Though pleased to hear that Warren Ellis would write the exploits of a super-hero character that fit in well a couple of his favorite themes -- technology and corporate machinations -- I wasn't all that thrilled to see Marvel relaunching the Iron Man yet again. What's this, the fourth series now? So, despite my interest in the writer's work, I approached this title with some trepidation. I shouldn't have been paying any attention to the number on the cover and have had more faith in Ellis's writing. He offers up some intelligent and creepy writing here, balancing issues of ethics with strong characterization. This is the best Iron Man has been since... damn, I think this may just be the best Iron Man has ever been.
A lonely reserach scientist in Austin, Texas, makes a deal with the devil, and he realizes that smuggling a hazardous biological sample from his lab to some rather nasty agents on the outside was a cataclysmic mistakes. Elsewhere, a tired and tormented Tony Stark sits down for an interview with an acclaimed director of socially minded docmentaries for a scathing conversation about the weapons he's invented and the life-saving devices he hasn't.
Another reason I approached this book with some hesitation was Adi Granov's art. I was familiar with the work he's done on some Marvel covers, and his computer-enhanced art struck me as rather stiff and inhuman. Needless to say, I was pleasantly surprised to discover realistic and natural figures populating the interior of this comic book. Granov's work here is stunning. He captures moments of seemingly alien horror perfectly just as he conveys the quiet conflict brewing within Tony Stark. The only time his work seemed stiff was when he was rendering Iron Man. The cold and sleek design doesn't demonstrate the sort of detail and expressiveness he's capable of. The colors bring a dreariness to the book that's in keeping with the main character's mood and inner conflict as well.
Ellis takes aim at war for profit and activism as apathy. He offers a balanced look at the politics of technology, its perils and even the personal motivations that can push progress forward. I was quite pleased to discover that Ellis isn't content to use the documentarian character as simply a storytelling device to get the reader to look at Stark as a weaponsmaker, as a catalyst for an origin flashback. Ellis, through Tony Stark, challenges the filmmaker and poses an interesting question: is commentary a satisfactory substitute for action? Ellis doesn't spoof Michael Moore here, as the character bears no resemblance to him whatsoever, but given the prominence Moore has taken on in recent years, it does give one pause to think about what he does. It's not a criticism, really, but a quiet offer of a much different perspective.
The chilling nature of the Extremis plotline is supremely cool, but it's eclipsed by the strength of Ellis's characterization when it comes to the main character. This thoroughly accessible script almost seems to approach the character as a blank slate. The writer updates his origin for a new century, and he explores Stark as man who has sacrificed his youth and any sense of happiness and self-satisfaction to success. On the one hand, Iron Man is held up as Stark's inadvertent attempt to balance some of the evils he's set loose upon the world, the armor also represents adventure. Iron Man is his escape. 10/10
