I didn't pick up new comics this week, so instead, here are some quick reviews of recent trades I've been reading.
Iron Man: Armor Wars Prologue/Armor Wars/Armor Wars II
If you look at the whole run of Iron Man and had to pick one name of a creator that defined the character more than any other, it could only be David Michelinie. He wrote Iron Man for 75 issues over the course of 8 years. He introduced Iron Man's greatest ally, Jim Rhodes, and many of his greatest nemeses. Most importantly, he penned the Demon in a Bottle arc, which produced one of Tony Stark's defining traits as a man struggling with alcoholism.
Many comics of the 70s and 80s seem laborious for modern readers due to three decades worth of evolution in comic writing style. Gone are thought balloons and detailed narrative descriptions of locations and action; in their stead, "decompressed" cinematic storytelling and story arcs "paced for trade" are the new normal. For some reason, I have never found that to be the case with Michelinie. His writing certainly fits the old-fashioned writing formula, and yet it still seems like not a word is wasted, no narration boring or unnecessary. Like his contemporaries Byrne and Simonson, his stories stand the test of time.
The Armor Wars represented Michelinie's return to Iron Man after an absence of several years. The "Prologue" trade is mostly a misnomer; it consists of one-shot stories (albeit enjoyable ones) culminating with a two-issue story that brings the villain "Force" back into Iron Man's pages. This time, though, Force has developed a conscience and wants to retire from crime, something that Tony is glad to help him do.
The revelation that stems from Force's side-switch waits until the Armor Wars proper, when Tony realizes while analyzing the ex-villain's costume that it contains Stark Industries technology. Tony concludes that his rival Justin Hammer must have pirated the technology and sold it to various bad guys willing to cough up premium prices to get their hands on the same tech that makes Iron Man such a formidable foe. Realizing that his own inventions may have caused untold suffering of innocents, Tony vows to take down every villain in possession of stolen Stark technology.
The moral crisis of Tony's revelation about his technology's misuse fuels the first part of the book. As modern audiences have seen in the Iron Man film, Tony's ethics won't allow him to ignore the crimes and tragedies in which he unwittingly played a part. Michelinie thoroughly examines the kind of man Tony really is, the "capitalist with a conscience" who takes a disproportionate share of the world's burdens on his shoulders. His struggle becomes even more compelling when he is forced to strain friendships and loyalties to the breaking point, and risk his entire fortune, for the sake of his singular quest.
Rhodey is defined primarily by his well-earned loyalty to Stark; his dogged determination to stand by his boss is fueled by his respect for Tony's ideals and his admiration for the hero he remains after facing so much adversity. Still, Michelinie elevates Rhodey beyond the role of just a "sidekick," giving him his own concerns and problems that interweave with the complications that arise from Stark's Armor Wars.
After two great graphic novels penned by Michelinie, Armor Wars II has to be considered a disappointment. In the first place, the label "Armor Wars II" is wholly misleading. One would think that a sequel story arc would either call back to the original Armor Wars, or mirror some of the plot elements. Instead, we get a completely unrelated story about a villain who uses technology secretly implanted in Tony Stark's body to take control of him. Tony discovers that staying in the Iron Man suit allows him to use mental commands to counteract the remote puppetry, but his body is being brutally decimated the longer he stays in his iron prison.
Again, it's completely different setup, and I can't help but have the impression that the titling of the arc was done for the sake of publicity. Now, that's not to say that Armor Wars II is a bad story; it's a pretty good one. But it's not Michelinie. John Byrne takes the writing reins, and I unfortunately found it to be surprisingly weak and unbalanced writing from such a respected writer. Unlike my earlier comments about the timelessness of Michelinie's writing style, here Byrne spends pages at a time filling panels with nothing but inane thought balloons, resulting in sluggish pacing.
That being said, when the action kicks into high gear in the second half of the book, it's compelling, and it's complemented by the excellent artwork of John Romita Jr. I didn't realize he was a polarizing artist until recently; for me he has always been one of the greats. I enjoy his thin, cartoony style and hyperactive hatching. His angles and poses in large panels lend adrenaline to Iron Man's inevitable showdown with his would-be puppet master.
Another thing worth noting about Armor Wars II is a subplot featuring The Mandarin. Iron Man's greatest foe is depicted seeking out an ancient and terrifying source of power that has a connection to his ten mystical rings. However, the storyline doesn't come to fruition in this trade; instead, the reader will feel compelled to read the Dragon Seed Saga in the trade that follows. I'll leave that one to review another time.
Without question, among the three Armor Wars books, the middle volume stands out as the highlight. The prologue is also a great read, but it lacks the cohesiveness of the single storyline presented in the book that follows. As for Armor Wars II, it's enjoyable, and the noticeable writing flaws are balanced out by high-octane art, but one should go into it with the understanding that it's almost completely unrelated to the other two books that bear the same name.
Iron Man: Armor Wars Prologue/Armor Wars/Armor Wars II
If you look at the whole run of Iron Man and had to pick one name of a creator that defined the character more than any other, it could only be David Michelinie. He wrote Iron Man for 75 issues over the course of 8 years. He introduced Iron Man's greatest ally, Jim Rhodes, and many of his greatest nemeses. Most importantly, he penned the Demon in a Bottle arc, which produced one of Tony Stark's defining traits as a man struggling with alcoholism.
Many comics of the 70s and 80s seem laborious for modern readers due to three decades worth of evolution in comic writing style. Gone are thought balloons and detailed narrative descriptions of locations and action; in their stead, "decompressed" cinematic storytelling and story arcs "paced for trade" are the new normal. For some reason, I have never found that to be the case with Michelinie. His writing certainly fits the old-fashioned writing formula, and yet it still seems like not a word is wasted, no narration boring or unnecessary. Like his contemporaries Byrne and Simonson, his stories stand the test of time.
The Armor Wars represented Michelinie's return to Iron Man after an absence of several years. The "Prologue" trade is mostly a misnomer; it consists of one-shot stories (albeit enjoyable ones) culminating with a two-issue story that brings the villain "Force" back into Iron Man's pages. This time, though, Force has developed a conscience and wants to retire from crime, something that Tony is glad to help him do.
The revelation that stems from Force's side-switch waits until the Armor Wars proper, when Tony realizes while analyzing the ex-villain's costume that it contains Stark Industries technology. Tony concludes that his rival Justin Hammer must have pirated the technology and sold it to various bad guys willing to cough up premium prices to get their hands on the same tech that makes Iron Man such a formidable foe. Realizing that his own inventions may have caused untold suffering of innocents, Tony vows to take down every villain in possession of stolen Stark technology.
The moral crisis of Tony's revelation about his technology's misuse fuels the first part of the book. As modern audiences have seen in the Iron Man film, Tony's ethics won't allow him to ignore the crimes and tragedies in which he unwittingly played a part. Michelinie thoroughly examines the kind of man Tony really is, the "capitalist with a conscience" who takes a disproportionate share of the world's burdens on his shoulders. His struggle becomes even more compelling when he is forced to strain friendships and loyalties to the breaking point, and risk his entire fortune, for the sake of his singular quest.
Rhodey is defined primarily by his well-earned loyalty to Stark; his dogged determination to stand by his boss is fueled by his respect for Tony's ideals and his admiration for the hero he remains after facing so much adversity. Still, Michelinie elevates Rhodey beyond the role of just a "sidekick," giving him his own concerns and problems that interweave with the complications that arise from Stark's Armor Wars.
After two great graphic novels penned by Michelinie, Armor Wars II has to be considered a disappointment. In the first place, the label "Armor Wars II" is wholly misleading. One would think that a sequel story arc would either call back to the original Armor Wars, or mirror some of the plot elements. Instead, we get a completely unrelated story about a villain who uses technology secretly implanted in Tony Stark's body to take control of him. Tony discovers that staying in the Iron Man suit allows him to use mental commands to counteract the remote puppetry, but his body is being brutally decimated the longer he stays in his iron prison.
Again, it's completely different setup, and I can't help but have the impression that the titling of the arc was done for the sake of publicity. Now, that's not to say that Armor Wars II is a bad story; it's a pretty good one. But it's not Michelinie. John Byrne takes the writing reins, and I unfortunately found it to be surprisingly weak and unbalanced writing from such a respected writer. Unlike my earlier comments about the timelessness of Michelinie's writing style, here Byrne spends pages at a time filling panels with nothing but inane thought balloons, resulting in sluggish pacing.
That being said, when the action kicks into high gear in the second half of the book, it's compelling, and it's complemented by the excellent artwork of John Romita Jr. I didn't realize he was a polarizing artist until recently; for me he has always been one of the greats. I enjoy his thin, cartoony style and hyperactive hatching. His angles and poses in large panels lend adrenaline to Iron Man's inevitable showdown with his would-be puppet master.
Another thing worth noting about Armor Wars II is a subplot featuring The Mandarin. Iron Man's greatest foe is depicted seeking out an ancient and terrifying source of power that has a connection to his ten mystical rings. However, the storyline doesn't come to fruition in this trade; instead, the reader will feel compelled to read the Dragon Seed Saga in the trade that follows. I'll leave that one to review another time.
Without question, among the three Armor Wars books, the middle volume stands out as the highlight. The prologue is also a great read, but it lacks the cohesiveness of the single storyline presented in the book that follows. As for Armor Wars II, it's enjoyable, and the noticeable writing flaws are balanced out by high-octane art, but one should go into it with the understanding that it's almost completely unrelated to the other two books that bear the same name.
