Iron Man: The Mask in the Iron Man

Years of hard partying, being a superhero, and the stress of losing Stark Industries results in Tony Stark suffering from a massive heart attack. In order to keep the world without an Iron Man, Stark creates an artificial intelligence inside of one of his suits in order to fill the role. But when the Ai becomes sentient (and like went doesn't an Ai do such a thing in comic books), it seeks to rid the world of Tony Stark.

The world of Iron Man is one of those sections of the Marvel Universe where I know the basics and that's about it. If it wasn't for Robert Downey Jr's portrayal of the billionaire playboy Avenger, I probably wouldn't even like Iron Man. He's smug, pretentious, and kinda gets on my nerves how he keeps losing his business and then gets it back like a man might throw a boomerang repeatedly.

As you could probably tell from my earlier comments, I feel like the Ai wanting to be a real person story has been to death. But I enjoyed this book as though the plot has gotten old, the storytelling itself was rather good. Having Tony stranded on deserted island and be forced to survive like Oliver Queen had to prior to becoming Green Arrow was actually a pretty interesting plot twist. And wouldn't you know that the genius behind all this is Joe Q himself, Joe Quesada who wrote this story?! 

Quesada is one of those figures that though I couldn't stand him as the editor of Marvel, the man's got talent and he seems to know his fan base way better than his replacement Axel Alonso ever has. I can't believe I am going to say this but Come Back Joe! Marvel needs you! We need you!

As for the art. Eh... It's very much in that dated late 90s Rob Liefeld clone model. Sean Chen and Alitha Martinez are really winning me over with the artwork. But I actually think that the pencil thin inking and washed out colors are really what makes this book not so visually appealing. 

An interesting story that could have been nothing more than a cliche. Thankfully, Joe Q. keeps it from getting stale. It's not the worst Iron Man story I've ever read but it's not one of the best drawn either. 

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.

The Pulse #13

    The event of the year is happening just beyond the front doors of Doctor Strange's sanctum santorum: the birth of baby Cage-Jones! And you folks get to witness it all!!!  From the nervous pacings of a dad-to-be to the extremely salty language of the mother in labor; The entire superhero community is on hand to provide crowd control and safety from the crowds outside and to providing state-of-the-art scientific monitorings of the health of the mother and baby. 

   Bendis once again takes us out of the battlefield and into the living rooms/ bedrooms/ kitchens of the superpowered elite in another fascinating chapter of the Pulse. With 3 straight issues not dealing with heroes battling villains, it's no wonder that this series didn't last that long. But, I am not one of the haters. 

   Stan Lee made the Marvel Universe what it is because he took people with extraordinary powers and abilities and made them relatable. Over the years, Marvel kinda lost it's way and focused more on action and less on the real meat and potatoes of a true epic written in the Marvel-style. Bendis was one of those writers in the new millennium that worked to put Marvel back on track to how their comics should be crafted.

    I'll even give credit where it is due, as if it wasn't for editor Joe Quesada, Marvel would have continued to produce the poorly inked and even poorer plotted fluff it was churning out in the 90s. Thank you, Joe Q, for despite all your flaws (and I can name quite a few), you did return the word 'Idea' back into the House of Ideas.

    Worth Consuming

   Rating: 10 out of 10 stars

Adventures of the Thing #2 (of 4)

Again, we’ve got another reprint from Marvel Two-In-One. Thankfully, I’ve never read this story involving a bizarre road race between the Johnny Blaze Ghost Rider and Ben Grimm. I enjoyed the art a lot- both the original Ron Wilson art from the 1980s and the new cover penciled by Joe Quesada. I may not be a fan of Quesada’s after some of the crap he pulled as editor of Marvel, but the man has a talented pen and I always give props when props are do, even begrudgingly.

I want to go back to the original artwork. I just love it’s classic 80s style. Ghost Rider is visually one of my favorite characters. I’m just not a fan of the whole demon possession/ selling your soul to Lucifer thing. It’s just not my style ever since I was a kid. There’s touches of that here but most of the story is either the fierce vengeance of Ghost Rider or comic relief provided by the Thing. Either way, the story is penciled, inked, and colored beautifully, making for this a great read- EVEN IF IT IS A REPRINT!

Issue reprinted is Marvel Two-In-One #80.

Worth Consuming.

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.

"Fantastic Four: Civil War"

WORTH CONSUMING!

When I first heard that the Fantastic Four had a new line-up I wanted Editor’s Joe Quesada’s Head on a sharp pike. After reading this, I still want his head on a pike but I’ll promise to preserve it by boiling it in herbs and water.

The Thing stories are the best. I think it’d be cool if the Thing worked in France for a mini-series or two. Also, the anniversary stories rock- esp. Stan Lee’s. I still think that the way the Civil War ended might kill Marvel’s 616 universe. Maybe comics do need to reflect the times, but must it be every issue. I read comic books to escape CNN- Marvel; you’re no CNN so stop it. Leave the Political intrigue to Capt. America, S.H.I.E.L.D. and NBC’s infinite versions of Law and Order.