Ezekiel Stane has a grudge. Li’l Zeke blames Tony Stark for the death of his dear old dad, former Iron Man villain Obadiah Stane, aka the Iron Monger. Zeke is making it his life’s mission to bring down Tony Stark as well as the company he has built, and all the while using Tony’s own Iron Man technology to do it. Can Tony stop Ezekiel in time before he destroys Stark Enterprises, as well as bringing down the Iron Man himself?
The hunt for Ezekiel Stane continues in issue four of this explosive new series from writer Matt Fraction and artist Salvador Larroca. Fraction continues to deliver a pretty solid story. I wasn’t as thrilled with this issue as I was the previous issues, but I still very much enjoyed it. The only problem I had story wise with this issue was that it seemed to slow down considerably compared to the other three. I was looking for more of the explosions, chases and action that made the first three issues a blast. Don’t get me wrong though, there are some really great moments in this issue. I loved the interaction of Tony and Maria Hill. I think Fraction has a really great grasp of both of these characters, especially Maria. And, being a big fan of chess, I loved the opening with Tony and Reed Richards playing chess on five boards simultaneously. Really, really good stuff there!
I would have to say my biggest problem with the book comes from the art. I don’t want to sound like I’m bashing Larroca’s work. I have always enjoyed his stuff in the past, especially when he was on Extreme X-Men. But his stuff in this issue just didn’t really hit with me. I thought his first three issues were much, much stronger. There were some moments with the some of the characters that I thought just didn’t look right to me, especially the scenes with Reed. Overall, it was still a good read. I would have liked a little bit more action, but their were some really great character moments that made up for it. If you haven’t checked this series out yet, it’s definitely worth giving a shot!
