IRON FROST #2 – New Changes

Creative Team – Cavan Scott, Ruairi Coleman, Yen Nitro, VC’s Joe Sabino

Published by Marvel Comics

Catch up with Iron Frost #1 here!

The Story

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

After Emma finally found her way back to Tony, she realizes more has changed than she thought. Now, with the damage Revelation has caused with the X-Virus, everything and everyone has changed. People Emma used to know are either gone or mutant versions of themselves.

That proves true for Tony, who is now a living machine called the Iron King. While Tony is in this state, there’s still small slivers of his old self that peaks through, but they’re fleeting. The machine part of him takes over again, and the old Tony goes back into the mental prison his mutation puts him in.

Emma, who is stuck in her diamond form to keep herself alive, isn’t able to use her telepathy powers, so she’s going in blind to all of this. She isn’t able to try to reach Tony telepathically, so she can only deal with the living machine version of him, which is much harder than it sounds.

The Writing

Derek – With this second issue, Cavan Scott delivers a story worthy of both of these fantastic characters. Turning Tony Stark into a machine man, one run by cold logic, shows off his greatest strength and his greatest weakness. This was a brilliant way to show how far Tony would fall if left to his own mind, unhindered by his emotions. At the same time, Scott writes Emma Frost in such a beautiful way. She is rarely seen as incapable or weak and putting her in a situation where she cannot possibly do what is needed alone was a masterstroke of storytelling. The titular heroes were not the only focus in this issue. Rhodey was the emotional core and without going into spoilers, what an emotional ride he took me on.

Megan – Cavan Scott does it again with Iron Frost, and brings the excitement on each and every page. As we learn more and more about Tony’s mutation, we can feel the confusion and despair coming from Emma. While all this is happening, there’s also a very gripping situation with Rhodey that’ll keep you on the edge of your seat. This proves how well Cavan Scott is able to capture the reader and keep them hooked into the story until the very last page.

The Art

Derek – The art team achieved so much in this issue. From the action and set pieces to the incredible emotion, especially from the Iron King in certain moments, this was a homerun. The blend of color and line work was exceptional. Each page was a treat to behold and it just never let up from panel to panel.

Megan – Ruairi Coleman, the artist of Iron Frost #2, is all gas and no breaks when it comes to the art of the comic. Coleman matches the energy of the story perfectly, showing a huge amount of emotion in the artwork. Whether it be Emma, Rhodey, or Landslide, you easily can feel what they’re going through, which gives it a whole other level of depth. Yen Nitro does brilliant work on the colors, which makes the artwork pop off the page.

Joe Sabino, the letterer of the comic, excellently gives the dialogue life with his work. What I found most impressive was the switch between Tony and the mutated living machine version of him. You could read Tony’s words in a whimper, showing his smallness compared to the machine part. When reading the Iron King’s words, there was a level of authority and coldness that’s expertly captured by Sabino.

Final Thoughts

Derek – 10/10. Iron & Frost #2 delved deep into the emotional core of the characters on the page. Fantastic character designs, deep themes of humanity, and action that continued to ratchet up throughout make this an easy 10/10!

Megan – 10/10. Iron Frost #2 brings a new level of emotion to the X-Men: Age of Revelation event, showing how far our favorite characters have changed thanks to the X-Virus. The comic is an exciting and emotional roller coaster ride that you don’t want to get off of.

Overall Grade – 10/10