Iron Man #4 Review

Iron Man #4

Marvel Comics

Written by Joshua Williamson

Art by Carmen Carnero and Jan Bazaldua

Colors by Nolan Woodard

Letters by Joe Caramagna

The Rundown: Tony Stark is trapped in a prison designed specifically for him and must find a way to break free.

Tony is trapped on the hidden AIM helicarrier and Madam Masque wants to push him to his limits to see what he creates. At the same time, Fixer is taking the weapons the other geniuses created to try to escape and is using them to create something for himself while Adam Ware finally finds a way to connect with Tony.

Melinda May and Pepper Potts travel to one of Tony’s underground bunkers and are surprised by the new Citizen V who was there to retrieve something he says belongs to him. Tony and Ware find a way to escape with the others, but not all of them will make it out alive when Fixer finally reveals what he’s been building.

The Story: The former issue before this one ended on a great cliffhanger that made me think Tony was going to face something truly unique and centered on who he was. Sadly, this issue didn’t deliver on that at all. The trap felt too easy to defeat and even with the connection to Ware, I never got a sense of real tension in this story. Events just happened too fast and the buildup to both the Fixer reveal and the final moments of the issue felt rushed and forced both in execution and emotion.

The Art: Carnero and Bazaldua create beautifully detailed and visually exciting art throughout the issue. I wish the promise of the story matched the intensity and tone of the art.