Iron & Frost #1: Diamonds are a Girl’s Best Friend

It’s X years later, and we continue to look into this dark, dystopian future world, the AGE OF REVELATION!!! Apocalypse is no more, instead we meet his heir, Revelation (aka Cypher/Doug Ramsey of the New Mutants), in a world that has been transformed by the “mutant virus” created by terrorist group 3K, forcing some humans to become mutants, but killed others who did not evolve! This chapter revolves around Emma Frost and Iron Man! Former lovers, who were together at the final days of Krakoa! What does this dark world hold for them?

The beginning of the story takes place at two separate times in the days following Revelation Day, the first being set four years after. Emma, Tony, and a group of mutants and Avengers are busy trying to save a girl and her mother from mutant agents of Revelation. Firestar’s powers start going out of control, which distracts those trying to save the girl, allowing Revelation’s henchmen killing the girl’s mother, and harming Emma in such a way that she’s forced to change into her diamond form in order to survive. She’s forced into this form, and remains that way until we reach X years into the future.

The setting is a compelling one, that we’ve seen before, but not like this before. A future where mutant supremacism, aftermaths of big losses, ruined cities, etc., these give good dramatic tension. Building a scenario that lets you connect with these characters. While Tony Stark and Emma Frost together is an unusual pairing, watching their dynamic in this issue, dealing with the stakes they’ve found themselves in, building a relationship we weren’t allowed to see and foment during the Fall of X era. Both of these characters are complex and deep, so seeing their dynamic together makes for good reading. It appears that these two characters actually care about each other, and their time together at the end of Krakoa was more than what we were lead to believe.

Ruairi Coleman is the artist here, and he’s putting in a very valiant effort. His character work is strong, but the action scenes seem to get muddled. Most of the characters look to be the same size, so the dimensions can be confusing at first. His backgrounds are pretty consistent, and it’s easy to tell what’s going on. It’s his portrayal of Emma in her diamond form that’s the biggest boon for me. She’s immaculately portrayed, and his Tony shows an emotional depth that we don’t normally get in books that aren’t their own, so it’s interesting to see these two show real affection toward each other. It added to the enjoyment to the story.