Comic Book Review - I Am Iron Man #1

Rob reviews I Am Iron Man #1...

In honour of Iron Man's 60th anniversary, Murewa Ayodele, Dotun Akande, and Joe Caramagna, are delving into Tony Stark's psyche. Promising to explore the never before seen parts of Stark's Iron Man history, I Am Iron Man sets itself up to go to some interesting places. However, where the creative team show a very passionate understanding to Tony Stark's foibles, I Am Iron Man plays it relatively safe. 

With the mini-series planning to explore the past, this opening part has the unenviable task of setting it all up. While the trip down memory lane could be explained in a multitude of ways, Murewa Ayodele has decided to go into the absurd...heavy metal! Yes! You did read that right. Its as absurd as it sounds and really leans into how comic books are able to pull these crazy ideas. Not only is it actually a genius idea, it also gives Dotun Akande the scope to pull of some crazy heavy metal inspired art. 

As stories go, Ayodele's plans take a backseat across this issue as exposition takes the steering wheel. On one hand we get to see the openings of an Iron Man series from someone who clearly knows a lot about the character. But on the other, this is taken away due to information overload that's needed to get readers up to speed on what's going on. As such everything seems to have already fallen into place for Tony and the series' villain - especially as they both seem to know how the mini-series will end. While Ayodele could - and probably will - pull the rug out from under us with a cleaver missdirect, at the moment it's very safe. 

When it comes to art, Akande gives us a run of the mill superhero fare. As already mentioned, the heavy metal style does give plenty of scope to deliver some outlandish album cover art. However aside from a few "rock and roll" poses from the series villain, this notion fails to launch. But even as, Akande still puts on a spectical performance. The fight between friend and foe is well choreographed as Akande leans in on those familiar traits of Tony Stark, while letting lose with his portrayal of said villain. It's fun and bombastic, but not exactly the head-banging noise-fest the premise hints towards. 

Akande also opts for a muted colour pallette for I Am Iron Man #1. Again, there's nothing wrong with it, and during the quieter moments the soft tones allow for the human side of Tony to stand out. It just doesn't feel as vibrant as it could. 

While its an interesting premise, and the creative team have the understanding to certainly pulls it out of the bag. This opening puts a simmer on proceedings. In needing to get readers up to speed, I Am Iron Man #1 allows its exposition to take over from what could of been a thrilling rock-and-roll time travelling adventure. Here's hoping Murewa Ayodele really let's the sparks fly in issue #2. 

Rating: 7/10 

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