Post by goldenfist on Nov 6, 2008 10:26:42 GMT -5
Ign.com reviews Iron Man: The End
- There is a definite advantage to working in the comic book industry. Sure, it's nice to get the inside scoop on projects. Sure, it's nice to read everything ahead of time. But you know the best part? Not having to pay money for books like Iron Man: The End. If I shelled out $4.99 for something like this, I'd be pretty pissed off.
As you are likely aware, Marvel's "The End" franchise focuses on the "final" stories of various characters in the Marvel Universe. We've seen some in the past focusing on the X-Men and Wolverine, and this time it's Iron Man's turn. David Michelinie and Bob Layton, two of Tony Stark's most influential creators, handle the script and plot respectively while Bernard Chang tackles the art.
Given that this is a hypothetical tale, I'd expect the stakes to be high and the plot to be bold and ambitious. After all, we're talking about the "last stand" of some of these classic characters, right? Sadly that's not the case here. Michelinie and Layton's final fate for Stark is not only lacking a punch, it's downright boring. This is the kind of elementary storytelling I'd expect in some 1st grade coloring book, not a five dollar offering from Marvel Comics. It's alarming how poorly conceived this title is, from its plot to its characterization to its narrative to its action and even its art. Chang is the best angle to all of this, and even his art is barely tolerable.
In essence, Stark is trying to complete his life's work while struggling with the fact that his body is not able to keep up with his genius intellect. He faces the very real prospect of having to give up his alter ego as he grows older. This might have been a good foundation to build on, but Michelinie and Layton never exploit it. Furthermore, their Stark comes across as an idiot. He runs across an old enemy who humiliates Stark because his Iron Man tech is so out of date. I'm sorry, there's no way Tony Stark is "out of date." It flies contrary to the logic of the character as well as the central conflict here between the prowess of the mind contrasted with the failure of the body. This Tony Stark doesn't seem like a man struggling with older age. He comes across as an inept guy, not the hero of old. Layton and Michelinie don't develop a suitable evolution of the character for any of this to work. I might buy this version of Stark were they to explain how he went from the current Invasion-era character to what we see in The End. They don't, and the book falls apart because of it.
Making matters worse is the utterly archaic narration that dominates the issue. Some of it works to try and establish Stark's conflicting emotions, but most simply describes what any reader can see on the page. It's the annoying tendency some writers have of describing what can be seen, not trusting the artist enough to bring the script to life and not taking the time to go back through the final product and eliminate excess exposition. Professional comics should be produced better than this, folks.
Above all else, this book is boring. Stark's age could have made for any number of compelling threads, but this reads as any other adventure, with the caveat that Iron Man throws in the towel this time. Characterization is completely arbitrary and utterly lacking in far too many places (Stark's ludicrous companion features the worst traits of any Robin-esque sidekick I've seen). In other words, this is about the worst "final tale" I can imagine for this character. It's absolutely unbecoming of the character and these two acclaimed writers.
Review Score: 3.6 Bad
- There is a definite advantage to working in the comic book industry. Sure, it's nice to get the inside scoop on projects. Sure, it's nice to read everything ahead of time. But you know the best part? Not having to pay money for books like Iron Man: The End. If I shelled out $4.99 for something like this, I'd be pretty pissed off.
As you are likely aware, Marvel's "The End" franchise focuses on the "final" stories of various characters in the Marvel Universe. We've seen some in the past focusing on the X-Men and Wolverine, and this time it's Iron Man's turn. David Michelinie and Bob Layton, two of Tony Stark's most influential creators, handle the script and plot respectively while Bernard Chang tackles the art.
Given that this is a hypothetical tale, I'd expect the stakes to be high and the plot to be bold and ambitious. After all, we're talking about the "last stand" of some of these classic characters, right? Sadly that's not the case here. Michelinie and Layton's final fate for Stark is not only lacking a punch, it's downright boring. This is the kind of elementary storytelling I'd expect in some 1st grade coloring book, not a five dollar offering from Marvel Comics. It's alarming how poorly conceived this title is, from its plot to its characterization to its narrative to its action and even its art. Chang is the best angle to all of this, and even his art is barely tolerable.
In essence, Stark is trying to complete his life's work while struggling with the fact that his body is not able to keep up with his genius intellect. He faces the very real prospect of having to give up his alter ego as he grows older. This might have been a good foundation to build on, but Michelinie and Layton never exploit it. Furthermore, their Stark comes across as an idiot. He runs across an old enemy who humiliates Stark because his Iron Man tech is so out of date. I'm sorry, there's no way Tony Stark is "out of date." It flies contrary to the logic of the character as well as the central conflict here between the prowess of the mind contrasted with the failure of the body. This Tony Stark doesn't seem like a man struggling with older age. He comes across as an inept guy, not the hero of old. Layton and Michelinie don't develop a suitable evolution of the character for any of this to work. I might buy this version of Stark were they to explain how he went from the current Invasion-era character to what we see in The End. They don't, and the book falls apart because of it.
Making matters worse is the utterly archaic narration that dominates the issue. Some of it works to try and establish Stark's conflicting emotions, but most simply describes what any reader can see on the page. It's the annoying tendency some writers have of describing what can be seen, not trusting the artist enough to bring the script to life and not taking the time to go back through the final product and eliminate excess exposition. Professional comics should be produced better than this, folks.
Above all else, this book is boring. Stark's age could have made for any number of compelling threads, but this reads as any other adventure, with the caveat that Iron Man throws in the towel this time. Characterization is completely arbitrary and utterly lacking in far too many places (Stark's ludicrous companion features the worst traits of any Robin-esque sidekick I've seen). In other words, this is about the worst "final tale" I can imagine for this character. It's absolutely unbecoming of the character and these two acclaimed writers.
Review Score: 3.6 Bad
