One of the best things about the new Marvel has been an almost total elimination of the inter-company/cross-book crossovers that defined them in the 1990s, making no book truly standalone and every story an exercise in excruciating multi-creative team discontinuity. So I was more than a little annoyed to find that Marvel was doing a crossover across three books, two of which I generally enjoy and one of which I don't. However, as the art was by Alan Davis, the germ of the idea wasn't bad and it was restricted to three parts, I held out some hope, and the first part in Thor last week was pretty solid. The second part, crossing over into Iron Man, actually stands as one of Grell's strongest efforts on the book as well, but unfortunately the standard he's competing against isn't the highest one, and this one has plenty of flaws to balance out what it gets right.
There are some neat ideas in this book, and the central idea that kicks off the crossover is a good one. I can completely buy Tony Stark's involvement and personal grudge with the events that Thor has started in motion, and while Tony comes across as a little too erratic and full of rage toward the end, in general I thought Grell did a pretty good job with the old "hero fights hero" bit, avoiding a misunderstanding and instead grounding their conflict in actual ideological differences. In addition, I thought the idea of Iron Man adapting the Asgardian magic that Thor was going to use to advance technology was a clever idea, even if it did seem a little out of character for the strongly science-based Avenger.
Unfortunately, the larger scope of the story and the political ramifications, which are the most interesting part of both this crossover and the Thor storyline overall right now, don't really get the space to develop as they should. Thor's actions are presented by Grell as absolutely wrong, and while I know it's Iron Man's book, this seemed an overly simplistic view to take. There are some complex issues here about where sovereignty ends and human rights begin, and to what lengths powerful people should go to in protecting those who want their help, and they're all pushed aside for "Who'd win in a fight, Thor or a magically-powered Iron Man?"
Fortunately, although Grell has given us a fairly straightforward super-hero battle where a more subtle story might be better, he couldn't have a better artist for the story he's chosen to tell. With Davis and Riggs at the helm, the level of power and fury that Iron Man and Thor possess really comes through on every page. The splash page that features the first appearance of Iron Man's "mystic" armor when he uses it against Thor is spectacular, and the battle that results is likewise very impressive. Credit must also go to Dave Kemp for beautiful colors that accentuate rather than overwhelm the artwork.
Judged as a whole, my guess is that "Standoff" will wind up being an interesting side note in Jurgens's exploration of Thor placing himself in the midst of world politics. And to be sure, there are some great moments in this issue, largely thanks to some impressive artwork from Davis. However, in the short run, Iron Man #64 is the weak link in this particular crossover chain.
