Brandon Borzelli's Geek Goggle Reviews

Superior Iron Man #1Superior Iron Man #1
Marvel Comics
Taylor & Cinar

Iron Man is no longer a good guy is the basic premise of this comic book. This wasn't something I was too geared up on but I was pleasantly surprised at the contents of the first issue and find myself eager to pick up the next one. This is definitely a comic book to pick up and a series to keep an eye on.

From the fallout of the Axis event (which has yet to wrap up), we find that Tony Stark still has an inverted personality. He is no longer a regular, rich, recovering alcoholic, super-hero with a slightly obnoxious personality. Instead, he is a relapsed alcoholic with a more obnoxious personality that just so happens to be in the mood to make money.

Start sends a free app to everyone in San Francisco that allows the user to re-image themselves into anything they want. This creates a rift with the people. The have-nots are picked on by the haves and the divide is a violent one. Stark is confronted by Pepper Potts who challenges Stark but isn't met with resistance, but indifference. The dynamic here is as lively as ever. Potts turns to another for help making for an interesting cliffhanger.

The book captures the personalities of the characters perfectly and this makes for a fast and great read. The plot idea is an okay one but nothing terribly groundbreaking. The book struggles a little bit with the nuisances of the personality flip. He isn't quite as extreme as the other heroes were in Axis, which makes for an odd explanation that hasn't come yet. Also, the alcohol relapse is handled in an unrealistic way. The book has a lot more potential than downside and that is a good thing.

Brandon Borzelli's Geek Goggle ReviewsCinar's style is presented very differently here and I was very surprised. On previous books we see a lot brighter and sharper inks over his pencils, which makes the panels pop to life. This is a much finer inked book with a much more muted set of colors. I would not have recognized the artist if not for the credits. This isn't a bad thing, but it does make the book feel more standard in the artwork than it probably should. I liked the facial expressions that Stark and Pepper give each other as I thought it added a lot of the complex relationship.

Superior Iron Man is off to a great start. Stark is slightly more villainous than he initially leads on in the beginning of the book and I like the character progression within the issue. I'm not sure this is a plot that can get a lot of traction for several issues but we will see where it all heads. This is a comic to check out for sure.

4 out of 5 Geek Goggles