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Well, I have #4 finally, and I like this book more each issue. Besides 7 Soldiers, this is the book I look forward to most when I go to the comic shop.
I love Ellis' characterization of Tony as driven futurist, almost a utopian, albeit one that beats the shit out of people with a metal suit.
Tony wants to use technology to help people and make the future a better place, as opposed to the Extremis guy (he doesn't have a name, does he?), who wants to use it to regress.
Pretty simple, except that Tony wants to be the person who brings the future to the masses. He doesn't want to call Thor to beat the tar out of Extremis guy, he wants to do it himself, using the same tools that his enemy uses, ostensibly to show people that the technology and the future can be used to help, not harm.
There's also the fact that Ellis retconned Tony into a bombmaker for the US military, and he wants to prove to himself that he can use technology for positive things. But I also get the sense that he wants people to know that it's him carrying the torch into the future. There is an innate vanity in Ellis' Stark. He not only wants to help people, he wants them to know that it's him doing it, specifically Maya and Sal, who he sees as his intellectual and moral superiors. He seems to want people to know that he's Iron Man, too.
Ellis didn't write the paper-thin cover story of his "car" being flown around out of laziness. Tony just has the veneer of a secret identity. He could have come up with a way to get the Extremis dose. If some white trash militia lunatics could do it, Tony Stark could. He wanted to show Maya his secret identity, to show her that he is brave, and doing good things.
And, despite his flaws, Ellis' Stark is very brave, to the point of disregard for himself. Witness him taking the Extremis dose. There's a healthy swathe of self-destruction in Tony Stark.
Next object of my praise: Adi granov's art. It's simply perfect for this book. It's shiny and new-looking, but not rigid or mechanical. His sense of storytelling is solid, and he uses interesting angles to keep things from seeming static. His faces are well done, and effective at conveying emotion. I get the sense that he knows how Tony looks from every angle, as opposed to some artists who draw the same character completely differently depending on the shot. he seems like an artist who has very solid fundamentals. I also respect that he does the entire art process, not just the pencils. Thumbs up, says me.
The other thing I love about this book is the bad guy. It's nice to see Ellis reminding people that some terrorists have nothing to do with Islam, and that the good ol' US of A can produce just as big a homegrown asshole as Saudi Arabia. Just a little thing, but nice.
So, I love this book and I felt the need to gush in a big stream of consciousness post. this is Ellis at his best: shiny futurist sci-fi with good characters and a nifty concept.
And the best part? Not a single line of Ellis' tired smartass dialogue in the whole issue. |
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