Post by goldenfist on Aug 21, 2008 7:56:09 GMT -5
Read this review on Iron Man: Director of S.H.I.E.L.D #32 from
Ign.com
I hope you've been enjoying Iron Man: Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. As I suspected after first hearing of Matt Fraction's Invincible Iron Man, the series is due for imminent cancellation. With the remaining three issues focusing solely on War Machine, the series might as well be ending this month. I'm sorry to see it go. This book began its life by showcasing one of the best Iron man stories ever written - Extremis. The subsequent stories by Charlie and Daniel Knuaf, while not alway consistent, nearly reached that same level of quality at times.
In retrospect, Marvel should have just ended the series with issue #27. That final issue was definitely the high point of the Knaufs' run. I was certainly impressed by how aptly Stuart Moore has been able to fill in for the duo. At times, you almost wouldn't know they ever left. However, as the months have carried on I've realized that level of mimicry isn't enough. It's all fine and well to tell a decent story, but compared to past efforts this arc seems like a lackluster way to send the series off.
The two divergent plot threads in this arc finally come together in the finale. Not in a satisfactory way, though. It really feels as if Moore squished two separate conflicts together because one offered a quick, simple way of bringing resolution to the other. The conflict with the rogue S.H.I.E.L.D. agent and the Overmind is over too quickly, though I was pretty amused at Tony's "hands on" approach to solving it. The other conflict with the thumbnail nukes was potentially more interesting, but failed to really test Tony in new or interesting ways. I feel like I throw around the phrase deus ex machina a lot these days, but it applies to this story to some extent.
The art takes somewhat of a nose dive this month thanks to the total absence of Roberto de la Torre. I'm sure he's happily chugging away on Thunderbolts now, but that leaves Iron man in a bit of a lurch. Carlo Pagulayan is forced to assume a larger role in the story. While the inker and colorist attempt to mold Pagulayan's style into something more like de la Torre's, that's not really his forte as an artist. The entire issue looks dark and muddy, and just lacks that sparkle I've seen in Pagulayan's other work.
I think the biggest flaw with this arc is that it failed to significantly advance any characters. Tony's Alpha Team was ripe for some quality face time, but they still come across as little more than grunts in Iron Man suits. I'm sure Moore was very limited in what he was able to do with this story thanks to its placeholder status, but the book deserved more. Only in the poignant final pages do I feel like Tony Stark receives a fitting send off. I'm going to seriously miss this book, but not because of anything I read in the last four months.
Review Score: 6.4 Passable
Ign.com
I hope you've been enjoying Iron Man: Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. As I suspected after first hearing of Matt Fraction's Invincible Iron Man, the series is due for imminent cancellation. With the remaining three issues focusing solely on War Machine, the series might as well be ending this month. I'm sorry to see it go. This book began its life by showcasing one of the best Iron man stories ever written - Extremis. The subsequent stories by Charlie and Daniel Knuaf, while not alway consistent, nearly reached that same level of quality at times.
In retrospect, Marvel should have just ended the series with issue #27. That final issue was definitely the high point of the Knaufs' run. I was certainly impressed by how aptly Stuart Moore has been able to fill in for the duo. At times, you almost wouldn't know they ever left. However, as the months have carried on I've realized that level of mimicry isn't enough. It's all fine and well to tell a decent story, but compared to past efforts this arc seems like a lackluster way to send the series off.
The two divergent plot threads in this arc finally come together in the finale. Not in a satisfactory way, though. It really feels as if Moore squished two separate conflicts together because one offered a quick, simple way of bringing resolution to the other. The conflict with the rogue S.H.I.E.L.D. agent and the Overmind is over too quickly, though I was pretty amused at Tony's "hands on" approach to solving it. The other conflict with the thumbnail nukes was potentially more interesting, but failed to really test Tony in new or interesting ways. I feel like I throw around the phrase deus ex machina a lot these days, but it applies to this story to some extent.
The art takes somewhat of a nose dive this month thanks to the total absence of Roberto de la Torre. I'm sure he's happily chugging away on Thunderbolts now, but that leaves Iron man in a bit of a lurch. Carlo Pagulayan is forced to assume a larger role in the story. While the inker and colorist attempt to mold Pagulayan's style into something more like de la Torre's, that's not really his forte as an artist. The entire issue looks dark and muddy, and just lacks that sparkle I've seen in Pagulayan's other work.
I think the biggest flaw with this arc is that it failed to significantly advance any characters. Tony's Alpha Team was ripe for some quality face time, but they still come across as little more than grunts in Iron Man suits. I'm sure Moore was very limited in what he was able to do with this story thanks to its placeholder status, but the book deserved more. Only in the poignant final pages do I feel like Tony Stark receives a fitting send off. I'm going to seriously miss this book, but not because of anything I read in the last four months.
Review Score: 6.4 Passable