AudioShocker

... an AMAZING read, if only for John Romita, Jr.'s artwork. He's really in top form from Iron Man #258-266.

But to give JRjr all the credit would be unfair to the other great artists on the book. Bob Wiack inked everything, and from what I can tell, he's the best inker JRjr ever paired with. Well, that's my opinion, at least.

And John Byrne was great, too. The guy wrote the damn thing and it's a terrific story. Did Byrne write this story arc in Marvel-style or full script? Unfortunately, I'm not too familiar with the behind-the-scenes stuff that went on with Armor Wars II, so I have no idea what the answer is to that question.

The reason why I think this may have been a Marvel-style piece is because JRjr's name is listed as the first credit in the book throughout the story arc. Off the top of my head, I can't think of any other serialized superhero book where that's been done... unless the penciler was also the co-plotter. And with Marvel-style, the penciler becomes the de facto co-plotter.

(Speaking of "de facto," that makes me think of Tom DeFalco. See this blog post for more.)

BUT back to Armor Wars II and on with my praise of the artists involved. Paul Becton's colors were gorgeous. They had a slightly sloppy look here and there, which was actually an wonderful touch on top of JRjr's occasionally sketchy work. Panels sans backgrounds became especially vibrant when Becton used a solid splash of bright color to fill up the blank space.

Last but not least is letterer Michael Heisler. Now I'm about 85% sure that Chris Eliopoulos did the final issue of Armor Wars II, but Heisler did the rest. Oddly, the issue with the strongest letters is missing a letterer credit (is it #264 or #265... maybe #263?). The letters in Armor Wars II are a bit more compact than most comics. This isn't an overly wordy story, but the dialogue does get involved at times. Heisler did an expert job at making the letters interesting but never intrusive.

If you could read only one issue of Armor Wars II, read Iron Man #261. That comic book absolutely blew my mind. It's told as two separated stories that complement each other. The stories never intersect, yet nearly every page is split right down the middle, with Iron Man up top and the Mandarin below. I would bet big money that this particular issue was a huge inspiration on a young Chris Bachalo.

It's important to mention that the Armor Wars II label is a bit of a misnomer. There isn't too much in the way of armored hijinks until the final two issues. Not that Tony's armor isn't important throughout the whole story - it's just not the focal point necessarily.

In the first Armor Wars, you'll notice that the story arc is actually called "Stark Wars" in the original issues. My understanding is that it was later changed to "Armor Wars" in collected editions and other reprints. Oddly enough, Stark Wars or even Stark Wars II would have been a far more accurate name for Armor Wars II.

But all in all, I can't complain. Armor Wars II is wonderfully paced and extremely satisfying from cover to cover. Just know that the end is a bit anticlimactic. Still, despite the rapid escalation and deflation of the action in the final few pages, I think the ending is interesting and very natural. It just needs a "FIN" or "END" caption in the last panel.

P.S. Oh, and JRjr definitely draws the best Rhodey ever. Armor Wars II just confirmed my feelings I had after seeing his version of James Rhodes in Iron Man #256.