Let me just get this out of the way - using Malekith the Accursed as an Iron Man villain is inspired. Iron Man may be a top-tier super hero, but his rogues gallery is paper-thin. Thor doesn't have a ton either, but Malekith as an Iron Man villain is like jelly added to peanut butter. First you have the whole Dark Elves weak against iron thing, then you have Malekith as a kick-ass sorcerer, so you then have the magic vs. technology angle. It is just an amazing marriage of ideas.
Having said that, I cannot help but admit that this issue is a bit of a mess. I love the brilliant medieval history motif. The indicia claims that the issue only contains one artist, Luke Ross, but I am having a hard time believing it. The art is.....all over the place. It looks very rushed. Some paces look amazingly clear while others look like a muddy mess. Ross at his best is what I want, great stuff, this rushed mess, not so much. You have some strange layouts and glaring blank/white backgrounds.
As for the story, Tony spends an inordinate amount of time explaining why readers should not expect a Thor guest appearance. I understand that needed to be explained, but they kind of labor the point and hell...Malekith should be a Iron Man villain, damn it! Other than that, Kieron Gillen does a great job on the script. I was a bit taken aback by the sudden appearance of the rune-chick from what, issue 5, and this "Dark Angel" character. I think Tony was away from these characters too long and is acting like we should know them more intimately. Gillen needs to reintroduce them better into the story.
Overall though, decent, with some script and definitely some art-related issues. The issues ends with a guffaw-worthy moment, so that is always a plus.
RATING: C
