Broken Frontier

The Mandarin is trying to kill the world, the UN won’t listen and Tony is in jail. What’s a superhero to do?

This issue marks the conclusion of the riveting "Haunted" story arc. It has been a spectacular story as Tony has faced the demons within himself (as opposed to in the bottle). This time around, the UN tries to shut him down and Tony must escape to take on the Mandarin.

The Knaufs have really out done themselves this time around. The "Execute Program" story was a neat idea that unfortunately felt a little too neat when it was all said and done. This arc has really studied Tony Stark. The reader has really gotten to see who he really is, how he ticks, and most importantly, how his righteous crusade could make him seem like a hard nose in the rest of the Marvel Universe while still being the knight in shining armor in his own book. It has been the portrait of a man as a hero.

None of that is an easy task. Fortunately, the Knaufs had a hand from Mr. Warren Ellis. His classic run set up the richness that has allowed the Extremis virus to thrive. Not only as a threat in this book, but as a new way for our hero to interact with the world around him. It has given him almost Superman like powers as he can access any database instantly.

The U.N.’s power dampening anklet has kept him immobile for the last issue. Unable to do what he does best, Tony has had to rely on Dum Dum and Mia as he has never had before. The fact that Mia is on board is a testimony to the actions Tony has taken to make S.H.I.E.L.D. the organization he wants it to be. Love him or hate him, Stark always tries to make the right choice.

There are fantastic character moments all around. None more powerful then when Tony is faced with a decision about the anklet. It shows his resolve, but one of the main attractions here is the fight that has been building up the whole arc. Iron Man vs. the Mandarin for all the marbles. It is an epic fight worthy of the build up and the double sized issue.

De La Torre still shows his talent at illustrating an action/espionage book. The grittiness plays well whether in the UN building or in a dark corner fight scene. It is nice that when the fights happen the Knaufs step out of the way to let the artist do his thing. It shows a trust in the creative team that is very special.

Really, that’s what "Haunted" has been, a special Iron Man story. I hope that whatever the creative team has in store for us next is just as exciting and well written.