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Matt Fraction has made himself into one of the most respected writers at Marvel Comics, and this issue exemplifies why. First of all, Fraction has turned Tony Stark back into the fun-loving playboy who snuggles with super models and zips into space to do some repairs to the space shuttle. Secondly, he brings a rational fear to Stark that ties perfectly into his motivations for continuing to be a hero.
An explosion in Africa catches Stark's attention and he fears that one of his greatest nightmares is coming true again - that the Iron Man armor has been used for evil. At the same time, Ezekiel Stane appears at a tobacco company board meeting to show off his evil upgrades, murdering the men whose money he used to get enhanced. There's an interesting connection between Stane and Stark, not only because their fathers were business partners, but also because they push technology to the bleeding edge to gain their powers.
Salvador Larroca's art seems much more confident when dealing with Tony's armor and S.H.I.E.L.D.'s machines than with the characters' faces, which seem to change at different times in the story. It's not a deal-breaker and a lot of people will look past it, but I still wish someone with a little more artistic consistency had been given the book.
This book is set firmly in the Marvel Universe, but is obviously made for fans of the just released movie. "Pepper" Potts and Jim "Rhodey" Rhodes both make appearances. Ezekiel Stane is the son of the movie's villain and even though Stark isn't the director of S.H.I.E.L.D. in the movie, everything is introduced and explained well enough that brand new readers will have no problem picking this issue up. This book was released with several different covers, so there's no reason not to pick one and add it to your collection.