Who’s the worst foe Iron Man has ever faced? Some fans would argue that it’s the Mandarin, while others might put in a bid for Obadiah Stane or Justin Hammer – or even their progeny thanks to Matt Fraction and Salvador Larroca’s Invincible Iron Man. But the best Iron Man stories have Tony Stark coming face to face with his own flaws. Armor Wars forced him to come to terms with the deadlier side of his genius, while Demon in a Bottle saw him combatting alcoholism. Iron Man #8, while not on the same character-defining level as those stories, is still a solid reminder of this.
Part three of “The Insurgent Iron Man” sees Tony fully leaning into making weaponry for Doctor Doom, while attempting to take out the new world order from the inside. But his plans are hampered, not by Doom’s forces or opportunistic supervillains, but due to a deal with Stark Unlimited’s union workers going horribly south. Tony is forced to appear in person, and come to some hard truths about the way his company operates.
I’ve admired how Spencer Ackerman has managed to approach the struggles someone like Iron Man would have with running a company, and how it would theoretically work in a world like the Marvel Universe where magic, gods and monsters operate. Iron Man #8 returns to this, as union representative Ramon points out that a company recognizing a union is a far cry from working with it – and that even without his Iron Man armor, Tony still has power with his wealth. It’s some heavy stuff not just for a tie-in story, but for a superhero comic in general, yet Ackerman doesn’t shy away from it.
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It’s also telling that the biggest fight sequence in this issue comes down not to Iron Man and Black Widow, as teased on the cover, but the Stark Unlimited union and Stark Unlimited security. Even though there’s no superpowers, Julius Ohta draws a frantic, gritted brawl between the two groups – with Ramon giving as good as he gets. Even after Tony breaks it up, the look of sheer disapproval that Ramon flashes at him cuts deep. Ohta lets his characters’ facial expressions and body language do the talking, and it speaks volumes.
Ohta isn’t the only artist on board, as Michael Dowling illustrates a few pages that showcase Melinda May attempting to coordinate a strike against Doom. While this does push the narrative forward, especially as it sees the return of the Winter Guard, I felt like it took away from the admittedly more gripping storyline illustrated by Ohta. That being said, Alex Sinclair continues to impress color-wise, especially when Tony’s new friend Vishte Taru utilizes his magical abilities, spilling forth golden light that provides a great counterpart to Tony’s glowing blue repulser rays.
Iron Man #8 is a reminder that Tony Stark can be his own worst enemy sometimes, and that his mission to topple Doom won’t be easy. Of all the One World Under Doom tie-ins, this is one of the most layered and engaging.
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