Iron Man Viva Las Vegas #2 (OF 4)

Remember three months ago when it was all Iron Man, all the time with books starring good ol' Tony Stark spilling out every week?  I remember the week both this book and Invincible Iron Man came out with their number ones.  Now, Fraction's book is in its fourth issue yet this book seemed to drop off my radar.  I didn't even remember it until I saw it in the store and grabbed it.  It's been three months.  This story isn't quarterly, is it?  Is Faverau experiencing Kevin Smith-itis?  Is Adi Granov dealing with the same problems that dragged out his story with Ellis and forced him off Iron Man in the second arc?  Dun-dun-dunnnn!!!

Nevertheless, this book still managed to be quite fun and interesting.  The premise is simple enough: Elsa Bloodstone has unearthed a large statue that becomes Fin Fang Foom when put together that Iron Man has to have an epic battle with in the streets of Las Vegas. Shakespearean epic it is not, but that's okay.  Favarau's Tony is charming, humorous, and entertaining if a little skeevy.  Bloodstone here is a pretty standard damsel in distress as opposed to her crazed shotgun wielding version in Nextwave, but clearly has enough know-how and brains in her field to where it won't be TOO standard.  If only she'd learn to button up the shirt past the dirty pillow line (though that might have been for Tony's benefit)...
The decision to make this an amalgam of the 616 and movie universe (Tony wears the movie armor yet has a history with ol' Brimstone Breath) is an interesting choice and appropriate for a Marvel Knights book written by the film's director.

The art by Adi Granov is as polished and detailed as ever, even if his design of Elsa in her Lara Croft gear tips a bit too far into the land of cheesecake.  His design of Fin Fang Foom pushes beyond the almost silly interpretation he's usually given like in Nextwave (hey, wait a minute here... is Machine Man in the next issue?) into something that looks like a cross between the Balrog and Malelificent.

So far, Viva Las Vegas has proven to be a fun superhero romp complete with dry humor, a easily followed plot, and a massive honkin' dragon battle in the midst of a major city. Like the movie, this book has managed to keep me entertained even if it isn't terribly original.  Provided we don't wait another three months in between the next issues, I'd very much like to see how this book rolls along.