call it a comeback

drive-by readings

Invincible Iron Man #25 (Marvel) "Hammer Girls" Matt Fraction Salvador Larroca Frank D'Armata Joe Caramagna Larroca/Rian Hughes/Tetsuya Aoki/Ryan Meinerding/Herb Trimpe (variant covers)

and the blackest night is over. Tony Stark has regained control of his brain and bodily functions, and its much better than ever. recovering his Extremis backup from that hard drive that was a focal point of World's Most Wanted and Disassembled, Stark is now a true Iron Man, powered by the infinite juice of the repulsor battery in his chest, replacing his organs and making him the best fighting machine ever. truly gone are the days of the suitcase armor (although it has its purposes, as Jarvis demonstrated in Siege).

about the fighting part ... well, apparently, Stark wants to do a 180 and make love this time around. he doesn't have anything left, so Stark Resilient, his new (broke) company as it is, plans to license his repulsor tech to global industries to reduce dependence on current energy sources and use the free alternative. to this end, the military industrial complex may have to turn to Hammer Industries, who's trying to fill in Stark's shoes. i suspect this shift has a lot to do with writer Matt Fraction's personal (hippie?) beliefs, and it does make sense, in the light of world events. he's been doing a bang-up job overall and we're drinking the Kool Aid.

with his Extremis recovery though, there's that caveat of not remembering anything through Civil War, Secret Invasion, World War Hulk, and Dark Reign. pretty convenient way out, i'd say (better than making a deal with the devil and dissolving your marriage, or going back in time and plucking out your teenage self). it'll make for some interesting conversations with his peers, and that's the part i'm really anticipating. speaking of which ...

my favorite part of this whole deal is his eventual reconciliation with Thor, of which his pwning by the latter was a source then of national glee. Thor himself makes the first step, and for once (and i hope for the long term), we get a humble Stark still speaking about himself and his convictions (though he can't remember what he did), but building enough of a bridge from his end. i thought the offer of (and eventual rejection by Stark) financial resources by the Thunder God was a nice touch, and that sealed the deal for reconciliation.

i know the movie's coming out (why else are we dusting off Justin Hammer's legacy?), but it still makes sense in the scheme of things (and in the new Heroic Age theme). if you're not onboard with this new Stark direction, you're missing out a lot.