Hello Mother. I’m Tony
Written by: Brian Michael Bendis
Art by: Alex Maleev, Paul Mounts, VC's Clayton Cowles
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: July 27, 2016
Okay I’ll be honest. I love Iron Man. I love his attitude, his backstory, and obviously his suit. So when I opened this book and saw that Howard and Maria aren’t actually Tony’s parents, I got a little pissed. I’m just jumping onto the series with this issue, so maybe if I read the rest of the series it would make more sense, but I got angry after only reading the credits page. Did the meat and cheese of the book do anything to ease that anger? Let’s find out.
The issue starts out at Howard Stark’s funeral. Tony, not being Iron Man yet, is drunk and clearly hurting. Sure, he says how hard his dad was on him and how he doesn’t think Howard loved him, but it’s pretty obvious that deep down he loved and admired his old man. Nick Fury gives Tony a reality check about Howard Stark before telling him to man up and do something with his life. Leave it to Nick Fury to drop the truth bombs, right?
Back in the present day, we’re back to the Tony Stark we know and love: snarky, cocky, and one step ahead. Did Cassandra really think she was going to get the best of Iron Man when it comes to technology? I love how calm Tony is as the building is collapsing around him. He just asks Friday to take care of a running Cassandra before cruising over to take her in.
Just as they’re flying away in victory, Friday tells Tony that the Bulgarian orphanage found something. In Bulgaria, Anna gives Tony a file containing information on his real mother. To thank her, Tony promises to keep the orphanage financially supported and lets some kids there fly around in his suit. This is the best part of the book for me. Not only is Tony joking about Spiderman, but he’s actually being a good guy as well. I couldn’t help but laugh at his “Please don’t be the Red Skull” and his comment about seeing the Hulk naked. This is my first issue of any Iron Man book written by Brian Michael Bendis, but I think his characterization is something I can really get behind.
I love what I’ve seen of Alex Maleev’s artwork, and it’s awesome once again in this issue. I’m a huge fan of the color work in this issue as well. The way the colors gradually get lighter as the tone of the story gets lighter isn’t something you notice on a first read, but is a really cool thing once you do notice it.
Ultimately, there isn’t a whole lot to say about this issue. There isn’t much action, but it moves the story forward and gives some awesome characterization of Tony.
Bits and Pieces:
There’s a reason I’ve been hearing so much good stuff about Bendis and Maleev working together and I’m glad I decided to check it out. Anyone looking for not only a good Iron Man story, but a good Tony Stark story, should definitely check out this series as we start to move forward with Tony’s mother.
7.0/10
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