The Invincible Iron Man: Execute Program

The Invincible Iron Man (2004) (Collected Editions) #2

by Daniel Knauf, Charlie Knauf, Patrick Zircher (Artist)

Carnivale's Daniel Knauf and Cable & Deadpool's Patrick Zircher take the armored Avenger in an unexpected new direction Having exposed himself to the Extremis enhancile, Tony Stark is a new man - literally But that's what has his New Avengers allies worried And who is the mysterious figure working his way down a list of politically sensitive targets?

Collecting: Iron Man 7-12

Genres: Comics, Marvel, Graphic Novels, Superheroes, Science Fiction, Graphic Novels Comics, Comic Book

144 pages, Paperback

First published February 21, 2007

Reviews

[Alberto Palomino · Rating 3 out of 5]

Es la continuación directa de Extremis y aquí contemplamos los efectos de Extremis en Tony Stark y no es nada bueno. Lo que más me gusta de esta historia es que sobre todo al principio tiene ese toque de burocracia, intereses políticos, Nick Furia, alianzas cara al público y todo estos temas jugosos que me molan a mi cuando se mezcla con lo meramente superheroico. Además que vemos a un Iron Man sanguinario y que mata a tutiplén (motivos argumentales), y el villano tiene que ver con el pasado de Tony, la herencia de nuestros pecados pasados.

El problema es que todo esto se acaba a partir del número 5 o así para convertirse en un comics más de superhéroes donde se meten tollinas y donde parece que cuantos más héroes aparezcan haciendo un cameo más mola. Entiendo que estén ahí por motivos argumentales, pero me sobraba en esta historia con el tono que estaba cogiendo tantos héroes marvelitas al final, me gustaba más el otro rollo.

Y si, se puede considerar esto un prólogo a Civil War, o al menos a que entendamos más el punto de vista de Tony Stark en el conflicto y porque hace lo que hace. Que a mí por cierto siempre me ha parecido valido, lo bueno de la Civil War es que puedes comprender a ambos bandos por igual. Aunque diría que Tony con esta historia solo queda más hipócrita que antes de no leerla, teniendo en cuenta los daños que causa de forma indirecta... Y si vale, eso al final lo quiere solucionar más adelante con la ley de Registro, pero no deja de ser hipócrita puesto que por menos ha encerrado a héroes en la Zona Negativa. Bueno, técnicamente, encerrara jeje

En el aspecto grafico no despunta tanto como en la anterior historia, pero normal, es muy difícil igualar a Adi Granov, aunque las maravillosas portadas las sigue dibujando él.

[Emmett Spain · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was fantastic. A cracking story that has all the elements I’m after in a book like this—action, emotion, character, and consequences. This is the first story I’ve read by Daniel and Charles Knauf and I can’t wait for more. A terrific read.

[Christopher · Rating 5 out of 5]

Iron Man: Execute program picks off after the previous book Iron Man: Extremis and reveals the plot of a former nemesis/colleague to control Stark and following his super powered boost in the previous book Iron Man can now hold his own with any of the other characters! :D This of course leaves his fellow Avengers in a bit of a pickle when he appear to go rogue! :D Stark has been made as strong as them and they are ordered to bring him in at the same time Stark himself is trying to solve the mystery of what is happening to him which gives the book a great sense of race against time wrapped up with mystery which really sets the pacey tone from the beginning! :D

This book bridges the gaps between Extremis and Civil War and you can start to see the breaks starting to form amongst the Avengers as Stark starts to question their freewheeling ways and his characterisation along with Captain America, Sentry and the other is portrayed very accurately and their concerns over the situation an its fallout add a lot of depth to their characters! :D

The action is relentless throughout with the half of the book being more of a mystery and then as things are unravelled becomes a race against time as Stark tries to find out how this has happened to him! :D The buildup is handled really well and when the revelations are found out this make a lot of sense and sets the stage very effectively for the Civil war with issue arising from these events! :D

The art is flash and very clear and action orientated with character being portrayed in all there ramshackle and bloody clarity and conveys the script brilliantly with scenes portraying what the characters are going through with a clear and concise way! :D

Iron Man: Execute program is fast paces and brilliant, with pace and mystery and great set up for other events! :D Highly Recommended! :D

[Sineala · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorite underrated (and out of print, what is up with that, Marvel?) Iron Man story arcs, Execute Program is the bridge between Extremis and Civil War. If pre-CW New Avengers is the team's last moment of perfect happiness before the tragedy, Execute Program is where the cracks begin to show. This is where you go if you want to see Cap and the Avengers side-eyeing Tony hard for Extremis. This is where you go if you want to see Tony crying on Sal Kennedy's porch because of what his various brain modifications are making him do against his conscious will.

Yeah. It's that kind of angst.

(Look, my criteria for "good IM arc" is "does it have Tony naked, crying, or in the rain?" and here you get the crying. You just wait for Civil War. Also I'm a big fan of the ending fight. It's a good one.)

Anyway. You read this, you will begin to see why Tony believes in Registration; among other things, he wants himself stopped.

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very mediocre in comparison to the book before it. I could tell this was a setup for Civil War, but even then it didn’t make much sense. I really didn’t understand a lot of this. But I did see a lot of familiar concepts that popped up in the movies. The artwork was kind of all over the place, not horrible but not nearly as amazing as the previous volume.

[Labyrinth Rossiter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Extremis turned Iron Man into one of the mega-super powered heroes. Stark was already arrogant, but now he can potentially stand toe to toe with Wolverine or Hulk and as demonstrated here...can defeat Sentry. Even if you dismiss the possibility of the side effects, this is enough to ramp up his ability to be an @-hole (but a lovable one) to a whole new level. The ultimate draw for this storyline, however, is that it explains Iron Man's stance in the Civil War.

[Mely]

Tony Stark has more control issues.

They are so much less interesting to me when he is not played by Robert Downey, Jr.

[Brandon · Rating 2 out of 5]

There isn't too much of a point to this. It's a bridge between the Extremis storyline, giving Tony Stark a new status quo and point of reference for his abilities, and the upcoming Civil War crossover event. The villain in this is underbaked and forgettable, even if the premise of it is interesting. Tony Stark has gone rogue, or has he? He says he hasn't, but there are verisons of the Iron Man armour killing people... so what is Tony hiding? He faces up against his guilt, working in the new retcon of Ho Yinsen having died in Afghanistan, and the Extremis armour now being a powerful tool that makes him more of a 'machine' man than ever. The art is pretty decent, the Iron Man suits and battles look cool but otherwise it comes across as some generic 2000s art that doesn't stick out in any good way.

[Ronan The Librarian · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5

This was a pretty good Extremis-era Iron Man story, and also serves as lead-up to Civil War. Tony’s been exhibiting some personality changes since activating Extremis, and everyone around him is becoming increasingly concerned. What tips the situation over is when one by one, people are being assassinated with direct connection to Tony, and seemingly by Iron Man armor.

This was well written, and the art was solid. The plot is tight and carries along briskly, and the mystery is engaging. I do think the last 2 issues stumbled a bit, however, as the final reveal feels shoddy and the fact that Yinsin is revealed to have been hired by terrorists to implant something in Tony’s brain really rubbed me the wrong way. Overall though, it’s an enjoyable Iron Man story that sees a haggard Tony with his back against the wall.

[Andrei · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the follow-up to the excellent Extremis, so it had big shoes to fill, and it didn't disappoint me even though it's not quite at the level set by its predecessor. Iron Man is now at godlike-powers due to the events in Extremis, and is single-handedly solving problems that even the Avengers struggle with. However, this new and improved Iron Man is not operating to everyone's liking, and the seeds of the rift between him and Cap which will eventually lead to Civil War are sown here. There's also a villain with a mysterious agenda and an even more mysterious helper, some cool action-packed fights and a little redemption arc for Iron Man. Also, blonde Tony Stark, if you can imagine. Great story, solid art by Pat Zircher, recommended read.

[Ariya · Rating 4 out of 5]

I looked up Execute Program on some comics recommendation sites but turns out it’s been under radar all along and I’m not sure why. The plot is heavily well-put, back to the origin of Iron Man, entwined with the series of consequences after post-Extremis and deals with a handful of Tony Stark’s mental issues after he becomes a transhuman Iron Man. Also it happened a short while before Civil War, which is reasonable enough for Iron Man to activate the registration act. The paradox of human/robot is still on-going issues for the character’s arc and I appreciate that.

[Yvonne Alf · Rating 5 out of 5]

This should appear on more must-read lists! Well thoughtout and gripping story from beginning to end. It's almost impossible to put it down. Very well done continuation of the Extremis storyline. I'm suprised how much story developement you can put into 6 issues without feeling it's too rushed. The artwork is very well done also. I enjoyed the near perfection Extremis artwork and this is very different - much more action oriented, I loved all the details and how well each character was always recognizable.

[The Glassed And The Furious · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved the first installment of this series, this one suffers "second-book-syndrome" or SBS as I will refer to it from now on. It was still good, but a lot less good than the first installment. I felt like they tried to capture your interest with the first one and didn't really bother to maintain the quality with the second. This was is just sort of the place holder for the third installment, Civil War, which they know people will want to read. It was a bit disappointing, but still, it wasn't bad. Just be prepared for a lesser quality than in the first book.

[Yves Cyriac · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had a great moment reading this , and I absolutely loved the art style and the design of the numerous suits ( didn't like the one that fought namor, though) . The pacing was good. I don't remember any boring page. The plot is really good even though the women are only used as tools. Also, I don't remember any memorable fight ( it's a criterion for me). I was disappointed that the duel with sentry ended in like 4 pages. Overall, it was a good introduction to civil war , it makes Tony's position understandable.

[Jin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I cannot see why this book should not come close to great Iron Man books available. The story by Daniel Knauf is bold, making us all realize that even with Stark's new found cyberpathic powers through Extremis, he can still be manipulated into killing targets because of an implant in his brain installed years before this took place. The art is nice but not that memorable. A decent and notable Invincible Iron Man story. 3.75 stars to be exact!

[Brandon Daniels · Rating 5 out of 5]

The bridge between Extremis and Civil War that I did not know I was missing. This was a pleasant surprise. It's a true and worthwhile sequel to Extremis, with most of the cast of that book playing a supporting role. The change in the creative team is certainly felt, and, while they had big shoes to fill, everyone does a stellar job. Adi Granov and Patrick Zircher couldn't be more different, but Zircher brings a unique sense of composition to the book.

[Ellen Schoener · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not as good as the previous one but still pretty good.
The plot itself is nothing really new, another spin of the „What if a superhero turns bad“ idea.
However, it is well executed, with good pacing and the character study of Tony really elevates this.
Enjoyable and fun.
I was just a bit disappointed we did not see a brawl between Tony and Logan. That would have been epic.

[Linnea Gelland · Rating 3 out of 5]

The continued adventures of Extremis... and a previously unknown implant that overrules Tony's free will and makes him a bad guy.

The concept resembles that of Wolverine being brainwashed, and comparing to that story, I think that one was better.

Anyway, this is pretty exciting too.

[Jonny · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved it! The artwork is amazing, there are a couple of good plot twists, you learn more about GE effects Extremis had on Tony, he's haunted by more demons of the past, and it leads perfectly into Civil War.

[Jdetrick · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well, the exciting new ideas of Warren Ellis are gone, but these issues certainly aren't bad, if a little more conventional.

[Raymond St. Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good

A good read not your typical Iron Man comic this actually had me interested in reading to the end of this issue.

[Mitch Kukulka · Rating 4 out of 5]

A skillful mix of political thriller intrigue and superhero action -- the makings of an outstanding Iron Man story.

[Shawn Ingle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Decent continuation of the Extremis storyline and its consequences.

[xime · Rating 3 out of 5]

casi 4

[Mateusz Nowowiejski · Rating 3 out of 5]

09.2025

[Cameron · Rating 3 out of 5]

According to eyewitness reports, Iron Man is going around killing people across the world. This, combined with Tony's sudden reckless and arrogant behavior since being injected with Extremis as well as the victims connections to his imprisonment in Afghanistan, is making it hard for S.H.I.E.L.D. and the superhuman community to believe claims that he's innocent. Thus, Iron Man is labelled a rogue superhero and all manner of crazy shenanigan ensues.

At it's core, Execute Program is fun. It's "don't think about it too hard" entertainment. Unfortunately, since reviewing a book sort of makes it impossible not to think about it too hard, multiple problems made themselves apparent as I began writing this review. For instance, the entirety of the story is set up as a mystery. Why is Iron Man murdering people in cold blood? Is it really him? Who's behind all this craziness? Those are the questions this mystery poses. Ones that are asked frequently by all the cast. The problem is, we get the answer to all those questions by the end of page two, before the questions are even asked. You really have to not be paying attention to miss it, which kind of takes all the fun away from reading a mystery.

In harmony with the above precedent, the book acknowledges that the "villain" of the story isn't meant to be viewed as something menacing, but then spends a good portion of the book trying to convince the reader that he is anyway. The story isn't so much about the person pulling the strings as it is about Tony and company reacting to the strings that are pulled. Despite this, in an embarrassingly transparent attempt to make the bad guy seem extra evil, he stabs a man for no reason in the opening pages of the comic. The whole scene feels so pointless. Why are we being shown that this guy has no regard for human life in this way when that fact would have been abundantly clear without that scene anyway? Are Daniel and Charles Knauf just trying to aggravate nit-pickers like myself. Mission accomplished if so.

Not everything's bad though. As I said, there's a fun story in this here book. I'll admit that it was fun to get caught up in the "mystery" of the story and Tony's behavioral change is fun to read about. The action too is fun to see.

This book has a much simpler presentation than the previous volume. Abandoning the paint-like style of the last story in favor of a more traditionally modern art style, the transition going from one to the next can be rather jarring. In addition, while the art is serviceable and the coloring is very well done, unnecessary lines are frequently added to many scenes. Not only is it distracting, but it makes everything feel cluttered. It also makes every character look like old Aunt May with wrinkles out the wazoo. (Hmm, that sentence really doesn't make any sense. Note to self: Either remove said sentence before posting this review, or leave it in because it sounds funny...)

Execute Program seems to really enjoy throwing in pointless visual references. Edward Hopper's Nighthawks, The Matrix and Old Boy, among other pop culture staples, all receive visual nods in this book. Now, while references can be used in fun, clever, and even insightful ways, they're, with rare exception, at best used as a means to convey a message using someone else's talent and, at worst, used as a meaningless inclusion into a story. Execute Program falls into the latter category. It throws visual references out in a way that says "Hey look! I know these things exist!". Nothing is gained by their inclusion and the story doesn't benefit from their presence. Perhaps this isn't a very big deal, but it's something that's always bothered me.

Execute Program is a book with a solid and entertaining foundation surrounded by a pile of minor complaints that grows larger and larger with each page turned. It's sad to see such a good story marred by a plethora of nit picks, but it is what it is. If you can avoid thinking about it too hard, Execute Program is an enjoyable read, but it's likely to at least annoy anyone who thinks about it beyond the point of closing the book.

[Jennalyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the art in this one (although sometimes the action panels were a bit difficult to follow) and the story line had a lot of stuff going for it: a nice continuation from Extremis, reflection on Tony's motives for his iron man suits and extremis experiments, interpersonal conflict between Tony and the Avengers (Tony and Steve, Tony and Fury, etc.), and a nice twist on the Iron-Man-gets-hacked trope (seriously though, I've only read like four Iron Man comics and it turns out that Tony's been getting hacked since the 60s. Build better safeguards, my man. On this score, MCU-Tony is worlds ahead).

But the problem for me was the ending...there wasn't one. Maybe this is a comics thing (because this whole genre still baffles me at times), but the main plot issue was resolved too quickly, while both the interpersonal conflicts and Tony's internal emotional/psychological conflicts weren't resolved at all. I get that this comic is leading into Civil War (which I have no plans to read, thank you very much), but the fact that they don't even try to resolve anything is kind of annoying. It goes back to my biggest beef with comics...as a genre, they seem to make it as difficult as possible for new-readers or casual-readers to get into the genre. It's like some weird kind of gatekeeping to ensure that only the devoted and faithful "true fans" who are willing to read every single thing have a chance of actually understanding what's happening (or a chance of ever getting a satisfying resolution to anything...or maybe satisfying resolutions are just not part of the comics genre at all).

[Justin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Strictly speaking, Iron Man: Execute Program is the follow-up to Iron Man: The Inevitable. In reality, the Execute Program trade paperback, which collects issues 7-12 of the current Iron Man series, is the logical follow up to Iron Man Vol. 1: Extremis. While the Inevitable storyline that ran in Iron Man issues 1-6 came immediately after Extremis, it all but ignored those important events in favor of a more retro Iron Man tale. The Execute Program storyline is focused on the events that occurred during Extremis, and the consequences of those events.

In this storyline, someone is executing Tony Stark's enemies, and that someone looks disturbingly like Iron Man. Now that the Iron Man armor is inextricably linked to Tony Stark, Stark falls under suspicion of his Avengers teammates as well as Nick Fury of SHIELD. Iron Man hasn't been this hated since the Armor Wars.

Writers Daniel and Charlie Knauf deliver an Iron Man tale that is packed with action and intrigue, and one that successfully builds upon Warren Ellis's groundbreaking Extremis saga (go check it out if you haven't already). Their take on Tony Stark is what you always thought the character should act like. The billionaire playboy shtick has been replaced by the manic, obsessive, super genius inventor persona, which seems so much more appropriate to the man that created so many technological marvels. The Knaufs also set up tensions between Captain America and Iron Man that, combined with Stark's revelation at the end of the story, make a nice transition into Marvel's epic Civil War (Marvel Comics) saga.

While Adi Granov's brilliant painted artwork on Extremis has probably ruined Iron Man for all other artists, Patrick Zircher does an admirable job here. His style has progressed considerably since his last Iron Man project (Iron Man: the Iron Age), and is reminiscent of Steve McNiven and Trevor Hairsine's styles. I think his pencils could have benefited from a more prominent inker, but overall the book looks good. Plus, the painted covers by Granov are flat-out awesome.

Overall, Execute Program is another fine Iron Man adventure, and one that bridges the gap between two important Marvel events (Iron Man: Extremis and Civil War).

[Jazzypom · Rating 4 out of 5]

A prelude to Civil War, and why Tony Stark took the position he did

Iron Man Execute Programme is a very good read. Ably scripted by Zircher, it tells of Tony Stark's brain literally being hacked into and he's doing things that he has no idea of. In addition, with Stark being totally rewired with the Extremis running through his body, Stark isn't just Iron Man in terms of suit, it's literally a part of him, like blood cells and skin. The reader is taken on a ride with Stark, as he tries to isolate and override the impulses that are making him do what he cannot control (like, killing people).

In addition, the story starts to plant the seeds of discontent between Stark and his fellow New Avenger team leader, Captain America (Steve Rogers). Captain America is disturbed by Stark's almost robotic and logical way of dispensing the enemy, and the chilly way that Stark literally blows off his allies in terms of getting work done.

At the end of the story, the person who did this to Stark is literally a footnote. The real end of the story is that Stark literally defines himself as a dangerous weapon, and as such, dangerous weapons should be registered. Cue the precursor to Civil War and why he and Captain America are literally on different sides of the aisle.

All in all, this is a very sympathetic portrait of Tony Stark, in terms of man and the machine within him, and how despite everything, Tony's methods are always founded on good intentions (although they don't go that way!).

Worth a read, definitely.

[Jesse · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well hell, now I have seen the lead in to Tony Stark becoming as a friend put it "a total D-bag". But I think everyone can see where he starts out in "Civil War" much better from this book. Its actually makes sense, I don't agree with his reasoning, but it makes sense. There is alot of great action in this, and the writing is solid. If you like Iron Man, you will find this a very entertaining read.