I wish Larroca could draw Rhodey better. Especially this issue. He draws him without any personality–I guess he smiles a lot. But Rhodey is actually really important to this arc, because he’s kind of taking care of Tony as Tony hides all the stuff he can’t handle from everyone else.

The issue ends with Tony being Tony–on the outside, callous and insensitive, but on the inside, calculating and thinking ahead. It’s kind of predictable (and I wish Fraction had Pepper realize it too). But there’s some other nice stuff here. When Pepper gets her Rescue armor back, Fraction recaptures that vibe from before–the regular person all of a sudden getting to be a superhero.

Amusingly (not sure if Fraction did it intentionally), he implies users of Android telephones are just as easily corruptible by evil weapons manufacturers as Pentagon stooges.

It’s a decent issue, just not exciting.

CREDITS

Stark Resilient, Part Five: Predators and Prey In Their Natural Environments; writer, Matt Fraction; artist, Salvador Larroca; colorist, Frank G. D’Armata; letterer, Joe Caramagna; editors, Alejandro Arbona and Stephen Wacker; publisher, Marvel Comics.

So this issue is—while technically well-written—kind of pointless.

Fraction has a bunch of really good dialogue and talking heads scenes, but it’s about Tony hiring these guys for his new company to build an electric car. Very interesting stuff, if the series were about the company. It’s about Tony. And Tony’s best scene is with Maria Hill, where she (much like Pepper) is having problems due to their knocking boots and him not remembering it.

Otherwise, the “action” part of the issue is spent on Iron Man and War Machine going over to Japan and looking bad to the media. Apparently, S.H.I.E.L.D. knows the Hammer girls are up to bad stuff, but they aren’t doing anything about it—like stopping the Pentagon from underwriting the villains. A tad too realistic….

Nothing happens this issue (well, Pepper does wake up at the end). It’s a treading water issue.

CREDITS

Stark Resilient, Part Four: Grand Mal Tokyo Moron Party; writer, Matt Fraction; artist, Salvador Larroca; colorist, Frank G. D’Armata; letterer, Joe Caramagna; editors, Alejandro Arbona, Stephen Wacker and Joe Quesada; publisher, Marvel Comics.

Here we get some promise of action (well, for next issue). Actually, the whole issue’s about promise.

Fraction promises the return of Rescue—a fine move, because Pepper made a very interesting superhero—as well as some Stark business developments. The action stuff he promises, which Tony and Rhodey zoom off to deal with at the end, is kind of temporary.

What Fraction’s doing with the comic, exploring the characters—this issue is Rhodey’s turn for a little examination—is very different for not just a mainstream book, but for a Fraction book.

He’s turning Iron Man into a rather good dramatic serial. The character interactions and relationship development are more important than the men in tights stuff.

It’s unfortunate he’s got Larroca on the art. The talking heads stuff is problematic (though Jack Klugman appears to be a reference—not for Tony) and the new armor looks too photoshop.

CREDITS

Stark Resilient, Part Three: This Is What We Do; writer, Matt Fraction; artist, Salvador Larroca; colorist, Frank G. D’Armata; letterer, Joe Caramagna; editors, Alejandro Arbona, Ralph Macchio and Joe Quesada; publisher, Marvel Comics.

Fraction kind of skips over the craziest part of his Iron Man revamp–the liquid metal to the suit is stored in Tony’s bones. It’s a trippy, sort of non-Iron Man idea. Iron Man used to be a guy in a suit; Fraction’s turned him into something else entirely. It’s a great move.

This issue introduces the costumed villain of the storyline–Spymaster–and ties him to the Hammer girls. Or one of them, anyway. There’s also a subplot with them selling Stark weapons to terrorists.

Fraction packs the issue, getting in some great Tony stuff. There’s a lengthy monologue about Tony at the Playboy Mansion (comics are for kids!) and it closes with a little bit about Pepper. She’s not in the issue itself… but Fraction’s keeping her present, weighing on Tony’s mind.

Actually, for all the new Iron Man armor flash, Fraction’s much more interested in Tony.

CREDITS

Stark Resilient, Part Two: Visionary Men; writer, Matt Fraction; artist, Salvador Larroca; colorist, Frank G. D’Armata; letterer, Joe Caramagna; editors, Alejandro Arbona, Ralph Macchio and Joe Quesada; publisher, Marvel Comics.

I was going to complement Fraction on having the greatest pacing of a comic book ever this issue… then realized it was oversized.

Still, it’s hard not to be impressed with how much Fraction does this issue. Since it’s Invincible Iron Man and it has some relation to the movies, whether it’s acknowledged or not, here Fraction gets Tony out of the weapons business (like in the first movie).

But he’s also got time to introduce Tony’s adversaries… Justin Hammer’s daughter and granddaughter. It’s an industrial conflict. Very nice.

Fraction gives Maria Hill and Rhodey some kind of send-off from the series. It’s nice, totally unnecessary and exactly what’s great about this issue. Like Tony and Reed Richards bickering. Not necessary, but great.

And Tony and Thor? Very nice stuff there too.

It does mean, however, Larroca’s doing a talking heads book. He does okay. Not good but okay.

CREDITS

Stark Resilient, Part One: Hammer Girls; writer, Matt Fraction; artist, Salvador Larroca; colorist, Frank G. D’Armata; letterer, Joe Caramagna; editors, Alejandro Arbona, Ralph Macchio and Joe Quesada; publisher, Marvel Comics.