Iron Man #7
Writer – Joshua Williamson
Heading – Von Randal
Colorist – Erick Arciniega
Letterer – Joe Caramagna
Cover – Ryan Stegman & Frank Martin
Read the review of the last issue in this series HERE!
The Story:
While Tony is still emotionally reeling from his last encounter with AIM, War Machine heads to Iron Man’s new “school” to try to find out what his old friend is actually up to. Meanwhile, Madame Masque and the new head of AIM are making moves to set up their next power play against Iron Man!
The Writing:
Joshua Williamson keeps laying the groundwork for what’s going on behind the scenes and I’m loving the slow build toward an inevitable conflict between the heroes of the Marvel Universe and Iron Man. On top of the building dread underneath the story, Williamson continues to portray the tortured genius of Tony Stark perfectly. By introducing War Machine, Tony’s closest friend and ally, into this story the tension is ratcheted up in such a fun way. Williamson plays these two characters as long time friends who don’t always agree and have come to blows about it on more than one occasion. But still maintains the feeling of mutual respect and love between them. The quick little action beat that forces Iron Man and War Machine to team up sets up Tony’s request to Rhodey in such a perfect way and if the issue had ended there it would have worked flawlessly. However, by adding the reveal on the final page, we see that the trip down Iron Man’s rogues gallery memory lane is still going strong!
The Art:
The art team of Von Randal and Erick Arciniega work very well together. The action and emotion is on point and the moments of trippy dream logic at the beginning of the issue are a stand out. One thing that I appreciate with this team is the look of the armor. Both Iron Man and War Machine have such a dynamic movement on the page and panels of the two of them flying really pop. The subtle design choices in Iron Man’s armor and the look of the villain reveal on the last page make this team stand out. The use of light and shadow help set the scene and make this art, while not photorealistic in any way, feel more real. All together this is a great addition to this already wonderful series.
Overall Grade: 10/10
Iron Man is exactly what I want it to be. It’s fun, action packed, and dives into the complex physique of Tony Stark. Each issue in this series has been an absolute blast and the tension keeps a slow build pace that makes me want to read the next issue as soon as I finish the last. If you aren’t reading this run of Iron Man, it’s time to start!
Check out more from Derek here!
Have you read this issue? What did you think? Let us know in the comments below!
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