War Machine #1

As I have a limited budget, I was initially hesitant to buy War Machine. I'm a huge lover of Iron Man, but I just can't get into Rhodey's "I'm so bad-ass and hardcore" view of himself. Needless to say, this issue isn't short of that. By the third/fourth page, its established that James Rhodes doesn't have fear and is indeed a soldier. Unfortunately, that's about as dynamic as the character gets. To avoid spoilers, something very traumatic happens to Rhodey, and very little time is spent on it, as it seems Rhodey is too much of a man to be traumatized. I don't know how much I can blame this on writer Greg Pak. The character itself is just so plain. I don't really care what happens to him and having a weapons depot on your back was wearing thin by the end of the book, let alone through a few issues. The last page was supposed to be intense and leave us hanging (like all comic books), but I really didn't care about it, and was just glad that the book was over.

In terms of art, I think it fit the context of the story. Its hard and gritty which seems very appropriate. I really liked the way that Rhodey's helmet picked out people. The pages were bright and full, without being crowded.

Overall, the story was pretty lackluster, with the actions being motivated by an incredibly minor charecter. The artwork was great for the material and its possible without it, the book would be terrible. I give it a 5 out of 10.