Iron Man #5

I like this title. Admittedly its not the best Marvel NOW title out and I am feeling slightly underwhelmed by it all, but it is decent enough. Each issue of this series is doing just enough to make me want to buy the next and I guess that is something that comic books are about.

This issue saw the end of the first story arc which ended in Iron Man finally getting all the Extremis kits which were sold on the black market. The issue itself was pretty good, but I was expecting something a bit bigger considering this was the LAST Extremis pack he had to collect. Tony even stated he was saving it until last, so I thought that there was going to be some pretty major drama. However, this part of the issue ended like most of his collecting missions have done; underwhelmingly.

What was interesting was the final third of this issue where this series has taken a completely unexpected turn. As I mentioned in my intro, it has made me want to read more, which is a good thing. It has also made this whole story arc feel like it has been one big introduction to Iron Man, which may turn out to be a great idea. There may have been a lot of new fans jumping on this title with #1, so the first arc has been a little simple. I enjoy Gillen's work so I am trusting him with this and hope that his plan is how I expect to be; which is to really kick on in the next arc.

I am sticking with this book because I love Tony Stark. I am probably going to stick with this book regardless of the quality. As I have said, it is not TERRIBLE, it is just not how I would like it to be. This book seems to be coming out every couple of weeks, so I guess it is a matter of time before we know where this series is going. Will it be happy to stay being medicore, or will it try for something more? I know what I want from it.


Rating: 7 / 10

Iron Man #1 Review

I picked this up eagerly anticipating a change of pace from the Matt Fraction run on "Invincible Iron Man". I was a fan of the Fraction run but I missed a few issues and got behind; never really catching up. Therefore I missed out on what seems to have been a lot of Iron Man goodness. This was my chance to get back into it, and I think I may be in for the long haul.

This particular issue is pretty much a set up issue for the first arc. Not only that but it also goes some way into describing what kind of a person Tony Stark is, which is: egotistical , arrogant; all the reasons we love him basically. So this book was pretty new reader friendly. Which makes sense considering the third instalment of the film franchise is just round the corner.

Putting all these factors together, I thought that this was a really enjoyable first issue. I love the fact that Extremis is back, and I look forward to the Enhanciles that Mr Stark will be battling against in forthcoming issues. One of my only gripes with it is that I am not really too keen on how Tony looks. I cant put my finger on it, but it may be the Robert Downey Jr effect. I don't know.

With all the positives mentioned, I still find this issue pretty hard to rate. It is a great set up issue, but it was a pretty thin read with not a great deal really happening. Saying that, I did think it had a good pace to it though compared to the slow burn of Fraction. You can tell this book is going to be full of action, and that is what is bringing me back for the next issue. Yes the issue was good; but it was not amazing. However, it has got me invested in the series  for future issues, which is what the first issue should be doing right?
If you have any interest in Iron Man then I recommend you give this a go. If you were a massive fan of Fraction, then give it a miss.


Issue Rating: 7.5 / 10

Excitement for future issues: 8 / 10