Iron Man #8 Review

Hello everybody and welcome to my review of Iron Man #8. The conclusion to the Godkiller story arc. I actually forgot to do this review until I saw Iron Man 3 a few days ago so I apologise for the delay (and I will definitely be uploading a review of Iron Man 3 to my Youtube account so look out for that).

Though I will continue to collect this series, I'm going to take a break from reviewing it as I've quite clearly been falling behind. I'll make sure to do a full review of the next story arc on my Youtube account once it concludes...

Synopsis:

Death's Head engages Tony Stark in battle, pounding the arena floor and hurling stone columns at him. As they fight, Tony asks what happened to the rule of no enhanced combatants. Death's Head responds that he is not using his upgrades and is fighting as nature intended him, despite Tony yelling at him that he's a 30-foot robot.

Meanwhile, 451 heads to a hanger with the Voldi Heart in his hand. He recalls "the other thing" and reactivates the Iron Man armour, informing P.E.P.P.E.R of Tony's dilemma. He also asks that the A.I assure Stark that what's about to happen is for the best, before he leaves in a starfighter.

Back in the arena, Tony is keeping his distance from Death's Head, who decides that chasing Stark around the arena is "undignified" and asks him if he's familiar with the game of dodgeball, all whilst holding a giant rock in his hand. Just then the Iron Man armour bursts through the ceiling, immobilising Death's head with a single blast. As Tony thanks P.E.P.P.E.R and suits up, the Supreme Justicar declares that the trial is forfeit due to this intervention, ordering the drones to kill him.

Tony flees the ship, instructing P.E.P.P.E.R to plot a course to his portable armoury. He then contact's said armoury and requests that it prep the "warp homers". Tony arrives at the armoury shortly and attaches the warp homers, engaging the drones in combat, who don't have anything to say except "heretic!" (What riveting conversation they must make.)

Back on the Voldi starship, Princess Veritina is viewing the fight in the arena with glee, remarking that perhaps Tony could "scour his face of that keratin with some form of sharpened implement" (Really? what a radical proposition?). She then notices a group of giant robotic beings, the Star Giants & the Celestial's. One of them fires an energy beam through the skylight, destroying that section of the ship and killing Veritina instantly.

Shocked at the arrival of these giants, the Supreme Justicar makes her way to the room containing the Voldi Heart, only to realise it's been stolen. Tears in her eyes, the Supreme Justicar tells her aide to evacuate everyone from the ship, while she holds off the threat.

P.E.P.P.E.R detects that the Tear is under attack from something. Since there's no way to relay this to the drones (whose sole directive is to "annihilate heresy") Tony asks her to get them back to the ship. As they head back, the drones suddenly cut out. 451 appears in the form of a giant, holographic head in an attempt to halt Iron Man, saying he should stay
clear, but Stark just flies through him. As he accelerates towards the ship, 451 explains to him that the Voldi used the Heart as a cloaking device to hide themselves from the many races they took power from. He needed the Heart for some unknown purpose and attempts to validate the genocide by comparing the Voldi to leeches.

Tony arrives to find the Voldi Tear utterly destroyed, with no survivors whatsoever. 451 apologise to Iron Man and reveals that he has been using Stark for quite some time. Tony realises that it was 451 who drew him here with the robot fleet and 451 who tipped off the Voldi as to who he was. As the droid leaves, he repeats what he said last issue, "it's not enough to watch, eventually, you have to act". After a brief pause, Tony declares to P.E.P.P.E.R that the killer is going to pay...

Thoughts:

Blimey, this did not go the way I was expecting. After two issues of upbeat humour in the face of otherwise deadly circumstances, the ending of the current story arc is kind of jarring, then again that's likely Kieron Gillen's intention.

With the end of this storyline, we now have a brand new addition to Iron Man's rogues gallery, 451, and much of this storyline depends on whether or not he's an effective antagonist. We don't know his full motives for stealing the Voldi Heart and so that makes him difficult to judge as a character, but his creepy, manipulative demeanour and utter ruthlessness certainly counts in his favour as a villain, not to mention the fact that he just committed genocide.

The art by Greg Land is mixed. Though I enjoy his work more than most, there were a few too many unpolished pages here, particularly when the action shifts into space. Speaking of action, the fights are certainly exciting. The Star Giants & Celestial's certainly looked intimidating.

While the last few pages indicate that this story arc has been mostly concerned with setting up the next one. I've found it very enjoyable to read. I like Gillen's voice for Iron Man and the next story arc looks to be very interesting. Hopefully Gillen will be able to deliver on the Secret Origin of Tony Stark...

Score: 3.5/5.0

Iron Man #7 Review

Hello everybody and welcome to my review of Iron Man #7. Part Two of the Godkiller arc.

Synopsis:

Tony Stark sits languishing in his prison cell, pondering his current situation. At that very moment, someone enters the chamber. It appears to be a floating tray holding Tony's "birthday drink". However, it then shapeshifts into an android, who introduces itself to Tony as Recorder 451 of the Rigellian Recorders, The Recorders are probes sent out to gather data, being mindwiped upon their return. Since 451 had a bug, he wasn't wiped and has since come to a realisation, Eventually, it's not enough to watch, you have to act. He says that although he contacted Stark's "friends", they won't reach him before the Voldi laws have had their way with him. When Tony asks what his plan is, 451 replies that he has acquired an extensive knowledge of judicial systems across the known universe, which causes Tony to groan and say "you're a lawyer."

Two hours later, Tony is brought before the Supreme Justicar to answer for the death of the Pheonix Force. Tony attempts to explain that it was in self-defence, that the Pheonix attacked Earth, but the Supreme Justicar rebukes such claims, calling them madness. She is about to sentence him when Tony suddenly claims his right to "Shay-Tah-Run", an ancient Voldi rite which amounts to trial by combat. It turns out this is meant to be a distraction so that 451 can retrieve Tony's armour for him.

Tony proves to be a competent fighter against the Voldi warriors, defeating them in quick succession. The Supreme Justicar grows frustrated, saying the Voldi are romantics, and will eventually call for Stark to be released if they do not end this now. Her aide says they have just the person, though they will have to pay him substantially. Meanwhile 451 kills a guard when he fails to manipulate him to move aside. He enters the room the guard was protecting, which doesn't contain the Iron Man armour, but the Heart of the Voldi. He repeats what he said earlier, "it's not enough to watch, you have to act."

Back in the arena, The Supreme Justicar tells Tony that they find him innocent of "grievous theological harm". The next charge is "conspiracy of decide". Tony's next opponent towers over hi. He tells him that he will make this quick, but that he shouldn't worry because "Death's Head is a professional, yes?"

Thoughts:

So far, this arc has been quite fun. Kieron Gillen is no doubt taking Iron Man to more lighthearted places when compared to Matt Fraction's run, providing a Tony Stark more in line with Robert Downey Jr.'s portrayal of the character, fully embracing the character's sense of humour, but pulling him back at the right moments so we take him seriously. Not content with referencing Star Trek, Gillen also throws in amusing nods to Star Wars & John Carter, both of which I found very funny.

I also like that we don't have a massive debate over whether or not Tony was directly responsible for the death of the Pheonix Force. The character of 451 is very intriuging as well as morally ambiguous, I look forward to seeing his plan unveiled. I didn't care for Death's Head in Avenging Spider-Man and I don't care for him here. This isn't a criticism of Gillen's writing, I just find the character too silly.

Greg Land unfortunately tends to be slightly repetitive in his facial design as all the unmasked characters have similar faces, even the aliens. This is made a little worse by the fact that Tony spends the whole issue separated from his Iron Man armour, as drawing armoured/masked characters, particularly Iron Man, is definitely Land's strong point. I do like that Tony's prison cell looks similar to his arc reactor.

Despite clearly being the middle issue, there's definitely enough progression in the plot to make this feel necessary to the overall story. I'm enjoying this arc a lot despite some of the more negative reviews I've read. Kieron Gillen is beginning to find his footing with the series, I look forward to the third & final part of this storyline.

Score: 4.0/5.0

Guardians of the Galaxy #0.1 Review

Hello everybody & welcome to my review of Guardians of the Galaxy #0.1.

Synopsis:

Thirty years ago, in Rocky Mountain High, Colorado, Meredith Quill argues with her mother over the phone about the fact she's recently left her boyfriend. She's suddenly interrupted when a damaged starfighter zooms over her house and crashes nearby. As Meredith watches, a figure appearing to be a human male emerges from the cockpit, clearly hurt. Meredith helps him out of the cockpit and asks if he's alright, only to have a blaster pointed in her face. The man speaks briefly in a language that's clearly not human before he passes out.

Later, inside Meredith's house, the man awakes in her bed to find Meredith sitting opposite him, shotgun in one hand, phone in the other, their roles somewhat reversed. She tells him she was going to call the authorities, but it would completely disrupt her desire to live a quiet life. The man begins speaking in English, asking Meredith where he is and telling her that "her" military would not be able to detect his ship. Meredith answers his question, then tells him to leave. The man asks if he was followed, he also asks Meredith her name. After she tells him, the man introduces himself as J'son of Spartax. Meredith quickly realises that J'son is actually an alien and that Spartax is another planet, which instantly changes her mind about him leaving.

The two work to repair J'son's starfighter, spending their spare time bonding. One night, things get rather intimate between them. Meredith awakens the next day to find J'son about to leave as his ship has in fact been fixed a few days ago. Meredith asks J'son to stay longer, J'son says

he cannot as there is a war going on and he is needed. When she asks him to take her with him, J'son replies that he has thought of nothing else, but it would be cruel and selfsh and he doesn't want to put her in a situation where she wouldn't be safe. He says however that he will try to come back. He asks that Meredith keep his blaster, as a romantic gesture, as it was made for him especially and there is no other like it. He then kisses her and leaves in his starfighter. Meredith turns to go back in, then suddenly grabs her stomach. She realises she is pregnant.

 

Ten years later, a young Peter Quill is reading a comic book when Meredith calls him in, saying that he hasn't finished his maths homework. As he turns to go in, she stops him, saying that he looks like his father all of a sudden. This upsets Peter, as according to him, he doesn't have a father. A few days later at school, Peter sees a bully picking on a girl. He gets involved telling the other kid to leave the girl alone. When the bully refuses to listen and tries to mock and intimidate Peter, he smacks the kid across the face, starting a fight that's quickly broken up by a teacher.

 

Peter returns home where his mother asks him about the incident. He says he got involved because no one was helping. As Meredith tells him to go in and wash up for dinner, she sees a bright light flash in front of the house. She assumes it to be J'son, but it is in fact a pair of Badoon soldiers who open fire on Meredith, killing her instantly. The Badoon enter the house searching for Peter, who spots both them and his mother's body from upstairs. Peter flees into his bedroom as the Badoon attempt to blast him, then he makes his way into his mother's bedroom from the outside of the house, before the Badoon break down his door. He makes for the closet, where he retrieves his mothers shotgun just in time to kill the aliens. He then notices J'son's blaster, which he flee with just as the Badoon ship destroys the house. The blast knocks Peter into the woods, where he blacks out.

Peter regains consciousness in hospital, where he's told by the nurse there that, even though he doesn't feel like it, he's a very lucky boy. She gives him his "space toy" back. We then transition to the present day, as an adult Peter Quill stands on the bridge of a starship in a new costume as Star Lord. He says that the Badoon wanted him dead so as to end the Spartax bloodline and his "ass of a father didn't do a damn thing about it". He says that while his dad can keep on fighting his never ending war and the Badoon can go on wreaking havoc all over the galaxy, he can make sure they never touch Earth again. At this point it is revealed that Peter was talking to Tony Stark/Iron Man, with Rocket Raccoon, Gamora, Groot & Drax present on the bridge as well. Tony replies that that was exactly what he wanted to hear. The pair toast one another and Tony asks Star-Lord "what now?" to which Star-Lord replies, "now we show them how it's done... 

Thoughts:

This is a fantastic start to the new series. By the end of this issue, Brian Michael Bendis has shown us exactly what kind of person Star-Lord is. Peter Quill is bold, kick-ass and completely sympathetic., there are a lot of comparisons to be drawn between Peter & Luke Skywalker of Star Wars (including their "daddy issues").  Bendis also rams home the tragedy of Meredith Quill's death by making her likable and in some instances comedic. The dialogue is polished to near perfection and the pace is breakneck, by the time this issue is finished, you'll be left wanting more.

 

Steve McNiven's artwork is simply stunning. It gives the series a grandiose, epic feel (and we don't even go into space until the final two pages). The characters exhibit a variety of emotions and the action is fast paced and dynamic. The character designs are also a treat, the amount of detail on Star-Lord's costume is just brilliant. I'm quickly becoming a big fan of the Guardians of the Galaxy and I'm really looking forward to seeing what Bendis & McNiven have in store for this oddball bunch of heroes...

 Score: 5.0/5.0

Iron Man #6 Review

 

Hello everybody and welcome to my review of Iron Man #6. When we last saw Tony Stark, he'd flown off into space in his awesome new armour "to boldly go where no man has gone before" (I just had to do that)...

Synopsis:

The issue begins with Tony fighting a bunch of pirate spaceships, musing that while he's seen so many incredible things, he doesn't realise it as often as he should, and it scares him. We then cut to Tony flirting outrageously with an alien girl in an alien bar. While this is going on, Tony notices another armoured figure staring at them. The alien girl, Veritina, says he is Death's Head, a dangerous bounty hunter. The two then head for the Veritina's "house" (more of a palace really) and she tells Tony about her species, the Voldi, and how they taught several other alien races including the Kree and the Shi'ar. Tony thanks her for the conversation and tells her about his father, saying he's still living up to what his father wanted for him. They arrive at Veritina's bedroom and just as things are about to get intimate, Veritina recoils in horror at the sight of Tony's beard. She tells him to leave at once, to which Tony silently complies. As he is on his way out, he is attacked by several robot soldiers, who say he is wanted for "the crime of decide". Tony decides to surrender in order to clear this up. He is taken to the Supreme Justicar, who brands him "The Godkiller", the god in question being the "Void Falcon", or as most would call it, the Phoenix Force...

 

Thoughts:

The concept of Tony Stark exploring the universe to learn and experience more is a fantastic idea and writer Kieron Gillen gets things off to a cracking start with this issue. Gillen's characterisation of Iron Man is spot on. He throws Tony joke after joke, most of which fit the character's sharp wit. But Gillen also delves deeper into Tony's character and shows his more vulnerable side. I also appreciate that Gillen embraces the obvious similarities to Star Trek in this issue rather dodging around them with the odd, vague reference. The humour is also well-applied, who'd have thought that not shaving could be so problematic? Greg Land is given a lot more creative freedom with the space setting and goes absolutely wild, treating us to awesome spectacles of interstellar madness. The twist at the end is interesting. It's not hard to imagine the Phoenix being worshipped as a god by other species and while Iron Man didn't directly kill it, he certainly aided in it's supposed destruction, key word here being supposed. From the looks of things, Gillen & Land are set to deliver on all the potential this storyline has and I eagerly look forward to the next instalment...

 

Score: 4.5/5.0