The showdown everyone has been waiting for has arrived in Iron Man 2020 #3 thanks to Dan Slott, Christos Gage, Pete Woods, and VC’s Joe Caramagna. Will this battle be the highlight of the event or will it fall short of expectations?
Summary
Arno Stark vs. Tony Stark (aka Mark-1). Who will win?
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Writing
The dynamic between Mark-1 and Arno is on full display in this issue. Arno keeps seeming to come off as the more prepared and by his own words “smarter” Stark boy but this doesn’t paint him in the best life. Again, Arno’s actions come off more like a villain than a hero. By his own account, he wants everyone to bow down to him. Name the last time it was a good idea for a hero to want the world to bow to him? Off the top of the head, does Superior Iron Man rings a bell? The series where Tony’s personality was completely inverted and he acted like a villain.
The writing by Dan Slott and Christos Gage isn’t all just angst between the Stark siblings. HERBIE seems to steal the spotlight in every panel he is in. The little guy frequently bites off much more than he can chew and it’s amusing to witness.
Artwork
Pete Woods providing the pencils, inks, and coloring for the issue and all of these aspects are at an incredible level of quality. The action scenes are intense, especially as Arno showcases the gear like shoulder pads aren’t just a strange design choice. There is another scene later where Arno decides to go all out with his attack and is shown to have laser blasters appear in a very menacing fashion.
The lettering by VC’s Joe Caramagna is on the usual level of high performance seen in the previous issues. By offering a great flow to the dialogue, the lettering helps the story to flow from panel to panel. The sound effects during the fight scenes also have a very bombastic feel to them.
Conclusion
Iron Man 2020 #3 has the battle fans have been waiting for since the first issue. It unfolds in incredible detail and still leaves the reader guessing where things will go from here. The real question remains though. Is Arno Stark a good guy or is he no better than a villain?
