Ultimate Iron Man is so good. How good is it? Ultimate Iron Man is so good, that it just went from a four issue mini-series to a five issue mini-series right at the fourth issue. Ultimate Iron Man is one of those titles that I find myself reading the previous month’s issue again before I read the current issue. There are two reasons for this. One, so that I completely understand what in hell is going on, and two, because with every issue the title gets better and better. Orson Scott Card is a fantastic writer. I love Ender’s Game and I love a lot of the crazy stuff that he’s written throughout his career, and he’s written a lot of stuff. Card has most definitely created a very interesting take not only on the ultimate incarnation of Iron Man, but on Iron Man in general. I compare this title to the atrocity that is All-Star Batman and Robin. They are both unique and different takes on classic characters and can be read as stand-alones in their own universes. Card’s Ultimate Iron Man puts All-Star Batman and Robin to shame, and it doesn’t really need to be part of the ultimate universe.

Last issue left off with Obadiah Stane, Tony Stark and Whiplash locked on a private jet loaded with a nuclear bomb and a regular bomb. For those who haven’t followed this series, although they are just teenagers, Tony is super-intelligent, and Obadiah is a super-intelligent sociopath. Whiplash is kind of a pouty and whiny bodyguard. One thing to keep in mind about this series is Card’s innovation for Tony Stark. When he was born, his father laced his skin with a strange type of armor that enables severed body parts to regenerate and/or be reattached. Somewhat like the extremis armor in the mainstream universe, the “skin” is essentially just another body part of Tony’s that can also be manipulated to disperse millions of nano-bots.

So why am I finally deciding to review an issue of this series? Well, for one reason it’s damn good, although I do think that this title will be best enjoyed read beginning to end, starting with the first mini-series few years ago. Anyways, Card’s writing in this issue is brilliant. Tony and Obadiah are stuck in the plane looking for a way out and to disarm the bombs, while Rhodey is in the War Machine gear looking for their would-be assassin. The pacing of this issue is perfect. Card manages to create an intense level of suspense and a greater level of mystery to the story, especially when Rhodey discovers the would-be assassin is not the actual culprit.

It’s interesting to see this kind of take on Obadiah Stane. His shares a rivalry with Tony, primarily inherited from their fathers, and yet they realize that they need one another to survive. Obadiah was really meant to kill Tony, but in the end Tony saves him, no doubt creating a greater and more complex relationship should Card return for a third series. Tony uses his nanobots to disarm the nuclear bomb, but they are unable to stop the regular bomb. Of course, after Obadiah and Whiplash are free, Tony nearly sacrifices himself to detonate the bomb and destroy the nuke. I love how Tony actually loses a few limbs and he manages to reattach them. This is what truly makes this series unique and much more different than any other Iron Man incarnation we have seen.

The great reveal at the end of this issue, Tony’s true would be assassin and his father’s true enemy, is actually really compelling and definitely adds to the quality of this title. It kind of comes out of left field, but the way Tony and his father discuss it gives it a feeling of great suspense. It’s a great cliffhanger, one that plays out like the first part of a two part TV season finale. But the pieces also fit together very well and Card basically lays out why this series was expanded to five issues. Of course, if this series were an ongoing monthly title, I think it would only be successful so long as Card was in complete control.

Pasqual Ferry’s artwork is superb. It fits this title well and he manages to capture the very essence of this title. He seamlessly brings easy transition from the “normal world” to the science fiction crazy mind of Orson Scott Card. I really liked his depiction of Tony’s nanobots in action. I especially like realistic settings followed up by something fully science fiction. For example, the scene of Dolores’ dead body laying over his piano, it looks simple but it transcends to another level when War Machine appears in the next panel.

Ultimate Iron Man II is a fantastic follow-up to the original and definitely gets better with every issue. I will stress though that this series will probably be best enjoyed read from start to finish at once, but nonetheless it is still compelling. Orson Scott Card has done an excellent job bringing his high concept science-fiction into the realm of Iron Man.

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