Far is Ellis

In 2006, the Iron Man series is entitled to his "relaunch" and starts at No. 1 under the leadership of the great Warren Ellis (writer) and Adi Granov illustrator for a six-episode story arc. This is an opportunity for this new and prestigious creative team to modernize the origins of the hero through a high-tech adventure, violent and realistic, studded with flashbacks.
It all begins when a group of terrorists to unclear intentions grabs a bioelectrical serum, called "Extremis", aimed at giving the user unprecedented superhuman abilities (a kind of serum "super-soldier" final and overpowered ).

Do not trust the format "graphic novel" has been chosen by the Panini publishing to broadcast this story arc. This is indeed the start of the regular series (4 ° the name). That said, the story has a beginning, a middle and an end. It can thus be read independently and is proving very accessible to novice final. Moreover, it can be read as a summary of the concept itself of the character of Iron Man because it advanced or develops all the main themes of the series since its inception in 1963 by Stan Lee ...

The first thing that strikes the reader upon opening the story is graphic paw Granov. This officiates entant illustrator and designer door triple cap, colorist and inker, which is not so common in the world of comics. In truth, it uses a fairly realistic graphics computer graphics but particularly icy. This bias can also seduce the reader that scare, as it differs from the usual look of mainstream comics. His boards, which closely resemble the photo-novels-digest the reader, have a strangely disturbing, unhealthy and familiar side. This feeling is reinforced by a realism at all times: Each character has an immediately identifiable and photo-realistic physics. Each scientific explanation seems credible (even if we do not understand much). Each dialogue rings true and natural. The fighting, ultra-violent or gory (which is extremely rare extreme -you have said - in this kind of mainstream series) reach the reader viscerally involved and participate in a particularly unhealthy atmosphere, which will put off the geek Amateur basic old-school with nice comic superhero costume spider and fly in super-villain costume ... Speaking of wicked, that which interests us here, dressed and crowned like you and me, managed to become no particular memorable fireworks, oozing malice with a natural and downright creepy realism (even if the story would have gained in density and depth by developing the motivations of this character, which would have made him more human, although his hatred relatively abstract enough to make it scary).
The vision boards Granov is very special final. She will give you at times feel they have recovered the "We-Two" your grandmother with her photo story anachronistic, but paradoxically take a higher dimension in the action scenes (paradoxically since the Action should have appeared frozen, which is not the case!), a rarely achieved visceral intensity!

But the icing on the cake remains the scenario of Warren Ellis. Just compare it to that of Iron Man: The Inevitable Joe Casey and Frazer Irving (by car, or by vf in the magazine Marvel mega Panini No. 29) to measure how much the master rises high above the average of usual mainstream products. Unlike the shabby miniseries and Casey Irving (edited wait for the fans because of the delay in Adi Granov on the main series), "Extremis" develops a scenario concept of a staggering wealth, digging in the sub text a true reflection on technological advances and the vagaries of capitalism involved with them, where arms race reigns supreme. As said above, through the prism of this real premise, Ellis will converge all themes conveyed by the series for decades, including the quest for redemption Tony Stark, immense and wealthy manufacturer of weapons, and legitimacy absolute hero.
Moult exciting questions, supported by a consummate art of dialogue, which aligns chitchat pages without the reader gets bored for a second!
A UFO semantically dark and plastically disturbing, lost among all comers super-heroic naive mainstream. Great art!

Following the series, by other authors, is available in Iron Man: Enforcement Program.
This edition of the series "the great sagas" offers a version very "cheap", with matt paper and soft cover rather ugly. Nothing to do with the luxurious version exhausted today: Iron Man: Extremis.