| Title | : | The Invincible Iron Man, Volume 1: The Five Nightmares |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 0785134603 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9780785134602 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Hardcover |
| Number of Pages | : | 184 |
| Publication | : | First published December 17, 2008 |
| Awards | : | Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards Best New Series (2009) |
Collecting: Invincible Iron Man 1-7
The Invincible Iron Man, Volume 1: The Five Nightmares Reviews
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Bold story arc to start the title
I got this in its single issues but I chose this edition to be able to do a better overall review.
I AM IRON MAN
This title was a kinda of "reboot" of the ongoing Invincible Iron Man doing it as a smart marketing strategy to take advantage of the huge success of the first live-action film of Iron Man.
So, the title gets a treatment of #1 numbered issue "starting" again the title to encourage new readers to get into the comic books of Iron Man, and...
...it worked! At least with me!
Since indeed I couldn't resist to start to buy the comic books since indeed Iron Man became finally a great character to be recognized. To be honest, I started to respect him on the Civil War event where he showed that he wasn't only a rich guy in an armor suit but the great strategist of the Marvel Universe.
Of course, while this was a "reboot" of the title, they couldn't avoid that the life of Iron Man aka Tony Stark was a very complicated one: A super-hero on his own, an Avenger member, CEO of Stark Industries AND Director of SHIELD!
So, it was a smart move to this "introductory" story arc in comic books to use as villain to Ezekiel Stane, son of Obadiah Stane, in that way, the audience only familiarized with the first film were able to get the next best thing since Obadiah Stane was dead in the comic book universe (not like something that could stopped to some "creative" writer to resurrect the original Obadiah, but thank goodness they took a good decision use his son).
The Five Nightmares is a great arc, well thought since this title came out just after of the success of the film of Iron Man, so it´s no wonder that the main villain is a son of Obadiah Stane to help new readers, fans of the film to catch appeal to the title. Also, it´s very interesting to see Tony on his multiple roles not only as the hero Iron Man, but also CEO of Stark Industries and Director of SHIELD.
THE FIVE NIGHTMARES
You know besides that it was kinda odd to have seven issues in a storyline called The Five Nightmares (It was like when they did seven issues for The Ultimate Six mini-series) but okay, I understand that nowadays, six/seven are the "magical" numbers to develop story arcs thinking in the following TPB and being able to pricing it.
However, besides that odd numbering, the first issue is masterfully written and with a impacting artwork.
Matt Fraction, the writer, and Salvador Larroca, the illustrator, were a heck of creative team, without a question doing a masterpiece on thar first issue.
But while the first issue should be included in any Top100 of the best single comic book issues, the rest of the story arc isn't geting too behind, since indeed the whole arc of The Five Nightmares is a truly remarkable story arc, smart, awesome science-fiction, intense drama and full of entertaining.
AN IRON MAN ISN'T AN ISLAND
Matt Faction not only did a good use of Marvel related characters but also he was not fearful of to use real names of countries to make more valid all the international stuff mentioned on the story.
I like that Matt Faction chose the 4th issue of this "rebooted" title to make a cameo of Mister Fantastic. (Did you get it, right?) It's the cool thing to do. However I can't believe that Tony Stark could beat in multiple boards of chess to Reed Richards.
True, I am more fan of FF than Iron Man but still think that Reed Richards should be able to sweep the floor on chess to anybody even Tony Stark. But I suppose than being only a guest character on the title should affect who is the winner of the matches.
It was excellent to see how Maria Hill and Pepper Potts took relevant roles in the way of how Tony has to deal with this crisis.
Maybe my only complain (without doing any spoiler) I was kinda of disappointed with the ending. I mean, even me I would think of the way that Tony would "shut down" to combat the emergencies and I am not Tony Stark. I can't do an arc reactor... in a cave!!!
So, I expected something more imaginative to solve the final crisis in the arc.
Still it was a fair ending but kinda lacking of imagination, taking in account the incredible rush of the rest of the story arc.
Once the main event finished, the seventh issue is an aftermath involving Spider-man that it wasn't in the same peak of intense drama as the main event but still a cool fair reading.
Indeed, this TPB is a great reading and a great point to "jump in" to the modern line of comic books involving the character of Iron Man. -
This may or may not have been a buddy read with my bestest pal,
Anne. I've lost track.
Tony Stark painted his original grey armor yellow because the grey one was scary and it made some kid cry. If that happened in his current capacity as director of SHIELD, he’d lock the little crybaby away in the Negative Zone for twenty years.
And he makes little kids cry
Crazy dads and even crazier kids. Obadiah Stane, bald, Iron Monger, dead because of Tony Stark (sort of). Ezekiel Stane, his son, not bald, genius, crazy as a loon and gunning for Ironman, because this is what the offspring of super villains do. It’s hot wired in their DNA.
Matt Fraction not only did wonders reviving the Ironman books but also in rehabilitating the character’s image to bring it more in line with his cinematic portrayal. He’s still an ass, but the reader no longer feels the urge to kick him in the nuts. Pepper Potts also gets a welcome upgrade as well from secretary/hanger on to fully fleshed out interesting character. Yay! -
The 5 nightmares of Tony Stark:
1) Running out of WD-40.
2) Getting the blue screen of death in mid-flight.
3) Having a bad case of food poisoning kick in and not being able to get out of the armor before a very unpleasant incident occurs.
4) Paternity lawsuits.
5) Robert Downey Jr. decides to quit playing Iron Man in the movies.
OK, actually the five nightmares that Tony tells us about in the narration of this mostly revolve around the loss of control of the Iron Man technology. Unfortunately, Ezekiel Stane (Son of old Iron Man enemy Obadiah.) has figured out a way to use black market Stark tech to turn people into powerful living bombs and is selling it to any fanatical group with the cash. As Stark runs a worldwide manhunt to find Stane and shut him down, he’s becoming increasingly aware that he may have let a fairly nasty genie out of the bottle when he created Iron Man.
This title was launched after the first movie hit it big, and its quality superhero story telling. It occurs during the phase when Stark was director of SHIELD following Marvel’s Civil War, and the story of Tony juggling the duties of running the agency while being Iron Man and trying improve the world via innovations at his company was very entertaining. This was a time when Tony wasn’t very well liked by his fellow superheroes, and there’s also a nice bit with Thor and a story with Spider-Man that plays off that angle.
The core story about Stark being horrified about how his tech has slipped beyond his control and what it’s being used for was very well done, and Fraction adds a lot of nice little character moments like when Tony goes into space and help fixes a damaged space shuttle only to be deeply disappointed later when he doesn’t get to watch it land as he had planned when SHIELD duties pull him elsewhere. It’s the little touches like that and the first person narration that Fraction uses that gives us a good look at the guy in the suit. -
Buddy read with
The Jeff.
His review is *sigh* better than mine, so you may want to check it out.
*There may be some spoilers in this*
Anyway, this is a re-read for me, and I have to admit I wasn't as awe-struck this time around. My original rating was 5 stars, but I'm letting it stand, because this was such an awesome introduction to the character for me at the time.
The premise is that Tony has 5 Worst Case Scenarios buzzing around in the back of his mind, when it comes to his Iron Man tech.
And along comes Ezekiel Stane to bring them to life.
Stane Jr. is the son of (you guessed ti) Obadiah Stane, and he blames Tony for his dear old Dad's untimely demise.
Also, he's batshit crazy...
He's come up with a way to re-purposestolensalvaged Stark-tech, and turn himself in a living weapon.
Oh, and for a small fee, he's turning terrorists into not-so-living weapons.
Ouch!
One of those terrorist attacks nearly kills Pepper, and the only way to keep her alive happens to be...you guessed it again!...by putting one of those handy-dandy arc reactors in her chest.
If I'm remembering correctly, she'll end up in a suit called Rescue.
Totally think she should have gone with Iron Maiden, though.
So.
As the story progresses, Stane continually figures out new ways to up his power levels. At first, he's all normal looking.
He's got zappy-hands and a nice healing factor.
But that's never enough for guys like this is it?
And within the span of a few issues, he's jacked up his boyish good looks...
Moral of the Story:
The more evil you become, the more hair you will lose.
So.
Every time you see a bald guy, punch him.
Obviously, they deserve it, or they'd still have some hair left, right? -
A lot of nice Tony / Pepper scenes in The Five Nightmares, and an especially effective final chapter featuring guest appearances by Peter Parker / Spider-Man and veteran reporter Ben Urich.
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Reread: 08/11/2022
I am reading it again and omg I just love it, one of the greatest Iron man stories easily and the battle between Tony and Ezekiel here is so fun, Tony's nightmare becomes real of his tech falling into the wrong hands and Zeke is such a good contrast to Tony like here's this guy who suffered because of him and well he is not forgetting it because of what Tony did to his father, and then you have the sociopathic tendencies of him and it makes for a great battle and high stakes and really just one of the best Iron man stories ever and add to it the art of Larocca which is just amazing here!!
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This was so good!
I loved this one! It starts with Tony being the SHIELD boss and well going up against different threats and like having these nightmares and fears but when Ezekiel Stane, the son of his old enemy Iron monger returns its upto him to stop this guy and well prevent the destruction of his facilities around the world and the killing of people who're turning into well human bombs and we follow this journey of him throughout the world and its so cool to see. It was like one of my favorite origin stories of a villain, great motives and also Sasha Hammer!
And finally the team up of Spidey and Tony to take down some weird villain was okayish and you can see the pressure Tony is feeling and well feel for him, the king with the responsibility of the world and how he handles it and how he copes with this nightmare. This is an introspective issue and just so good and well done and a big win for Marvel as this starts one of the best Iron man runs ever! So well done and the art is fascinating and some panels are so well laid out, makes it easier to follow the story! -
I’m not going to list exactly what the five nightmares of the title are because they’re kind of the same thing - basically, Tony loses control of the Iron Man tech, they proliferate, and it gets used for evil. And whaddayaknow? It comes true. The son of Obadiah Stane (Jeff Bridges in the first Iron Man movie) goes nuts like his dad and uses his genius to subvert Stark Tech, incorporate it into his body alongside Extremis and becomes a terrorist out to sink Stark Enterprises and kill Tony.
Matt Fraction’s an ok writer. I like his Fantastic Four stuff he’s doing at the moment and I’ve heard nothing but good things about Hawkeye which I can’t wait to read, but he also wrote some pretty terrible stuff in the 2007-10 period when this book is set, like his godawful Punisher and the brainless Fear Itself Event. Invincible Iron Man falls somewhere in the middle. It’s not terrible but it’s not that great either.
For me the best representation of Tony Stark has always been Warren Ellis’ version from Extremis, Ultimate Human and Ultimate Armor Wars. His Tony is witty and pervy in just the right amounts, but also charming, funny and real. Fraction’s Stark is a one-note character who’s really kinda boring. He’s the embodiment of liberal American attitudes from the Bush era where he feels he has to constantly apologise for all the suffering around the world as he feels somewhat responsible for it. Nice of you to acknowledge but it just doesn’t make for a particularly likeable or interesting character.
Extremis makes an appearance because that’s basically the best Iron Man book ever written and I think Marvel want to milk it for what’s it worth, but it’s not original, nor is Tony worrying about losing control of his tech which seems to be central to any number of Iron Man stories.
Salvador Larrocca’s art is also very unimpressive. It’s very heavily dependent upon computer imaging and it feels very polished and clean. It’s so generic and bland that, while it looks professional, it also looks lifeless and dull. There was nothing about it that made me enjoy whatever I was looking at.
Iron Man is a surprisingly hard character to write. I was thinking about all of the Iron Man books out there and there is literally only one I could say is flawless - Extremis. Check that out for how Iron Man should be written but be warned - it will make you unsatisfied with every other Iron Man you read afterwards. Once you go Ellis you can never go back. -
So on the quest to find a Iron Man comic I'll love. Did Matt Fraction's critically acclaimed series do it for me? No.
Saying that though this is still pretty fun. So Tony is trying his best to run Shield (This right before he loses all control) while also dealing with his past sins (because those never go away after being a arms dealer who indirectly killed hundreds). In doing so we have a old face, well kind of, a son of a old villain who decides to use Stark's tech to kill a lot of people. In this, Stark must fight back, but not in combat. Well, kind of combat. But a lot of smarts.
Good: Tony's ideas and plans are different than most heroes but it works well. I really liked the art, some shots are fantastic. I also really enjoyed Pepper's relationship with Tony here, it's both sweet and interesting.
Bad: The storyline and villain can be overstuffed and little long. I got bored at the baddies motivation and monologues.
Overall this is a fun Iron Man story but I've read a lot of that. I thought Bendis run was fun too even if short. So still on the search for amazing but this isn't bad. I'll read a few more volumes! A 3 out of 5. -
SUPER FAST REVIEW:
Kinda mixed thoughts here.
On one hand the story is interesting, there are some good action scenes and a few good comic relief moments. The Tony and Pepper chemistry is pretty nice.
On the other hand the villain is kinda lame and it’s often kinda slow for a Marvel superhero adventure. It’s also pretty predictable. Also notable that a dog dies, in a story where a dog dies someone needs to as I put it “John Wick a motherfucker”... there was no John Wick-ing of motherfuckers.
The art is mixed. Some panels look amazing and perfect, some others look absolutely terrible.
Well, the last half is better than the first half so I will read volume 2 and there are some things I like about this comic but it’s nothing particularly good.
3/5 -
3 and 1/2 stars
Iron "deus ex machina" Man no es uno de mis personajes Marvel preferidos, pero reconozco que el guion y dibujo de este tomo están bastante bien. Debería leer como continúa la serie para valorar debidamente el planteamiento de Fraction con el personaje. -
Meh. 2.5 stars.
Reread I enjoyed this one more this time around. I don't necessarily love Tony as director of S.H.I.E.L.D. but still a good volume. -
I still havent found an Iron Man comic that Ive loved. In saying that i havent read a tonne. Keep getting put off
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Хубава плътна история за глобален тероризъм, базиран върху технологиите на компания Старк. Издразниха ме само захаросаният пацифизъм на Тони и мазното му мустаче, "пуснато" от художника Салвадор Ларока.
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This was my 2nd time reading this, the beginning of the Invincible Iron Man series written by Matt Fraction. I think I underestimated it before...this is the beginning of what turns out to be quite a series. Here Ezekiel Stane, yes, son of that Stane, uses old Stark tech to set off suicide bombers all over the world, and the only way Tony can stop him ends up starting his own downward spiral. Also featuring Spider Man in an appearance when he's actually a wanted criminal (Registration Act)...A great set up to what's a great run on a great character's newest adventures. Highly recommended, and please start here and go in order.
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This book was a blast! Superb writing and absolutely brilliant art! Highly recommended to those not averse to the ol' superhero genre! This was an exciting read, takes off nicely from roughly where the first "Iron Man" film ends. I am tempted to give this 5 stars as I enjoyed it so much, but I am trying to reserve 5 stars for more "life changing" books.
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This was such an amazing run for Iron Man. Fraction's take on Tony Stark is honestly one of the best I've read. Pepper Potts is given amazing depth and characterization and she's definitely not what you'd consider a background character. I'd recommend anyone to give this a shot.
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This compendium was stunning in terms of both writing and art. The tone definitely takes its cues from the insanely successful "Iron Man" film series, so as long as you're among the 98.7% of people who enjoy those you should enjoy Matt Fraction's take on Tony S. as well.
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Las cinco pesadillas es el primer arco de una nueva colección protagonizada por Iron Man que supuso como un nuevo comienzo del personaje. Después de un renovado interés gracias a Civil War, el inminente estreno de su adaptación cinematográfica llevó a Marvel a pensar, con acierto, que mucho lector casual querría zambullirse en las aventuras de Tony Stark y qué mejor que hacerlo con una historia muy accesible que pudiera disfrutar cualquiera que hubiera visto la primera entrega de la trilogía con Robert Downey Jr. a la cabeza. Las cinco pesadillas es ideal en ese sentido, ya que no hay que tener un gran bagaje previo del personaje y de Los Vengadores en sí para entender la historia y además el villano de la función es Ezekiel Stane, el hijo de Obadiah, con lo cual sirve más o menos de nexo con el film.
Tony, director del conglomerado de industrias Stark y también director de SHIELD, se enfrenta a su mayor pesadilla: una célula terrorista está sembrando el caos y la destrucción con bombas humanas que se basan en la tecnología de Iron Man. El perpretador es ni más ni menos que Ezekiel Stane, que quiere vengar la muerte de su padre y destruir por completo a Tony Stark: no solo acabar con su vida sino también con todo su imperio.
Matt Fraction, con el dibujo del español Salvador Larroca, nos ofrece un thriller tecnológico muy completo que toca temas muy actuales como el terrorismo, el capitalismo, y la complejidad de hacer lo correcto, que a veces lleva a sacrificar cosas de uno mismo irremediablemente. El título hace muy buen trabajo mostrando todo el peso que lleva Tony sobre los hombros, que incluso desviviéndose por dejar su pasado armamentístico y su alcoholismo atrás se le sigue considerando como un perrito faldero del gobierno y un cerdo capitalista por los eventos que se producieron en Civil War; no solo eso, sino que desde el mismo SHIELD le echan en cara que no les proporcione la tecnología que utiliza en Iron Man y que se guarda para sí, pese al riesgo que correrían si esa tecnología cayera en malas manos.
Las cinco pesadillas es una magnífica reintroducción a un personaje que es mucho más que el playboy ricachón que le gusta jugar con armaduras, que juega muy bien con los tormentos que padece Stark día a día y que cualquier fan casual podrá disfrutar sin temor a tener que actualizarse con décadas de material. Además, el capítulo con Spider-man es una auténtica delicida.
Y, si uno ha visto todas las películas, reconocerá muchos elementos de este arco en Iron Man 3. -
Ето на! 30 тома! Върховната колекция графични романи на Marvel официално достигна своята половина! И с това издание се връщаме към един от най-популярните герои на издателството – Железния човек. Книжката съдържа първите 7 броя от стартираната през 2008 г. поредица „Непобедимия Железен човек“ и представя почти самостоятелна история. Казвам „почти“, защото макар сюжетът да може да не е особено зависим от предходни истории, все пак има препратки към тях – като почнем от издадения вече „Екстремис“, събитията от „Войната на героите“ и се върнем още по-назад във времето, към годините, в които Джим Роудс (Бойната машина) носи бронята на Железния, тъй като Тони се бори с алкохолизма, и машинациите на Обадая Стейн – Железния магнат (който феновете на кино вселената на Marvel ще помнят от първата екранизация, където е изигран от Джеф Бриджис). В основата си, „Петте кошмара“ е история колкото за отмъщение, толкова и за загърбване на миналото. От едната страна имаме Езекил Стейн – синът на покойния бизнес съперник на Тони Старк, решен да поквари технологията на Железния човек и да я използва, за да сее хаос и разруха и да срине империята на човека, убил баща му. От друга страна имаме самият Тони Старк – решен всячески да използва всичките си ресурси, за да помогне на света и да се реваншира, доколкото е възможно, за кръвта, пролята от оръжия на компанията му. Прочетете ревюто на „Книжни Криле”:
https://knijnikrile.wordpress.com/202... -
A reread of one of my favourite graphic novels. This was one of the first Iron Man graphic novels I read and got me into the comic version of the character after seeing the first Iron Man film.
The Five Nightmares is a great jumping on point for the character. There is no reworking of an origin story, so if you want, you won’t find it here. Instead we find a Tony Stark juggling many different responsibilities. From head of Stark Industries, director of SHIELD and of course Iron Man.
The central plot centres on Stark’s concern that his technology will fall into the wrong hands. Enter Ezekiel Stane, son of Iron Man villain Obadiah Stane/Iron Monger. Stane wants revenge on Stark and is going to make Stark’s nightmares come true.
This is by no means a light hearted graphic novel. The subject matter becomes quite dark, including terrorism and suicide bombers.
We do get some guest characters appear, including a great one in the final part that brings a bit of light heartedness to the story. The Five Nightmares is also a great self contained storyline, it actually gets a conclusion here. However if memory serves me correctly it is well worth diving into the rest of this Iron Man run.
Artwork is fantastic throughout, from the designs of the Iron Man armour to the details on characters faces and expressions. You can really see the emotion in the characters faces.
I highly recommend reading this if you are a fan of the Iron Man character. Especially if you haven’t read any of the comic material, this is a great place to start. -
Uno de los tantos reinicios que tienen las series de superhéroes en EEUU, esta sirve como punto de entrada para todos aquellos que se entusiasmaron con el personaje en la primera de sus películas y sirve -mucho- de base para lo que luego será Iron Man 3. La historia engancha con el momento que Tony Stark era director de SHIELD y todavía anda rumiando los resultados de la Guerra Civil (que en las historietas, no olvidemos, terminó con el Capitán América muerto). En su camino aparece un nuevo enemigo, Ezekiel Stane, hijo de su viejo rival (socio en el cine) Obadiah Stane, quien busca -cuando no- venganza por la muerte de su padre y es un genio tremendo, despiadado y blablabla. Lo positivo primero: Fraction escribe muy bien. Por tanto, a pesar de ser una historia bastante del montón e incluso algo superficial, es muy entretenida de leer. Lo que le juega en contra es que el Iron Man de las historietas (particularmente en este momento de las historietas) estaba lejísmos de ser tan simpático como el Iron Man del cine y, por tanto, tiene que remar con un personaje que está a 5 cms de ser un villano o un desalmado insoportable que mide todo en guita (como queda en evidencia en el capítulo final de este volumen, con su cruce con Spiderman). Así, la saga del enfrentamiento con Ezekiel (a quien no dudamos nunca que vencerá) transcurre bastante fríamente (y se desvía al pedo varias veces, ¿qué carajo importan los superhéroes filipinos?) en lo que no lo ayuda en nada el dibujo del español Larroca. En serio ¿qué le pasó a Larroca? Yo recuerdo trabajos hiperpersonales en su país natal y momentos muy buenos en sus primeros trabajos de superhéroes. Pero lo que hace acá -funcional, digamos, eso no cabe duda- es un arte sin sentimiento ni demasiada alma. Algo hiperrealista y frío, que no transmite -a mí, claro- nada. No está mal este Iron Man no, pero no siempre se encuentran joyitas perdidas leyendo al tuntún superhéroes, no.
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The writing is on par with the rest of Fraction's early Marvel stuff, which means its solid and a little bit more thoughtful than a lot of mainstream comics writing, but not yet up to the levels he'd later reach with Hawkeye, The FF, or Sex Criminals. My biggest problem with this book is Salvador Larroca's art, which is aggressively, offensively ugly. Characters' faces look like they're made out of silly putty, and their clothes hang suspended over them like a paper doll's clothing. Plus, everybody's skin has a bizarre, spray-tanned hue to it. I'm interested in reading this long series (11 tpbs!) to get a look at Fraction's development as a writer, but the art might make me bail...
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Aj keď sólovky s Iron-Manom nemajú najlepšiu povesť, séria Matta Fractiona je OK. Po scenáristickej stránke vcelku dobre napísaný supehrdinský mainstream, avšak zbytočne natiahnutý na sedem čísel. Dobrý pocit z komiksu zráža aj kresba, resp. digitálny coloring, ktorý miestami vyzerá ako nepodarený fanart z DeviantArtu. Thor vyzerá ako neslávne známa freska Ježiša, ktorú svojho času “zreštaurovala” Cecilia Giménez. Ako toto môže prejsť schvaľovaním?
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A Fraction y Larroca les dieron la tarea de hacer un título de Marvel que tuviera más o menos el mismo "ambiente" de las películas, y este es el resultado. Si bien hay algunas cosas un poco distintas a las pelis, como que Stark es bastante más serio, Fraction cumple con el objetivo y, además, nos entrega una historia con muy buen ritmo y un villano que realmente parece una amenaza para Iron Man. Larroca es un excelente dibujante, a pesar de algunos momentos en donde el dibujo es un poco flojo.
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The original run of these stories was published around the time the first Iron Man movie came out. I'd never heard of Iron Man before the movie trailer. Trying to read this now, with RDJ firmly cemented in my mind as the character, was a no-go. I found it depressing and irritating. Maybe the current state of the world has something to do with my reaction, too.
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I feel like this could have been part of the inspiration for the writers of Iron Man 3 - there were a lot of similarities here plot and character wise. Well rounded and it all wrapped up nicely with the epilogue
3.5 stars -
¿A quién no le caía mal Tony Stark tras la Civil War? Recordemos que este millonario, playboy y filántropo se había convertido en partidario del Acta de Registro que obligaba a los superhéroes a desvelar su identidad, hecho que le enfrentó al Capitán América. Al final, Stark conseguiría vencer y convertirse en director de S.H.I.E.L.D. (un pluriempleo pese a todas las jugarretas que le habían hecho los amigos- entonces enemigos- de Nick Furia). Es decir, Tony te caía mal pese a que su posición fuese lógica. ¿Por qué? Porque se había llegado a comportar como un hipócrita, había traicionado ese espíritu de “paso de S.H.I.E.L.D.” y lo peor condujo al Universo Marvel a una de las situaciones más raras vividas en los últimos años: el supervillano es el de menos, lo mejor es pelearse entre nosotros[1]. Y además, es rico y famoso. Odiable vaya.
El guionista Matt Fraction y el dibujante Salvador Larroca tenían una difícil tarea por delante en 2008. Sin embargo, gracias a que se les dio cierta carta blanca, inauguraron toda una etapa que duró años. En parte, el éxito de la película Iron Man consiguió que muchos fans volviésemos a ver a Tony Stark como alguien más majo de lo que había sido, pero ¿cómo lograr eso en el cómic?
Fraction y Larroca debían seguir el camino de Warren Ellis inaugurado con Extremis, es decir, relanzar y hacer renacer a un personaje que pocas veces había gozado del amor de los fans. De ahí que Las Cinco Pesadillas tenga bastante de introductorio y una buena idea: conocer a Iron Man a través de sus mayores miedos.
Toda la historia gira en torno a Ezekiel Stane, hijo de Obadiah (enemigo de Stark), que busca vengarse de Iron Man y, para ello, usa la tecnología de Stark haciendo atentados por todo el mundo. Un genio criminal que busca acabar con Iron Man de la forma más certera posible y destruir así también el legado de Tony Stark, que deberá enfrentarse a temores como perder a sus amigos y compañeros a la vez que S.H.I.E.L.D. hace lo que mejor se le da: estar fastidiando todo el rato con María Hill a la cabeza.
Seguramente el ritmo no termina de acompañar a esta aventura, aunque Fraction intente dejar claro todos los puntos y cumplir con una historia sencilla que sabe más al nuevo lector que seguramente al más veterano, que ha visto conceptos tocados ya en otros momentos y etapas de Iron Man (y sí, esto se hace mucho, pero ya que estamos se le podría ofrecer algo más).
Por otro lado, el dibujo de Larroca se muestra espectacular en muchos puntos como la destrucción de cierta ciudad con la que el dibujante tiene mucha relación. Aunque quizás el uso de fotos para ciertos fondos (como los cielos) o algún personaje que aparece algo estático, no termine de enganchar aunque cumpla (y cumplió durante muchos y muchos cómics más, de forma mensual).
Seguramente, lo mejor es ese desenlace donde Iron Man reconoce lo que debe ser para triunfar sobre sus amenazas y puede que no sea algo tan positivo como cabría esperar. No obstante, no será la primera vez (ni la última) que el Cabeza de Lata cruce la línea.
La Cinco Pesadillas al menos cumplió en algo básico: la serie continuó. Si hubiera sido una obra terrible, no hubiera seguido vendiendo y eso se puede ver contando todos los cómics que vinieron después.
Acción, aventuras, exploración y nueva presentación del personaje, aunque no roce niveles de otras grandes obras. De eso va Las Cinco Pesadillas y en parte consiguió el objetivo: Iron Man ya no caía tan mal.
[1] Y ahora que lo pienso, una de las cosas buenas de la etapa de JMS en Thor fue cuando el dios nórdico le dio una paliza a Iron Man por todo el tema del clon. Otro motivo más para que te cayese mal: Iron Man con su amiguito Reed creando monstruos cual Victor Von Doom. -
Erik Larsen ruined this for me. Well, not directly but just something he said recently on Twitter. He was talking about his comic 'The Savage Dragon' and how as it was set in real time, he had no time to waste. Everything had to move plot and/or character forward.
So that was very much in my head when reading this. And it's true even if your character isn't in real time. Everything should be moving plot and/or character forward and this.... doesn't. Matt Fraction has a good story here about Tony Stark's fear of a)losing control of his tech (building on Armour Wars) and b)finding out the next generation is better (and therefore worse) than him. The problem stems from Ezekiel 'Zeke' Stane, son of Obadiah, who is incredibly smart and at least as amoral/psychotic as his father. He plans to ruin Tony completely and yadda yadda father issues yadda yadda kids of today etc etc.
If it seems like I skipped over fleshing that sentence out that then that's exactly how I felt reading this. It's long but we don't get real insight into Stane. He's just a plot device to mirror Tony and that's slightly frustrating. No one is really fleshed out apart from Pepper who suffers an injury that causes her to understand Tony in a new way. And the great Tony Stark is.... pretty much just the same. I'd kind of forgive it if it was 4 issues but it's 6 (with an additional epilogue to make 7). And that isn't the big problem.
The big problem is the art which is stiff, lifeless and lacking in energy and motion. It kills the pacing and 'acting' of the characters which doesn't help the story at all. The colouring feels very muted as well which makes it look a little boring.
Not a fan, but your mileage may vary.
