Superior Iron Man #1-3

Listen, I loved Superior Spider-Man as much as the next guy, but I find myself totally disengaged from the idea of seeing it all over again featuring Iron Man.

I was resistant to this relaunch for a few reasons. The main one is pretty shallow: I loved the black and gold Iron Man suit and I’m angry to see it already re-done with this silvery/white look. The dang suit looks like it is unfinished! At least add some red in there so we can get the Silver Centurion look back!

The second reason behind my trepidation for this title is the writer, Tom Taylor. I understand he’s written some DC books in recent years, but since my New 52 purge, I don’t read many DC books anymore. So he’s a totally unknown property for me at the moment.

After three issues, I think my initial assessment is correct. Taylor has some good ideas. Tony Stark is using Extremis as a body-morphing app to the city of San Francisco. The catch? He’s charging quite a bit for it. So much that people are forced to do just about anything to maintain their “perfect self” that Extremis brings about.

Needing a couple heroes to offset the still “Inverted” Iron Man (short version; Tony Stark turned evil in a recent Avengers storyline), Taylor enlists Daredevil and Pepper Potts. DD is living in San Francisco, so he makes sense as a low-powered but moral foil for Stark. Pepper seems to be more of the long-term hope for the book. Pepper is working with an older Iron Man suit to bring Tony back to himself.

If I were a betting man, this is a copy of Tony’s personality from years ago, and he’ll probably end up overwriting “modern” Tony. Long term, this will get him out of all those pesky New Avengers/Illuminati decisions and reset him as a Marvel Cinematic Universe-acting Iron Man. Synergy, people!

Taylor's strongest scene is actually with Daredevil rather than Iron Man. I'm not sure if that is good or bad, but the emotion in the scene as Matt Murdock's Extremis wears off is very moving. 

I’m not tremendously familiar with artist Yildray Cinar either. I’m not sure if it is his pencils or the inkers, but I’m getting a big Nelson vibe from the art (if you remember that other penciller). The characters are all sporting thick eyebrows and very strong facial expressions. The action is laid out nicely too, but man, some color on that suit would sure spice up this comic. I also like Cinar’s She-Hulk, too bad she has such a small part in the book.

This one is FAIR and getting put in the Marvel Unlimited category on my reading list. It is going to take a new suit of armor or a personality fix on Tony Stark to get me back monthly.