I purchased this book simply for one reason. "THE HEROIC AGE" was emblazoned on the top of the cover.
I've been psyched for the return of the mainstream AVENGERS for a while now, so I thought this would be my chance to jump on board and read IRON MAN, a movie that I loved and a title I've wanted to enjoy since Shooter and Layton.
Invincible Iron Man #25, using a plot device that the soap opera "PASSIONS" probably would have passed up, shows us an old Tony Stark made new again...but still old. A downloaded back-up of...Tony Stark's mind. Not his WHOLE mind...just the recent parts that didn't...well...suck.
Ok.
Granted, I'm old school. It's going to be hard for me to grasp on to the ideas and stories of some writers for characters I've known and loved for years. However, one of the most endearing things for ME about Tony Stark/Iron Man is the separation of MAN and MACHINE. That was the conflict. No matter how awesome the armor was, it was still manned by an often-flawed human being.
There's little to distinguish the man from the machine in this new direction for IRON MAN. I felt a little led around by the nose with periods being put on the ends of sentences in one page or less. In short, it felt rushed, sanitary, and honestly had little luster. Matt Fraction's IRON MAN appears to be colorful fluff and is just dull. Plain and simple.
And for a character such as IRON MAN, he HAS to shine. Now, reading this comic will have NO bearing on going to see the sequel to IRON MAN in theaters, but for a long-time comic collector and reader of Marvel?
This one just didn't deliver.