Just readed Extremis
Hi guys, how are you? I hope you're all good. Before anything, sorry any error, english is not my mother language.
So, i had just readed the Extremis arc of Iron Man and wanted to tell some of my considerations about it. Before anything, this is my first "for real" reading a comic of Iron Man. I mean, i have followed Duggan's run and now on Williamson. However, i think that's my first read on something ""'elementar""" of Tony. Plus, most of what i know and had the first contact from/with Tony (well, Marvel and DC as a whole) comes from movies/animatios/games/etc, so i'm sorry if i miss some point, don't know event X or character Z, i'm still kinda of a newbie in comics world.
Anyway, to the review.
I read it two times by now (ended minutes ago) and i now i got why Extremis is taken well. Its a good story, a well made arc. The art is cool, though sometimes i imagine playing a PS2 game haha. Idk if it followed more about the virus after the issue #6, but the ending i find satisfactory and well closed for what it was made.
Now for more in depth things.
IMO Extremis is a retelling of the origin myth of Iron Man. The structure has some similarities since Tony is in face of a struggle bigger than him (terrorists/Mallen), that puts him in critical state in a "isolated shelter/prison" (the werehouse of the terrorists/the lab at fururepharm) and/or he feels connected/responsible for (the first case mostly directly, while Mallen he has some, pretty supercial imo, "mirroing"). It's an adaptation for a new era, after all. It expands the possibilities of his powers/capabilities and study some questions that always haunts Tony
I think one of the main questions at that moment is the relation between Tony and Iron Man. I like how it oscillate between IM being Tony's self redemption and payment for all the damage he may has done directly or indirectly to the world with his weapon industry and/or IM being a mask where Tony can act like nothing happened, or then ignore what happened and simple do good or protect him from facing the consequences his shift of attitude may bring.
And this point is connected to the whole interview with Pillinger about Tony's past as weapon producer and Sal's question about what is IM supposed to be/do. Tony's time in the military industry is a ghost of the 20th century (got it? 😃) over his life forever. Pillinger is a bit annoying (especially when cutting Tony), but he lifts a good point: despite Tony pointing what good things that time brought, could the victims of war, victims of his weapons, make use of it? Or, redoing the question, could these things reach them instead of the weapons?
Well, Tony's answer is that he's changing, trying to do better, and i think that's a fair answer for him (despite, yeah, you're a f**** bourgeoisie man). IM, despite oscillating, its the way he's finding to do it. And if so, his answer to Sal is also right. And maybe the shadow of the military industry past is the reason he feels responsible for Mallen (who tbh i didn't saw much of a mirror to Tony, even with the future thing), for he's a problem IM got in hands and Tony may feel that is his personal duty, aside the hero thing, so he can solve his debt with the world.
I think that's enough for now, the text is already too big for someone who just read an entire arc for the first time 😅 Anyway, to end, i just wanted to point how his mirroing works better with Maya (which, well, is more explicit than Mallen, if i missed anything in him). Also, i honestly expected Extremis to have more "impact" or "consequences". I mean, like, Tony feeling some sickness or something like. I mean, DUDE, you body was reshaped in 24H hours! What the hell?!