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Saturday 11 February 2017

Invincible Iron Man, Volume 2: The War Machines Review (Brian Michael Bendis, Mike Deodato Jr)


It’s the Brian Bendis Special: a paper-thin plot that would barely cover an issue stretched to book-length! 

Tony sends Rhodey to Japan to investigate some cyber ninjas but he goes missing. Then Tony and Spidey team up to find Rhodey and THEY go missing! OH MY G… who cares. This is just Bendis treading water until Civil War II.

Meanwhile, Tony’s courting Mary Jane Watson to be CEO of his company... why? Because she’s a redhead and he has a type. And the reformed Doctor Doom - who’s drawn EXACTLY like French actor Vincent Cassel for reasons unknown - is also stalking Tony, again for reasons unknown. Garbaaaaage, Mr Bendis you write garbaaaaaage comics! 

The only notable thing about this volume is the introduction of Riri Williams, a black teen girl who’s also a genius (who isn’t?) and who’s going to be the new Iron Man. She’s another slapped-together creation to make up the diversity numbers of Marvel’s titles because it’s important to look progressive these days, even when it’s only surface-level. 

Riri’s going to be called Ironheart which is funny because there’s a Japanese Iron Man parody-porno called Ironheart that Bendis/Marvel didn’t know about until after they made their announcement. They’re sticking with it though! 

Mike Deodato’s art is as tight and stellar as it always is and Bendis has nailed Robert Downey Jr’s voice in his Tony Stark, so there’s some enjoyment to be had with that at least. But The War Machines is mostly an unexciting, unmemorable and unenjoyable Iron Man book nobody need bother with.

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