should come as no surprise to anyone who has seen his world on Warlord, his long-running sword-and-sorcery book in the 1980s from DC Comics.
When Grell's script delved into the notion of temporal mechanics and a number of differeing theories, I was fascinated. The crash course wasn't just well scripted; it also provided insight into Tony's character, how he uses knowledge to justify his brash behavior. In addition to offering an accessible script, Grell also caught my attention with his exploration of new troubles in the lives of Happy and Pepper.
Those strengths in the script are offset, however, by some difficult-to-swallow moments in the story, and chief among them is Tony's inexplicably clueless attitude toward the opening discovery in Britain. His failure to get all of the information available kicks the reader right out of the story, puzzled as to the lack of logic behind it. Furthermore, the plot is far from the most original, and therefore, lacks any real suspense.
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