What If? Iron Man: Demon in an Armor (2010) Review - RIB13

-

What If? Iron Man: Demon in an Armor (2010) Review

Disclaimer: Yes, I only read this because of the announcement. No spoilers.

TLDR: It’s a good story, pretty short but if you’re a fan of the character and the scenario intrigues you then it’s worth a quick read.

        As most people reading this probably know by now, Robert Downey Jr. is coming back to the MCU to play Dr. Doom in the 2026 Avengers movie. As cheap as it is, it’ll make them money and I like the actor, so it’s a cool move in my book and I’m all for it. I’ve seen a good bit of speculation that this role is based on the 2010 What If? story that essentially asks the question of what if Iron Man became Dr. Doom.

        I don’t personally think that the MCU will be using this material too much but I also would never have guessed that they would’ve done this, so I thought it’d be worthwhile to check it out (plus Dr. Doom is trending on Google, so I might as well try to write about it).

        I liked this story better than I thought I would. I think that it shows the difference in character between Stark and Doom very well and thought that the scenario itself was pretty cool. I don’t know how to phrase the following compliment, but even though the story structure was a bit basic, it really was written with high technical quality, the pacing and dialogue were on point and it was a fun read overall for just about 30 pages.

        I liked the art, it looked a bit old-school for some reason, maybe because this story is literally meant to touch upon themes from the Demon in a Bottle story from the old Iron Man comics, but it didn’t feel dated and for what little action there was it was well handled.

        My only real criticism of the story would probably be about how the fight at the end of the book resolves, when you have two geniuses duking it out I expect a smart or clever way for one of them to beat the other, but that’s not really the case here. It was quite a disappointing victory although with how short the comic is, I understand.

        Overall, it’s a fun albeit not too memorable read with a really good writer. I've heard of Michelinie before but I couldn’t say if I’ve ever read one of his works or not in the past. If you want to fill maybe 20-30 minutes of time with a one-off story about these characters, or are just generally curious about something that might be an inspiration for what’s to come for the MCU, then I’d say it’s worth a read.

Nikhil Saxena

Founder, Destrier Studios

https://linktr.ee/destrierstudios

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Twilight Struggle Review - RIB20

-
Image
Twilight Struggle Review Disclaimer: I asked for and was provided a review copy courtesy of GMT Games . TLDR: This game belongs on everyone’s shelf, it’s a classic for a reason and a new favorite of mine. Very few gaming experiences that hinge on strategy make you feel the way this game does when making decisions.          Twilight Struggle   is one of the smartest games I’ve ever played. I’ll say right now that although it’s listed as a 2-3 hour game, my experience with this has taken up double that per session. This is mostly because for a new player, and even for me, thinking about what to do takes up more time than you’d think. If two confident and experienced players faced off here, they’d probably only take 2-3 hours, but I played this game with a different person each time, so although my turns were relatively short (let me not lie, I took my time), explaining things and setting up the board wh...
Read more

I, Napoleon Review - RIB18

-
Image
I, Napoleon Review Disclaimer: I asked for and was provided a review copy of the game. I played it multiple times, until I felt that I had achieved the best ending, which to me is a mix of achieving 100 or more glory, having a legitimate son, and bringing peace to Europe all in one run. TLDR: I, Napoleon  is a very engaging solitaire game. The setup and playtime is long, so it is best played on one of those days where you have an evening to yourself and are free of responsibilities. It takes a bit to get the hang of but does a great job of making you feel like the man himself, with all the glory and tension that come with the role.          I, Napoleon  marks a professional achievement for me. It’s the first board/war game I’ve asked for a review copy of, and I made a good choice. I was nervous asking for it, but the individual who helped me out at GMT Games was very nice and the process was butter-smooth. I first learned about the game ...
Read more

Knave 2e Review - RIB03

-
Image
Knave 2e Review Disclaimer: I have yet to play this with a group of people nor have I touched the first edition. TLDR: Knave 2e shines the most in terms of ease of use. It’s a brilliant way to get an old school game going in a matter of minutes and hooks the players quickly with intuitive systems.          Knave 2e  is, in the author’s own words, “an exploration-driven fantasy RPG and worldbuilding toolkit, inspired by the best elements of the Old-School DnD movement.” There are really two things of note in that description, an emphasis on exploration and trying to incorporate the OSR movement. We’ll touch on both of these but first some background is in order.         The Knave system was developed by Ben Milton who runs the Questing Beast  YouTube channel, which is a must-watch for anyone even remotely interested in OSR style games. I’m going to assume, dear re...
Read more