Post by Marvel Boy on Oct 24, 2015 9:40:11 GMT -5
Alright, #1 by the new creative team of Bendis and David Marquez.
We start off with a clandestine meeting. A former member of A.I.M. is looking to sell his latest work in order to 'officially' retire and disappear. His buyer turns out to be Madame Masque who, upon verifying the contents to be sold, shoots and kills the guy, leaving with his work.
Switch to Tony doing what he does best, tinkering in his lab. Seems he's been feeling lost, left behind in the modern tech revolution. So, he's been modifying his armor, installing the latest updates that have sprung to mind. In the end, he produces a new armor, one that is able to adapt to any situation and mode (thus rendering obsolete all the various different types of mode armor) and one directly tied to his brain synapses (that seemingly bypasses or eliminates the Extremis elements of his physiology). A proud father, he wants to give the new armor a test-run when Friday (his new A.I) informs him that he is about to be late for his date with a noted biophysicist.
Tony meets up with Dr. Amara Perera, who is quite skeptical and cynical over what she has heard (and expected) of Tony's playboy habits. As the pair's date begins, we switch to a quick shot of Madame Masque evading security efforts as she steals something from Stark Towers in Tokyo.
Apparently immune to Tony's usual dating charms and tactics (which involved a quick neat comedic appearance by Lady Thor), Amara settles in to talking with Tony, who wants to converse with a fellow genius in their field, asking her if she has had any inventions that she's kept to herself, in fear of whether the world is ready for it or not or if her invention would be misused horribly.
She replies that she's had one, a cure for the mutant gene, one that is completely safe to the host. Fearful that such a cure would produce a mandatory law forcing it's usage, Amara has kept the cure a secret, not even bothering to write it down or leave any physical evidence. Tony fears that is not enough, for psychics and telepaths could possibly read her mind for the information. He wants to help her when Friday intervenes, telling Tony that Madame Masque has returned.
Leaving Amara, Tony suits up in his new armor while Friday informs him that Masque has stolen something from the remains of Castle Doom in Latveria. Flying there, we learn that Latveria is under siege, both from within and without, as Doom has lost control of the country. Tony lands in the ruined castle, searching for clues when he is accosted by local rebels, who demand his surrender. Before Tony can respond though, the rebels are taken out by a sonic attack, unleashed by a young man in well-dress attire, with a long scar on his face. The young man approaches Tony, saying that he is glad Tony has come for he was going to seek Tony out anyway, because Tony is going to need his help soon. Tony recognizes his voice as Friday informs him that all her scans indicate that the young man before him is Victor Von Doom.....
Color me impressed. I agree with the current fan theory that Bendis does better on solo titles than he does on team titles. Here, he does a very good job with Tony's characterization, his ego comes through but it's not over-bearing (or annoying). The dialogue with his date with Amara is terrific, as she rebuffs Tony's attempts at immediate romance. The pacing is well-done, leading up to that surprising cliffhanger. Marquez's art is perfect here. The pair opt for some unusual panel layouts, with some double page spreads that require reading the panels across the page instead of top-to-bottom. But in all, the whole book works rather well as it builds suspense and maintains good drama.
We start off with a clandestine meeting. A former member of A.I.M. is looking to sell his latest work in order to 'officially' retire and disappear. His buyer turns out to be Madame Masque who, upon verifying the contents to be sold, shoots and kills the guy, leaving with his work.
Switch to Tony doing what he does best, tinkering in his lab. Seems he's been feeling lost, left behind in the modern tech revolution. So, he's been modifying his armor, installing the latest updates that have sprung to mind. In the end, he produces a new armor, one that is able to adapt to any situation and mode (thus rendering obsolete all the various different types of mode armor) and one directly tied to his brain synapses (that seemingly bypasses or eliminates the Extremis elements of his physiology). A proud father, he wants to give the new armor a test-run when Friday (his new A.I) informs him that he is about to be late for his date with a noted biophysicist.
Tony meets up with Dr. Amara Perera, who is quite skeptical and cynical over what she has heard (and expected) of Tony's playboy habits. As the pair's date begins, we switch to a quick shot of Madame Masque evading security efforts as she steals something from Stark Towers in Tokyo.
Apparently immune to Tony's usual dating charms and tactics (which involved a quick neat comedic appearance by Lady Thor), Amara settles in to talking with Tony, who wants to converse with a fellow genius in their field, asking her if she has had any inventions that she's kept to herself, in fear of whether the world is ready for it or not or if her invention would be misused horribly.
She replies that she's had one, a cure for the mutant gene, one that is completely safe to the host. Fearful that such a cure would produce a mandatory law forcing it's usage, Amara has kept the cure a secret, not even bothering to write it down or leave any physical evidence. Tony fears that is not enough, for psychics and telepaths could possibly read her mind for the information. He wants to help her when Friday intervenes, telling Tony that Madame Masque has returned.
Leaving Amara, Tony suits up in his new armor while Friday informs him that Masque has stolen something from the remains of Castle Doom in Latveria. Flying there, we learn that Latveria is under siege, both from within and without, as Doom has lost control of the country. Tony lands in the ruined castle, searching for clues when he is accosted by local rebels, who demand his surrender. Before Tony can respond though, the rebels are taken out by a sonic attack, unleashed by a young man in well-dress attire, with a long scar on his face. The young man approaches Tony, saying that he is glad Tony has come for he was going to seek Tony out anyway, because Tony is going to need his help soon. Tony recognizes his voice as Friday informs him that all her scans indicate that the young man before him is Victor Von Doom.....
Color me impressed. I agree with the current fan theory that Bendis does better on solo titles than he does on team titles. Here, he does a very good job with Tony's characterization, his ego comes through but it's not over-bearing (or annoying). The dialogue with his date with Amara is terrific, as she rebuffs Tony's attempts at immediate romance. The pacing is well-done, leading up to that surprising cliffhanger. Marquez's art is perfect here. The pair opt for some unusual panel layouts, with some double page spreads that require reading the panels across the page instead of top-to-bottom. But in all, the whole book works rather well as it builds suspense and maintains good drama.