Andrea Speed
December 24th 2004, 06:36 PM
Reviewer: Andrea Speed andy@comixtreme.com
Quick Rating: Very Good
Title: Extremis, Part 2
While Tony and Maya go to an old friend for help, trouble strikes in a big way.
<a href="http://www.comixtreme.com/gallery/data/media/134/ironman2.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.comixtreme.com/gallery/data/thumbnails/134/ironman2.jpg" align="left" border="0"> </a>Writer: Warren Ellis
Artist: Adi Granov
Letters: Virtual Calligraphy's Randy Gentile
Editor: Tom Brevoort
Cover Art: Adi Granov
Publisher: Marvel
Review: This is a very Ellis-ian issue. If you’ve read even some of Ellis’s work, you probably know what I’m talking about, but if not, I’ll boil it down for you: drugs, philosophy, technology, and the line where they all intersect.
All of those are big Ellis topics, things he loves to discuss and explore, and like the first issue, this one has quite a bit of talking. Much of it is interesting though, and there’s even a funny moment or two, which is the saving grace of so much verbosity and so many big ideas that Ellis wishes to communicate to the reader. (But if you’ve read Planetary or Global Frequency, some of this might sound a tad familiar.) Later in the issue, this is split between a violent and inexplicable attack by the man “infected” with extremis in the first issue, and again, like an Ellis issue, it’s very violent. Certainly not Max level, but some of the images depicted in photo clarity by Granov may disturb some people. But then again, so might some of the drug and philosophy talk.
Still, it is used to give us insight into this take on Tony Stark, and it continues to be very intriguing. A brilliant man, a driven man … maybe a little unbalanced? On the edge of burnout or madness? As his mentor asks him, ”What’s the Iron Man for, Tony?”- a question that shouldn’t be a poser, but is, in its way. Although an answer presents itself at the end.
The art by Granov continues to be utterly astounding. It’s like looking at snapshots of real people’s faces and expressions, backgrounds and cityscapes, and there are a few panels during the action sequence that are chilling and honestly disturbing. The art can be like a punch in the gut, and there’s one panel in particular, where our extremis man is being shot at, that is one of the best things I’ve seen in a long time. Why? I’m not sure, actually, I just knew when I looked at it, all I could think was “Damn”. Where have you been all my life, Adi? The coloring is realistic, adding to the general effect, although it gets more intense notes in the action sequences.
I can see some people finding this dull, especially since Ellis is still building on the characterization of his Stark, and injecting philosophical and science notes into the overall story. But if you’re looking for a genuinely thoughtful superhero comic, with art that’ll just drop you to the floor, this may be the only game in town.
Rating:http://www.comixtreme.com/reviews/full.jpghttp://www.comixtreme.com/reviews/full.jpghttp://www.comixtreme.com/reviews/full.jpghttp://www.comixtreme.com/reviews/full.jpghttp://www.comixtreme.com/reviews/none.jpg
Buy Iron Man online now from X-World and Save! (http://x-worldcomics.com/yourvirtualstore/shopdisplayproducts.asp?id=1548&cat=IRON+MAN+%282004%29)
Quick Rating: Very Good
Title: Extremis, Part 2
While Tony and Maya go to an old friend for help, trouble strikes in a big way.
<a href="http://www.comixtreme.com/gallery/data/media/134/ironman2.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.comixtreme.com/gallery/data/thumbnails/134/ironman2.jpg" align="left" border="0"> </a>Writer: Warren Ellis
Artist: Adi Granov
Letters: Virtual Calligraphy's Randy Gentile
Editor: Tom Brevoort
Cover Art: Adi Granov
Publisher: Marvel
Review: This is a very Ellis-ian issue. If you’ve read even some of Ellis’s work, you probably know what I’m talking about, but if not, I’ll boil it down for you: drugs, philosophy, technology, and the line where they all intersect.
All of those are big Ellis topics, things he loves to discuss and explore, and like the first issue, this one has quite a bit of talking. Much of it is interesting though, and there’s even a funny moment or two, which is the saving grace of so much verbosity and so many big ideas that Ellis wishes to communicate to the reader. (But if you’ve read Planetary or Global Frequency, some of this might sound a tad familiar.) Later in the issue, this is split between a violent and inexplicable attack by the man “infected” with extremis in the first issue, and again, like an Ellis issue, it’s very violent. Certainly not Max level, but some of the images depicted in photo clarity by Granov may disturb some people. But then again, so might some of the drug and philosophy talk.
Still, it is used to give us insight into this take on Tony Stark, and it continues to be very intriguing. A brilliant man, a driven man … maybe a little unbalanced? On the edge of burnout or madness? As his mentor asks him, ”What’s the Iron Man for, Tony?”- a question that shouldn’t be a poser, but is, in its way. Although an answer presents itself at the end.
The art by Granov continues to be utterly astounding. It’s like looking at snapshots of real people’s faces and expressions, backgrounds and cityscapes, and there are a few panels during the action sequence that are chilling and honestly disturbing. The art can be like a punch in the gut, and there’s one panel in particular, where our extremis man is being shot at, that is one of the best things I’ve seen in a long time. Why? I’m not sure, actually, I just knew when I looked at it, all I could think was “Damn”. Where have you been all my life, Adi? The coloring is realistic, adding to the general effect, although it gets more intense notes in the action sequences.
I can see some people finding this dull, especially since Ellis is still building on the characterization of his Stark, and injecting philosophical and science notes into the overall story. But if you’re looking for a genuinely thoughtful superhero comic, with art that’ll just drop you to the floor, this may be the only game in town.
Rating:http://www.comixtreme.com/reviews/full.jpghttp://www.comixtreme.com/reviews/full.jpghttp://www.comixtreme.com/reviews/full.jpghttp://www.comixtreme.com/reviews/full.jpghttp://www.comixtreme.com/reviews/none.jpg
Buy Iron Man online now from X-World and Save! (http://x-worldcomics.com/yourvirtualstore/shopdisplayproducts.asp?id=1548&cat=IRON+MAN+%282004%29)