IRON & FROST #1 – Good Under Pressure

Creative Team – Cavan Scott, Ruairi Coleman, Roberto Poggi, Yen Nitro, VC’s Joe Sabino, Dustin Weaver

Published by Marvel Comics

Catch up on the X-Men: Age of Revelation event here!

This comic will be reviewed by Nerd Initiative’s very own Derek and Megan!

The Story

Megan – The Age of Revelation has impacted every part of the world, even the parts that are as good under pressure as a diamond, like Emma Frost. The Avengers Mansion is under attack by the Seraphim in search of a young mutant.

It’s up to Emma, Iron Man, War Machine, and Firestar to hold down the fort. The Seraphim, who does Revelation’s bidding, are after the young mutant, Eris, in order to have her join Revelation’s side in this dystopian war.

What’s interesting about Iron Frost #1 is that we actually get to see the X-Virus at play and see how it affects mutants and humans. With seeing just how terrifying the virus’ affects are, it puts it into perspective exactly how the world got to be the way it is now after the detonation of the Gene Bomb.

Cavan Scott brought the exact right amount of action into the thrilling part of Emma and Iron Man’s perspective of the Age of Revelation. Seeing someone as powerful as Emma Frost, AKA The White Queen, taken for a ride by the Seraphim really hammers down just how powerful this event is in the Marvel Universe.

Derek – As someone who has not been reading any of the Age of Revelation stories, I am happy to say that this story is easy to jump into without feeling lost. Opening up the issue with the action already taking place led to great exposition that felt organic and the banter kept it from feeling like an info dump.

Also, Scott picking up on the previous Emma/Tony “marriage” was the selling point for me and was handled to perfection. Putting the issue in Emma’s perspective gives that relationship a new dimension that was not seen in the Iron Man series. The stakes of this conflict were clearly put in place by showing a powerful character like Emma Frost being put in mortal danger and by showcasing Tony’s reaction to her being in that danger.

The Art

Derek – This art team was able to elevate the story perfectly. The action was frenetic and fun, the emotional beats hit harder, and the reveal on the last page had me begging to keep reading. Every page and panel popped in the best way, and the colors and line work melded together wonderfully. The cover by Dustin Weaver is a masterclass in how to get a reader intrigued about your book.

Megan – The artwork, which is just as powerful as the story itself, holds no punches when it comes to action. Marrow, apart of the Seraphim, goes out of her way to cause as much damage as possible to anyone she can get her hands on. Ruairi Coleman, the artist of Iron Frost #1, superbly illustrated how far she was willing to go to finish Revelation’s will. Coleman and Roberto Poggi added so much depth to the illustrations with their work on the penciling, making the pages bring a whole new level of emotions.

Along with Coleman and Poggi is Yen Nitro who handles the colors and Joe Sabino who handles the lettering. Yen Nitro always brings a superlative talent to the colors, making the panels pop off the pages. Sabino, who shows consistent high quality work, gives so much power to the words and creates a perfect flow throughout the comic.

Together, the artists of Iron Frost worked together to bring a comic full of action and emotion that keeps you on the edge of your seat.

Overall Grade – 8.9/10

Derek – 9/10 This is what an event tie-in is supposed to do, get a reader interested and hyped enough to want to dive into the larger event. With a great creative team behind this and the continuation of the Tony and Emma “relationship,” this is a must read.

Megan – 8.7/10. Iron Frost #1 is an excellent addition to the thrilling X-Men: Age of Revelation event! With a powerful creative team behind the comic, it was always guaranteed this would be a slam dunk.