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Iron Man #28Iron Man #28 by Joe Quesada, Sean Chen, Rob Hunter, Alitha Martinez and Rodney Ramos.
The Plot: Tony gets to know a new acquaintance better, his relationship with Rumiko deteriorates further, a recent enemy is back for more--and the worst thing that could possibly happen happens.
Man. Joe Quesada continues to impress me. I mean, I had no idea what to expect from him as writer of Iron Man, but the first two issues of his opening arc were focused, exciting, and, if not unpredictable, at least unexpected. He ups the ante here considerably, as Tony Stark's armor asserts itself fully, engaging Tony in one of the most bizarre conversations ever to appear in a superhero comic book. The moment the chat ends, when Tony dons his now-sentient armor, was really, truly creepy--the word incestuous comes to mind. The fact that for much of the issue Tony is totally in the company of artificial intelligence is kind of amusing; he's the only real human being, as Jocasta works with him, and his armor works on him, emotionally, intellectually. Tony's decision to work with the armor (his scientific curiosity gets the better of him) is completely logical and in character, yet it results in disaster in the end. It's difficult to guess where Quesada is going now, but after the conclusion of the battle with Whiplash, it seems unlikely the armor will be allowed to continue its independent existence. The fact that Quesada threw in a completely humanizing moment for the villain just seconds before the armor delivers the final blow in the battle makes the conclusion all the more shocking, all the more horrifying. We learn why Whiplash has agreed to take on Iron Man, and we feel sorry for him--but not for very long. The art is split between two separate teams, and while I prefer Sean Chen's pencils, the assist from Martinez and Ramos doesn't hurt the tale overmuch (although Rumiko's pal Solomon seems to shave somewhere in the transition between pencilers). And since the book has been coming out every three weeks or so since Quesada took over, it's understandable that a fill-in artist might be needed. Unfortunate, but in this case understandable. The cliffhanger of this issue is a stunner, completely beyond any expectations I had for Quesada as writer. If he maintains this level of quality for the long haul, Iron Man is going to be on my must-buy list for a long time to come.
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