Iron Man #7 breaks one of the longest-standing traditions surrounding Tony Stark: After years of attempting to escape from his past creating weapons, he announces to the world that he’ll be creating weapons again under Doctor Doom’s regime. This doesn’t sit well with Melinda May, who’s been through Hell and back (literally) as Stark Unlimited’s chief of security. But it also draws the ire of Doom’s former cosmic-powered champion Victorious, who intends that Tony fulfills his promise.
What follows is a battle on both the physical front (since Victorious is fueled with the Power Cosmic) and mental front (Tony, after all, is a businessman.) Spencer Ackerman’s script slowly unpacks Tony’s decisions, showcasing how he’s playing the long game in taking down Doom. It’s most prominent in his conversation with Victorious, where he outlines the consequences of killing him and how it’ll affect Doom’s empire. Once again, I must give Ackerman some credit; he manages to tackle some heavy geopolitical issues in a way that feeds into the story.
I also love that Melinda May is getting a bigger spotlight here. I’m probably one of the few people who stuck with Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. to its end, and grew to love those characters, so seeing them as part of the Marvel Universe is nothing short of amazing. It also gives Ackerman a new dynamic to work with; when she learns of Tony’s announcement to sell weapons, Melinda is pissed. But once Tony lets her in on the plan, she’s fully on board – even helping him in his battle against Victorious. While most people skate by Iron Man’s days as director of S.H.I.E.L.D., Ackerman utilizes it to great effect.
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Julius Ohta continues to be Iron Man‘s secret weapon, delivering fight scenes that are off the charts. He also plays into each character’s different strengths: since she wields the Power Cosmic, Victorious is capable of causing immense destruction which forces Tony to find new ways to beat her. Like previous issues, that way includes his Repulsword (which I hope sticks around for a long, long time.) Anyone who’s been reading West Coast Avengers or is an ’80s Iron Man fan will be happy to see Ohta drawing the Silver Centurion; I’m happy to see it as it’s my favorite Iron Man armor.
What really makes the fight scenes pop is Alex Sinclair’s color art. Sinclair makes sure each character has a unique color for their power set. For Tony, it’s the bright blue of his repulsor beams. For Victorious, it’s the golden glow of the Power Cosmic. For Vishte, the young Latverian who Tony enlists in his fight to take down Doom, it’s red (saying any more would spoil the surprise). Joe Caramanga also has fun playing with the different lettering styles, including captions with some colorful texts and social media posts.
Iron Man #7 is a carefully measured installment in the ongoing “Insurgent Iron Man” storyline that explores what Tony is planning to do to take down Doom, while bringing new character dynamics to the table. Issue by issue, Ackerman and Ohta are building an Iron Man like no other.
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