Iron Man #10 – Revelations and Betrayals!

Iron Man #10

Writer – Joshua Williamson

Artist – Carmen Carnero

Colorist – Nolan Woodard

Letterer – Joe Caramagna

Cover – Ryan Stegman & Frank Martin

Read the review of the last issue in this series HERE!

The Story:

It’s time to find out how Citizen V came to be in this story and whether or not Tony can trust him. While there are revelations to be had, Iron Man still has to deal with two villains with four whips. Also, A.I.M. continues to make moves behind the scenes.

The Writing:

Joshua Williamson has been digging deep into the long history of Iron Man in this run and this issue is no different. Within a few pages, Williamson is able to show Happy Hogan’s original introduction, and sum up his long relationship with Tony Stark. The way these few pages took me on a stroll down memory lane that I was not expecting is an understatement. I read those pages more than once with a big smile on my face… until he took me back to the beginning of Civil War and Happy’s tragic end. The amount of emotion that Williamson is able to pack into a few pages of monologue and nostalgia is impressive to say the least. Moving back into the present, the story picks right back up with the threat of last issue. Williamson is able to resolve the threat, pick up with the side characters so the reader doesn’t loose their plot threads, continues to set up the ongoing threat in the background, and pack an emotional punch at the end. This is comic book writing at it’s finest and Joshua Williamson continues to prove that he understands Iron Man and what makes him special!

The Art:

The art team crushed this issue. Starting off with the flashback pages, artist Carmen Carnero, colorist Nolan Woodard, and letterer Joe Caramagna crafted a beautiful tapestry of Happy Hogans past in Iron Man comics. From the fiery crash that introduced him to the fall during his fight with Spymaster, those pages really felt like a love letter to the character who has always been, in my opinion, underrated. Of course, as has been the norm for this book, the action and emotion on display is a work of near perfection. Any time I get to see a new version of Iron Man’s armor, I get absolutely delighted and it was no different here. The new upgrade to Tony’s armor is imposing and beautiful. The final page setting up the next issue is just… chef’s kiss. While lettering does not always get it’s due in these reviews, Joe Caramagna perfectly encapsulates Tony’s emotions during the final pages of this issue.

Overall Grade: 9.5/10

With each issue of this series I’ve waited for this team to let me down, I’ve been let down too many times in the past to expect greatness this far into a series. However, I’m done with that now. This team knows exactly what it is doing with this story, this art, this group of characters. This is exactly the team that Iron Man needed right now, a back to basics story with big goals for the future, an art team that knows how to handle a story this big, and this reader who is eagerly waiting for each issue!

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Have you read this issue? What did you think? Let us know in the comments below!