 | Quick reviews- Iron Man, X-Men and Thor |
Invincible Iron Man #506
By Matt Fraction and Salvador Larroca
The world is under siege from an ancient Asgardian deity called the Serpent. Seven avatars of the Serpent are acting simultaneously, striking fear into the general population and thus adding to their master's power. The Red Skull's daughter and heir Sin has unearthed a Nazi mechanized assault force and unleashed it on the nation's capitol. Odin has ordered the Asgardian pantheon to depart Midgard with plans to destroy it utterly in a mad attempt to cut off his enemy's power base.
In a last ditch effort to appease Odin, Tony Stark downs a bottle of imported wine. After years of refusing a drop of alcohol, Tony Stark is off the wagon and drunk as a skunk. Odin relents and offers Stark a place with his dwarf smiths who are toiling away in the bowels of Asgard, creating weaponry for the coming battle. All Tony Stark asks is a place among them and a chance to build better weapons for the fight. Sacrificing his dignity, pride and sobriety, he must think that this move is necessary... or maybe he was just tired of being sober?
The new Iron Man series is built on the story of Stark rebuilding himself from the ground up. He is a self-made man in every sense of the word (he lost Daddy's millions ages ago), but he is also egocentric, brash and willing to risk everything if he believes that the end result is worth it. The recently published Point One issue of Invincible Iron Man focused directly on his struggle with his alcoholism and how it has informed him to be a better man. This makes the fact of his falling off the wagon all the more tragic. Since Demon in a Bottle made newspaper headlines back in 1979, Tony's addiction has been a large part of the character. To have him fall so far is more striking to me than the death of Bucky Barnes, to be honest. It's not the loss of a hero, it's the loss of his dignity that worries me. Where will Iron Man go from here?
To off-set the drama of the issue, Fraction introduces the Asgarian dwarves who are downright hilarious. Swearing in untranslated Norse figures, they are abusive to Tony at first but in the end accept him so long as they can just get on with their jobs. The conclusion of the issue sees Tony being ushered into the mead hall to celebrate their progress and at first he resists, but not only do these men know nothing of his alcoholism, he's already drunk. So he picks up a mug and gladly swills it down. This cannot go well.
For an issue nearly devoid of action, this is one of the most important Iron Man comics I have read in ages. Certainly, it's part of a larger story, but the cinematic feel and dramatic impact is very impressive.
Uncanny X-Men #541
By Kieron Gillen and Greg Land
I am many things and a fan of many comics, but the X-Men has almost always been pretty high on my personal favorites list. Due mainly to the early Claremont and Byrne issues, I have continued to come back to the title several times. I have been collecting this series nearly non-stop since the 2001 revamp. Uncanny X-Men has had a rough road. Some eras have been brilliant, others not so much, but the X-family of comics has been lacking an identity for some time. Morrison attempted to graft one on, but this was discarded almost as soon as his last issue saw print. The brain-trust of several writers under editor Axel Alonso (now EIC) gave the comics its first really solid shot at a unified feel in some time and it has been touch and go ever since.
New series writer Kieron Gillen is a beloved comic author and he has enjoyed a relatively successful run so far, but the inclusion of Greg Land, an artist so reviled that bloggers are constantly updating their files of his sins, tests Gillen's skills. The new issue is also a tie-in to Fear Itself. Many comics have printed tie-ins to the seven part epic, including hammer-wielding avatars as plot points, but I half expected X-Men to go the same route as Spider-Man and just skirt the issue entirely, leaving it to another author in a three-part spin-off. I give Gillen full marks for including Fear Itself in his monthly schedule as it reminds readers that the mutant family are part of a larger Marvel Universe (something that needs to happen more often and not just with Wolverine).
One-time friend and one-time foe Juggernaut has been chosen as a hammer wielder for the Serpent and is marching toward San Francisco with a brainless army on his wake. The Mayor of San Fran is attempting to contact the X-Men who are living off the coast of the city on a floating asteroid-turned-island with no success. Cyclops finally gathers the Mayor in a three-way telepathic conference call via Emma Frost who is wearing chaps and a cowboy hat and little else. Cyclops is attempting to combat Juggernaut's threat with as little loss of life as possible and using several strategies all at once.
As any reader of this blog knows, I am a big fan of Cyclops. An orphan who has squandered his chances as a family man, his role as leader of the X-Men is all the more vital to him. It is great to see Summers shine as a gifted tactician in this issue, using the members of his team in surgical strikes. It is also just nice to see many members of the X-Men actually doing something. Part of the problem with the current state of affairs with the X-Men is that there is such a large roster that many characters are left loafing around the island while Kitty fights an entire alien invasion by herself. I hope that the Schism story line will amend that.
The issue is essentially a game of 'knock his hat off' as the X-Men struggle to remove the Juggernaut's helmet, exposing him to Emma Frost's psychic attack. It also features some of the ugliest photo referenced art I have ever seen, courtesy of the aforementioned Greg Land. Even so, Gillen manages to make the issue enjoyable. I am actually looking forward to the next one with rapt anticipation, even though Land will be returning for the final act.
The Mighty Thor #4
By Matt Fraction and Olivier Coipel
Like Iron Man, the mighty Thor is enjoying something of a Renaissance thanks to a complete do-over and rebirth... along with the success of a certain feature film. The Thor comic has undergone several shifts in creative teams from J Michael Straczynski and Olivier Coipel to Kieron Gillen with Billy Tan and Doug Braithwaite to Matt Fraction and Pasqual Ferry. The most dramatic shift came when Fraction and Ferry took a sword and sorcery comic and transformed it into as mad science fantasy epic out of Jack Kirby's maddest dreams.
The new Thor is one of the most visually engaging comics on the stands. Full of cosmic battles and dynamic power struggles between space-born deities, the comic boggles the will. What makes it an even more impressive monthly book is that it is damned funny.
In the previous run, Asgard was besieged by World Eaters who threatened the Great Ashe Tree. In an effort to save all of the nine realms, Thor struck down Yggdrasil at its base and the creatures plummeted into a fiery oblivion. Odin sent Thor and Sif on a mission to retrieve the Great Seed that had been planted to create Yggdrasil in the first place and that's where the trouble starts. The herald of Galactus, the Silver Surfer has scented out the Seed's energy signature and determined that if his master consumed it, he would never know hunger again. The great scourge of the galaxy would be sated. Unfortunately Odin has no plans to part with the Great Seed and conflict is declared.
The latest issue continues the battle in space between the Asgardians and the Silver Surfer and Galactus, a battle that readers have never seen the likes of which. Odin and Galactis are locked in a struggle in a higher realm, rewriting each other's memories and dreams, while Thor takes the battle directly to the Surfer and knocks him into Mars.
It's... awesome.
Meanwhile Volstagg has been renounced by a minister in the town of Broxton Oklahoma who has decalred war on the alien gods that threaten their faith and livelihood. The scene where the minister attempts to tell Volstagg 'the good news' that Christ is risen only to receive a 'how nice for him' from the Norse god is outstanding. Determined to stand his ground alone, Volstagg swears that he will battle the people of Broxton to the death. It's amazing.
Honestly, if you aren't reading this book, you need to start. Along with its sister title Journey Into Mystery, the Mighty Thor is an incredibly well produced book that is worth every penny.
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