Comic Book review: Armor Wars (2015)

Technopolis, as its name implies, is a sprawling hyper-futuristic metro, where all citizens are forces to wear variants of the Iron Man armor to prevent themselves from contracting a lethal virus that was unleashed on the region many years prior. Tony Stark is resident baron, and often clashes with his brother Arno. James Rhodes is Tecnopolis’ designated Thor, wielding a giant hammer and shiny Asgardian-inspired mechanical suit. And young Kiri Oshiro and Lila Rhodes, both resourceful teens who know a thing or two about tinkering with and repurposing the tech of these armored suits, begin unraveling the mysteries surrounding the death of Kiri’s boyfriend Peter Urich, aka Spyder-Man.

James Rhodes, meanwhile, begins his own investigation into the death of Spyder-Man, suspecting that Kingpin Wilson Fisk might have some involvement. Meanwhile, Arno Stark begins sending reconnaissance troops like Stingray to scope out just what his brother Tony, Kiri, Lila, or anyone else who may have interacted with Spyder-Man are up to. These interwoven plot threads make for a decently compelling narrative, while also preventing the story from becoming too convoluted.

Armor Wars is a standout entry among the Secret Wars spinoffs for the manner in which it handles its processes of world-building. The constant threat of being exposed to the natural world paints an eerie world where humans grow to accept rocket-powered machinery as an extension of themselves. Armor Wars also offers a few really strong plot twists, while simultaneously avoiding playing on a scale too grandiose for its own coherence.

The theme of where man ends and machine begins is certainly common to Iron Man-centric tales, but it is fresh to see a large portion of the story through the eyes of youth Kiri and Lila. There are a couple of points where the story slows down more than is perhaps ideal for Armor Wars' overarching plot, pacing which would be better-suited for a series that is not limited to a five issue run. Overall, however, Armor Wars is an enjoyable read, a dark mystery driving toward an action-packed climax. Of all the Secret Wars spinoffs, Armor Wars performs as one of the best at keeping itself within manageable boundaries of narrative pacing and character development.

My rating: 8.25 (out of 10)

Comic Book Update: "Bub, I'm the best at what I do!"

Most of the Secret Wars tie-in series I had been following have just recently wrapped up. It’s been a brief, but wild ride. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed each of these series, for the very different narratives and characters they bring to the table, even if they did only last four or five issues a piece. Obviously the most high-stakes story lies with God Emperor Doom, the central figure that has cobbled all these realms of Battleworld together, but it’s been fun to branch out and explore series I might not have otherwise been so keen on investing the time and money into.

Age of Apocalypse still has one issue remaining in its 2015 reimagining. Meanwhile, Armor Wars (2015), Ghost Racers, Guardians of Knowhere, X-Men ’92, and Inhumans: Attilan Rising have all come to a close. I’ve already posted my review for Age of Ultron vs. Marvel Zombies, which concluded last month, and which you can read here. As for the other previously mentioned series, expect reviews for them to gradually trickle out between now and the end of October.

The mid-1990s run of the original Age of Apocalypse will resume as my priority reading material. Expect reviews of the first and second numbered trade paperback releases soon. I also plan to post (somewhat long-overdue) reviews for the fifth volume of the Marvel NOW! Nova series, as well as Thanos: The Infinity Relativity, and I recently completed the third trade paperback volume of Captain Marvel. Beyond those, I will likely pick up the sixth volume of Nova, and the fifth volume of Guardians of the Galaxy later this Fall. There may also be a few odd additions to my comic book library that I purchase at this weekend’s Grand Rapids Comic-Con. Either way, expect all of the comics listed above to be among the last series I will be reading and writing reviews for between now and December 31st, as I believe that a reasonable stack for this one-man production to appropriately cover in the months that remain before year's end.