Iron Man #1 began with Tony Stark at one of his lowest points: his company, Stark Unlimited, was seized by A.I.M. and Roxxon in a hostile takeover. A resurrected Justine Hammer stole his armor. Justine also caused Tony’s spare armor to malfunction, leading to a dizzying drop that left him in traction. In Iron Man #2, Spencer Ackerman and Julius Ohta put Tony on the warpath against Roxxon – and give him a new suit to boot!
This suit, designed by Ohta, is best described as “steampunk mecha”. Instead of being fully metal, this new suit is a collection of welded-together plates with gears at the joints. There’s even a collection of gears where an arc reactor would be. But even with its stripped down aesthetic, the new Iron Man suit still boasts the signature colors of red and gold, courtesy of Alex Sinclair. That stands out no matter what environment Tony’s in; whether it’s the frozen mountains of Aspen, Colorado or the blistering heat of the Chihuahuan desert, Ohta and Sinclair capture it.
But while Tony may have a new armor, he’s still outmatched in terms of the resources A.I.M. and Roxxon have. Worse, he’s rapidly losing allies who could help him take back Stark Unlimited. Ackerman doesn’t hesitate to throw every and any obstacle he can in Tony’s way, from a faulty AI in his new armor to somebody flat out calling him a terrorist for his actions.
Marvel
The kicker comes when Iron Man confronts A.I.M.’s Scientist Supreme, Monica Rappaccini, in Colorado; to Tony’s (and my) surprise, she invites him to lunch to talk things over. Out of all the possible outcomes, breaking bread with the enemy wasn’t one of them. But it’s no less compelling than an out and out fight, as Ackerman layers Tony and Rappaccini’s conversation with thinly veiled declarations of war. The best moment goes to Tony, who has this to say: “I fell out of the sky twice, got out of the hospital twice, and hammered this suit together while I was in traction.”
The back half of Iron Man #2 is filled with some seriously trippy imagery thanks to Ohta (and the introduction of a mystical foe for Iron Man to fight.) One image features a horrifying moment where Iron Man’s armor seems to melt off of him, and he’s confronted by a horribly scarred version of his father. Another is a riff on the classic “Demon in a Bottle” storyline – only this time, the “Demon” takes the form of Tony’s armor, complete with massive horns and glowing red eyes. I also feel that the creative team deserves praise here; Ackerman for once again using a piece of Iron Man history as part of the storytelling and not a mere reference, and Ohta for perfectly capturing John Romita Jr. and Bob Layton’s style.
Iron Man #2 continues to push the Armored Avenger to his limits, but not before giving him a new suit in the process. It also introduces the promise of Iron Man wielding a massive sword, and that’s the kind of thing more comics could use.
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