Infinite Iron Man: Fatal Frontier

    This is the first print volume of Marvel's new Infinite Comics! line. Infinite Comics are digital series that are canon to the Marvel Universe but are not available in single issue form. This premier volume collects all 12 issues plus the annual of the Infinite Iron Man: Fatal Frontier web series written by Kieron Gillen (Uber.)

    In Fatal Frontier, Tony Stark investigates why a series of rockets were launched at Hollywood by way of the moon. On the natural satellite, Iron Man discovers a Crimson Dynamo prototype named Udarnik, sent to the moon in 1972 by a Soviet Scientist who wanted to colonize the surface with visiting American astronauts. But the NASA moon program stalled out due to costs and a general lack of interest by the general public and poor Udarnik spent the last 4 decades alone. 
   
   Seeing Udarnik's hostile actions on the earth as a cry for help, Stark decides to humor the robot while determining if the droid is an actual threat to humanity. During his time on the moon, Iron Man discovers a new liquid metal with amazing capabilities called Phlogistone. Once the inventor presents his findings to the UN, it sets gold rush to the moon in which the Avenger is appointed as its sheriff. 
    
    Udarnik is thrilled to have new guests on the moon, but Tony isn't so sure about the miracle metal and begins to study it privately. To his horror, Stark learns that this metal is toxic, causing psychosis, hallucinations, and eventually death. Even worse, Tony discovers that he's beginning to show the effects of phlogistone poisoning. With time running out, Iron Man must shut down mining and production or the  earth could face total extinction all in the name of technological progress.

  An action-packed story filled with an assortment of villains from Tony's rogues gallery. You get to see Iron Man do things you'd wish you could do to your boss or worst enemy. The ultimate revenge story in the vein of 'Revenge of the Nerds' and 'Office Space.' Iron Man's deviousness is unbridled, all the while you're asking yourself 'Is this really Tony Stark doing this or is he out of his gourd due to the phlogistone?" I loved it.

   I found this book at my local library, but I ask anyone reading this review to please buy this volume. I excuse myself because until I saw it on the new shelf, I didn't know Infinite Iron Man even existed. But with the comics industry inching ever so closer to digital only, it's encouraging to see Marvel being willing to collect this book into a print form. But they'll only keep doing this if you keep buying great series collections such as this one.

    Perhaps the most essential Iron Man story since 'Demon in a Bottle,' it really is worth consuming.

   Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.