Wednesday 11 September 2013

Iron Man #13 Review

Writer: Kieron Gillen
Artist: Greg Land

I dropped this series following the opening story arc, which was pretty poor, but have since decided to give it another shot as I didn't want to miss this Secret Origin. It has however been a bit disappointing so far, even with last issue being good, and I seriously hope the story starts to get better soon.

Plot


As 451 continues to tell Iron Man (Tony Stark) about the Godkiller outfit, Death's Head sets his sight on them, hoping to bag a huge bounty.

Review


This was another mediocre issue, and with last issue being good I hoped that the story/series would continue that way. It wasn't all bad though, and Kieron Gillen did a decent job, as there were still some very interesting points to this story. The thing that does bother me though is the fact that most of this story has been very slowly paced, and after one issue with a faster pace it slows right back down again, which was really disappointing. There was however some interesting set-ups, but I won't judge them till they pay off, as there have been some brilliant set-ups in previous issues, with only a few paying off. Gillen did however add some excitement, just not a lot, and next to no action, which was disappointing.

Greg Land returned as artist for this issue, and although I've been preferring Dale Eaglesham's art I have to say that Land did a very good job on this issue, and it's some of the best art I've seen from him in a long time. With there not being many reasons for smiling, as well as no female character's it eliminates the reasons I usually dislike Land's art, as there's no glamorous women, and no awkward smiles. Besides this Land did a great job at showing the character's expressions, and especially with Death's Head, who isn't easy to show emotion on. The detail was also brilliantly handled, with terrific backgrounds, and a dynamic layout, with Land overall really showing improvement.

Last issue saw 451 reveal the Godkiller outfit, and how Tony is destined to pilot it. Now the developments in this issue were very interesting, as although it slowed the issue down it gave brilliant set-up, which I hope pays off in the next issue or two. I am however not entirely sure whether or not I like the design of the outfit, as although I like the connection to the Celestials, it doesn't feel like an Iron Man suit, though I may change my mind in the next few issues.

Besides the Godkiller suit we also saw yet again the continued relationship between 451, and Tony, and how they disagree. It is however 451's actions that still puzzle me, as he's a real conundrum, seeming to be good, whilst having a bad vibe about him, at times seeming very selfish. The interaction between 451, and Tony also continued to show the dislike that Tony has for 451, and if this doesn't eventually end with the two fighting I'll probably be very disappointed.

This issue would also see the return of Death's Head, which was nice, adding yet more variables to the future of this story. Now although most of Death's Head's appearance in this issue was set-up, he did have some action, eventually finding 451, and Tony, showing bad intentions. It also had some explosive points, and if this is a sign of things to come, this story may be very interesting in the next few issues, but we'll wait and see. I also look forward to seeing exactly what role Death's Head will play in the rest of this story, and whether this is a short return or not.

Final Verdict


This issue was slightly disappointing, with the story returning to a slow pace. It did however have some interesting plot set-ups, as well as some interesting developments. I also had a bit of excitement, but little action, as well as some decent dialogue. I would only recommend this to anyone who's got the story/series so far, as you might as well to see where the story goes, but otherwise I'd recommend leaving this, and if the story gets better getting it in trade.

Rating: 3/5

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