Invincible Iron Man #13
Sep. 9th, 2016 01:50 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
nomadicwriter posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
doomfansThis issue takes up straight after the end of #12, which, oops, I didn't bother to review here because I got my copy pretty late and Doom only showed up for a last page cameo. But anyway, Doom shows up to whisk Tony away from his brooding about Rhodey's death. (I... didn't actually even know that Rhodey was dead until now, which tells you how well I've been keeping up with Civil War II outside of this title.)
Tony is not happy to be teleported away by Doom yet again, but Victor tells him that brooding in the rubble was a waste of time and beneath him. He also tells Tony that, "I'm probably your best friend," and when Tony refutes that they're friends says, "By definition, we are." (I am fascinated by the question of how Doom defines 'being friends', I must admit. I do still wonder if he remembers his friendship with Strange from Secret Wars and has selected Tony as the best candidate for rebuilding a relationship like that again.) He also denies that Tony hates him.
It turns out Doom has brought Tony to see his girlfriend Amara at the lab Doom set her up with in Cambridge. He then disappears in a puff of smoke, and Tony decides he hates new-best-friend-Doom even more than he hated trying-to-blow-up-the-world Doom. Amara is not exactly pleased to see Tony after he faked his death, and things end on a fairly ugly note as she kicks him out. (She also refers to Doom as "Victor", which perturbs Tony.)
Tony broods over Rhodey, skipping out on his memorial service, until Doom shows up to see him in his lab and gives him some advice on getting his life back on track. This time Tony traps him in a forcefield he can't teleport out of and demands to know why he's decided to be Tony's new best buddy.
So! Some quality Doom and Tony stuff here, though it's slightly frustrating that so much of the issue is taken up with the Rhodey flashbacks that there's no time for any answers. I feel like Bendis's Doom voice is actually improving - no lapses into overly casual 'okay's and such this time, and although it still doesn't really sound like the usual Doom, it's kind of working as an aspect of this new laid-back, more friendly thing he's got going on.
I'm also digging the art more this issue, for some reason - I think it's mostly the colouring. It's still Frank Martin, but it doesn't seem quite so dark and murky this time out: there's a nice sunset scene at the beginning, plus the flashbacks are in cleaner, more old-school style colours, so it's not that All Shadowy, All The Time effect that overpowers the art a bit for me.
Deodato's stuff looks really good in the cleaner flashback style, especially his Iron Man armour, and I love that flashback Tony has his old-style moustache. (I miss the classic Clark Gable look!) And he actually does look visibly younger than present-day Tony, which is nice work. I like the final panel of Doom in the forcefield, too: quite a subtle expression that suggests he's smiling just a little.
All in all, an enjoyable issue! But I'm getting impatient to get to those promised "what is Doom up to?" revelations. (And half expecting something to happen next issue that pushes them back yet again...)
Tony is not happy to be teleported away by Doom yet again, but Victor tells him that brooding in the rubble was a waste of time and beneath him. He also tells Tony that, "I'm probably your best friend," and when Tony refutes that they're friends says, "By definition, we are." (I am fascinated by the question of how Doom defines 'being friends', I must admit. I do still wonder if he remembers his friendship with Strange from Secret Wars and has selected Tony as the best candidate for rebuilding a relationship like that again.) He also denies that Tony hates him.
It turns out Doom has brought Tony to see his girlfriend Amara at the lab Doom set her up with in Cambridge. He then disappears in a puff of smoke, and Tony decides he hates new-best-friend-Doom even more than he hated trying-to-blow-up-the-world Doom. Amara is not exactly pleased to see Tony after he faked his death, and things end on a fairly ugly note as she kicks him out. (She also refers to Doom as "Victor", which perturbs Tony.)
Tony broods over Rhodey, skipping out on his memorial service, until Doom shows up to see him in his lab and gives him some advice on getting his life back on track. This time Tony traps him in a forcefield he can't teleport out of and demands to know why he's decided to be Tony's new best buddy.
So! Some quality Doom and Tony stuff here, though it's slightly frustrating that so much of the issue is taken up with the Rhodey flashbacks that there's no time for any answers. I feel like Bendis's Doom voice is actually improving - no lapses into overly casual 'okay's and such this time, and although it still doesn't really sound like the usual Doom, it's kind of working as an aspect of this new laid-back, more friendly thing he's got going on.
I'm also digging the art more this issue, for some reason - I think it's mostly the colouring. It's still Frank Martin, but it doesn't seem quite so dark and murky this time out: there's a nice sunset scene at the beginning, plus the flashbacks are in cleaner, more old-school style colours, so it's not that All Shadowy, All The Time effect that overpowers the art a bit for me.
Deodato's stuff looks really good in the cleaner flashback style, especially his Iron Man armour, and I love that flashback Tony has his old-style moustache. (I miss the classic Clark Gable look!) And he actually does look visibly younger than present-day Tony, which is nice work. I like the final panel of Doom in the forcefield, too: quite a subtle expression that suggests he's smiling just a little.
All in all, an enjoyable issue! But I'm getting impatient to get to those promised "what is Doom up to?" revelations. (And half expecting something to happen next issue that pushes them back yet again...)
