Written by Nick Spencer
Illustrated by Barry Kitson, Kano & Carmine Di GiandomenicoSpinning directly out of INVINCIBLE IRON MAN! New mission! New armor! New Iron Man! Lt. Col. James Rhodes is War Machine… the single most advanced one-man weapon of conventional combat. But wars aren’t fought?the way they used to be – and when Rhodey has to face a?mysterious enemy he can’t shoot, can’t bomb, can’t even see, he’s going to be forced to evolve… or die. Find out why War Machine becomes Iron Man 2.0 in the 3-part launch arc?of this all-new ongoing series! By breakout sensation Nick Spencer (Morning Glories, Action Comics) and the legendary Barry Kitson (INCREDIBLE HULKS, THE ORDER)!
Man, what a step up from last issue’s exposition heavy bore-fest! As you may have guessed, I was not impressed with the debut issue of this book. However, I am sure as hell glad I stuck around long enough to see Nick Spencer return to form with this issue. Enough hype for you? I think so. Click below as I dig into this mother!
As I read this issue for the second time after completing it (an occurrence that almost never happens and may have not occurred since Final Crisis and only because I was confused), I realized that this issue could very easily have been slipped in as issue one and been so much more effective. The story opens with a scene that could have fit perfectly into The Hurt Locker…minus, of course, the haunting, jarring end of the scene that sets the main story into motion.
The next third of the issue is seemingly dedicated to two dovetailing goals: showing how good of a grasp Spencer has on vaguely espionage-esque cyber technology and showing the readers how much of a complete badass regular Rhodey supporter Suzi Endo is. While I’m not overly familiar with the character, any character that can put US Military data crunchers to shame in under 50 seconds has earned my love a thousand fold.
The final scene of the book brings us to the point that all the pre-release hype lead us to know was coming: the end of War Machine. Marvel made it clear from the get-go that Iron Man 2.0 title wouldn’t just be a crafty marketing tool for the book, but that the War Machine persona may very well end up being phased out over the coming issues in favor of a newer, sleeker model with a more familiar (to children under the age of 10 and adults over 40) name. However, where this scene really shines is the pacing, dark themes, hyper-violence and deep intrigue that Spencer is known for. This is no ordinary super villain ambush, and not only because the War Machine OS is corrupted in under a minute and Rhodey is then nuked. The sheer brutality and haunting realism is not something readily expected from a mainstream Marvel book, and its nice to see that classic Nick Spencer charm seep through into this story.
On the art side, I’m not really sure why this book needs to have three artists. Since the book was announced, Kitson had been the headlining draw on the art side of things and yet, we’ve seen very little of him and when we do its not quite at the level I would have expected from him. While the colorist and inker have made the transition between artists seem fluid and hidden, and the book is very pretty to look at, it just seems a little jarring. More consistency needed, please.
Overall, I’m glad I gave this book a second shot. As much as it pains me to add yet another ongoing to my list, if the level of intrigue and socio-political innovation continues at the level it operated at with this issue, I suspect I’ll stick with this book for quite some time. Also, at least it’s $2.99!
Final Verdict: 9.0 – Buy
