Better late than never right?
This review comes a couple weeks late, but I want to finish what I started and review every issue in this arc. Anyways, here goes.
There are a couple of characters in the Marvel Universe who just can't seem to catch a break. No matter how hard they try or how heroic they are, things just never turn out well for them. A couple of characters that come to mind that fit this description are Daredevil, Deadpool, and, the subject of this review, Iron Man. The guy is trying to build up a new company from scratch, figure out who stole his tech, stay sober, evade the army, battle giant robots, and stay alive now that his suit is under-performing. All the while a group of his deadliest enemies is slowly tightening the noose around his neck. I don't care how many hot chicks the guy can bang, he still has it pretty rough.
Fraction continues to do an admirable job juggling a slew of supporting characters while showing us all the elements that are coming into play that will work to bring Tony down. The majority of this issue is an action sequence in which Tony works with some Chinese superheroes to bring down a group of Dreadnoughts that have been upgraded by the Mandarin, but it's still pretty dialogue heavy. Although I'll warn you right now, don't be fooled by the cover, Iron Man and War Machine don't even come remotely close to fighting in this issue.
One, of many, subplots that becomes interesting in this issue is that of former Detroit Steel pilot, Doug Johnson. Now its been clearly since a few issues back that the resurrected Lieutenant isn't all there, but in this issue we see that the guy is stark raving mad. He bursts in on a bunch of young foreign gang members in a red white an blue football uniform and just shoots the crap out of them. I don't know how this subplot will be resolved, but its very interesting and I know it will wind up biting Tony in the ass.
In the end of this issue Tony is in the custody of the US army and the team of villains the Mandarin has assembled is revealed. Its a who's who of eleven of Tony's best and worst villains, including the Crimson Dynamo, Titanium Man, Blizzard, Melter, and more. Tony is really in trouble, and he realizes it when, while examining a piece of one of the broken Dreadnoughts, he deduces that the Mandarin and Ezekiel Stane have teamed up against him.
Not much else happens in this issue beyond a couple scenes with the Mandarin, in which it is revealed that he is planning on building those creepy tentacle robots of Tony Stark's nightmares. While the story might seem to move slowly to some, that's just Fraction's style, and I have complete faith that this is going to be one hell of story when it all comes together.
Overall, Matt Fraction's methodical pace and slow reveal of plot elements might not be loved by everyone, but for the patient readers this story is definitely a must-read. I can't wait to see Mandarin's plan finally fall into place and see Tony go up against all of these villains; I'm eagerly anticipating the next issue.
8.5/10