Another Reason to Like Warren Ellis

By -
TPB:  The Invincible Iron Man: Extremis Vol. 1 (#1-6)
Writer:  Warren Ellis
Artist: Adi Granov
Price:  $14.99

I have never collected Iron Man books and he’s never been one of the characters I’ve particularly cared about.  Fortunately, even someone who has never even heard of Iron Man before can pick up and enjoy Extremis.  Warren Ellis succeeds in creating a new origin story for the character (one that was later adapted for the first Iron Man movie) and augmenting his suit’s powers.  Extremis has since been adapted to a motion comic and has been hailed as one of the best Iron Man arcs in years. 

A biomedical device that can create super soldiers has gone missing and Tony Stark is called in to help find it.  The narrative of Tony’s life up to this point unfolds organically through a conversation between him and two colleagues, as the talk wheels around from philosophy to psychedelics.  However, you won’t need a bucket of hallucinogenics (the unit of measurement known in the industry as a “Morrison”) to follow the tale as it never becomes spacey or disjointed. 

The art in Extremis is amazingly detailed and clean whether depicting the grandeur of the Iron Man suit or the goopyness of a head exploding.  Granov, who usually does cover work, seems to have put the same level of detail into each and every panel as he would an entire cover.  The result is a comic that looks like an oil painting.

Extremis is a great trade to pick up because it requires no prior knowledge of the character and is beautifully illustrated.  While there is sure to be newer and newer armor ad infinitum (and Hulkbuster armor too, if we’re lucky!), Ellis masterfully makes this upgrade feel like a real change not only for Iron Man but for Stark as well. 

 Final rating (out of 5): 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Robert Kirkman: Invincible, Walking Dead, Wolf-Man

By -
Image
I wasn't actually a huge fan of Robert Kirkman when I first started reading his books.  He was competent, sure, but I didn't see the appeal-- The Irredeemable Ant-Man was a boring side story in the middle of  Civil War and  The Initiative (although I've since changed my mind about this), and his  Ultimate X-Men run was, in many places, a mixed bag (although I did very much enjoy his "Phoenix?" storyline).  And  Marvel Zombies  just seemed like a ridiculous idea--not that I bothered to try it at the time. Now, though?  I've completely reevaluated my opinion on his work, and when his name is attached to a project, I'm far more likely to give it a look.  I don't know if I'd classify him as a master storyteller or a comics icon--but he's very skilled, he has an incredible knack for dialog, and he writes stories that, no matter how ridiculous, seem real .  In a medium where characters frequently violate the rules of physics, that's not alway
Read more

more random readings from May 2009

By pghhead -
Image
What else did I finish reading last month?  Here’s a cross-section of various titles . . . . . . . . . WITCHBLADE #126 “War Of The Witchblade Part 2” by Ron Marz and Stejepan Sejic  (Top Cow/Image) Preface:  Now here’s an interesting concept! = In order to attract new readers to its’ titles Top Cow is giving out free books each month as part of it’s Let Us Win You Over project.  ( www.topcow.com/freecomics )  Every month it’s a different title. And they work through different comics shops each month as well.  In April the title was Witchblade #126 and one of the participating dealers was Captain Blue Hen Comics in Newark, DE (my preferred supplier) so voila! - - - I find a copy in my hands. Since the last time I explored the Witchblade series the mythology has expanded to a battle between the forces of light and dark with each side choosing its agents on Earth, hence the Darkness vs. the Witchblade.  I’m still not overly interested in this type of fare on a regular basis, but
Read more

INDIE COMICS: Huffin’ & puffin’ B.B. Wolf’s got the blues

By pghhead -
Image
BB WOLF AND THE THREE LPs  (Top Shelf, May 2010 hardcover, black & white, 86 pages,   $12.95)  As told by JD Arnold with illustrations by Richard Koslowski What got my attention immediately was the pairing up of a classic fairy tale with musical motifs.  That’s a combination that pushes two of my “hot buttons” - -  so I made it a must-read.  I was not disappointed.  This is a very entertaining and cleverly designed work that rivals Bill Willingham’s  creativity on the long-running FABLES series from Vertigo. As if taking the classic tale of the Big Bad Wolf and the Three Little Pigs and turning it upside down wasn’t enough to interest, BB WOLF AND THE THREE LPS  serves as an allegory for the oppression of  the black population in the deep South (Mississippi) in the 1920’s.  While they may be free (wolves),  the governing bodies (pigs) have the power to deny them their land, homes and possessions and even own the businesses and clubs they patronize as well as the shops they d
Read more