It’s been a funny couple years for Iron Man.  On the one hand, you have a smash-hit movie, an upcoming cartoon series, and the biggest overall focus the character’s ever had.  On the other, the character’s been mired in cyborg Asgardians, gamma monster exiles, and shady background actions to make him among the most polarizing of superheroes.  However, now that Stark’s behind the ropes again, much of that should change now.  No longer the big man to blame all of Marvel’s problems on, the reconciliation of Iron Man is beginning.

The basic premise is simple: Norman Osborn wants what’s in Tony’s head, literally.  Stark has stored all of his national security-level secrets in his brain like a hard drive.  Norman has declared Tony a fugitive to get them, going so far as to attempt the assassination of Maria Hill.  It’s a battle of wills between an Iron Man backed into a corner and a Green Goblin with the keys to the castle.  It’s going to prove to see an Enemy of the State (movie, not the Wolverine story)-style game of cat and mouse from the looks of things.

Fraction gives us here a Tony at the end of his rope, a little too eager to lay his life (or brains) down for the greater good.  Tony’s taking Dark Reign pretty hard and is pretty fatalistic by this point.  It remains to be seen where that’ll go from here.  Nevertheless, Fraction’s characters remain interesting and real as the story slowly progresses.  Larrocca’s art has its good and bad points but is altogether serviceable.  According to Jim McCann, this is the beginning steps to an epic arc for the character.  Hopefully, Fraction and Larrocca do exactly that.