Post by goldenfist on Apr 17, 2008 9:15:16 GMT -5
Ign.com review's Iron Man Legacy of Doom #1.
For a series corner-stoned on time travel, it's somewhat fitting that the Camelot Trilogy's final chapter sees release nearly twenty years after its second installment- a story taking place over the course of centuries, presented to us over the course of decades. Not unlike Steve Englehart's 2005 mini, Batman: Dark Detective, Legacy of Doom utilizes old school story telling techniques, making the series more than a mere homage to a unique time in comic history, but in essence, a product of the period itself. And while it's true that the playfully mawkish tone may turn off a few younger, more angst-ridden fans, to the rest of us, it's this very investigation into the differences between an older era and the present one that makes the first issue of the series a resounding success.
In a certain way, Legacy of Doom comes off as a comic book veteran's attempt to explain how much the industry has changed over the last twenty years. Made up mostly of flashbacks, Legacy of Doom #1 sees Dr. Doom fulfill an old promise as he and Iron Man travel to Mephisto's hellish realm. While the basic premise itself feels somewhat shallow (at least as far as modern comics are concerned), what makes the story work is what seems to take place behind the page.
Michelinie and Layton, more or less absent from the mainstream comic world over the last decade, pepper this story with sentimentality. The yarn, narrated by a reminiscing Tony Stark, is an examination of the character's long history with Victor Von Doom, which dredges up feelings of both nostalgic wonder and unfinished business for the titular hero. The parallels between Stark's journey into the past and the author's process of writing the story are nearly inescapable.
Having seen this story pitched years ago, it took Marvel a long time to sign off on Michelinie and Layton's ideas, presumably because of the story's archaic tonality. I definitely understand this train of thought, seeing as though modern superhero comics left camp by the wayside a long, long time ago, but it's good to see that Marvel eventually pursued the story despite their initial misgivings. Whereas the publisher itself was hesitant to delve back into an older era, it's obvious that the authors were anxious to jump into familiar waters. Whether intentional or not, Michelinie's script, especially during the flashbacks, feels full of a sentimental love for the era in which he did his best work, and this affection comes off so entirely strong, that it's easily passed on to the audience itself.
I've only one real complaint for this book, which to be fair, isn't entirely Michelinie's fault, but needs to be addressed all the same. The first issue of the series spends a sizable amount of time recalling past events, an admittedly necessary step when taking into mind the length between the original stories and their subsequent releases, but by using the first half of the comic to rehash old events, the script does slightly hinder the pacing of the story at hand. Honestly, I think this information would've been better served in a exposition preceding the comic itself, though this small gripe does nothing to derail the story completely, as the flashbacks do serve to further Stark's introspective journey detailing the changes between his fanciful adventures of old and the more recent somber ones.
Ron Lim's pencils succeed in the unenviable task of recreating an old look without abandoning the en vogue styles of modern day comic art. This isn't necessarily surprising, considering Lim is a product of the late eighties comic boom in which the second chapter of the Camelot Trilogy was first published, but remains admirable all the same. Aside from co-authoring the story, Bob Layton also serves as the inker- a necessary move considering his having held the job throughout the original partnership with Michelinie- and does an extremely solid job here.
Fittingly, Michelinie and Layton begin their Iron Man swan song with the destruction of the suit of armor worn by the character during the duo's two classic runs on the title. The scene is a touching admission of transition from its authors, as their respective feelings emote from the page as much as the character's in which they're portraying. These veterans may see the world of storytelling inevitably changing around them, but Legacy of Doom feels like their final call back to the ways of old, and to that end, it stands as an absolute treat to the fans of an era already gone by.
Review Score: 8.0 Impressive
For a series corner-stoned on time travel, it's somewhat fitting that the Camelot Trilogy's final chapter sees release nearly twenty years after its second installment- a story taking place over the course of centuries, presented to us over the course of decades. Not unlike Steve Englehart's 2005 mini, Batman: Dark Detective, Legacy of Doom utilizes old school story telling techniques, making the series more than a mere homage to a unique time in comic history, but in essence, a product of the period itself. And while it's true that the playfully mawkish tone may turn off a few younger, more angst-ridden fans, to the rest of us, it's this very investigation into the differences between an older era and the present one that makes the first issue of the series a resounding success.
In a certain way, Legacy of Doom comes off as a comic book veteran's attempt to explain how much the industry has changed over the last twenty years. Made up mostly of flashbacks, Legacy of Doom #1 sees Dr. Doom fulfill an old promise as he and Iron Man travel to Mephisto's hellish realm. While the basic premise itself feels somewhat shallow (at least as far as modern comics are concerned), what makes the story work is what seems to take place behind the page.
Michelinie and Layton, more or less absent from the mainstream comic world over the last decade, pepper this story with sentimentality. The yarn, narrated by a reminiscing Tony Stark, is an examination of the character's long history with Victor Von Doom, which dredges up feelings of both nostalgic wonder and unfinished business for the titular hero. The parallels between Stark's journey into the past and the author's process of writing the story are nearly inescapable.
Having seen this story pitched years ago, it took Marvel a long time to sign off on Michelinie and Layton's ideas, presumably because of the story's archaic tonality. I definitely understand this train of thought, seeing as though modern superhero comics left camp by the wayside a long, long time ago, but it's good to see that Marvel eventually pursued the story despite their initial misgivings. Whereas the publisher itself was hesitant to delve back into an older era, it's obvious that the authors were anxious to jump into familiar waters. Whether intentional or not, Michelinie's script, especially during the flashbacks, feels full of a sentimental love for the era in which he did his best work, and this affection comes off so entirely strong, that it's easily passed on to the audience itself.
I've only one real complaint for this book, which to be fair, isn't entirely Michelinie's fault, but needs to be addressed all the same. The first issue of the series spends a sizable amount of time recalling past events, an admittedly necessary step when taking into mind the length between the original stories and their subsequent releases, but by using the first half of the comic to rehash old events, the script does slightly hinder the pacing of the story at hand. Honestly, I think this information would've been better served in a exposition preceding the comic itself, though this small gripe does nothing to derail the story completely, as the flashbacks do serve to further Stark's introspective journey detailing the changes between his fanciful adventures of old and the more recent somber ones.
Ron Lim's pencils succeed in the unenviable task of recreating an old look without abandoning the en vogue styles of modern day comic art. This isn't necessarily surprising, considering Lim is a product of the late eighties comic boom in which the second chapter of the Camelot Trilogy was first published, but remains admirable all the same. Aside from co-authoring the story, Bob Layton also serves as the inker- a necessary move considering his having held the job throughout the original partnership with Michelinie- and does an extremely solid job here.
Fittingly, Michelinie and Layton begin their Iron Man swan song with the destruction of the suit of armor worn by the character during the duo's two classic runs on the title. The scene is a touching admission of transition from its authors, as their respective feelings emote from the page as much as the character's in which they're portraying. These veterans may see the world of storytelling inevitably changing around them, but Legacy of Doom feels like their final call back to the ways of old, and to that end, it stands as an absolute treat to the fans of an era already gone by.
Review Score: 8.0 Impressive