I have my problems with Miller and Lucas's new take on Iron Man, largely in the often-times hokey and sometimes downright inappropriately wacky dialogue. But overall, they've got an intriguing new direction for the character and, once the rough edges of a new writer are worn away, I think this could turn into a run to remember. Certainly Miller's take on the book is both appropriate to the character (something all-too-rare for Iron Man in recent years) and comes across as the creators having fun, which invites the readers to share in that sense of fun. Mixing Iron Man and politics has long seemed a good idea, and nobody has quite nailed it down, but Miller is getting closer with each issue, and I liked this one more than the first issue, which is a good sign.
My biggest problem with this book, and indeed with Miller's comic writing in general, is his dialogue. It has the feel of someone who is trying to echo other writing that he's seen, whether it's the snappy, funny cadences of Aaron Sorkin's West Wing or the sincere, heroic style of classic comics writers like Stan Lee and Roy Thomas. None of these folks are bad influences to have, but Miller's comedy writing comes off as wacky instead of witty, and his comics style dialogue campy instead of ernest. To give two examples, it's groan-worthy to have the President's chief of staff turned into a bumbling cartoon even though the sentiment (his surprise at Tony's proposal) is perfectly believable, and Tony's proclamation at the end, while putting a noble face on his new job, is so pie-in-the-sky idealist as to make Superman's "Truth, Justice and the American Way" slogan look like cynical political copy.
That said, there's a definite charm to the writing that Miller is doing. Tony Stark seems in control and smart, something that hasn't always been the strong point of the character under all writers, and there is a certain amount of realism being injected as well. Miller's references to appointee John Tower, or to the extent of responsibility that the Secretary of Defense faces, are probably some of the strongest moments of the issue. And Tony's quick change from nightmare candidate to ideal candidate by means of moving money around and quitting memberships, while right on the border of too cutesy, is actually pretty fun as well.
Jorge Lucas excels as an artist at the high-tech stuff, which means that he's a good choice for Iron Man, but Miller's script in this issue focuses more on the day-to-day non-costumed stuff. Lucas does a pretty good job with that as well, however, especially in the pompous Sonny Burch or in the nervous, Ari Fleischer-esque look of Artie Pithins. I'm reminded somewhat of the work that Scott Kolins is doing on Avengers, as it's an unusual style, but certainly a likable one.
This is one of those directions that could easily turn ugly, into another New Marvel book where the lead character never uses his powers and instead we get sort of a watered-down TV series in comic-book form (in this case The West Wing.) However, Miller so far seems to understand the need for balance between Tony's new job and his old super-hero job, and as long as can get some super-villain activity sprinkled in with the political stories, and a considerably smoother dialogue style which I think will develop in time, this could turn out to be quite a lot of fun for Iron Man fans.
