The Invincible Iron Man - Director of Shield #27

Marvel Comics
The Invincible Iron Man - Director of Shield #27
By Hervé St-Louis
April 15, 2008 - 10:19

Marvel Comics
Writer(s): Daniel Knauf, Charles Knauf
Penciller(s): Carlo Pagulayan
Inker(s): Jeffrey Huet

Iron Man survived the EVH bomb that was released by SHIELD in the last issue only to find himself and all of SHIELD under arrest by the American Government for a possible terrorist strike against the United States of America. Can Tony Stark and the upper echelon of SHIELD defend themselves and clear their names in time to stop the menace of the Mandarin and the areal virus he is developing?

This issue continues the greater intrigue of political and world politics events mirrored in super heroics. This is what Iron Man is about and why this series is entertaining and worth picking up. The stakes are high and although much of the issue is about talking heads in committees deciding the fate of Iron Man and SHIELD, it is a powerful story that will lead to more high form challenges for Iron Man. Only another series could have world events so well represented and that is Captain America.

But while the Captain America series focuses on domestic issues and problems, Iron Man’s stakes are much higher and consistent to some of the most pivotal stories in the character’s history, such as the Armour Wars’. Having read Secret Invasion #1, there are some important elements to observe in this issue that will surely be mentioned in upcoming issues of Iron Man. At this point, I’m not sure how many levels of conspiracy exist in this story but they make Tony Stark, the man under the Iron Man suit a more convincing protagonist. When he looks like a villain in other series, that’s because in his own series, he’s faced with villainous acts so dangerous and despicable that his character has to be strong to overcome his opponents.

This issue, the artwork is not as good as the previous one. It’s not that Pagulayan is not a good artist. It’s the inking by Huet which is too light and does not allow Pagulayan’s natural beautiful compositions and fine figure drawings to shine. For a series like Daredevil, this style would have been suitable. But for Iron Man, this is too scratchy.