When I first read Kieron Gillen’s early work for Marvel (I remember that he wrote an Ares miniseries and some fill in Thor issues) I thought he was an OK writer, but he has continued to grow and improve to the point where he is now one of the best in the business. His current run on “Iron Man” is shaping up to be one of the most impressive takes on the character, perhaps the finest ever. Gillen is redefining the Iron Man mythos. This issue is the best so far in a series of terrific stories. I particularly liked issue four, a creepy story reminiscent of “Rosemary’s Baby.” I love the way Gillen has reinterpreted Tony’s relationship with Pepper. They aren’t lovers, but affectionate friends who tease each other and engage each other in witty banter and verbal fencing. Gillen’s take on Pepper is that of a savvy business woman and marketer. Under Pepper’s leadership, Stark Resilient develops a profitable cell phone business even though Tony would rather work on more “high concept” technology. It’s nice to see a character in the Marvel universe like Pepper who is brilliant, but not a scientist or engineer. In this issue, Tony has traveled into deep space, (How he got there is not explained. I hope we don’t find out that the Iron Man armor is suddenly capable of interstellar travel. Maybe Tony discovered a worm hole, instead.) and encountered an alien race called the Voldi. Unfortunately for Tony, the Voldi worship the Phoenix, and arrest him for deicide. Some of the great lines in this comic are: • “I find the whole noble savage thing enormously appealing.” • “In a universe of Romes, you’re Greece circa 50 B.C.” • “I think you’re looking for Nietzsche. I understand the confusion. The facial hair.” As for the art, what can I say. I know haters gonna hate. Some folks have made up their minds about Greg Land, and refuse to accept any new information. Nonetheless, the art for this comic is rather impressive. Alien costumes, glassware, interiors are all impressively designed, very often with an art deco look. Actually, the backgrounds in this issue remind me a great deal of the marvelous set design of the “Thor” movie. I especially like the statue of the Voldi and the Phoenix. The kimono-like robe with the Phoenix design on the sleeves is an inspired bit of work.