The wonderful thing about Iron Man is his odd sense of purpose. Here is man who has always been intellectual, a tinkerer, a weapons designer and most notably, an adventurer. He really is the living embodiment of an Arthurian knight. He has, especially in recent years, been a man on a quest to rid the world of evil in many forms. With Extremis back on the black market, one of Tony's worst fears is coming true, that his inventions will fall into the hands of those who wish ill of and would seek to harm the world at large. There's no doubt that he's a hero and his heart's in the right place, but then there's always been the question of where his ego is at any given moment. He's become a hell of a tactician in the decades since his debut, but then there are moments when little things slip past him. He may well become the Galahad of S.H.I.E.L.D., or at least their Lancelot. That being said, Maria Hill really needs to hide the (other) women and booze and let the man do his thing, which would be saving the world.
This is what Kieron Gillen has brought to Iron Man. The writer of the last volume of Uncanny X-Men is starting out Iron Man as though he were a classic knight-in-shining-armor hero. There's a bit of history shown in this one that long-time fans would recall and that gives us insight into what Tony thinks of other inventors. The dialogue and narration are pretty freaking good and there's really not much to pick apart as far as pacing or characterization. All of the characters we see in this issue have the potential to really mess with Tony's life, both in and out of the Iron Man persona. It will be very interesting to see where Gillen goes from here. There is a lot of promise for future arcs and the possibility of new Iron Man villains.
Greg Land's pencils are fantastic in this, just as they were in the first issue of the new volume. There doesn't seem to be too much wrong with this at all. Then there's Jay Leisten's inks, which aren't really required in this issue, except for backgrounds and bits of the new armor. The base art by these two is really good, despite some fans complaining that it doesn't match the cover. The colors on this issue were just phenomenal. There's no panel in this issue without great colors and art in general. This is one of the most beautifully illustrated Marvel comics in a long time.
Iron Man #2 gets a 5. It leaves a lot open for more issues in the story arc and the potential for more stories of its kind in the Iron Man series. Hyper Geeky definitely recommends this issue for any and all Iron Man fans.
Iron Man #2 (2012)
Marvel
Writer: Kieron Gillen
Pencils: Greg Land
Inks: Jay Leisten
Colors: Guru Efx
