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luana420's review
2.0
Comics!
At one point, Tony Stark goes to Rhodey for help. In the previous Ultimate Comics collection I'd read, there were War Machine suits stolen from SHIELD and employed by the enemy. This lead me to question whether or not Rhodey was the superhero War Machine in this continuity or not, since he's flying a jet when Tony goes to see him.
This continued with me questioning whether or not there had even BEEN any canonical Rhodey appearances at all that I'd read, since the only thing I can very clearly remember him having been in were the two hilariously ill-conceived (and subsequently retconned) Orson Scott Card Ultimate Iron Man miniseries depicting lil' Tony and Rhodey's origins.
Keep in mind, the OSC series was already a retcon of a retelling of Tony's origin in an issue of Ultimate Marvel Team-Up.
Like Ultimate Cap in Divided/United, this one suffered a bit from a comparison to the movie universe, where Shane Black's brilliant take on the Mandarin could not help but make Ultimate Mandarin look less than inspiring. Conceptually it's a fine update, but hey, I don't read books in a vacuum.
Would have given it a "liked it" were it not for a few quite witless Tony witticisms in the first half.
Extra lulz: ends on a cliffhanger, but no second "Demon in the Armor" mini was ever made? Ha!
At one point, Tony Stark goes to Rhodey for help. In the previous Ultimate Comics collection I'd read, there were War Machine suits stolen from SHIELD and employed by the enemy. This lead me to question whether or not Rhodey was the superhero War Machine in this continuity or not, since he's flying a jet when Tony goes to see him.
This continued with me questioning whether or not there had even BEEN any canonical Rhodey appearances at all that I'd read, since the only thing I can very clearly remember him having been in were the two hilariously ill-conceived (and subsequently retconned) Orson Scott Card Ultimate Iron Man miniseries depicting lil' Tony and Rhodey's origins.
Keep in mind, the OSC series was already a retcon of a retelling of Tony's origin in an issue of Ultimate Marvel Team-Up.
Like Ultimate Cap in Divided/United, this one suffered a bit from a comparison to the movie universe, where Shane Black's brilliant take on the Mandarin could not help but make Ultimate Mandarin look less than inspiring. Conceptually it's a fine update, but hey, I don't read books in a vacuum.
Would have given it a "liked it" were it not for a few quite witless Tony witticisms in the first half.
Extra lulz: ends on a cliffhanger, but no second "Demon in the Armor" mini was ever made? Ha!
captwinghead's review
2.0
2.5 stars
My chief complaint with these books is that, when afforded a chance to create a universe and do new things with established characters: these are the choices they made. Tony is more of a womanizer here than in any other Ults comic I've read which is interesting because nothing in the previous comics suggested he'd be this way. He slept with Natasha and flirted with everyone (including men) but he was not a womanizer. So, thanks for that.
Carol is the Pepper Potts figure in this comic and slept with Tony for... reasons. When granted a chance to redo Carol Danvers, this is what they went with? Great.
Speaking of, why doesn't Pepper seem to exist in this universe?
I don't like the change to Jarvis. It also confuses me because I'm pretty sure I remembered an older Jarvis from the Ultimates main comic line?
The art is pretty. I will give it that. Tony was gorgeous and I appreciated the look to his armor here more than any other Ultimates comic.
The plot was moderately interesting, especially when they revealed it was two women that were causing so much trouble with Tony's technology. Then they had to ruin that and make it so that one of them slept with Howard because every female character in this comic has slept with one of the men. *Sighs*
I will say, I liked what they did with Tony and Howard's relationship. It was fairly well done and that's the only reason this is 2.5 stars instead of 1.
My chief complaint with these books is that, when afforded a chance to create a universe and do new things with established characters: these are the choices they made. Tony is more of a womanizer here than in any other Ults comic I've read which is interesting because nothing in the previous comics suggested he'd be this way. He slept with Natasha and flirted with everyone (including men) but he was not a womanizer. So, thanks for that.
Carol is the Pepper Potts figure in this comic and slept with Tony for... reasons. When granted a chance to redo Carol Danvers, this is what they went with? Great.
Speaking of, why doesn't Pepper seem to exist in this universe?
I don't like the change to Jarvis. It also confuses me because I'm pretty sure I remembered an older Jarvis from the Ultimates main comic line?
The art is pretty. I will give it that. Tony was gorgeous and I appreciated the look to his armor here more than any other Ultimates comic.
The plot was moderately interesting, especially when they revealed it was two women that were causing so much trouble with Tony's technology. Then they had to ruin that and make it so that one of them slept with Howard because every female character in this comic has slept with one of the men. *Sighs*
I will say, I liked what they did with Tony and Howard's relationship. It was fairly well done and that's the only reason this is 2.5 stars instead of 1.
booknooknoggin's review
2.0
was not that great. They mention the Mandarin as if he is a corporation, and never reveal him. Too much chatter, and not enough action.
natassak's review
3.0
This wasn't the best comic I've read, but it was enjoyable to some extent. Does anyone have any recommendations for other Iron Man comics though? I'm sure there are great ones out there
coffeeandink's review
1.0
Apparently someone forgot to tell Nathan Edmonson he was writing Ultimate Tony Stark. While every other writer in the Marvel universe (and not a few artists) seems to be shifting their depictions closer to Robert Downey, Jr.'s by the day, Edmonson does a somber old-school drama-llama no-quips Tony Stark who bears no resemblance to the alcoholic partier who hides his kind heart and cold intellect behind an Oscar Wilde facade established by previous writers in the Ultimate universe. This Tony Stark also does not appear to have earned his own fortune, be close to his mother, or have a blond look-alike brother. He does, however, have daddy issues and new girlfriend fridged in the first issue.
The whole thing is an exercise in mediocrity that suddenly jumps all the way to Are-you-seriously-writing-this-here-in-2013?-SERIOUSLY? in the final issue.
As a bonus, in the final issue the villains are a pair of identical Chinese businesswomen (because why waste those cultural stereotypes about Asian uniformity and conformity), one of whom was Tony's dad's girlfriend (because why have an Asian woman who doesn't exist for the sexual benefit of a white man), both of whom defend their actions as defiance of the Man (because feminism and antiracism are only about the self-justification for the theft of the work and status of white men), and who turn out to be working for a man in the end after all (because women can't be a real challenge for men).
The whole thing is an exercise in mediocrity that suddenly jumps all the way to Are-you-seriously-writing-this-here-in-2013?-SERIOUSLY? in the final issue.
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