Broken Frontier

James "Rhodey" Rhodes has worn the title of War Machine several times. This time the name may be more apt than ever.

Writer Greg Pak takes a crack at yet another version of the War Machine title and character for Marvel Comics. Will this time see a breakout hit or another "good try"?

Rhodey has been rebuilt as War Machine in more ways than one. Now completely free of Tony Stark’s technology, he operates out of an orbital satellite base – completely untraceable even in his War Machine armor. Rhodey has changed in more ways than one though, and his new situation puts stress on his body and his mind. Rhodey sees no borders anymore and few shades of gray – where government forces or superheroes cannot or will not intervene on the side of justice he does and will… with lethal force. Sometimes there is a fine line between the savior and monster – is Rhodey still able to see when he may cross it? And what happens if he does?

Writer Greg Pak has a number of critically acclaimed stories under his belt and comes at this title with a slightly different angle. While, technically, the themes here are ones readers have seen before in other titles with other characters down through the years, Pak does manage to infuse the old and familiar with a nice sense of emotion. Most of the lines read believably, although the opening scene with Rhodey’s internal monologue seems a bit forced and slightly over dramatic. This is quickly swept aside, though, as the story settles in and the characters become people taking action rather than chess pieces being moved around a plot.

Artist Leonardo Manco is certainly a good choice for this title. He provides a gritty realism to the horrors of battle as well as to the horrors of Rhodey’s situation. He uses a fine level of detail and does not skimp on facial expressions or body language for the characters. Overall it is a nice sense of balance with a flair for the cinematic thrown in for good measure.

War Machine #1 does not necessarily break new ground as far as the plot goes but for the main character it is a direction never tried before in quite this way. The lines between man and machine, hero and monster, justice and murder can be entertaining and interesting to explore under a talented pen and Pak certainly has that talent. By giving a bit more weight to the characters and their reactions over the plot, Pak manages to make a story that readers have seen before seem new, different, and gripping.