pickett22's review against another edition
3.0
I've found that this run has got off to a bit of a slow start. It's getting better though.
trike's review against another edition
4.0
Clearly I've been on a graphic novel kick, specifically superheroes. I guess that's to do with the dismal summer blockbuster movies. They certainly haven't busted my blocks this year.
This is similar to the Hawkeye book in that it actually contains a full story. There are no cliffhangers here. We get a beginning, middle and end, an arc to both the plot (find rogue elements of Extremis 2) and to Tony's character arc. It's so nice to read a whole story.
And the story is quite a lot of fun. The creator of Extremis, Maya Hensen, is kidnapped and forced to create the next version of the virus that makes people into superbeings. Then she escapes and gets killed. (This all happens on the first page.) She manages to get a message out to Tony before she gets killed, and now he has to track down all the Extremis 2 packages.
Tony utilizes different Iron Man armors for each job. He has to anticipate the foes he'll face as well as the conditions. It's implied that this is because his weapons systems demand so much power that he can't take them all with him all the time.
One reason why Superman is so difficult to write is because he has no practical limitations. He can disable most threats by throwing a pebble at it from ten miles away. That's why that character is usually so boring. Iron Man doesn't have that issue. So giving Tony specific limitations leads to much more dynamic and dramatic stories... because nothing is ever really going to go according to plan.
Being a recovering alcoholic means that the things he sees and is forced to do as a result of the Extremis 2 virus tempts him to crawl back into the bottle. There are a couple nice nods to the classic "Demon in a Bottle" storyline from the 70s, which was one of the defining arcs of Iron Man.
All to say the writing is really, really good.
The art is likewise excellent. The only real complaint I have is that Tony's face is drawn somewhat inconsistently, but it's no big deal considering how great the art is overall. The lines are amazing and the flow of the story is easy to follow.
Also, this is some of the most gorgeous coloring work I've ever seen. Some of the faces and armors look borderline photorealistic without tipping over into the Uncanny Valley. It's some incredible stuff.
This is similar to the Hawkeye book in that it actually contains a full story. There are no cliffhangers here. We get a beginning, middle and end, an arc to both the plot (find rogue elements of Extremis 2) and to Tony's character arc. It's so nice to read a whole story.
And the story is quite a lot of fun. The creator of Extremis, Maya Hensen, is kidnapped and forced to create the next version of the virus that makes people into superbeings. Then she escapes and gets killed. (This all happens on the first page.) She manages to get a message out to Tony before she gets killed, and now he has to track down all the Extremis 2 packages.
Tony utilizes different Iron Man armors for each job. He has to anticipate the foes he'll face as well as the conditions. It's implied that this is because his weapons systems demand so much power that he can't take them all with him all the time.
One reason why Superman is so difficult to write is because he has no practical limitations. He can disable most threats by throwing a pebble at it from ten miles away. That's why that character is usually so boring. Iron Man doesn't have that issue. So giving Tony specific limitations leads to much more dynamic and dramatic stories... because nothing is ever really going to go according to plan.
Being a recovering alcoholic means that the things he sees and is forced to do as a result of the Extremis 2 virus tempts him to crawl back into the bottle. There are a couple nice nods to the classic "Demon in a Bottle" storyline from the 70s, which was one of the defining arcs of Iron Man.
All to say the writing is really, really good.
The art is likewise excellent. The only real complaint I have is that Tony's face is drawn somewhat inconsistently, but it's no big deal considering how great the art is overall. The lines are amazing and the flow of the story is easy to follow.
Also, this is some of the most gorgeous coloring work I've ever seen. Some of the faces and armors look borderline photorealistic without tipping over into the Uncanny Valley. It's some incredible stuff.
renatasnacks's review against another edition
3.0
This was fun. I liked the character moments between Tony and Pepper more than I liked the space adventures, but that's probably always true for me.
meliemelo's review against another edition
4.0
I'm quickly becoming a big fan of Gillen's work, and as my partner wanted to try some Iron Man, I thought we could read this one. And it was a very good choice indeed.
First, I really like how the Marvel NOW! relaunch allows new readers to find an easy starting point without erasing any of the continuity. That's exactly what this first volume achieves : I had no problem reading it in spite of not being very familiar with Iron Man (except for the MCU version and the previous big crossovers). Of course, I'm obviously missing some references, but nothing that prevents me from understanding it.
I also really like the way Gillen works here (a bit reminiscent of his Journey into Mystery run, although significally different) : linked short stories that set up for a bigger adventure. It's really interesting, as each story has a distinct pace and atmosphere and we can only guess the impact some of them will have on Tony Stark's journey.
I loved the way Stark was written and his relationship with Pepper. I also loved the fact that not every problem had a violent solution : there was some action, but only when necessary.
I'm really looking forward to reading more in this series. I'm pretty sure I'll enjoy every single issue.
First, I really like how the Marvel NOW! relaunch allows new readers to find an easy starting point without erasing any of the continuity. That's exactly what this first volume achieves : I had no problem reading it in spite of not being very familiar with Iron Man (except for the MCU version and the previous big crossovers). Of course, I'm obviously missing some references, but nothing that prevents me from understanding it.
I also really like the way Gillen works here (a bit reminiscent of his Journey into Mystery run, although significally different) : linked short stories that set up for a bigger adventure. It's really interesting, as each story has a distinct pace and atmosphere and we can only guess the impact some of them will have on Tony Stark's journey.
I loved the way Stark was written and his relationship with Pepper. I also loved the fact that not every problem had a violent solution : there was some action, but only when necessary.
I'm really looking forward to reading more in this series. I'm pretty sure I'll enjoy every single issue.
subhamroxx's review against another edition
3.0
This was a fun read!
Iron man is flirting with ladies when suddenly he gets a message from Maya Hansen as she is dying that Extremis is lose and we have Tony on the hunt for it and well he goes to different locations on the hunt for it like first using stealth suit and battling enemies like Laser, Firehead and Vibr and that was a fun face off or in space meeting his friend Eli and like seeing how Extremis has changed them and its a fun battle of philosophies and also some new group having "knights name" like Lancelot and all and let by his old nemesis Merlin which was a fun face off and I like how they think Tony will stick to the code of honor or something but they don't know him haha and I love how it ends with deception!
Its a great volume and has Tony going on wild adventures and I love that about it, the art is not the best but its still great I guess. The writer ends with a cliffhanger of him going to space and tying it up with the Bendis plot of GOTG so that should be fun!
Iron man is flirting with ladies when suddenly he gets a message from Maya Hansen as she is dying that Extremis is lose and we have Tony on the hunt for it and well he goes to different locations on the hunt for it like first using stealth suit and battling enemies like Laser, Firehead and Vibr and that was a fun face off or in space meeting his friend Eli and like seeing how Extremis has changed them and its a fun battle of philosophies and also some new group having "knights name" like Lancelot and all and let by his old nemesis Merlin which was a fun face off and I like how they think Tony will stick to the code of honor or something but they don't know him haha and I love how it ends with deception!
Its a great volume and has Tony going on wild adventures and I love that about it, the art is not the best but its still great I guess. The writer ends with a cliffhanger of him going to space and tying it up with the Bendis plot of GOTG so that should be fun!
gswizzel's review against another edition
2.0
Ehh, still don't know how I feel about this yet.
Turns out it's a continuation of a plot line that has to do with a virus or something? (You can tell I have no clue, because this is meant to be an introduction to a series and I thought I could go into it not knowing anything.)
The issues were very choppy and didn't really work each other. Also, I'm not really a fan of the art style.
Overall, it was an okay read - pretty forgettable though. I checked out the second volume in the series from the library. I will give that a shot and I will decide whether I want to continue from there.
Turns out it's a continuation of a plot line that has to do with a virus or something? (You can tell I have no clue, because this is meant to be an introduction to a series and I thought I could go into it not knowing anything.)
The issues were very choppy and didn't really work each other. Also, I'm not really a fan of the art style.
Overall, it was an okay read - pretty forgettable though. I checked out the second volume in the series from the library. I will give that a shot and I will decide whether I want to continue from there.
theartolater's review against another edition
2.0
Occasionally I read a graphic novel that misses the mark so wildly I begin to wonder if I've missed something entirely. This Marvel Now restart of Iron Man tries to tie in the plot of Iron Man 3 a bit, but the story ends up being rather scattershot and the artwork frustratingly jarring. I'm assuming it's not me judging by other reviews I've read, but this didn't work at all for me to the point where I felt like there was some sort of detail I missed early on that made the whole thing work.
rebecanunez's review against another edition
4.0
Siempre amo a Tony y este enemigo de esta historia es interesante.