Tony Stark: Iron Man #3-Review

Tony Stark: Iron Man #3

Written by Dan Slott
Art by Valerio Schiti
Colors by Edgar Delgado with Rachelle Rosenberg
Lettered by VC’s Travis Lanham
Cover by Alexander Lozano

Limitless. So far in Tony Stark: Iron Man, Dan Slott and Valerio Schiti have shown that there are no boundaries for the story that they are trying to tell.  They are write a story that feels very classic yet has modern tones and situations.  While the title is all about the main character these issues have taken a deep dive into the sporting cast which only furthers the story that can be explored.  This pun is fully intended. Beta-tested, reader approved.

Slott is showing the core values of Tony in this fresh start or the character.  Tony is all about creating and inventing and that is what this issue focuses on heavily.  The Great eScape is a fully immersive virtual reality where Tony is trying to merge human and A.I. worlds.  It was nice to see that Slott included the Turing Test into the narrative.  That shows that this is not just a fun and readable story but a very real life look at what this story would be like if it truly were real.  Where is that uncanny valley? Can people really be able to get past it or is it always going to be something that exists? Slott has this story staying very close to Tony and using characters that are in his inner circle to tell the tale. Jocasta is still the character that is written the best and has the best journey so far.  With the inclusion of Machine Man, whom Jocasta is dating, as the bad guy of the week was just another way to further both the plot of the story arc and the development of Jocasta. The dilemma of who robots are and where they fit in to humanity is both interesting and heartfelt in the pages of this issue. The villain lurking in the shadows is still pulling the strings in the background but having that character use others at their will, provides great scope and meaning to the story.  Slott continues to tell this equality story that has been woven throughout the arc so far and continues its development here.  This is not just a problem that one robot has with Tony but is a bigger issue that can be explored further down the road.

Schiti continues to build a world around this title and beyond in this issue.  With a very Ready Player One feel, the eScape is vibrant and otherworldly.  With the ability to create and live your best life the artistic range is infinite and hopefully something that can be further rendered with Schiti at the helm.  The absolute best part of the art side of the issue is when it is revealed that Tony is “playing” another character from the Marvel Universe.  Schiti’s [SPOILER] is terrific as it fits both that character and Tony.  Edgar Delgado and Rachelle Rosenberg color this comic book wonderfully and give it that brightness that an A.I. interface would have out of the mind of Tony Stark.  The visuals of the entire issue are great but the eScape is where this art style really shines.

The robot struggle is real.  This issue further develops the robots and the rights that they should have story.  A story that is not only important in the pages of this comic but also in our own world as well.  Art reflects life and goodness willing vice versa.  Telling a story of inclusion that has inviting visuals is a great way to give the people of the world a blueprint for how things could and should be.  Comic books have always done social narrative and done them well.  This title is no different, making this a fun story with important real world ties.

Cover: A
Script: A
Pencils and Colors: A

Overall: A