Unlike many of the other landmark issues, Iron Man 500 utilizes its massive size to tell an extra long story, rather than containing many stories within the massive issue. One of the most interesting things about the story is that it utilizes two different artists to represent the different time periods that the story is taking place in. It really gives the story a certain feel to it that allows the reader to not only read that it’s a different place and/or time, but actually visualize and feel it as well. Marvel really did a great job with this set up.
The issue showcases a number of different artists and colorists, each providing their work for the different characters within the story. The main characters in the story are Iron Man and Spider-Man in the present day, and in the future we are introduced to Howard Stark II and Ginny Stark, as well as future versions of Tony and the Mandarin. Each character was allotted a separate artist almost. The issue features the artwork of Iron Man regular Salvador Larroca, Nathan Fox and Carmine Di Giandomenico. The issue also showcases the colors of Frank D’Armata, Javier Rodriguez, and Matthew Wilson. All the art in the issue is great and it truly is a treat to see all of the different work contained into one issue.
As for the story, it was entertaining throughout its entirety, and I would expect no less from writer Matt Fraction. The story is great for many reasons, first off, it is a stand alone story and it creates a nice jump on point for anyone who is looking to get into the Iron Man series, it has just enough background information for a new reader to allow them to obtain the gist of what happened in previous issues, but it doesn’t take up too much space with the details. Secondly, the issue is action packed, keeping the reader on their toes throughout the entire issue, never missing a beat. And last but not least, the issue has a nice balance of humor to it as well, which is mostly brought in due to the integration of Spider-Man into the story. This aspect is nice because it breaks up the action for a second and gives the reader a reason to smile while they are engulfed by the brilliance happening before their eyes. In addition to all this, after the story is concluded there is a cover gallery on the last few pages showcasing the 500 issues of Iron Man.
Iron Man 500 is a great issue for any comic reader, Iron Man fans and others alike. I also advocate picking up landmark issues of comics because most of the time a reader can enjoy the entirety of the issue even if they have been following the title since its inception. Definitely check out this book, its full of quality and it has enough going on that its hard to believe that a reader wouldn’t enjoy it.
9.5 out of 10
No comments:
Post a Comment