I AM IRON MAN! – A look at March’s Ongoing Iron Man Titles

It was a great week for comics to say the least. Some decent fare from DC, but the best stuff this week was the plethora of excellent titles released from Marvel. Stuff like Thunderbolts, as well as Amazing Spider-Man, a Young Avengers one-shot with art by Alan Davis, a couple of excellent point one issues (Hulk & Uncanny X-Force) and both Iron Man titles. It was the Iron Man titles that really piqued my interest this past week. Iron Man 2.0 is still quite fresh, with the second issue just dropping, while Invincible Iron Man has been fantastic issue after issue for about three years now. What this really says to me is that years ago when Marvel decided to focus on the Avengers family of titles and make them better across the board, that they really succeeded at doing it. Month after month my top titles are books like Iron Man, Thor, Captain America, and all the various Avengers titles. It’s where they deserve to be. So without further delay, let’s take a look at these issues.

Title: Invincible Iron Man #502

Author: Matt Fraction

Artist: Salvador LaRocca

Publisher: Marvel Comics

Rating: 13+

Release date: March 16, 2011

Verdict: 9/10

In the last issue, Tony Stark was kidnapped by Otto Octavius, Doc Ock to most people, as Octavius wants Tony to help him to stay alive. It seems as though the evil Doc is going to die. The big problem is that Tony is not a medical doctor and really can’t help cure him, but Doc Ock doesn’t care. He’s threatened to blow up New York with a 21-kiloton thermonuclear bomb if Tony can’t save him. This is quite the dilemma. The main story is juxtaposed with another from both men’s past when they were both scientist/inventors working within the massive American military industrial complex, providing solutions to the highest bidder.

Their shared history actually sheds some light on Otto’s motivations, and also highlights some of Tony’s flaws (of which there are many). Otto has always viewed Tony as a trust fund baby who inherited everything he has, while Otto styled himself a self-made man. Over the years this must have changed, at least somewhat, as Tony really made a name for himself and his skills in the scientist/inventor arena. Otto knows this and is obviously jealous, as the story illustrates. Cut to the present and Otto is going to die. He’s sick. There is no cure, and he’s decided to go out in a blaze forcing Tony’s hand. What’s unexpected about all this is that you can tell Tony actually wants to help. He’s not too keen on saving a supervillain’s life, but he’s even less keen on letting a man die when he may be able to get him the help he needs.

Month in and month out, Invincible Iron Man is one of the best books being published by anyone. We’ve had the same creative team tackle every issue for the last three years with no interruptions and the stories have really touched me. The stories where Tony tackles with a psycho aren’t “single issue/villain of the week”- style stories. The are long pieces (12 issues for some) and really delve into not only Tony’s character, but the characters of all his closest people. Not just Tony and Pepper, but the other employees of Resilient and, most importantly, the actual antagonists. We get to learn about our villains, and even maybe sympathize with them on some level. This book has risen the bar in terms of quality at The House of Ideas, and I hope it continues to do so for years to come.

Now: let’s take a look at…

Title: Iron Man 2.0 #2

Author: Nick Spencer

Artist: Barry Kitson & Kano

Publisher: Marvel Comics

Rating: 13+

Release date: March 16, 2011

Verdict: 9/10

Iron Man 2.0 is a new series following the exploits of America’s most powerful soldier, Colonel James Rhodes, aka War Machine. The US military has always desired a front-line comprised of Iron Men who could decimate America’s enemies with utter dominance, but Iron Man creator Tony Stark has always resisted as he felt that the Iron Man suit is too powerful to trust just anyone with using, especially a government. Even with the US militaries capabilites in screening soldiers for craziness, Tony could never trust that the man behind the suit, or even the man’s commanding officer, would not crack and use this incredibly powerful piece of technology for the wrong reasons. In fact, Tony has only ever trust two people to wear a suit like his; Pepper Potts and Jim Rhodes. As a compromise, Rhodey now wears a suit and does so as a US Airman. This way everyone wins. Tony trusts the man inside the suit, and there aren’t 5,000 other Iron Men tearing up the middle east, while the US Military gets at least one Iron Man under orders.

Writer Nick Spencer, who is quickly proving himself a very capable writer, and artists Kano and Barry Kitson are crafting this new series with sublety and action very much in the same manner that Matt Fraction and Salvador Larocca have done over in Invincible Iron Man since 2008. one of the things that makes Invincible Iron Man such a great book is the relationship between Tony and Pepper. She’s been by his side forever, and he desperately needs her. She completes him, as it were. But Rhodey is a different man. He’s obviously not anywhere as scinetifically inclined as Tony, but on the plus side, he’s not in posession of most of Tony’s foibles. This issue introduces us to Suzi Endo, a former flame of Rhodey’s and someone who he really needs on his side to help with the logistics of his mission. She’s super smart and sexy and capable. She’s his Pepper…at least I think she will be.

Other than Suzi Endo, Rhodey spends this issue looking into a suicide bombing by a US soldier. To the reader it’s obvious that the soldier was not working under his own influence, and that all the destruction is tied into a guy named Palmer Addley. The same Palmer Addley who is supposedly dead. I’m really digging the fact that this issue just raised more questions for us to mull over. Who is Palmer Addley? Is he really dead? Why has he got Rhodey in his sights? If Nick spencer can keep me this interested, I think I have another monthly Iron Man book to add to my subscription.

What did you guys think? Do you think Rhodey can keep everyone interested in his book even though he’s not a top tier character in the Marvel Universe? Is he the next Hercules? Let us know by sounding off in our awesome comments section below J .