Iron Man #2
Author : Joshua Williamson
Artist : Carmen Carnero
Colourist : Nolan Woodard
Femme Fatale : Issue #2 Summary
After a rip-roaring start in Iron Man #1, Williamson kept the foot on the gas in Iron Man #2. We got a quick flashback to the past of Iron Man and Madame Masque, and Joshua Williamson gives us a deeper look into the plans of A.I.M and creating a new Tony Stark. On top of that, there’s a surprise encounter between Tony and a villain with a big head.
Boys Will Be Boys : Issue #2 Review
WARNING SPOILERS!
Flashback Fatale
Iron Man #2 was a great follow-up to the first issue. It delivered exactly what I wanted as a reader. Joshua Williamson opened with a flashback to the relationship between Tony Stark and Whitney Frost, also known as Madame Masque. This was pivotal to the story arc being told.
Although I am a massive Iron Man fan, there was a time in the 2010s that I stopped reading comics. Therefore, this interlude gave me context into the connection between Iron Man and Madame Masque. Furthermore, Williamson alluded to how Madame Masque got the idea for creating a new Tony Stark. Tony, do not let your guard down when your pants come off!
Gemini said
Williamson also stokes the coals in the Illuminati fire by following up on the end of Iron Man #1 right in the beginning of Iron Man #2. Tony is fighting alongside Cap against Dreadknight and his Dreadsquires. After this fight concludes, Williamson gives us two sentences that set one of the underlying story arcs in his Iron Man run. That question is: why is The Illuminati keeping tabs on Tony Stark? I really dig this type of subtle writing because it keeps me attentive as the reader.
Also, this fight further stamps the retransformation by Williamson of Tony Stark into the character we have come to love. Mid-fight, Tony gets a call from a lady he met at his Tony Star Award party. She wants to meet up and go on a date. Tony is having this conversation in the middle of fighting off Dreadknight and his goons alongside Captain America. The dialogue is brilliantly comedic. It reaffirms my opinion as a fan of Iron Man that Joshua Williamson is the guy for this book. WE ARE SO BACK!
I want to touch on the artwork to open Iron Man #2. Carmen Carnero and Nolan Woodard did an unreal job of depicting the flashback, to the point I thought it was another artist and colorist. The hazy look to the scenes gave it that historic feel. The way Carnero drew the classic Golden Age Iron Man suit was awesome. The coloring made it look like a distant memory. The softer colors and the subtle blur effect all made it a great way to open this second issue.
Will The Real Tony Stark, Please Stand Up
We’re given more insight into the plan of Madame Masque and A.I.M and how they’re recreating their Tony Stark, and for me as a reader, it is very clever writing from Williamson. After the greatest minds in the world that were handpicked by Tony Stark have been kidnapped, they are now at an unknown location, and Masque is set to recreate the condition that forced Tony Stark to become Iron Man.
This was super cool for me as a reader, because I can’t remember this type of take being represented in an Iron Man run—the element that made Tony was the trauma he faced when he was kidnaped—back against the wall, fight or flight kicked in, and he became Iron Man. Williamson’s narrative has me hooked, all of these kids are now going to be put through traumatic scenarios, just to see who comes out as the next Tony Stark. It also has a dark reality TV show feel to it, like a Squid Game type scenario—the winner of this contest will be the one who succeeds after being pushed beyond their limit.
Whilst this travesty is bestowed upon the former Tony Stark Award entrants, Tony is being Iron Man, actually being Iron Man. After the flat and aimless Iron Man run prior to Williamson; this is super important because Joshua is putting the Invincible back into Iron Man. He’s going around the world, finding A.I.M HQs, fighting bad guys, blowing stuff up, he’s being the red and gold Avenger that we all know and love. The panels are brilliant from Carnero here as well, the thin stripes displaying a new location with Iron Man literally blowing up A.I.M hideouts is awesome. It also shows how much getting these kids back means to Tony, the thin stripe panels represented to me as a reader, that he is literally in all of these places one after the other, and he’s there for a short time, in and out, because time is against him.
Tony’s Got a Big Head
Tony’s flying around the world in a beautifully drawn suit by Carnero, he’s finding A.I.M bases, he’s blowing the bananas out of them, but he’s not finding where the kids have been taken to. Therefore, he needs to meet an old acquaintance in none other than Mardipoor. I mentioned it after Iron Man #1, but it feels like Williamson is deliberately trying to connect Iron Man to the rest of the Marvel Universe—it feels like Tony is co-existing with what’s going on in Marvel right now, and that makes it feel live, it makes it feel exciting, like anyone can show up.
What was super interesting to me, was that Tony looks to have gained combat skills from Williamson. Tony can fight when he’s in his armour, but I’ve never really seen him in fisticuffs in hand-to-hand combat. Confronted by 4 massive dudes, I’m talking 4 guys straight out of the Chicago Bears 1985 defensive line, to my delightful surprise, he takes them out, 4 on 1. It was really cool to see, and I hope Williamson explains how Tony trained for that in the following Iron Man issues.
The main surprise entrant into this here Iron Man Royal Rumble of a story is none other than MODOK! What was cool was how he was introduced by Williamson, he’s just doing normal stuff, he’s on vacation; that’s really important for me as a reader because I do often think, what are these guys doing when they’re not scheming to take over the world. Williamson tells us that, this big-headed maniac, is actually just chilling. Tony needs MODOK to tell him where Masque and A.I.M are hiding the kidnapped kids. In a crazy turn of events, A.I.M come to attack and kill MODOK, meaning that we have a gnarly unexpected team up of Iron Man and MODOK. This way to end the issue was great for me, it makes me feel that anything can happen at any time in this Iron Man story.
Putting The Super in Hero for Iron Man
The artwork in Iron Man #2 continued to look shiny, fresh and vibrant, just as a comic should look with the red and gold Avenger. I want to highlight the incredible versatility that Carmen Carnero and Nolan Woodard showed throughout Iron Man #2. The flashback scene that I’ve already referred to was awesome, it gave me that historic hazy dream feel that a recall moment should give.
The was in contrast to the outlaw, criminal feel that Carnero and Woodward delivered in the Mardipoor scene. I have to highlight Woodard’s colouring here, the inclusion of pinks, purples and greens gave it that lawless club vibe, which suits the location perfectly. It also made me feel as a reader that I was literally transported to a different place within the Marvel World.
As far as my favorite scene goes in Iron Man #2, I am a stickler for classic Iron Man poses. They just look so damn good. The last page is a phenomenal setup for Iron Man #3, as Carnero draws Iron Man in a classic pose that we have seen many times over the years. He looks powerful and in control. It shows that an Avenger will help anyone if they need it, even a villain like MODOK.
It also makes me feel like Tony is calm and he knows how to get out of this situation. The gunfire and explosions around him do not seem to faze our Armored Avenger. The colors from Woodard are just fantastic. Iron Man really is the centerpiece of this page, as he should be. This work, after only two issues, feels to me like the art team is helping the writer make Iron Man a centerpiece of the Marvel Universe again.
Conclusion & Rating
Iron Man #2 furthered all the story arcs from #1, keep me as a reader super interested and chomping at the bit for Iron Man #3. Williamson kept the connective tissue alive in this one, we went back in time to understand where Madame Masque got her idea, a typical Illuminati style subtle furthering in that arc, and a new player in this game of Iron Man chess.
After two issues in, everything still feels fresh and exciting, and was I’ve stated a few times throughout my review, Williamson has captured that feeling that anything can happen at any time. That is very important for me as the reader to be totally engaged in the story being told, I feel like Williamson is trying to deliver an epic Iron Man story in his run.