Iron Man: War Machine

The Invincible Iron Man (1968) #280-291

by Len Kaminski (Writer), Kevin Hopgood (Illustrations), Tom Morgan (Illustrations)

When his longtime employer and friend seemingly loses his struggle to hold onto life, Jim Rodes dons the new War Machine armor and goes up alone against Firepower, Atom Smasher, and the Living Laser.

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Marvel, Superheroes, Science Fiction, Fiction, Action

312 pages, Paperback

First published May 21, 2008

Reviews

[Nicolo · Rating 3 out of 5]

This run was a pleasant surprise, a throwback to the two-fisted superhero tales from the Silver Age. I remembered buying a couple of issues from this run, intrigued from the covers of Tony Stark dying, and the introduction of the War Machine armor. Reading all of it in one sitting, was a better experience than I expected.

Of course, it wasn't perfect, nor was it very good. It was just enough to be entertaining, the way comic books should be. I read this over the holiday break, and it had a Dickensian quality in it, with how Stark's memory flashback had a feel of the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Future from A Christmas Carol.

[Attention! Captain Beeswax has arrived · Rating 5 out of 5]

When Len Kaminski and Kevin Hopgood came onboard, Iron Man became more cinematic; the artwork more shadowy and edgy, the stories akin to high concept action movies. In these stories you can see the influence of contemporary blockbusters like Terminator 2, Aliens and RoboCop, and it's great to see Iron Man move into that domain. In addition, the armoured Avenger himself gets an upgrade and becomes an utter badass, including the creation of the heavily-armed War Machine armour which made it to the big screen more-or-less intact.

There's also a strong sci-fi storyline running through these issues; Stark has always represented the self-made man, but here he goes through a technological rebirth here that takes that concept further than ever before.

Great, exciting comics.

[Devero · Rating 4 out of 5]

Len Kaminski è stato, a mio avviso, uno dei migliori scrittori di Iron-Man; ha saputo portare avanti le idee e le storie di Bob Layton e David Micheline senza tradire ne il personaggio ne i comprimari. In questa dozzina di storie qui raccolte, in particolare, si concentra su Jimmy Rhodes, il fedele amico e pilota d'elicotteri di Tony Stark, portando avanti il loro rapporto di amicizia e, per certi versi, di rivalità.
Unica nota stonata i disegni di Kevin Hapgood. All'epoca della prima lettura mi parevano belli, adesso li trovo solo normali, non hanno retto bene al passare del tempo, a differenza delle storie. Mentre la prima versione dell'armatura War Machine mi pare ancora la migliore.

[Jdetrick · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is an era of Iron Man of which I've never been fond. I don't particularly care for the art and the story is weak. Tony Stark comes out of it looking like a horrible person, although the spotlight on Jim Rhodes is appreciated.

[Troy-David Phillips · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall not bad. But also not great either.
Some interesting moments, but the artwork is very uneven and often seems uninspired.
The War Machine armour has an interesting look to it; it will look better as the art chores pass on to others.
Good focus on Jim Rhodes, I am not a fan of the darker take on Howard Stark.
At moments the subplots are interesting and at times very dated.
Solid middle-of-the-road.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great graphic novel of the first appearance of the War Machine armor first worn by Iron Man and then Jim Rhodes after the death* of Tony Stark. It was a decent story arc with some familiar enemies making an appearance like Whiplash. We even get a visit from part of the West Coast Avengers.

I recommend this to anyone who is a fan of War Machine and hasn't yet read his origin.

[Robert · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic! An in depth look at the origins of James Rhodes War machine suit. Tense, clever and with amazing artwork, do not miss this Iron Man arc!

[Micah · Rating 4 out of 5]

None of the science makes any sense, but the story and action makes for a fun read.

[Kris Shaw · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is solid, entertaining stuff written by Len Kaminski, who I am unfamiliar with. The artwork varies in quality, but the pacing and action sequences are decent.

[Fizzgig76 · Rating 2 out of 5]

Reprints Iron Man #280-291. Tony Stark succumbs to a killer infection and Jim Rhodes is forced to take his place as the head of Stark Enterprises and Iron Man. This is a great example of '90s comics. The stories are rather weak, the art is fair, and the characters are written very flat. I do enjoy the Stark issue (the first issue in the collection) since I was a fan of Guardians of the Galaxy.

[Jin · Rating 4 out of 5]

"I find this book essential to any Iron Man / Tony Stark fan. The plot is good and the art, particularly of Kevin Hopgood is neat. It really is nice and familiar to read the "Phoenix Metaphor" in every Iron Man saga. I truly enjoyed the reading and much more in having this book along the line of my Iron Man graphic novels."

[Angela · Rating 3 out of 5]

Iron man has a new costume, only problem is Stark is dying and needs Rhodes to be Iron Man for him. So War Machine is born, well, kind of, still calling himself Iron man though. The story of people reacting to Stark's death is very moving, and you really do feel for Rhodes who is trying to live up to Starks name. Some good action sequences and fights too. A good read.

[Nick Marino · Rating 5 out of 5]

amazing, creative stuff