Iron Man #1
Marvel Comics
Writer: Christopher Cantwell
Artists: Cafu and Frank D’Armata
Outside of the movies, I’m not really a fan of Iron Man. Which is why I was so pleasantly surprised by Cantwell and Cafu’s Iron Man #1. It’s not perfect, but it succeeds just where it needs to in terms of characterization and concept. This book has vision, and I think vision is what the character of Tony Stark needs.
The #1 thing this book has going for it is its dedication to defining Tony Stark’s character. For a long time now, approximately 2008, I haven’t found Tony a particularly well-defined character. I think the biggest reason being the temptation to write him exactly as RDJ portrays him in the films, but so much of the focus is on his quirky dialogue that there’s rarely anything real underneath it. This issue takes the less-than original idea of “back-to-basics” and spends most of its time exploring Tony’s human side. It’s not an original idea, but it works because this is a character who truly needs it. With one issue, I’ve been given more insight into this character than I have in a decade. Though I could do without all the social media integration, the ending at least implies that there won’t be much of that going forward.
The story’s direction, however, still isn’t entirely clear beyond Tony’s personal journey. The issue hops around in a way that’s not confusing, but the connective tissue isn’t too strong. Particularly, there’s a brief scene with The Wasp that’s spliced in the middle of the book without any post or prior relevance, but rather seems to be a quick cleanup of some past continuity that I’m unfamiliar with. The plot does begin to pull together a bit towards the end with the introduction of Hellcat, who is used in a really smart way that adds to the book’s specific voice.
Cafu is an artist I’m unfamiliar with, but one I find impressive. There’s a bit of a Steve Epting quality to the art in that it’s a realistic style that doesn’t sacrifice storytelling and expression. I find the car chase a strong indicator of Cafu’s talent, as car chases tend to be a bit unclear in comics, but this one is very clear. Frank D’Armata’s colors contribute greatly to the look, with a pretty dark pallet I wasn’t expecting going into an Iron Man book.
Iron Man #1 is a success of a focused character piece. The plot is somewhat disjointed so far, but it finds a strong center in its characterizations of Tony Stark and Hellcat, accompanied by the wonderful art team of Cafu and Frank D’Armata. I left the issue excited about Iron Man, which is something that I’ve never experienced before. Perhaps excluding Demon in a Bottle, this book has the potential to become the defining Iron Man run.
Iron Man #1
Iron Man #1 is a success of a focused character piece. The plot is somewhat disjointed so far, but it finds a strong center in its characterizations of Tony Stark and Hellcat, accompanied by the wonderful art team of Cafu and Frank D’Armata. I left the issue excited about Iron Man, which is something that I’ve never experienced before. Perhaps excluding Demon in a Bottle, this book has the potential to become the defining Iron Man run.
-
Story
-
Characters
-
Art