Writer: Christopher Cantwell

Artist: Cafu

Color Artist: Frank D’Armata

Cover Artist: Alex Ross

Reviewer: StoryBabbler

Throughout this run, Iron Man has been taken “back to basics” which led to a downsizing of everything from his home, his fortune, his supporting cast, and even his suit. However, even with this new direction there are still villains who have eyes on Iron Man. Specifically, Korvac, an old supervillain from the Avengers’ past who was rebuilt and has grand designs for Earth and the whole Universe. Now Tony races to defeat Korvac in Iron Man #7 before he ascends to godhood.

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Review:

So, this series has been very divisive from the beginning as Christopher Cantwell tries to tell a bold and fresh take on Tony Stark and other characters in the series. The art by Cafu and colors by D’Armata are great, as usual, but art alone doesn’t make a good comic book. I’ll also admit, I strongly disagree with several of his creative decisions in this series, but I always thought there was potential in this series and stuck around to see what it does. However, Cantwell keeps focusing on all the wrong things.

For example, Iron Man is trying to stop Michael Korvac from regaining his godlike power again, and while he’s currently an android, Korvac is still powerful enough to beat Iron Man effortlessly. Which is always a problem for Marvel writers to overcome when they have single heroes take on Avengers-level threats. But instead of having Tony and his team focus on making a game plan or something that can exploit Korvac’s current vulnerabilities, instead it focuses on conversations to try and be deep. There’s a particular moment that shows this and I’ll go into full detail in the Spoilers section.

One thing I’ll say is that Cantwell does a fine job showing Tony and Patsy as teammates, though, I’m not convinced they make a good pairing as he repeatedly tries to do with this series. Especially due to their interactions in the early issues. However, he does a fine job having them pull on each other and use their connection to work out what they’re going to do. Or something close to it. It’s not the best but it’s an improvement on how Cantwell writes the two together.

However, there’s a moment where Iron Man and Korvac are able to communicate with each other and Tony tries to see just what Korvac has planned. And it’s pretty…. underwhelming. I won’t spoil exactly what it is but it’s pretty unimaginative and makes Korvac’s plan feel pretty generic by Marvel Comics’ own standards. The pacing is still an issue in this comic and it shows by the end when there’s a weird moment that happens and feels like the most random thing that happened in this entire comic. I’ll also explain more on this in the Spoilers section.

Spoilers:

Before, I said that Cantwell focuses too hard on trying to have the characters be deep instead of having sensible or useful conversations. For example, early in the comic Tony’s ragtag team of Ben Reilly the Scarlet Spider, Misty Knight, Gargoyle, and Frog Man are having a conversation. At first, it was about coming up with team names and the minute Frog Man mentions “God Fighters” Misty asks just what “God” means and goes off to list different names for God like Jehovah, Yahweh, Allah, and mistakenly mentions Buddha and Thanos. To which Gargoyle and Ben point this out. But then this kicks off a whole new conversation that takes up two more pages until Gargoyle has a brief monologue about how God is balance and Cantwell treats it like a “mic-drop.”

The problem is that these 3 pages could’ve been spent showing the characters coming up with strategies and showing readers what these heroes have to work with. Or even have Tony come in while they’re talking and help formulate an actual plan to stop Korvac. Instead, Cantwell wasted time trying to be deep and has them talk about what does it mean to be a God when most Marvel fans and heroes already know the Marvel Universe is full of divine beings on Earth (Thor and Hercules anyone?) and beyond. Plus, it actually has a supreme creator called The One Above All who’s been around in the comic setting for years. So the conversation is pretty moot.

There’s also a random moment where Tony and Korvac are communicating with each other and he’s shown Korvac’s vision of the Universe. I won’t share that, it’s pretty boring, but what’s weird is what happens after that. Tony is literally teleported by something, the comic doesn’t show what but it confirms that it’s definitely not Korvac. Tony is transported to some random alien world. No explanation is given or hinted at. The next comic issue might explain this, but it just feels like a random moment in this one.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Iron Man #7 tries to up the stakes and show what Iron Man and the whole cosmos has to lose if Korvac wins and it’s pretty underwhelming. As usual, the art by Cafu with D’Armata’s colors is great, but the rest of the comic feels like it’s padding itself out before reaching the parts people actually want to see. If you’re a fan of this series then you’ll like this. If not, then it won’t be convincing you anytime soon. Like Cantwell’s Dr. Doom series, this might be a series that’s best read after it’s finished.

6/10

Dig into our other Comic Book Dispatch Reviews HERE or grab another perspective from Weird Science Marvel Comics HERE. And, if you’re curious as to what’s arriving in comic shops each week, check out our Comic Book Dispatch Previews HERE

If you’re interested in IRON MAN #7, click HERE to get a copy! If you’ve been really digging Cantwell’s IRON MAN, click HERE to get your hands on related trades, volumes, and issues. Or maybe shell head is one of your all-time favorite super heroes? If so click HERE for some of the very best IRON MAN trades from yesteryear. And finally, if you’re looking for something else to read, check out my Amazon Online Comic Shop by clicking HERE. Thank you all for checking out the Iron Man #7 Preview as well as your continued support. Stay safe and stay healthy.