Review: INTERNATIONAL IRON MAN #1

INTERNATIONAL IRON MAN No. 1
MARVEL COMICS – @Marvel

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

WRITER: Brian Michael Bendis
ART: Alex Maleev
COLORS: Paul Mounts
LETTERS: VC's Clayton Cowles
COVER: Mike Deodato with Frank Martin
VARIANT COVERS: Gabriele Dell'Otto; Marco D'Alfonso; Skottie Young; John Tyler Christopher
28pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (May 2016)

Rated “T+”

I did not know that a few years ago it was revealed that Tony Stark was adopted as a baby by Howard and Maria Stark (in Iron Man #17 – 2013 series).  Tony's quest to uncover his legacy is at the heart of the new Iron Man comic book series, International Iron Man.  It is written by Brian Michael Bendis; drawn by Alex Maleev; colored by Paul Mounts; and lettered by Clayton Cowles.

Who is Tony Stark, really?  International Iron Man #1 begins the quest to discover the answer to that question.  The story opens with Iron Man in Sofia Bulgaria at the “Monument to the Soviet Army.”  He has just got his butt kicked.  His mind drifts back 20 years earlier when Tony was a student at the University of Cambridge.  That is where he met Cassandra Gillespie, a mysterious young woman from an even more mysterious family that is marked for death.

I have never been a big fan of Iron Man, not the way I heart for Spider-Man (Parker and Morales), Batman (and Robin), and certain X-Men.  One Iron Man book is enough for me, and that one is currently Invincible Iron Man, which is also written by Brian Michael Bendis.  I guess this is my way of saying that I did not feel particularly moved by this first issue of International Iron Man.

Bendis and Alex Maleev are remembered for their run on Daredevil last decade, so fans of that comic book may rejoice at the chance to see if this team can do for Iron Man what it did for that book.  I wouldn't know what they did, as I have never read a single issue of the Bendis-Maleev Daredevil.

So I'm coming from a place of ignorance in some ways.  Apparently, Doctor Doom will play a part in this series, and while traveling the globe, Iron Man will discover things about the Marvel Universe that he did not know existed.  I'm kinda intrigued.  I may keep reading International Iron Man, but I won't go out of my way.  So how is that for a review?

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"


The text is copyright © 2016 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

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Review - Yoshitaka AMANO: Illustrations

YOSHITAKA AMANO: ILLUSTRATIONS
VIZ MEDIA– @VIZMedia

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

ARTIST: Yoshitaka Amano
TRANSLATION/ENGLISH ADAPTATION: Tetsuichiro Miyaki
DESIGNER: Fawn Lau
EDITOR: Leyla Aker
COVER: Yoshitaka Amano with Fawn Lau
ISBN: 978-1-4215-8957-2; paperback, (August 2016)
132pp, Color, $19.99 U.S., $22.99 CAN, £12.99 UK

Born in 1952 in Shizuoka Prefecture,Yoshitaka Amano is a Japanese artist, character designer, and illustrator.  He is a scenic designer for live theater and film and a costume designer.  Amano first came into prominence in 1967 as a 15-year-old working for Tatsunoko Production, first working on the anime adaptation of Speed Racer.  He later became the creator of such iconic and influential characters as Gatchaman (Battle of the Planets) and Honeybee Hutch, to name a few.

In the 1980s, Amano soared to fame for his work on covers and interior illustrations for books, the most famous example of such work being his cover and illustrations for author Hideyuki Kikuchi's book series, Vampire Hunter D.  In 1987, Amano began his association with the Final Fantasy video game by designing characters and visual concepts.  Some American readers may know Amano for working with author Neil Gaiman on the award-winning illustrated book, The Sandman: The Dream Hunters.

Now, VIZ Media celebrates the remarkable career of this famed artist with a new art book, Yoshitaka Amano: Illustrations.  This 8.5” x 11” softcover volume (which has an illustrated dust jacket) is an overview and survey of Amano's career.  This book includes several color illustrations from Amano's work on Final Fantasy covering a period of just over two decades.  Fans of Vampire Hunter D will delight over the eight pages of paintings, illustrations, and studies from the famed vampire media franchise.  There are also several pages of Amano's illustrations and art for other book series.

Yoshitaka Amano: Illustrations also includes the transcript of a conversation between Amano and graphic artist Akira Uno, who once worked with Amano as an art director.  There is a 10-page section featuring Amano's sketches of men and women, and also several pages of anime character designs, fine art, and other work.

I have to say that Yoshitaka Amano: Illustrations is a beautifully designed book, but it would have to be because of its subject matter.  Amano's work is so beautiful, colorful, imaginative, and just damn gorgeous; how could a book about him afford to be unpretty?  So the people who put Yoshitaka Amano: Illustrations created a colorful and color-infused book that is befitting of an incredible artist, illustrator, and designer.

I must say that I am disappointed that there are no examples of Amano's early work on Speed Racer, nor are their any examples of Amano's work with Neil Gaiman on The Sandman.  The truth is that even this beautiful volume cannot capture the enormity of a talent like Yoshitaka Amano, nor the expanse of his output.  So, yeah, Yoshitaka Amano: Illustrations is a vivid teaser of a survey and overview that will encourage you the reader to go out and look for more.  I do want more.  Once again, VIZ Media has published a fantastic, high-quality art book.

A

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"


The text is copyright © 2016 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

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