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Infamous Iron Man #5 Review

Comic Books

Infamous Iron Man #5 Review

Momma von Doom is back, and now that her little boy is all grown up and done with trying to take over the world, she’s pleased enough with what she sees in her cauldron to pay him a visit. Or at least that’s what she’s claiming. Chances are she’s up to no good, and before long, we’ll learn what her real plan is. But until then…we’re just going to have to ride this one out.

Despite what Cynthia von Doom has planned for her little metal-clad man, you want to know whether Infamous Iron Man #5 is worth the read, right? Keep reading to find out.

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Infamous Iron Man #5 (Marvel Comics)

INFIM2016005_int_LR2

While the concept still interests me, I feel as though Infamous Iron Man may be taking itself a little too seriously, and in doing so, is missing out on the opportunity to be the entertaining book that we all know it can be. After all, Doom’s combination of intellect, magical skill, and tech, make him one hell of an antihero. And with the history that this man has—as a villain nonetheless—one would think that it wouldn’t be hard to produce hard-hitting issues on a consistent basis. Maybe I’m asking for too much, maybe not. Regardless of what I’m looking for—regardless of what I expect from this series—Infamous Iron Man #5 feels dull.

By the end of this issue, my feelings did change somewhat, but the journey to that point was one paved in relative disinterest. Yes, I am excited that Doom’s mother Cynthia is apparently back in the picture, but watching her interact with her son—mostly thanks to Victor—was awkward at best. And while I realize that Victor speaking with his mother, who, up until a few moments prior, he had assumed was dead, should be awkward, their exchange was far from genuine.

I was hoping for an emotionally intense reaction from Doom when he realized that the sorceress standing before him really was his mother, but instead, he seemed to be relatively uninspired. While I can understand that Doom was more likely than not trying to make sense of what was happening, I was let down nonetheless. Even when the two ‘battled’ I couldn’t sense any of the anger or the frustration, or really, any of the fear that Doom was feeling at the time. The again, is it all that far-fetched that Doom—after the years of being, well, Doctor Doom—is emotionally disconnected? I don’t think that this idea is outlandish, but I do think that Brian Michael Bendis could have done more in Infamous Iron Man #5 to ensure that the reader understood the severity of the situation at hand.

Alex Maleev’s illustrations and Matt Hollingsworth’s color work throughout the issue are quite impressive and emotional depth and resonance where it’s lacking. My favorite panels in this book are those that depict magic. The color work in these scenes is especially stunning, see image below.

INFIM2016005_int_LR2 3While the color work does earn this book some extra points, what deserves the most credit in this issue is the ending. Now, while the ending isn’t a cliffhanger per se, it is a bit of a jaw-dropper. Some of you may have already put together the big reveal at the end, but for those of you who haven’t, it’s a nice a surprise. And while I’m not about to spoil it here, I will say that the ending gives me hope for the future of the series. I have a feeling that things are about to get a whole lot worse for Victor.

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