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Alex Maleev, Brian Michael Bendis, Doctor Doom, Infamous Iron Man, Infamous Iron Man #1, Invamous Iron Man #1 review, Iron Man, Marvel Comics, Marvel Now, Matt Hollingsworth, Tony Stark, Victor Von Doom
Infamous Iron Man #1
Review by Paul Bowler
Marvel’s bold Marvel Now iteration brings us Infamous Iron Man #1, the brand new ongoing series from the acclaimed Eisner Award winning team of Brian Michael Bendis and Alex Maleev. Yes, there’s a new Iron Man, and his name is… Victor Von Doom! That’s right, Doctor Doom, one of Marvel’s greatest villains, has decided to become something new, and to do that he must succeed where Tony Stark failed. But is there more to Doom’s plans, is he really a reformed character, and how will the world react to this new, infamous hero?
Ever since Victor Von Doom started turning up unannounced in Tony Stark’s life during the previous volume of Invincible Iron Man, the tumultuous events of Civil War II have had major consequences for Stark, and now Doom’s mysterious plan continues as he strives to reach even greater heights of power as Iron Man – but for what end?
Infamous Iron Man #1 starts off with a flashback to a shadow meeting of the dark Cabal fronted by Doom, and it’s a scene in which writer Brian Michael Bendis skilfully eschews the narrative via Doom’s POV, offering us an insightful glimpse into Victor’s inner motivations as Bendis seamlessly entwines the new status quo post Civil War II with the intriguing premise of this new series.
From there we are given a taste of the sublime blend of science, sorcery, and dry wit that will no doubt become the hallmark of this series as Victor’s character works towards assuming the mantle of Iron Man. Victor spends most of this issue keeping us, and everyone around him, unsure of his true motives, even when he performs good deeds, such as rescuing a high-ranking S.H.I.E.L.D operative with contemptuous ease from a former adversary, we are left with no doubt that Doom’s actions are still firmly in his own best interests. Its this mix of uncertainty and deceptive charm that makes Victor such a compelling and complex character, the brief interlude with Stark’s former girlfriend, Doctor Amara Perera, is also of note, as it offers some tantalizing snippets about what’s happened to Tony Stark and foreshadows Victor’s interested in Amara and her work.
Alex Maleev’s artwork perfectly encapsulates the mood and tone of Infamous Iron Man, right from the first page we experience the Doom of old, before the scene shifts dramatically into the rescue mission, and it is here that Maleev really excels in these dark shadowy moments as we see Victor confront and beat down a villain with a calculated use of technology and magic. The colors by Matt Hollingsworth bring accentuated flourishes and tone to every moment, picking out striking hues of light and energy that punctuates the darkness. The scenes with Amara and Victor in the University of Cambridge seem bright and breezy by comparison, there’s an ever-loving-blue-eyed special guest appearance to watch out for, and Maleev and Hollingsworth engineer a classy build up to the inevitable moment when Doom finally gets to suit up as Iron Man.
Brian Michael Bendis keeps us guessing almost until the end of Infamous Iron Man #1 before we begin to get more insight into what has happened to Tony Stark, it’s cleverly done too, and turns out to be something that bizarrely manages to be both expected and unexpected all at the same time. If anything, the scenes that lead up to Victor donning his Iron Man armor feels almost underplayed to deliberately keep us on the back foot.
Infamous by name and infamous by nature, as first issues go, Infamous Iron Man #1 gets everything off to a good enough start. I guess maybe I was just expecting Doom’s debut as the Infamous Iron Man to be a little more exciting than it actually turned out to be. Still, that killer surprise ending certainly puts a whole new spin on things, offering up lot of potential, and hopefully the series can be infamous enough to live up to it.
Publisher: Marvel / Writer: Brian Michael Bendis
Art: Alex Maleev / Colors: Matt Hollingsworth
Letterer and Production: VC’s Clayton Cowles
Cover by: Alex Maleev
Good stuff! As you know, I liked it. Hoping there is a little more action the next issue.
Cheers! Yes, this was a good start for Infamous Iron Man, will be interesting to see how it develops 🙂
I hope so too but I have faith in Bendis and Maleev and can’t wait to see how this series unfolds!
Very excited to see how Infamous Iron Man evolves, sure there are exciting times ahead.
Some good thoughts Paul, I reviewed the first issue myself last week:
https://geekbloggeruk.wordpress.com/2016/10/23/comic-review-infamous-iron-man-1/
Overall a good, if slow start but I found the same with International Iron Man but I grew accustomed to Bendis’ approach to that title and have complete faith that he (along with Alex Maleev) has great things in store for Iron-Doom!
Yes, International Iron Man took a little while to hit its stride. I think Infamous Iron Man has lots of potential as well, I’m sure Bendis and Maleeve will have some great stories lined up for Doom! Cheers, glad you enjoyed the review 🙂
The way you describe this issue reminds me of Superior Spider-Man in all the right ways. I might have to check this out after November ends.
Yes, there are certain similarities with that concept. This was a good start to Infamous Iron Man, hopefully it will be able to live up to its potential.
Yes, hopefully, because Dr. Doom taking over as Iron Man has so much potential, whether he’s trying to be a hero or not.
Indeed, Doom is such a great character, this shows a whole new side to him. Will be interesting to see how the rest of the Marvel universe react to his new role.