Iron Man #9 Review
In my review for “A New Nigthmare”—this run’s opening arc—I mentioned that one of its strengths is the ability to blend classic elements of Iron Man’s history with new and fresh additions. Iron Man #9 is a microcosm of that, so much so that it’s one of the most engaging offerings in this run’s nine issues, even as our titular hero spends most of the time tied up.
On the side of classic elements, we are welcomed with a quick recap of Marc Scarlotti’s life… and death. This is a particularly interesting montage as it’s presented from the villain’s POV, who fancies himself the hero of his own story so much that one of the panels sees him standing heroically atop a gargoyle in broad daylight. If the issue’s final scene is anything to go by, this issue appears to consolidate the concept of skewed perspectives as an underlying theme in this run.
Tony trying to clarify that his rogue, sentient armor killed Marc is a nice continuity nod, but it does nothing for him as the original Whiplash delivers a wrathful beatdown on the Golden Avenger while his successor keeps the still-anonymous Citizen V in a chokehold. We fast-forward to Tony Stark and V in captivity. This is the first time this run has provided the two characters with something more than a quick exchange, and it’s a blast. They bounce off each other wonderfully as Citizen V keeps his cards close to his chest while Tony tries to dig more about his new quasi-ally. Here comes my favorite moment of this issue: A moody half-page of introspection as a brooding Tony thinks back to many of the loved ones he has lost, plagued by a collage of their visages. Ho Yinsen, Captain America, and Happy Hogan might be the easy references to catch, while Williamson and Carnero treat us to the deep cuts that are the likes of Ayisha Ashirov and Ted Slaght, plucked from Mike Grell’s and Len Kaminski’s runs of Iron Man, respectively.
The biggest reference to me is Rumiko Fujikawa, Tony Stark’s long-running romantic interest from the early aughts. Somebody whose untimely death in Iron Man (Vol. 3) #87 could have cemented her as Tony Stark’s personal Gwen Stacy if not for modern comics’ habit of sweeping things under the rug whenever writers pass the torch. Not only does Rumiko appear in this montage, but alongside Yinsen and Happy, she’s the only other character explicitly addressed by Stark’s thought bubbles that accompany the scene, driving home the tragedy of her passing as Tony thinks to himself how losing her was one of the biggest regrets of his life. This is the first reference ever to Rumiko since her death in 2004. So extra kudos to Williamson for correcting this wrong.
After the Whiplashes check back on their prisoners and explain they intend to overload Tony’s armor so it explodes and takes Stark Tower with it, the issue quickly cycles through the remaining cast. A quick visit to the super-prison, the Vault, reminds us of the many villains that Iron Man has locked up in here. This serves as both a check-up on the book’s overarching villains, Adam Ware and Madame Masque—who pay M.O.D.O.K. a visit—and a teaser for the upcoming arc announced in SDCC, since Tony is bound to do some time here in the near future.
The next detour is to Tony Stark’s School of Super-Science, where we get to see Tony’s students bounce off each other as their contrasting personalities come to light, not to portend any kind of bite-sized civil war (I hope), but just to flesh them out as independent characters. This scene also brings May back into focus as she visits the workshop, ending with another teaser for what’s to come: May getting her own armor, something teased since that one “Foreshadow Variant” cover for issue #1.
This intermission exemplifies Williamson’s use of characters, not only reminding readers of the other pieces on his chessboard, but also pushing the B-plots forward so they don’t lose momentum just because they’re not at the forefront at the moment. It also allows the elements of the A-plot to simmer, with the added bonus of throwing some dramatic irony into the mix, given how none of Tony’s allies are aware that he is in the throes of two Whiplashes and about to blow up. As the book returns to Stark Tower, it establishes that the villains are using a signal blocker to keep communications down in a scene that also features Pepper Potts and Luna Lucia sharing a sorrowful exchange about what it’s like to live in Tony Stark’s orbit. It’s an interesting interaction that not only emphasizes Pepper’s role as a seasoned supporting character, but also reinforces the theme presented during Tony and Citizen V’s previous exchange, and what Tony’s newfound ally has declared to be his mission: to make sure nobody else dies because of Tony.
Before heading into the final scene of the book and the Pandora box it opens, I need to give a shout-out to Carmen Carnero and Nolan Woodard for excelling in their artistic duties. Carnero’s dynamic pencils and facial features keep injecting the book with unique energy and personality, and Woodard’s colors complement it beautifully. In my review of “A New Nightmare,” I singled out his use of setting-dependent color palettes, and this issue is a perfect example. The purple moodiness of the Stark Tower’s basement, the green-tinted interior of the Vault, and the vibrant beige-and-grey interior of Tony’s workshop give each scene a unique vibe that sticks with you as you read the book.
I also need to highlight the role that Anton Vanko—Whiplash II—plays in this issue. Even as the original whip-wielding foe has taken the spotlight, he remains a character in his own right. And Williamson nicely subverts an attempt from Citizen V to turn Vanko against Scarlotti by highlighting his second-fiddle role. Vanko says he doesn’t care if Scarlotti is orchestrating everything, since he has bigger concerns than being the headliner. But Citizen V’s taunts work in a different way, as Vanko tries to unmask him in response to his jabs, triggering a booby-trap in his mask, giving him a taste of his own medicine and electrocuting him, just as Pepper sneaks in to help. However, Whiplash I has captured Luna and his son Hugo and intends to kill the boy, so as to parallel the way he was separated from his own son in death. In a turn of events, Citizen V offers Whiplash I the chance to take him as a hostage instead, sweetening the deal by taking off his mask and proclaiming that Scarlotti is not the only person that Tony had left for dead…
Citizen V is Happy Hogan.
(And he looks a bit like Jon Favreau)
I think this cliffhanger really hammers down Williamson’s intention to take big swings, and it feels like a nice response to people thinking this run was playing it safe. Not that they were wrong, but it proves my hunch that Williamson was making sure to build a sturdy boat before rocking it, and it’s one of the reasons why I appreciated “A New Nightmare” so much. Something that I found even more interesting after letting the meat of the reveal sink in is the way that Citizen V—sorry, Happy—gives himself as a hostage, claiming that Tony “doesn’t care” about Hugo, or the way that he believes Tony left him for dead. This is what I meant by the issue and the run in general tackling the topic of skewed perspectives. From Adam Ware’s savior complex to Marc Scarlotti’s delusional righteousness, now Happy appears to be somebody who doesn’t think highly of Tony anymore, so I wonder how this will shape the future of their dynamic. And now that the mystery of Citizen V’s identity is no more, we are also greeted with a deeper enigma. We’ve moved on from a simple “Who?” into the “How?” “Why?” and “Now what?”… and I’m even more excited for the next issues to deliver these answers.
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