REVIEW: “Iron Man”, Issue 1

Iron Man #1 is written by Christopher Cantwell, illustrated by CAFU, colored by Frank D’Amarta, and lettered by VC’s Joe Caramagna. It is published by Marvel Comics. In order to get “back to basics,” Tony Stark starts making major changes in his life. Among those changes are withdrawing from Stark Unlimited, buying a new house, and of course building a new suit of Iron Man armor.

Most Iron Man books often try breaking Tony down to basics; however, this is usually due to the machinations of a supervillain or life taking a sharp turn. This time it’s Tony’s own choice. He chooses to divest his wealth in the market. He chooses to live a spartan lifestyle, buying a new brownstone. Even his armor is a throwback to the classic red-and-gold armor of the 70’s, albeit with a modern touch.

Cantwell effortlessly balances the standard superhero action with Tony’s life changes, which takes place over the course of a week. This makes the comic feel like the pilot for a TV show which isn’t too bad given Cantwell’s previous television credits. Under Cantwell’s pen, Tony feels more down to earth-or rather, as down to earth as a billionaire superhero inventor can be.

Cantwell also features several deep cut characters from Marvel canon. In addition to battling Terrax the Terrible, Tony runs into Patsy Walker, aka Hellcat, at a party. Patsy more or less helps keep Tony grounded; as a fellow superhero, she can have the heart to hearts with him that other characters can’t. I hope to see more of her in future issues, and I also hope the relationship stays platonic.

CAFU’s art is, in a word, iconic. His character design for Tony brings the character back to his 90’s look, featuring slightly long hair and a thick mustache. The previously mentioned armor has its roots in a design by cover artist Alex Ross; CAFU takes the armor and makes it sleeker and modern. A single page also pays homage to Iron Man’s first appearance in Tales of Suspense #57; eagle-eyed fans will love it. CAFU also ping pongs from the depths of space to a street race at night; this is a fairly versatile book and character so it’s nice to see an artist who can rise to the occasion.

Perhaps the strongest element of the book is D’Armata’s colors. Most of the issue takes place at night, yet he still manages to make Iron Man shine-quite literally. There are also visual cues; most of Tony’s normal clothing is black and white while Patsy wears a dress with the same color scheme as her Hellcat costume.

Iron Man #1 features a “back to basics” approach for the Armored Avenger, as the creative team peels back the layers of Tony Stark. This truly feels like a relaunch, and given the ending of the issue, it feels like Cantwell, CAFU, and D’Armata intend to push this book-and Iron Man-to their limit.

Iron Man #1 is available wherever comics are sold.

Collier "CJ" Jennings

Born and raised in Texas, Collier “CJ” Jennings was introduced to geekdom at an early age by his father, who showed him Ultraman and Star Trek: The Next Generation. On his thirteenth birthday, he received a copy of Giant Size X-Men #1 and dove head first into the realm of pop culture, never looking back. His hobbies include: writing screenplays and essays, watching movies and television, card games/RPG’s, and cooking. He currently resides in Seattle.