A short while ago Matt Fraction was nominated for an Eisner award for his work on Iron Man when he took over the new series. Now, I don't think Fraction is bad or anything, but I have to ask: why was he nominated?
I wasn’t thrilled with the Five Nightmares story arc. I thought it had potential but I was a bit disappointed the way it went. Hunted has been getting a lot of acclaim, but frankly I don't see why.
What has happened in the Hunted arc so far? Stark is on the run, tells use ten times an issue how his brain is degrading, someone employed by Osborn finds him, he escapes and flees again. Rinse and repeat for about five issues now. The most recent issue, #15 was the first to really break from this mold. For all that has happened in this arc, nothing has really happened. The only thing real memorable thus far is the fight with Namor, every else has seemed kind of like filler and not worth remembering.
My biggest beef with Fraction right now is that multiple times an issue he has Tony telling the reader that his brain is going. Yes, we know, we get it. Don’t tell us, show us! That to me is what Fraction is doing wrong. He keeps telling us things when he should be showing it to us. Dialogue can get the point across quick and easy, but is doesn’t always have the impact of an action or moment. I have yet to see a moment where it caused the reader to say to himself “wow, Stark really is losing it!” Almost shooting Pepper was the closest, but I think we all know he wasn’t going to fire on her. The outcome was predictable.
Another thing I don't like about Fraction is “the Iron Man.” Please, stop putting “the” in front of it, it’s annoying. In addition, it really makes it seem like they are two separate entities, rather than a man who wears a suit. It’s reminiscent of when Rhodey had the Warwear which was its own living creature rather than just armor. I don’t like that detached feeling for Iron Man. Granted that is the way it’s supposed to be with a secret identity, but it’s not really a secret anymore is it?
So what I’m getting at is, I’m not sure why Fraction is being nominated when his work on Iron Man has failed to really make an impact on me and others in any way. I just don't see it.
Monday, July 13, 2009
Monday, July 6, 2009
Captain America Returns
Starting this month with Captain America: Reborn, Marvel will bringing back the star spangled avenger. Raise your hand if you're surprised?
No one?
Me neither.
Despite their best poker faces and vehemently denying he would be returning, the original Captain America, Steve Rogers is returning. Marvel did their best to try and make it look like he was gone forever but no one believed it. How could they? Given Marvel's predictability, not to mention the fact that Cap is one of their most popular characters, his return was inevitable.
Now things about the story have leaked, including how he didn't die. Yes, it's a spoiler, but it also may save you the $3.99 the book costs. Apparently, Cap never died, he's just lost in time.
Now this is more original than the "he never really died" and the whole super soldier serum putting him in suspended animation that everyone was expecting, but sadly, it's lamer.
Lost in time? Really? I'll take the predictable yet plausible one instead of the corny "let's try to impress readers" angle.
And I'm sure he's coming back just in time to rally the heroes to expose and take down Norman Osborn and end Dark Lame, err, Dark Reign. When it's over Cap's return will be heralded, he will be blessed as a savior for ending the reign of the villains and Iron Man will get blamed for it all again.
Don't lie, you know you can see Marvel stretching just so they can have Iron Man take the fall for the fourth event in a row.
Speaking of that, has Dark Reign started yet? For all the talk about the villains being in charge, all we've seen is Norman Osborn do a bunch of interviews. This is actually a good idea, why aren't they doing anything with it?
So yeah, Caps back with a lame ass reason why. Did Marvel really expect anyone to get excited over possibly the most obvious thing they have ever done?
No one?
Me neither.
Despite their best poker faces and vehemently denying he would be returning, the original Captain America, Steve Rogers is returning. Marvel did their best to try and make it look like he was gone forever but no one believed it. How could they? Given Marvel's predictability, not to mention the fact that Cap is one of their most popular characters, his return was inevitable.
Now things about the story have leaked, including how he didn't die. Yes, it's a spoiler, but it also may save you the $3.99 the book costs. Apparently, Cap never died, he's just lost in time.
Now this is more original than the "he never really died" and the whole super soldier serum putting him in suspended animation that everyone was expecting, but sadly, it's lamer.
Lost in time? Really? I'll take the predictable yet plausible one instead of the corny "let's try to impress readers" angle.
And I'm sure he's coming back just in time to rally the heroes to expose and take down Norman Osborn and end Dark Lame, err, Dark Reign. When it's over Cap's return will be heralded, he will be blessed as a savior for ending the reign of the villains and Iron Man will get blamed for it all again.
Don't lie, you know you can see Marvel stretching just so they can have Iron Man take the fall for the fourth event in a row.
Speaking of that, has Dark Reign started yet? For all the talk about the villains being in charge, all we've seen is Norman Osborn do a bunch of interviews. This is actually a good idea, why aren't they doing anything with it?
So yeah, Caps back with a lame ass reason why. Did Marvel really expect anyone to get excited over possibly the most obvious thing they have ever done?
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Best Iron Man Covers
They say never judge a book by its cover; though with comics it is a little different. The same rule applies, you can’t tell if the issue will be good solely based on the outside. But unlike a novel you can get a feel for what the story is going to be like from a cover. In fact, sometimes a cover will tell a whole story in itself.
There are many things that make a cover good, be it the story it plans to tell, the art or colors. As always when dealing with art it is subjective to the person, but I give you what I think are the five best Iron Man covers (in no particular order).
Volume 1 #216
This cover instantly caught my eye when I first bought the issue. Ho wouldn’t be intrigued by the Silver Centurion hauling the Classic armor ablaze back into the atmosphere? The details are good, as is the fire surrounding the two, but the most eye catching part of this picture is the black smoke billowing from the eye slits, signifying the true desperation of the situation. You truly wonder if Rhodey is going to make it just from this picture.
Volume 1 #128
The infamous “Demon in a Bottle” cover, and probably the most famous Iron Man cover. As they say, a picture is worth a thousand words and it holds true to this. The show of pure desperation, pain, loss and just about every other negative emotion is shown as a reflection of Stark in the mirror. Stark appears to have finally realized how low he has truly fallen and is screaming “I need help” to himself. A classic cover that is just as intense as the story behind it.
Volume 2 #1
Unlike most the others on this list, this cover doesn’t tell a story. However the art is simply fantastic. Drawn by Whilce Portacio for the first issue to re-launch Iron Man in the pocket universe, the art is detail heavy but completely concise. All those wires normally make a picture looked a jumbled mess, but they are done perfectly, the chords not blurring together and the result is a feel of a true technological marvel that has been created with a suit. Fantastic pencils, inking and colors really brought this together.
Volume 1 #230
Volume 1 #237
Though probably not one of the more well known covers or issues, if you look at the cover it says a lot. Most predominant are Stark’s eyes shown through the armor slits. While a small portion of the cover, it shows the sheer terror he is feeling by being crabbed by the claws and ripped through a wall. In a way it’s like a classic horror movie poster that shows the victims crippled in fear, trying to get away. Only seeing the monster’s hands makes you wonder what the rest looks like; another common trait in horror and scifi movies. I’d guess this to be the most questionable on my list, but if you really look at it, I think you will see where I’m coming from.
There are many things that make a cover good, be it the story it plans to tell, the art or colors. As always when dealing with art it is subjective to the person, but I give you what I think are the five best Iron Man covers (in no particular order).
Volume 1 #216
This cover instantly caught my eye when I first bought the issue. Ho wouldn’t be intrigued by the Silver Centurion hauling the Classic armor ablaze back into the atmosphere? The details are good, as is the fire surrounding the two, but the most eye catching part of this picture is the black smoke billowing from the eye slits, signifying the true desperation of the situation. You truly wonder if Rhodey is going to make it just from this picture.
Volume 1 #128
The infamous “Demon in a Bottle” cover, and probably the most famous Iron Man cover. As they say, a picture is worth a thousand words and it holds true to this. The show of pure desperation, pain, loss and just about every other negative emotion is shown as a reflection of Stark in the mirror. Stark appears to have finally realized how low he has truly fallen and is screaming “I need help” to himself. A classic cover that is just as intense as the story behind it.
Volume 2 #1
Unlike most the others on this list, this cover doesn’t tell a story. However the art is simply fantastic. Drawn by Whilce Portacio for the first issue to re-launch Iron Man in the pocket universe, the art is detail heavy but completely concise. All those wires normally make a picture looked a jumbled mess, but they are done perfectly, the chords not blurring together and the result is a feel of a true technological marvel that has been created with a suit. Fantastic pencils, inking and colors really brought this together.
Volume 1 #230
With Armor Wars coming to an end, it needed to do so in spectacular fashion. Neither the cover nor issue let down that saw the death of the Silver Centurion armor. We see the once mighty armor being taken apart, seemingly helpless against this new titanic foe that is lurking in the shadows. The part of Firepower not being fully revealed immediately intrigues a reader, wondering who this new, monstrous adversary is and how truly powerful he must be to be so easily destroying the Iron Man armor. The cover told the same story as the issue, with Firepower tearing Stark a new one.
Volume 1 #237
Though probably not one of the more well known covers or issues, if you look at the cover it says a lot. Most predominant are Stark’s eyes shown through the armor slits. While a small portion of the cover, it shows the sheer terror he is feeling by being crabbed by the claws and ripped through a wall. In a way it’s like a classic horror movie poster that shows the victims crippled in fear, trying to get away. Only seeing the monster’s hands makes you wonder what the rest looks like; another common trait in horror and scifi movies. I’d guess this to be the most questionable on my list, but if you really look at it, I think you will see where I’m coming from.
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Dark Reign? More like Dark Lame
Pardon the bad pun, but I thought it got the point across.
I'm sick of Dark Reign already. Just like the aftermath of Civil War it has become horribly repetitive on how it affects the Marvel universe. Civil War it was all about heroes being on the run. Sounds kind of familiar doesnt it? How many heroes are on the run again, this time from Norman Osborn instead of the pro-registration heroes? How many are now faced with the consequences of a madman being in charge?
And that is probably the worst thing about Dark Reign; Norman Osborn is in charge. He's a psychopath and everyone, and I dont mean the readers, the actual Marvel universe, know he is insane and a killer. Yet he's there. Worse, Marvel feels the need to tell us he's insane every time his name is mentioned. Every. Single Time. We got it, we arent as stupid as Joe Q writing Spiderman here.
So if it's so obvious what Osborn is, why doesnt Marvel do something to actually address how he maintains public or political trust? Scratch that, dumb question. Doing that would pose a challenge and they need the quick and easy out of just ignoring to give us more "on the run" stories.
I honestly expected this to be a long diatribe about what was wrong with Dark Reign, but let's be honest, the same problems with this event are the same as the last one. Receptiveness, shallow stories and most of all, weak concept. For the bad guys supposed to be in charge, we've seen little more than "Osborn is insane" "Yeah but he's in charge" coming from writers.
Here's some advice Marvel: if you want people to buy into the story, put some effort into it. It goes a long way.
Also, I do apologize for the extended period between my last post. A lot has happened in my personal life the past month that has slowed things up.
I'm sick of Dark Reign already. Just like the aftermath of Civil War it has become horribly repetitive on how it affects the Marvel universe. Civil War it was all about heroes being on the run. Sounds kind of familiar doesnt it? How many heroes are on the run again, this time from Norman Osborn instead of the pro-registration heroes? How many are now faced with the consequences of a madman being in charge?
And that is probably the worst thing about Dark Reign; Norman Osborn is in charge. He's a psychopath and everyone, and I dont mean the readers, the actual Marvel universe, know he is insane and a killer. Yet he's there. Worse, Marvel feels the need to tell us he's insane every time his name is mentioned. Every. Single Time. We got it, we arent as stupid as Joe Q writing Spiderman here.
So if it's so obvious what Osborn is, why doesnt Marvel do something to actually address how he maintains public or political trust? Scratch that, dumb question. Doing that would pose a challenge and they need the quick and easy out of just ignoring to give us more "on the run" stories.
I honestly expected this to be a long diatribe about what was wrong with Dark Reign, but let's be honest, the same problems with this event are the same as the last one. Receptiveness, shallow stories and most of all, weak concept. For the bad guys supposed to be in charge, we've seen little more than "Osborn is insane" "Yeah but he's in charge" coming from writers.
Here's some advice Marvel: if you want people to buy into the story, put some effort into it. It goes a long way.
Also, I do apologize for the extended period between my last post. A lot has happened in my personal life the past month that has slowed things up.
Friday, March 6, 2009
The New War Machine Title
We're three issues into the new War Machine title and it can be summer up with one word: bad. It's not the theme or art of the book that makes it bad, it's the character. Or, I should say, what's left of the character.
Rhodeynator as I have come to call him, is just bad. He seems driven for violence, and while Rhodey was always more aggressive than Tony, he seems to want to live up to his name o "War Machine." It's not a "I'm bitter cause I'm half robot"kind of thing, he's kind of driven like he was in the first arc of his original title, only Kaminski made it work a lot more. Plus it really seems like a rehash: Rhodey works for an organization trying to correct the wrongs of the world no one else can, and does so by donning the armor. Been there, done that.
They're taking the Rhodeynator concept way too far. He's able to merge himself with other machines, case in point end of issue two where after having his legs blown off (we'll get to that point in a second) he plops himself down on a tank with it's turret ripped off and uses it as his lower body. You know, this wouldnt be bad if it were say Deathlock, but War Machine? No. The cybernetics to Rhodey are what extremis was to Tony: ill suited for the character.
Now that blowing the legs off thing I mentioned. I hould also mention his arms got blown off too. Yes, that's right, it is easy to blow off his limbs. I find it funny that we saw in execute program as Tony's armor took tank rounds point blank without getting denting, yet Rhodey's losing limbs from small arms fire. Yes, troop weapons can blow his limbs off. So not only do the bullets go through the armor, but also his cybernetic parts too. What did they make them out of, cardboard? It's pretty aggravating to see the heroes limbs keep popping off.
In the first issue we find out how Rhodey was injured: combat. Not as War Machine, not on any spectacular mission or duking it out with a super villain, he just got shot up on a regular mission. Well, I think. The writers saw fit to not make it particularly clear what exactly he was doing. You see other dead troops and him torn to bits. SO the reason he's a cyborg isnt even a good one. On the bright side though the first issue also revealed that they've been making a new body for Rhodey, and I'm not talking mechanical. It seems to be a clone or some other organic body grown in a chamber. Unfortunately with Osborn taking over he was able to get his hands on it, which is bad cause aparently Rhodey is dying even with his cybernetics. So that will probably be the next arc, him trying to get his new body back. Of course, I must stress, that's if there IS a next arc cause right now this book isnt even holding the attention of long time Iron Man and War Machine fans.
The armor was conspicuously changed to the movie armor in it's design. There was never any reason given, I'm to assume his model based on Tony's extremis armor was made useless by the Skrull virus so he had to get another. Of course, it never says that anywhere. And it's not just stylic differences of the artists. It is a black and silver version of the movie and definitely not the extremis-based armor. I'd say I want to know why but honestly I dont particularly care.
Right now the only real positive of the book is the return of Bethany Cabe. Missing since I believe the Crossing, she makes her return still as the tough-as-nails friend who knows how to get things done.
If you havent picked this title up, I honestly wouldnt suggest it unless you like seeing Rhodey buchered in more ways than one. Its not that entertaining and seeing Rhodey as a cyborg just doesnt sit well. I dont see this series lasting past twelve issues, and I think that's even stretching it.
Rhodeynator as I have come to call him, is just bad. He seems driven for violence, and while Rhodey was always more aggressive than Tony, he seems to want to live up to his name o "War Machine." It's not a "I'm bitter cause I'm half robot"kind of thing, he's kind of driven like he was in the first arc of his original title, only Kaminski made it work a lot more. Plus it really seems like a rehash: Rhodey works for an organization trying to correct the wrongs of the world no one else can, and does so by donning the armor. Been there, done that.
They're taking the Rhodeynator concept way too far. He's able to merge himself with other machines, case in point end of issue two where after having his legs blown off (we'll get to that point in a second) he plops himself down on a tank with it's turret ripped off and uses it as his lower body. You know, this wouldnt be bad if it were say Deathlock, but War Machine? No. The cybernetics to Rhodey are what extremis was to Tony: ill suited for the character.
Now that blowing the legs off thing I mentioned. I hould also mention his arms got blown off too. Yes, that's right, it is easy to blow off his limbs. I find it funny that we saw in execute program as Tony's armor took tank rounds point blank without getting denting, yet Rhodey's losing limbs from small arms fire. Yes, troop weapons can blow his limbs off. So not only do the bullets go through the armor, but also his cybernetic parts too. What did they make them out of, cardboard? It's pretty aggravating to see the heroes limbs keep popping off.
In the first issue we find out how Rhodey was injured: combat. Not as War Machine, not on any spectacular mission or duking it out with a super villain, he just got shot up on a regular mission. Well, I think. The writers saw fit to not make it particularly clear what exactly he was doing. You see other dead troops and him torn to bits. SO the reason he's a cyborg isnt even a good one. On the bright side though the first issue also revealed that they've been making a new body for Rhodey, and I'm not talking mechanical. It seems to be a clone or some other organic body grown in a chamber. Unfortunately with Osborn taking over he was able to get his hands on it, which is bad cause aparently Rhodey is dying even with his cybernetics. So that will probably be the next arc, him trying to get his new body back. Of course, I must stress, that's if there IS a next arc cause right now this book isnt even holding the attention of long time Iron Man and War Machine fans.
The armor was conspicuously changed to the movie armor in it's design. There was never any reason given, I'm to assume his model based on Tony's extremis armor was made useless by the Skrull virus so he had to get another. Of course, it never says that anywhere. And it's not just stylic differences of the artists. It is a black and silver version of the movie and definitely not the extremis-based armor. I'd say I want to know why but honestly I dont particularly care.
Right now the only real positive of the book is the return of Bethany Cabe. Missing since I believe the Crossing, she makes her return still as the tough-as-nails friend who knows how to get things done.
If you havent picked this title up, I honestly wouldnt suggest it unless you like seeing Rhodey buchered in more ways than one. Its not that entertaining and seeing Rhodey as a cyborg just doesnt sit well. I dont see this series lasting past twelve issues, and I think that's even stretching it.
Thursday, February 26, 2009
The Red Hulk
As I believe I mentioned earlier I decided to pick up the new Hulk series featuring the Red Hulk. I was going to give it a try for about ten issues to see how it went.
The first arc was good if you like action. As you can expect with a Hulk title there was plenty of fighting and the art by Ed McGuinness was perfect for the title. While the dialogue was weak, as were some plot elements if you're an action guy like me the trade off worked.
The biggest problem was that when Red Hulk fought anyone else, they're were basically toys for him to play with. Iron Man, She Hulk, for god's sake even Thor were manhandled by the Red Hulk. Thor is a freaking god! That more than anything hurt the initial issues because Red Hulk was just too powerful.
Then of course, because Hulk fans need to be shown they're character is superior, the regular Hulk defeats Red Hulk by discovering his weakness. Nope, guys like Iron Man, one of the smartest people in Marvel, or she Hulk, a smart person herself, couldn't figure it out. Instead the guy with the mental capacity of a five year old and behavior of a wild animal figured it out. Enter facepalm.
Since the Red Hulk's defeat, the book has been aimless. Before it was trying to discover who the Red Hulk was (evidence pointed to Doc Samson, but luckily they didn't make it that obvious) but now the story of who he really is seems to be completely irrelevant. And he keeps fighting the lady superheroes cause She Hulk wants revenge. Meanwhile Hulk keeps switching between banner, Hulk and Mr Fixit (his grey incarnation) and that plot doesn't seem to lead anywhere either. McGuinness is no longer drawing the title, so even that strength is gone.
So while the series started out entertaining yet faulty, its devolved into a jumbled mess with no aim at all.
I gave it a shot, but I think it's time to start saving the $2.99.
The first arc was good if you like action. As you can expect with a Hulk title there was plenty of fighting and the art by Ed McGuinness was perfect for the title. While the dialogue was weak, as were some plot elements if you're an action guy like me the trade off worked.
The biggest problem was that when Red Hulk fought anyone else, they're were basically toys for him to play with. Iron Man, She Hulk, for god's sake even Thor were manhandled by the Red Hulk. Thor is a freaking god! That more than anything hurt the initial issues because Red Hulk was just too powerful.
Then of course, because Hulk fans need to be shown they're character is superior, the regular Hulk defeats Red Hulk by discovering his weakness. Nope, guys like Iron Man, one of the smartest people in Marvel, or she Hulk, a smart person herself, couldn't figure it out. Instead the guy with the mental capacity of a five year old and behavior of a wild animal figured it out. Enter facepalm.
Since the Red Hulk's defeat, the book has been aimless. Before it was trying to discover who the Red Hulk was (evidence pointed to Doc Samson, but luckily they didn't make it that obvious) but now the story of who he really is seems to be completely irrelevant. And he keeps fighting the lady superheroes cause She Hulk wants revenge. Meanwhile Hulk keeps switching between banner, Hulk and Mr Fixit (his grey incarnation) and that plot doesn't seem to lead anywhere either. McGuinness is no longer drawing the title, so even that strength is gone.
So while the series started out entertaining yet faulty, its devolved into a jumbled mess with no aim at all.
I gave it a shot, but I think it's time to start saving the $2.99.
Monday, February 9, 2009
Some Thoughts From Invincible Iron Man #10
Picking up the latest issue of Iron Man I came away a bit disappointed. It wasnt a bad issues, but it was an issue where bad things happen, and by that I dont mean bad things happen to our hero. I'm talking bad is in poorly thought out story. So if you havent gotten the issue yet, dont read because there are spoilers.
All the armors are being destroyed. Again
Seriously, how many times have all the armors been destroyed in one way, shape or form? Teen Tony blew them up so no one could get their hands on them. Then they were all destroyed during World War Hulk and trying to save the Hellicarrier from the Red Hulk. Then during Legacy of Doom Tony was melting them down. And again this arc will feature Tony sending Maria Hill to the various armories he has hidden around the world to prevent Norman Osborn from getting them. Even though he has all he needs from the ones left in Stark Tower (horrible writing on Bendis part as we all know Stark would have destroyed or shipped them out before anything). So honestly, how many more times are the armors going to be destroyed, especially since we know all of them are going to be coming back at some point in the future?
Iron Potts
Yes, that's right, Pepper now has her own Iron Man armor. Or would it be Iron Maiden? Regardless, Pepper has an armor and it's just so out of character for her. Bethany Cabe, yes, we can see that and she was fine in issue #300. But Pepper? I'm guessing at some point she is going to be bailed out by Iron Arbogast like Rhodey used to bail out Stark? I just cant see good things coming from this.
"The" Iron Man
Why in God's name does Fraction keep having everyone refer to it as "The Iron Man?" Its not a separate entity for gods sake. And worse, it's just plain annoying. Please stop.
Norman Osborn is already boring
Everything he does is so watered down that you cant possibly believe "geez, everyone is going to take his word for it?" But according to Marvel they are. I mean it's one thing we already know he's a bad guy, but there has yet to be one single convincing element of his rule that could possibly make you think anything but retarded monkeys are following him. Its like Marvel isnt even trying. Just being lazy and telling us to accept the story. Which of those two things is worse?
Someone please tell Larocca to draw Tony with a goatee
Nothing special, just draw him with the proper facial hair.
To be fair, the issue wasnt all that bad. So here are some of the pros:
The Stark-Hill Fling
In a way it was surprising, but we also knew it was coming. I mean, it is Stark. Fraction adds in some nice humor with it too.
The Hall of Armors did look cool
I admit: I'm a sucker for seeing a hall of armors. It's just cool to me, and I'm sure no one else gets sick of it.
Despite some short comings, I think Fraction gets Stark
He seems to have his personality down pretty good, and I am definitely seeing Tony do the things Fraction has him do. This is why I'm not giving up on Fraction (yet). Time will tell, but unlike most writers the past ten years, he seems to actually know who he is writing about.
A classic armor that isnt the Classic
I pointed this out in my last post, but i wanted to point it out again. It's nice to see Tony going to a more recent armor than digging all the way back to his early models. We're making progress.
All the armors are being destroyed. Again
Seriously, how many times have all the armors been destroyed in one way, shape or form? Teen Tony blew them up so no one could get their hands on them. Then they were all destroyed during World War Hulk and trying to save the Hellicarrier from the Red Hulk. Then during Legacy of Doom Tony was melting them down. And again this arc will feature Tony sending Maria Hill to the various armories he has hidden around the world to prevent Norman Osborn from getting them. Even though he has all he needs from the ones left in Stark Tower (horrible writing on Bendis part as we all know Stark would have destroyed or shipped them out before anything). So honestly, how many more times are the armors going to be destroyed, especially since we know all of them are going to be coming back at some point in the future?
Iron Potts
Yes, that's right, Pepper now has her own Iron Man armor. Or would it be Iron Maiden? Regardless, Pepper has an armor and it's just so out of character for her. Bethany Cabe, yes, we can see that and she was fine in issue #300. But Pepper? I'm guessing at some point she is going to be bailed out by Iron Arbogast like Rhodey used to bail out Stark? I just cant see good things coming from this.
"The" Iron Man
Why in God's name does Fraction keep having everyone refer to it as "The Iron Man?" Its not a separate entity for gods sake. And worse, it's just plain annoying. Please stop.
Norman Osborn is already boring
Everything he does is so watered down that you cant possibly believe "geez, everyone is going to take his word for it?" But according to Marvel they are. I mean it's one thing we already know he's a bad guy, but there has yet to be one single convincing element of his rule that could possibly make you think anything but retarded monkeys are following him. Its like Marvel isnt even trying. Just being lazy and telling us to accept the story. Which of those two things is worse?
Someone please tell Larocca to draw Tony with a goatee
Nothing special, just draw him with the proper facial hair.
To be fair, the issue wasnt all that bad. So here are some of the pros:
The Stark-Hill Fling
In a way it was surprising, but we also knew it was coming. I mean, it is Stark. Fraction adds in some nice humor with it too.
The Hall of Armors did look cool
I admit: I'm a sucker for seeing a hall of armors. It's just cool to me, and I'm sure no one else gets sick of it.
Despite some short comings, I think Fraction gets Stark
He seems to have his personality down pretty good, and I am definitely seeing Tony do the things Fraction has him do. This is why I'm not giving up on Fraction (yet). Time will tell, but unlike most writers the past ten years, he seems to actually know who he is writing about.
A classic armor that isnt the Classic
I pointed this out in my last post, but i wanted to point it out again. It's nice to see Tony going to a more recent armor than digging all the way back to his early models. We're making progress.
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