Iron Man volume 3 #1 discussion post

[elspethdixon]

Iron Man #1 - Looking Forward



Writer: Kurt Busiek
Penciler: Sean Chen

Tony attempts to re-establish his life and regain control of his company after returning from the handwave handwave something something dead let's never discuss the early 90s again. Unfortunately, someone is determined to stop him. Very determined.

We're also introduced to Sunset Bain, get re-introduced to Morgan Stark, and witness Tony turning down a hot date in order to go hang out at a construction site and commune with iron girders.

(Marvel's Digital Collection seemed to have replaced this issue with a 404 message when I looked - sorry guys)

Comments

[captainshellhead]

Oh look, a perfect example of why I really hate that the newer comics have AIs like J.A.R.V.I.S and P.E.P.P.E.R or whatever the heck pretty much completely controlling the armor for him



Looking at this, the newer stuff really seems out of character to me. How do we go from this to having his AI pretty much doing all the work for him while he sits there like a lump? (Not that Gillen is a good example of a well-characterized Tony, but still). I get that it's supposed to be sorta "tying in the mcu stuff"....but....yeah that really doesn't make it better!

[elspethdixon]

Tony's control issues: front and center right from issue #1. Once again, other people have taken over his company (so, being Tony, he responds with "Well, I'll just start a brand new company that will be better than the old one"), everyone is giving him unsolicited advice, he doesn't like having the armor on autopilot because it makes him feel like a puppet, etc. The bit where he thinks that his life just seems to be all about winning battles but losing ground and then doing repairs so he can start over again struck me, too.

Looking at this, the newer stuff really seems out of character to me.

I have many opinions about Fraction and Gillen writing of Tony. None of them are positive opinions.

(The art is much better than Larocca's and Land's, too.)

[vibraniumstark]

SAME

Also, if only we had art like this in our current IM books.



*whistful sigh*

Also, is this the first Sunset has been introduced like, ever? Or just the "first" time since its relaunched from number one?

[marinarusalka]

It's kind of amazing, isn't it, how different this Tony is from the Fraction/Gillen version. He's thoughtful, he's smart, he's deeply concerned about his company, he's respectful toward women, he remembers the names of his employees right down to the security guard at the construction site, he turns down an offer of alcohol in favor of sparkling water without making a big angst-fest out of it. There's an obligatory Iron Man vs. bad guys fight in the issue, but the main conflict is Tony deciding whether or not he wants to take Fujikawa to court. I really like this Tony, and it's clear that Busiek likes him too. Why can't we have that now?

And yeah, the art is really pretty. I love the opening page, with Tony strutting his stuff in the khakis and the bomber jacket. He looks so pleased with himself. :-)

[eruiel]

Tony knowing the name of that security guard really undermined the argument that Tony is a self absorbed SOB. Here we have a Tony who clearly wants to serve humankind, not his own ego. I was so proud of him for gently turning down his lady friend, not because there is anything inherently wrong with casual sex but because Tony has used it as a bad sort of escapism in the past. Even the obligatory Iron Man smackdown is used for introspection. This Tony seems very mature and self aware without it devolving into self worth issues. I just want to hug him and tell him you did it, you grew up. It is a bit sad that Marvel seems to have lost his character arc.

[dansrusse]

What is P.E.P.P.E.R?

[captainshellhead]

P.E.P.P.E.R is the AI that completely controls Tony's armor in Gillen's run. If you are brave enough to take a look at the whole Adopted Space Messiah arc you will understand my hatred.

[elspethdixon]

"Adopted Space Messiah arc" sounds like a description of the Tenth/Eleventh Doctor.

[eruiel]

This is why I have a difficult time reading/watching other versions of Tony pilot the armor or more accurately some A.I. pilot the armor while Tony goes along for the ride. It's great to have a Tony who is shown to be strategically minded in combat rather than relying entirely on algorithms to do the work on the fly.

[sparksliner]

Lots of nice characterization moments for Tony here! Him being Iron Man as a way to be proactive in his life, him questioning his choices (because making the wrong choice is the worst possible thing if you're Tony Stark and therefore stick to the path you've chosen to the very end). I also really like the moment on how Tony feels a bit guilty for liking being Iron Man so much when he's supposed to be helping improve the world, dammit!

Also: Tony was on the football team at MIT!?

That death squad was really terribly cheesy, heh. TBH, I found this issue a bit boring but really appreciated the characterization moments. You get a very good sense of Tony just from these 40 pages (40 whole pages! With...well, not compressed storytelling, but not decompressed! I feel so spoiled.)

(Oh hey, there's a random panel on page 11 where Tony very blatantly has brown eyes. Lazy coloring is not just MCU-influence!)

[dorothy1901]

Tony was on the football team at MIT!?

That was a surprise, but it turns out that MIT has a football team now. According to their website, they played their first varsity game in 1988.

Tony on the football team

[dorothy1901]

The first time I read this, I was taken aback because I didn't realize that MIT had added football to its sports. On further consideration, I'm taken aback because Tony was fourteen, and the other players would have been 50% older and 100% bigger.

Marvel time!

[dorothy1901]

There's an awful lot of handwaving on the timeline in this issue. First Tony was declared dead, and without a body, that would take years. Then his will had to go through probate court; that would take months. Then it had to un-go through probate court when he turns up alive, which would take more months. During all this, a skyscraper is built, auctioned off (??!), and customized.

Then he throws a an elaborate party for five hundred of his closest associates, something that would take weeks of preparation, assuming you could hire a caterer on short notice.

All of this takes place between the end of Iron Man Volume 2 and the beginning of Iron Man Volume 3. Marvel time is so obliging. *g*

[iloome]

Late to the party, but I've just read it yesterday, and oh my god, finally a Tony I love! And the art is so pretty, too.
This is not very discussion-y, but I'm jost so HAPPY about it.

(I couldn't open it from Unlimited though :( )