Written by: Kieron Gillen
Illustrations: Greg Land, Jay Leisten, Dale Eaglesham
Coloring: GURU eFX
Publisher: Standaard Uitgeverij
Iron Man #003 – Comic Book Review
Iron Man expanded his area for his heroics and blasted himself into space, to fight injustice wherever he comes, and perhaps score a pretty alien lady in the process. It becomes clear quite rapidly that the earth was only a small speck in our expansive universe and that there are many beings out there that might actually be stronger than his flamboyant playboy personality, his wealth and of course his intelligence and Iron Man suit. That being said, he never imagined to be thrown into an intergalactic jail cell, simply because he defended his own home planet. As he is stripped of his superhero powers, namely his suit, he seems to be in a very extraterrestrial pickle.
Several years ago The Phoenix was becoming a very real threat to the Earth and it was up to its defenders to stop the divine being from wreaking too much havoc. While Tony Stark was under the impression that everyone in the galaxy would condone this act, it seems that Tony has uncovered a race that actually worshipped the maleficent being. Even though he was in the middle of picking up a Voldi girl, she discovered he was responsible for their deity’s demise, and thus he finds himself locked away in a jail cell, with his impending doom drawing nearer by the minute. Nonetheless, out of the shadows an artificial being approaches him and offers him a way out, albeit a risky one. The robotic presence wishes to be called 451 and tells Stark about the customs of the Voldi, and that he is able to defend his innocence in the middle of an arena. Things should be manageable until 451 is able to retrieve his suit, as the Voldi aren’t a race of warriors anymore, and the arena only allows organic ‘fighting methods’, thus Tony might be able to endure and defeat some opponents while he awaits his own set of shiny armor. That being said, it’s clear that 451, who was once a recorder of all that happens in the universe, now doesn’t want to watch from the sidelines anymore and actually holds his own agenda.
Overall the pace of this issue is rather fast but holds little information you’ll actually need to process. Of course, 451’s background holds its own set of mysteries and need-to-know information, but you’ll mainly see how Tony works on his escape plan in the bulk of the issues bundled in this third omnibus. Even without that much intel Kieron Gillen manages to keep things very interesting.
Illustrations stay nearly the same in this collection, at least until the third (#9 in the regular series) issue that is bundled in this album. While the first two are rather colorful and more smooth, the last one takes a turn to a more grim appearance, with slightly thicker lines and a more matte color palette rather than the original more smooth looking issues.
Conclusion
Iron Man #003 is a great bundle that introduces the odd artificial entity 451, who still has to show the reader his true motives and on which side he truly finds himself. The battles in this issue prove to be of a grand magnitude as all hell breaks loose on the Voldi’s home base. The Iron Man saga is truly expanding its horizon.
Iron Man #003 – Comic Book Review,
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