Review: Iron Man Vol. 5- Rings of the Mandarin

Quick Summary

Pros: The first half features some creative Iron Man fights. The conclusion does a good job in wrapping up this era in Iron Man’s life.

Cons: Elements from the story and art end up feeling plain or average.

Overall: This is a volume that falls somewhere in the middle ground when it comes to quality. Portions of the narrative are fun and engaging, showing off the cool aspects of Iron Man’s character. However, other portions of the narrative are bland and forgettable, leading to a collection that doesn’t really stand out in any specific way. Those looking for some resolution regarding Iron Man’s recent escapades can find it here, but this is not a good place for newer readers to simply jump in.

Story

Iron Man Vol. 5: Rings of the Mandarin, by Kieron Gillen, is an alright volume that presents a worthwhile conclusion to Tony Stark’s current saga. It starts out by pitting Iron Man against magic, which leads to some creative and entertaining battles. Then, it details a few okay battles between team Iron Man and team Mandarin, which aren’t bad but aren’t that good either. Finally, the conclusion wraps things up and positions Tony Stark in a place where his adventures are able to continue. In the end, this isn’t the best Iron Man comic out there, but it is entertaining enough and does well in concluding this era of his adventures.

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The first half of Rings of the Mandarin sees Iron Man travel to Svartalfheim, home of the dark elves, and fight Malekith for control of the Mandarin Rings. This portion of the narrative allows Tony Stark’s creativity to bloom. He is able to use various armor tactics, defense systems, and even a cloud of airborne iron flakes to defeat the army of attacking elves. It makes for some entertaining and engaging battles in a way that suits Iron Man well.

The second half of the collection has Iron Man hunt down the remaining Mandarin Rings from the various Marvel villains who happen to possess them. This portion of the narrative is less exciting and definitely less creative. It mostly just involves a full scale assault on the location where the ring wielders have gathered. The creativity here is less impressive and the focus is split among Iron Man’s companions. This portion of the book is still entertaining but isn’t anything special and doesn’t stand out as much as the opening chapters.

The conclusion to this collection may be its most satisfying element. Here, Kieron Gillen brings a number of plot threads together at once and gives them all a good level of resolution. The most well-executed of these plot threads is the connection between 451 and the Rings of the Mandarin, which was something I didn’t see coming but worked well thematically. There are some portions of the conclusion that feel a bit unnecessary, like the betrayal of Pepper’s former fiancé, but, as a whole, this conclusion answers all of the lingering questions and addresses the story elements that fans want to see addressed.

(spoilers end here)

Art

The artwork in Rings of the Mandarin is pretty average overall. The majority of this collection is either penciled by Luke Ross or Joe Bennett, both of whom do a solid job in conveying the story. Characters look alright and the action is structured nicely. However, the entire volume feels very plain and does not feature the creativity fans might want to see from this volume. For example, the journeys to Svartalfheim and the underground base do not make these locations feel as magical or as technologically advanced as one might expect them to be. The end result is a collection where the visuals get the job done but do little beyond that.

Continuity

Iron Man Vol. 5: Rings of the Mandarin continues the story from Iron Man Vol. 4: Iron Metropolitan (Review).

This Iron Man series ends here. However, Tony Stark’s adventures continue in Original Sin: Hulk vs. Iron Man.