Written by: Kieron Gillen
Illustrations: Dale Eaglesham
Coloring: GURU eFX
Publisher: Standaard Uitgeverij
Iron Man #004 – Comic Book Review
After trying to hunt down 451, the entity that was once a recorder of all that transpires in the universe, Tony is presented with a very unwelcome surprise. It seems the robotic life form actually needs Stark to achieve his own goals, which is according to him, saving the universe and achieving a state of total peace between all life forms. Nonetheless, our shiny hero isn’t really all that convinced that 451 is actually telling the truth. That being said, Tony has no choice but to obey the ex-recorder, even if it goes against his own gut feeling.
After 451 hacked into Tony’s computer system P.E.P.P.E.R., P.E.P.P.E.R. listens to all the commands 451 makes. This means that Stark is practically trapped inside his suit when 451 is pulling the strings, which is exactly the case now. After forcing Stark to watch a video diary left by his father, in which the recorder also appeared, things take a turn for the bizarre. Knowing that his father already worked together with the ancient being is already confusing in itself, but learning that he was a child that had practically zero chance of survival and thus was genetically enhanced by 451, makes the entire deal rather unbelievable. Like it or not, Tony now finds him at the mercy of the being that helped ‘create’ him and the same being that now needs his help in order to ‘save the world’, willingly or not. Overall, this is what the three issues in this bundle will be about, albeit with a bit more details, we won’t spoil for you yet.
While the story that situates itself in the present is currently at somewhat of a standstill, the story about Tony’s birth and how he was ‘created’ is actually rather interesting, and shines a different light on who the flamboyant millionaire truly is and how he came to be. This means that the flow of this one might be a bit slower, but you’ll get a lot more information to process, thanks to the intertwining storylines as well as the entire background story. Kieron Gillen takes a different turn with the story in this bundle, but it might just add a bit of extra drama to the series.
The illustrative cast tones down to only one person, namely Dale Eaglesham, who handles all of the illustrations for the issues found in this omnibus. Things stay rather detailed, with a bit of an old school touch to them, as fits perfectly with the storyline that plays itself in the past. The coloring does add to that effect by the use of rather bland colors.
Conclusion
Iron Man #004 allows us to learn more about Tony Stark, his parents and how he actually should have ended up, if it weren’t for 451. While the action moves a bit to the background in this bundle, the story itself proves to be rather interesting en revealing. If Stark’s your man, this one will surely pump you with enough trivia facts for you to tell your fellow Marvel fans.
Iron Man #004 – Comic Book Review,
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