Iron Man: Extremis Motion Comic DVD

[JessHorsley]

Shout! Factory brings movement to another amazing comic story arc...

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Iron Man is hot right now. There’s no denying Iron Man 2 was one of the biggest box office and home video smashes of 2010. Likewise, the toy lines – especially Hot Toys’ 1/6th scale Movie Masterpiece Series – has been a hit with collectors and fans. Now, those who love the Armored Avenger but don’t read his monthly comic can catch up on one of fandom’s favorite storylines thanks to Shout! Factory’s latest motion comic DVD release - Iron Man: Extremis.

Following previously released motion comics Spider-Woman: Agent of S.W.O.R.D. by Brian Bendis and Alex Maleev and Astonishing X-Men: Gift by Joss Whedon and John Cassaday, Iron Man: Extremis, written by writer Warren Ellis with artwork by Adi Granov, brings to life one of the Armored Avenger’s most well-written and interesting story arcs of the last decade. In fact, thanks to the brilliant writing by Ellis and marvelous artwork by Granov, many fans believe the Extremis storyline to be one of the best in the character’s 45 year history.

Ellis & Granov’s Extremis essentially does for Iron Man what John Bryne’s The Man of Steel did for Superman back in 1986; it reintroduces readers to a new, updated and relevant character not only ready for the modern world, but ready to stand out in a world filled with super heroes. In fact, the success and popularity of the 2008 live-action Iron Man film can be directly tied to the Extremis story as many of the story details are identical. Likewise, Granov, whose artwork is simply stunning, designed the final look of the armored suit worn in the live-action film. And it all began with Extremis…

The story follows Tony as he faces three domestic terrorists who have stolen Extremis, a Secret Soldier serum-like drug which causes crazy changes to anyone injected with it. One of the terrorists willingly takes the drug and begins a rampage of death and destruction. Tony, always the hero, prepares to battle back. Along the way, his newly modernized origin story is told and we’re introduced to a new Tony Stark; a cleaner, smoother, and more modern alter-ego. Upon discovering one of the terrorists has been injected with this new serum and seeing the incredible abilities of this terrorist, Tony realizes neither he nor his suit are powerful enough to stop him. Thus, his only answer is to inject himself with the Extremis serum, consequences be damned. What follows is the re-birthing of the Armored Avenger to fit into the modern tide of comic heroes who have considerably more, bigger, and better super powers.

Like the original comic story arc, the Iron Man: Extremis DVD motion comic is broken into six parts, each coming in at approximately 13-15 minutes in length (total run time: 81 minutes). The animation, unlike the cell-style or CGI most fans are used to, is more reminiscent of flash animation, with still images featuring movement incorporated into them to give the feeling of change. While this will disappoint some, it’s likewise impress others to see the comic artwork quite literally move and come to life.

Likewise, the DVD offers a number of bonus features, including a worth while chat with artist Adi Granov, a behind-the-scenes look at what goes into making the Marvel Knights motion comic DVDs, a rehashed “Visual History of Iron Man,” (which most die-hard fans have probably seen in one variety or another countless times), a music video, and trailers for the other motion comics.

Again, while the animation isn’t smooth like the CGI most of us are used to, it’s not trying to be either. Iron Man: The Animated Series this is not; Iron Man: Extremis is a literal adaptation of the original comic serial using artwork previously publish in 2005, moving thanks to unique animation techniques that are almost stop-motion in style.

Personally, I’m a big fan of bringing popular comic story arcs like this to life in this method. As I don’t personally read the Iron Man comic each month, it was amazing to watch this 6-part story on my TV and enjoy the impressive writing of Ellis, the beautiful artwork by Granov, and a story that has redefined one of the most popular super heroes today.

Shout! Factory’s Iron Man: Extremis motion comic DVD is available now wherever fine home video is sold and is for mature audiences only.

Be sure to check out the trailer for this DVD [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZJ-ghF7ZAjM"]HERE[/ame].



- Jess C. Horsley