There’s no rest for the weary when you’re Iron Man, and that sometimes holds true to people involved with Tony and his latest problem. Nothing spells trouble like being forty minutes late to meet a recently hired assistant that can pull major webs in the long run.
The second arc of Invincible Iron Man kicks off, and Bendis has switched gears to deliver not a shiny, crystal clear, Dave Marquez drawn adventure of magic and exorcism, but a technology based gripping noir mystery that will only take Iron Man and company into a different genre’s territory with exciting results.
Like most of the “Vader Down” crossover, Star Wars #14 is filled with plenty of epic moments, like BT taking out a squad of stormtroopers with a flamethrower, every time Darth Vader gets a line, or the fact that R2D2 has some kind of poison antidote needle in his chassis. And Jason Aaron makes these moments cohere into some kind of a whole with the shared Obi Wan Force Ghost voice for Luke and Vader. (For all of its fun, the Han and Chewbacca vs. Krrsantan plot is just filler in the larger scheme of things.) Add slightly improved art from Deodato and Martin, and the “Vader Down” finale can’t come soon enough. (It comes out today as well and will be quite the family affair.)
Star Wars #13 has comedy, action, and holds Vader back to make him even more terrifying as Leia and her Rebel forces charge forward while the rest of the main cast of the comic is busy fighting the supporting cast of Darth Vader. Mike Deodato’s fight choreography isn’t blistering, but he excels at piecing noteworthy images together, like the progression of events where Luke wakes up from his coma, kicks the annoying BT and runs to comfort R2D2 as if he’s the family pet. “Vader Down’s” cliffhanger game continues to be on point with yet another duel of mind and body to take place in next week’s installment.
Even if Mike Deodato’s art doesn’t fit the space battle portion of the comic, Vader Down #1 is an explosive start to Marvel’s first Star Wars crossover and will give Jason Aaron and Kieron Gillen the once in a lifetime opportunity to show what Darth Vader would do once the chips are down. It’s best read while playing “Imperial March” on an endless loop.
Avengers #41 Written by Jonathan Hickman Art by Mike Deodato Colors by Frank Martin Published by Marvel Comics With a cover that is an exact copy of Mark Millar and Bryan Hitch’s The Ultimates #1, Avengers #41 brings the good ol’ (or not so old) Ultimate Universe into Jonathan Hickman’s epic multiversal vision for the Avengers and Marvel Universe as a whole. It also deals with the …
Original Sin #8 Written by Jason Aaron Art by Mike Deodato Colored by Frank Martin Published by Marvel The premise of Original Sin was quite the invitation for Marvel readers. “Who killed the Watcher? and through the first few issues, speculation ran rampant across both the Internet and meatspace. (I had a two and a half hour conversation about the potential killer on a bus in …