Like a pretty lady at a bar, Tony Stark’s exasperated by endless requests for his attention. Once more, a presidential administration seeks Stark’s aid in the country’s defense. But like the pretty lady, Stark wants no complications or regrets—just peace and distant admiration. Yet, in “The Best Defense: Acquisition,” by new creative team John Jackson Miller and Jorge Lucas, Stark learns that peace must be defended offensively.

Miller revisits one of Stark’s many plaguing dilemmas—how to balance his inventions’ destructiveness with their potential for good. Miller seems to understand Stark as the overly-flirty and ultra-confident billionaire with a redeeming touch of sympathetic hero. Unfortunately, the story’s pacing is mired in prolonged dialogue; when Stark meets with Captain America, the Captain is excessively nostalgic and preachy.

Skilled at depicting facial expressions, Lucas is promising for this story-arc which focuses on Stark as a plain-clothed politician. When first offered the position of weapon consultant, Stark’s face transforms from nonchalant to contemptuous, from whimsically flattered to staunchly decisive. Yet, once Stark dons the Iron Man suit to rescue a submarine crew, the armor and submarine are overly chunky and clunky.

Overall: B-