“Are you trying to seduce me, Whirlwind?”
Iron Man Vol. 2 #5
Marvel Comics (March, 1997)
“Inherit The Whirlwind” WRITERS: Scott Lobdell & Jim Lee PENCILER: Ryan Benjamin INKERS: Saleem Crawford, JD, and Tom Mcweeny COLORISTS: Joe Chiodo & Martin Jimenez COMPUTER COLORS: Wildstorm FX LETTERER: Albert Deschesne EDITOR: Mike Heisler
Iron Man’s search for the Hulk is interrupted by Whirlwind demanding Tony meet him without his bodyguard at one of Stark’s other plants. Tony is able to use his wits and some non-Iron Man tech to defeat Whirlwind. This pleases Hyrda’s leader, the Mandarin, because he wants Tony alive and Madame Hydra was out of line trying to kill him. Meanwhile, Bruce makes contact with Doc Samson and Avengers Island disappears.
What they got right: I like seeing Tony outwit Whirlwind without the benefit of the Promethium armor. It shows that even though this version wasn’t trained by Captain America he’s not without resources.
What they got wrong: It’s the debut of Reborn Mandarin, revealed as the leader of Hydra…and it has all the impact of some guy walking into the room for the first time. It’s the freaking Mandarin, the true leader of Hydra! Either one deserves more than that but together that’s rather important. And the art is still horrid.
Recommendation: The story is better than I’d expect but there are plenty of missteps and the art is still terrible. It’s tougher to recommend this one and to be honest I’ve been lukewarm about recommending any of the Reborn comics. Next week starts the “Industrial Revolution” story arc, so we won’t be seeing Iron Man Reborn for a few weeks.
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