Writer: Christopher Cantwell / Penciller: Cafu / Colour Artist: Frank D'Armata / Letterer: VC's Joe Caramagna / Covers by: Alex Ross / Editors: Tom Breevort, Martin Biro, Alanna Smith / Collects Iron Man (2020) #1-#5 / Marvel Comics
25th November 2021 (Released: 17th March 2021)
The Pitch: Tony Stark is looking to restart his engine. He's going back to basics, putting away his high-tech toys and high-profile image so he can get his hands dirty again. It's time to put on some old-fashioned metal - and fly! But can Tony really lay down that Stark-sized ego? Life just isn't that simple, something old friends and frustrating foes are quick to point out. So Iron Man takes the fight back to the streets, facing down old-school villains like Arcade and the Absorbing Man. But what's really going on in Tony's head? As old friends like Hellcat try to help him find peace of mind, lurking on the horizon is a threat Tony - and the entire cosmos - hasn't seen in years. Prepare for the new saga of Korvac!
As heroes reach a certain age, acquiring characteristics, traits and dare I say it, tropes, they also take on weight. Because we're talking about beefy hero-types here, this weight is of course metaphorical. But it's a weight both reader and characters feel nonetheless. As the characters and audiences mature, this weight can threaten to topple the delicate balance of quality that good comics need to function. Eventually, our heroes can become so top-heavy that there's only one thing to do: start removing elements, cutting and re-sculpting until the character resembles the person we all knew and loved. And in fine metatextual nature, good writers – like Christopher Cantwell – will make this re-sculpting part of the story. But what does one take away from the man who has everything? As with Bruce Wayne in recent Batman runs, you could simply take away the money. But that would rob someone like Tony Stark of the forward propulsion that choice gives a person. There's an ego in choice. And as this volume proves, the one asset Tony can never really be stripped of is ego.
TONY IS GOING THROUGH A CRISIS - WHO IS HE REALLY, UNDERNEATH THE ARMOUR?
Starting with Tony divesting himself of stock and therefore ownership of the company that bears his name (whilst taking down a low-level super-villain, no less), Big Iron becomes an exercise in stripping back one's life and learning to remove the ego from decision making. Tony is still rich, as his penthouse purchase proves. He's still throwing parties for his rich pals. But underneath it all, he's going through a crisis: Who is he really, underneath the armour? In a life defined by public image and a very public hero-complex, it can be hard to tell. After all, do we, the reader, ever really know if it's the hero we love or the person within the armour. Tony is a character that needs to be loved, so Cantwell makes it interesting by giving him a lesson in social media backlash (he even makes a 'Fat Tony' meme that hits Stark right in the feels and his good looks. Eventually, he does the only sensible thing and deletes his social media. It's an interesting thing, to see the feelings operate in the invulnerable super heroes and prove that trolling can get to any of us. As Tony seeks first good advice then romance from Patsy Walker, we also watch Korvac get his shit together and form a plan of his own. Like Tony, he's going through changes. Only he's willing to embrace Godhood, happy to become a false idol.
There's a verve and drive in this that's sometimes absent from super hero comics. Cantwell puts Tony through the emotional ringer. The storytelling is clear and concise, never muddled or over-indulging the action. Cantwell propels things forward by concentrating on consequence rather than deed, which in itself is the very thing that's happening to Tony throughout. He also does something you don't really see comics writers do much anymore: he leaves the arc on a genuine cliffhanger. Cafu does a beautiful job with the art, which has a rich, Alex Ross-esque painterly look, yet remains more grounded than Ross' work and importantly, never static. It is dynamic, fun and fast. D'Armata gives everything a dark, woody, masculine palette that matches the temperature of Tony's ego to a tee. Caramanga's letters ensure it's not just Tony's voice that booms loud and clear, but also clear and cool-headed Hellcat and the sonorous persuasiveness of Korvac too. This is great super-hero book that finds the perfect pitch between the outer heroics and the inner turmoil of Tony Stark.
Get Part One of our look at the work of Christopher Cantwell right here. Iron Man Vol. 1: Big Iron is available now from your local comic book shop.