Customer Reviews

Iron Man: Hypervelocity

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

There's a good chance that this trade will not read like any other superhero book you've ever purchased. Adam Warren comes from a background heavy in 80s cyberpunk tales (having done books based on anime classics like Dirty Pair and Bubblegum Crisis, and exerting a large influence from Ghost in the Shell), and that's exactly where he takes ol' shellhead in this fast-paced, extremely unique look at the character's world. Warren manages to distill all of the elements from each side of the equation into something fast paced, humorous, exciting, action packed, shocking, and most importantly, radically different from the status quo that the character has been stuck in for such a long time.

Some people may not like the book because of the heavy hard-fiction and anime influence. Others may find it to be extremely refreshing compared to some of the adventures Iron Man has found himself in over the last few years. If you're looking for an Iron Man story that really tackles the sci-fi elements of his world; you're a fan of Philip K Dick, William Gibson, or Shirow Masamune; or you're just looking for a change of pace, then this trade is a must-buy. If you're just looking for a really good, more-traditional story, then you may want to grab Iron Man Vol. 1: Extremis by Warren Ellis or the very-recent Invincible Iron Man, Vol. 1: The Five Nightmares (v. 1) by Matt Fraction. Those stories also bring something new to the plate, but their tone and pacing remain more similar to classic Marvel.

Adam Warren has written some of the best high-concept, high-tech books around from his work on Dirty Pair, to Livewires, to Gen 13, making his a natural for Iron Man.

The story takes place over one night as Iron Man is framed, hunted by SHIELD and has to fight a disembodied hacker in his own systems.

Warren's trademark popculture and high-tech references are on display and Tony Stark is written perfectly.

I loved this graphic novel, I didn't put it down until I finished it! The writer really had a good grasp on who Tony Stark is, his likes/looks, music taste, etc. I thought the art was great, wasn't a huge fan on the design for the Iron Man suit, but it's still pretty cool. If you're an Iron Man fan, I'd recommend checking this out!

Title: Iron Man: Hypervelocity
Publisher: Marvel
Writer: Adam Warren
Artists: Brian Denham (pencils & inks), Guru eFX (colors)
Collects: Iron Man: Hypervelocity #1-6
Price: $14.99

Does this book feature the coolest-looking suit of Iron Man armor of all time? Quite possibly so. Does this book feature the most powerful suit of Iron Man armor of all time? Again, quite possible so. Does this book feature more action than any other Iron Man story ever written? I'm pretty sure the answer is yes. Did I like this book? Yes. Definitely, yes.

This book was filled with a lot of high-tech weaponry that is in developmental stages or in use at the present time: nanite particles, rail guns, scramjet-powered missiles, fuel air bombs, MARV ballistic missiles, and all sorts of other military goodness. The title of the book is aptly given, too, as the action in the book just seems to crescendo from the beginning to the end. The premise of the story is this: With his new abilities in mind, Tony Stark designs a new suit of Iron Man armor with a new safety feature: In the event that Tony receives life-threatening injuries in combat, he can upload the majority of his consciousness into the suit's hard drive. As you might guess, just such an event happens in this book, though the authorities of S.H.I.E.L.D. don't realize this. They think that Stark's latest set of armor has gone rogue, and they decide to throw everything they have at it to bring it down. As if this were not bad enough, the armor is under attack from the inside by a computer virus that was implanted during the initial attack. Battling on all sides against numerous foes, Tony has to fight to survive long enough to puzzle out who is attacking him and how to stop it in time to get back into his physical body. It's a wildly fun ride from start to finish.

The story is good and the artwork is just as good. I really, really liked the look of the new Iron Man armor, and I hope this story is not the last we'll see of it. I definitely recommend this story to all Iron Man fans. `Nuff said.

Writing: 8/10
Artwork: 8/10
Cool Factor: 9/10
Overall: 8.3/10

There was a lot about this story to like, but the constant use of random techno-sounding words was way beyond annoying. Every sentence seemed to have several obviously made-up adjectives and nouns. This got progressively harder to take as the story went on... At 1/4 of the way through the story I didn't mind and looked past it because I liked how the plot was developing. By 1/3 of the way through it was starting to become hard to ignore, and by 2/3 of the way through it was so annoying I was just trying to skim my way through so I could find out how it ended. Its a shame - I really, REALLY liked some of the concepts in this book, including one of the best executions of a computer gaining sentience I've read in a while (for once a sentient computer didn't turn evil!!). But the babble was poorly done, and it saturated the book to the extent that it wrecked the experience for me. Good to read once though, if only to see the computer's cool persona!

I am a huge Iron Man fan, and I read this story primarily because I saw it on [...] "Greatest Iron Man Stories" feature. I have to say, I don't understand the appeal. This story is a convoluted and hectic mess. The first two chapters start off strong, and the "Tony Stark 2.0" concept is refreshingly interesting initially, but unfortunately unoriginal after the concepts become fleshed out in chapter two. After the first two chapters, this story goes straight downhill. The conclusion is unsatisfying and those looking forward to seeing the return of the actual Tony Stark will not have their faith rewarded. In all, a poorly done sci-fi tale, not of the true Iron Man, but of a robotic armor set lose. The story shines only in the format and technological concepts it presents.

An Iron Man story that pulses at a much higher frequency ... While the Golden Avenger fans will find that this tastes different from more traditional stories, it is definitely a treat worth sampling.

The speed, the twists, the teasing references to pop & nerd cultures - they enrich the story all the while (SPOILER AHEAD) the main character is unconscious ...

Definitely worth the money.

Words cannot do enough justice to the Hypervelocity series.
REALLY

It's THAT good

Totally awesome. Writing and Art are above and beyond expectations.
You won't be able to read half of this and put it down. A must have for any fan of the Best Marvel super hero, Iron Man.

im a big fan of iron man, but this tpb does not read like the others. there is way too much techie talk in it, making the book nearly unreadable. the concept of the story was good, however, the writing sucked, and the only reason i inconvenienced myself with reading this book was because of the obligation that i felt after having wated 14 dollars on it.