Victor Von Doom has ascended to greater heights than ever before, as…IRON MAN?! Your eyes do not deceive you! There’s a new Iron Man in town, and he’s coming your way in Infamous Iron Man #1 – the all-new ongoing series from the creative team of writer Brian Michael Bendis and artist Alex Maleev!

It’s time for the greatest villain in the Marvel Universe to try something…new. Where Tony Stark failed, Victor Von Doom will succeed! Only, how will the rest of the world’s heroes take to their deadliest foe masquerading as their greatest champion? The question remains – has the one-time Doctor Doom truly turned over a new leaf, or is this just the next step in his master plan?

I want to start with the bad. If you want to stay in the dark as to Tony Stark’s fate at the end of Civil War II, then you’ll want to avoid this comic. That’s really the only bad thing as the comic is really solid.

It begins with a scene before Secret Wars that plays into the end of the issue which has an interesting reveal that should keep folks coming back for the next issue. That scene also asks the question that with Doom being so powerful, what’s his actual reason for doing things. He’s mastered everything and rules a nation. What’s next?

Brian Michael Bendis does a solid job in really focusing on Doom and his attempting to figure out what he should do after the events of Civil War II. They often say that villains see themselves as a hero and this comic feels like it’s being built on that idea. How his new role will go over remains to be seen and judging by part of the end, it won’t be going well.

Bendis teams up with Maleev who on art nails it. Maleev’s art is usually solid and this issue is no exception. His art is distinctive and if you’re a fan of his art, you’ll love the issue. Maleev’s style seems to be made for the cold metal that I’d associate with Doom and I’m looking forward to seeing a bit more of it in a dynamic manner.

I think what’s really interesting about this issue is that it doesn’t have the boastful nature that I’d associate with Doctor Doom. The comic is muted in a way which gave me the impression he was really thinking things through. Most importantly, it has me wanting to come back for more and see what happens next. Doom is a favorite of mine and putting him in this situation looks like it’ll give us something actually new involving him.

Story: Brian Michael Bendis Art & Cover: Alex Maleev
Story: 9 Art: 9 Overall: 9 Recommendation: Buy

Marvel provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review