Iron Man #6

Warren Ellis // Adi Granov
May 2006
**

#6 is mostly combat, plus a reveal of the villain: Stark’s foil, a hard-drinking technocrat idealist who’s compromised her ethics. But Ellis succumbs to Bush-era morality himself, as his protag kills a domestic terrorist (a zap to the skull!?). Tho’ Iron Man is now powered up, he’s a doubtful hero.

last issue: Iron Man #5
next issue: Iron Man #7

also indexed for May ’06
Nextwave, Agents of HATE #3
The Pulse #14
Young Avengers #11

Iron Man #5

Warren Ellis // Adi Granov
March 2006
****

Having nanites reprogram his neurons to interface w/ his armor, Stark metamorphosizes in a literal cocoon! The quiet lets Ellis modernize IM’s origin story & draw parallels w/ the upgrade. He’s writing futuristic SF, refashioning the title char as a posthuman supersoldier in the War on Terror.

last issue: Iron Man #4
next issue: Iron Man #6

also indexed for Mar. ’06
Nextwave, Agents of HATE #1
Young Avengers #10

Iron Man #4

Warren Ellis // Adi Granov
October 2005
***

Tho’ it benefits from refs to current events & a post-9/11 morality, the glacial pacing both w/in the mag & in publication begins to hobble Ellis’ revamp. This issue is especially slow, as a wounded Tony injects himself w/ nanites to heal & beat his latest foe, a far-right nut w/ the same power-up.

last issue: Iron Man #3
next issue: Iron Man #5

also indexed for Oct. ’05
Young Avengers #7

Iron Man #3

Warren Ellis // Adi Granov
March 2005
***

Mostly action this ish, as IM fights a domestic terrorist souped up w/ supersoldier nanotech on a freeway. Ellis lends his protag his sheer pleasure of piloting hi-tech super-armor. The arc’s cinematic quality is underscored by the hyper-realism & gridwork, which is less comics than storyboards.

last issue: Iron Man #2
next issue: Iron Man #4

also indexed for Mar. ’05
Astonishing X-Men #9
The Pulse #7

Iron Man #2

Warren Ellis // Adi Granov
February 2005
****

Tony, in his creative/CEO role, basks in an A. Rand halo, but that’s overwhelmed by his guru, who acts as superb mouthpiece for Ellis’s countercultural technophilia. It’s radical stuff, esp. for a mainstream comic—good enough to overwhelm the fumetti-like art, which plummets into the uncanny valley.

last issue: Iron Man #1
next issue: Iron Man #3

also indexed for Feb. ’05
Astonishing X-Men #8

Iron Man #1

Warren Ellis // Adi Granov
January 2005
***

Concurrent w/ a soft Avengers reboot, W. Ellis assumes control of IM. He’s a great pick: obsessed by 21C future-tech & attitude. He also updates the timeline to show how Stark supplied arms in Afghanistan, & now feels guilty. Granov’s “realistic” computer art, however, comes off as phony & stilted.

continued from Iron Man #89
next issue: Iron Man #2

also indexed for Jan. ’05
Astonishing X-Men #7
The Pulse #6