Story Finally Starting Becoming Good
This has been a very poor series, as although it was poor prior to first dropping the series following issue 5, it hasn't been much better since, and this storyline has been a bit disappointing. This second half does however look to have more promise, but it may be to little, to late.
Plot
Iron Man (Tony Stark) has temporarily escaped from 451, but 451 uses Death's Head to track Tony down.
Review
This was a terrific issue, and probably the best in the series so far, definitely being the best in this storyline so far. Kieron Gillen did a great job on this issue, reminding me why I used to consider him as a good writer, as this has probably been the best work he's done since the start of Marvel NOW! It was very suspenseful, and dramatic, having tons of drama, and atmosphere, having become the kind of series I'd hoped it would've been by now. It didn't however have any proper action in it, though the tone of the issue, as well as the suspense made up for that. The dialogue was also great, adding depth to the story, as well as more drama, and tone.
I've had mixed feelings about Greg Land's art over the course of this series, as although there have been quite a few poor moments, he has shown that he can produce marvellous art. He once again showed this during this issue, as it would appear that with the lack off female characters there isn't much he can disappoint me with (as I dislike how every female character he draws looks like a glamour model). I loved the way Land handled the character emotions, with them feeling very natural, and realistic, with even 451, and Death's Head showing some emotion. I also enjoyed the dynamic feel of Land's art, but he did slightly disappoint by going back to the awkward smiles that he usually draws on people.
For most of this story Tony has been anchored by 451, being unable to get away. He however managed to escape last issue, and during this issue he found a way of making sure that 451 can no longer control him. I won't go into any details, as although it happened near the start of the issue, it's still a nicer if it's a surprise. I will however say that I found it to be very clever, even though slightly obvious, and I'm glad that Tony is finally able to do something about 451, as I feel his lack of movement hasn't helped this story.
Death's Head once again made an appearance in this issue, as due to the actions of Tony, 451 must rely on Death's Head to track him down. The chase between Tony, and Death's Head during this issue was very exciting, and entertaining, being also very suspenseful. I also enjoyed the dialogue throughout, and loved how Death's Head commented on how he disliked being controlled. There was also some very shocking things during this sequence, giving more depth, and drama.
Throughout this story it has been questionable whether 451 is a villain, or a hero, but this issue would show him to be more of a villain, as some of his actions during it were very questionable. I found this very interesting, and I've loved how so far 451 has been very emotionless, making it hard to tell whether he's truly good, or evil. This issue however he showed plenty of emotion, having a manacle look about him, and I hope that we finally see him square off against Tony, as that would be amazing to see.
Final Verdict
This was an amazing issue, and finally the series is starting to be a bit more entertaining, instead of being poor, and slow. It also had a lot of suspense, and drama, with some shocking moments throughout. Cause of all this I'd recommend this issue, especially to people who have been reading this series, and aren't sure whether to continue or not. I would however probably recommend against it otherwise, as although it was amazing, you really need the rest of the story to understand what's going on, which isn't really worth it unless you get it in trade at a later date.
