International Iron Man #6

At some point in issue #6 of International Iron Man I realized that this story isn’t a continuation of Iron Man’s backstory; it is a retcon disguised as a sequel. It has not only changed who Tony Stark’s parents are and materialized the most important ex-girlfriend he’s ever had, despite him never mentioning her, it has also provided a buffer between one generation of Marvel superheroes and the next, similar to DC’s tactic did with its golden age heroes.

Issue #5 showed a graying Nick Fury comfort a young and headstrong Tony Stark at his father’s funeral. They used to be contemporaries. We are finally introduced to Tony’s biological mother, who has aged into her 60s. Bendis is establishing Marvel’s new timeline. S.H.I.E.L.D. was founded sometime after WWII, Nick Fury took over sometime in the 70s, Tony was born and adopted, and now a slightly graying Tony is passing the Iron Man mantle to a younger vigilante. Marvel and Bendis are slowly forming a brand new continuity in the post-Secret-Wars universe.

It’s not exactly a new process. Until Jon Favreau’s Iron Man was released in 2008, Howard Stark was barely anything more than the distant memory of alcoholic abuse personified. Now in the comics, he’s an altruistic, patriotic founder of S.H.I.E.L.D. However, this time around, the changes to backstory seem more substantial and overt. Some people may react adversely.

I don’t care...as long as the story is good. And it is. Issue #5 showed an end to the Cassandra Gillespie saga and began the story about Tony Stark’s biological parents. Issue #6 is told entirely in flashback from the point of view of Tony’s mom, Amanda Strong (I have to wonder if Bendis gave her that name so Tony’s birth name would also be cool). Amanda is a punk-rocker from an indescript era, maybe the last 70s or early 80s, about the same time John Constantine would have frequented the same scenes.

Amanda is recruited as an informant for S.H.I.E.L.D. Her tour schedule makes her an inconspicuous agent. Her handler develops an unprofessional attraction to her and...well, he’s probably Tony’s dad. It’s part romance, part spy-thriller from a time when we didn’t have cell phones--when spies had to rely on their wit and charisma yada yada. It’s a faint reminder of the 70s and 80s spy thrillers like Three Days of the Condor, The Falcon and the Snowman and Roger Moore Bond films. If you know Bendis, you know how prominently his film taste plays into his writing. His comic series Jinx was a retelling of The Good, the Bad and the Ugly.

Some people complain about Bendis’s dialogue, but I could read it all day. Characters banter back and forth, they get distracted, they correct course, they change topics. They do all the things that normal people do, but still get vital information to the reader. Even though Tony shows neither hide nor hair in this issue, we still get playful banter between Amanda and her would-be lover, Jude. We see an inkling of where Tony inherited his defiance, snark in the face of danger and possibly even his problems with addiction.

Despite the drastic change in course for the series, it’s as enjoyable as ever. Even if people aren’t hyped about this new direction for Iron Man, I have a feeling this series is important for Marvel’s new direction.