New horizons, old friends and one very dangerous old enemy! Your Major Spoilers review of Iron Man #2 from Marvel Comics awaits!

IRON MAN #2

Writer: Christopher Cantwell
Artist: CAFU
Colorist: Frank D’Armata
Letterer: VC’s Joe Caramagna
Editor: Tom Brevoort
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: October 21, 2020

Previously in Iron Man: Iron Man’s old friends like Hellcat are trying to help him find peace of mind and speak truth to his stubborn god complex, but lurking on the horizon is a threat Tony, and indeed the entire cosmos, hasn’t seen in years…

KORVAC.

TRAPPED IN THE ARENA

This issue begins a year in the past, in the hidden laboratory of The Enclave, where they have seemingly once again tried to create the perfect human to serve them. (You’d think that Adam Warlock would have taught them the error of that plan?) Unfortunately for Dr. Zota, this version is imbued with the mind and power of Korvac, which explains who the man with the goatee at the end of last issue was. As for our hero, in the present he’s been trapped in Arcade’s Murderworld and forced to fight The Absorbing Man, with Vegas odds favoring the villain. Iron Man worries that people are no longer siding with the good guy, then worries that he is no longer seen as the good guy. He ends the battle with a little lateral thinking, only to find the public mocking him for being afraid to lose. He tries to get Hellcat to teach him to relax with yoga, only to be interrupted by the vigilante Cardiac targeting scientists in his employ. He saves the innocents, but ends up in the hospital with multiple broken bones, only to have his old foe The Unicorn break free and attack…

It’s not a good day to be Tony Stark.

THERE’S ALWAYS A PRETTY REDHEAD

I do enjoy seeing Tony somewhat out of his element and struggling to find his feet, and this issue really piles on the burdens for an already struggling Iron Man. We’re only two issues in, so it’s not QUITE too much yet, but if we continue with the parade of personal and professional humiliations, it’s going to make for some really angsty Iron Man comics. Artwise, the issue quite good, with CAFU delivering on truly impressive battle sequences, nailing the quiet moments between Tony and Patsy and even making the ridiculous Cardiac armor look really cool and streamlined. The coloring is a bit garish for my tastes, but it’s not something that damages the impact of the art (and it makes the illuminated parts of Tony’s new armor look futurist and TRON-y, which is a plus.

BOTTOM LINE: A HUMBLING ISSUE FOR TONY STARK

In short, we’ve got a villain that we haven’t seen a thousand times moving obliquely to hurt Tony, who is out of his element and shaken by brushes with mortality, making Iron Man #2 a successful look at a hero with doubts, flaws and a core of courage, earning a very impressive 4 out of 5 stars overall. Though I don’t always agree with Cantwell’s flourishes (like last issue’s long discussion of which car Tony should drive, which felt oddly indulgent), the story moves smoothly and gives us something different for a character who has been in a very similar character role for nearly 20 years. It’s a nice post-RDJ take on the Armored Avenger.

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IRON MAN #2

80%

80%

I Like It

A shaken Tony Stark faces threats that he doesn't understand and a world that doesn't quite trust him, with one of the most powerful villains in the universe pulling the strings... Combined with beautiful art, it makes for a good read.

• Writing

  7
• Art

  9
• Coloring

  8
• User Ratings (2 Votes)
  0.8