The last three issues of “Iron Man: Director of S.H.I.E.L.D.” were rebranded “War Machine: Weapon of S.H.I.E.L.D.” and used to showcase the star of “War Machine,” launching next month.
General Information
Title: Iron Man: Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. / War Machine: Weapon of S.H.I.E.L.D. #33-35
Author: Christos N. Gage
Illustrator(s): Sean Chen (pencils), Sandu Florea (inks) and Jay David Ramos (colours)
Cover Date: November 2008 – January 2009
Cover Price: All issues $2.99 US. Canadian prices on the three issues are $3.05, $3.50, and unspecified respectively.
Detailed coverage of all applicable issues of all Secret Invasion related titles can be found at this address.
Premise
The Skrull virus has taken down Tony Stark and the rest of the known Starktech. Tony’s backup plan was to equip Jim Rhodes’ armour with different technology, insulated from the grid, so that he might continue to operate in situations like this. Rhodey is then tasked to defend the planet in Tony’s stead.
High Point
Rhodey’s “return to Russia hat-trick” and the effect it has on the locals.
Low Point
The “Transformer” design is remarkably inefficient. The original configuration would have made more sense for this particular purpose.
The Scores
This is a fairly original story in the crossover, showing a truly international effort with technology that still operates. It’s still mostly a great big fight, though. I give it 4 out of 6.
The artwork by Chen is solid work. We get a clear picture of what’s going on, and can easily follow individuals through the battle. There aren’t many faces exposed to demonstrate emotions, though, given the number of humans wrapped in armour. I give it 5 out of 6.
The story holds up well, and establishes Rhodey’s status quo for his upcoming solo series, complete with a potential supporting cast. I give it 5 out of 6.
The characterizations for Rhodey and Endo are solid, and the new Crimson Dynamo gets a few nice moments as well. I give it 5 out of 6.
The emotional response built as the issues went along. The “Transformer” aspect bugged me, but that was over early in the second issue, thankfully. (You don’t see a lot of bipedal predators in nature for some very good reasons.) I give it 4 out of 6.
The flow was smooth, establishing the moment this story starts relative to the main event, and then continuing smoothly through locales not used by the main event, so we don’t have to sort out the way the timeframes mesh together. I give it 5 out of 6.
Overall, it’s a solid entry into the cross-over. It may not have much impact on the main event, but it’s definitely setting up a series expected to be a prominent player in Dark Reign. I give it 4 out of 6.
In total, War Machine: Weapon of S.H.I.E.L.D. #33-35 receive 32 out of 42.
Secret Invasion Review Checklists
Background reviews:
- First appearance of Skrulls (Fantastic Four Vol. 1 #2)
- Creation of the Super-Skrull (Fantastic Four Vol. 1 #18)
- Kree Skrull War (Avengers Vol. 1 #93-97)
- Annihilation (complete event)
- Skrull Infiltration revealed (New Avengers #26-32)
Infiltration reviews:
- Avengers: The Initiative Annual #1
- Captain Marvel #1-5
- Mighty Avengers #7
- Ms. Marvel #25-27
- New Avengers: Illuminati #1-5
- New Avengers #38-39
Main Event reviews (including date the last issue should be available):
- Secret Invasion #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6, #7, #8: December 3, full series: December 3
- Avengers: The Intiative #14-19: December 10
- Black Panther #39-41
- Captain Britain and MI 13 #1, #2, #3, and #4.
- Deadpool #1-3
- Guardians of the Galaxy #4-6
- Incredible Hercules #117, #118-120
- Iron Man: Diretor of S.H.I.E.L.D. #33-35: November 19
- Mighty Avengers #12, #13, #14, #15, #16, 17-20: December 17
- Ms. Marvel #28-30
- New Avengers #40, #41, #42-47: December 3
- New Warriors #14-15
- Nova #16-18
- Punisher: War Journal #24-25: November 19
- Secret Invasion: Amazing Spider-Man #1-3
- Secret Invasion: Fantastic Four #1, #2, and #3.
- Secret Invasion: Frontline #1-5: December 3
- Secret Invasion: Home Invasion (online only)
- Secret Invasion: Inhumans #1-4: November 26
- Secret Invasion: Runaways / Young Avengers #1-3
- Secret Invasion: Thor #1-3
- Secret Invasion: Who Do You Trust?
- Secret Invasion: X-Men #1-4: November 26
- Thunderbolts #122-125
- X-Factor #33-34, She-Hulk #31-33
Aftermath (Dark Reign) reviews (a “+” indicates there may be more; all solicited issues are involved):
- Agents of Atlas #1+
- Avengers: The Iniative #20-22+
- Black Panther #1+
- Dark Reign: New Nation
- Deadpool #4-7+
- Invincible Iron Man #8-10+
- Mighty Avengers #20-22+
- Ms. Marvel #34-36+
- New Avengers #48-50+
- Punisher #1-2+
- Secret Invasion: Dark Reign: December 10
- Secret Invasion: Requiem #1: December 24
- Secret Warriors #1+
- Thunderbolts #126-129+
- Uncanny X-Men Annual #2
- War Machine #1-3+
- Wolverine Origins #33+
- several unannounced titles, I’m sure