(April 2007)  - no title -  Cover art: Gerald Parel. Script: Daniel & Charles Knauf. Art: Roberto de la Torre/Jonathan Sibal.  The Civil War is over -- and Iron Man's side has emerged victorious! He has now been appointed as Director of SHIELD, and this script by the Knauf's is superb as it details the somewhat difficult transition that many long-time SHIELDers are experiencing. Told via stalwart "Dum Dum" Dugan to Secretary of Defense Jack Kooning, the issue marvelously weighs the pros and cons of Stark's new job. de la Torre's artwork is grittily delightful as he splendidly captures Dugan's mood in relating his concerns as well as the flashback action sequences. Oh, and it's gotta be a given that de la Torre uses Timothy Dalton as his model for Tony Stark! And, an enigma: Who is the old Chinese dude in that secret Chinese prison? Is it ... Ho Yinsen?

Hube's Recommendation:    1/2 repulsors!

Fan Reaction: I think the old man is intended to be Mandarin. His ability to survive for an enormous amount of time with no food or water is the clue. It is likely due to either a chi power, or a ring-caused mutation, or both. Yinsen would be dead if he went such a long amount of time without food or water. Only problem I had with the issue was Dugan complaining that one man shouldn't be overly vital to operations. Dugan and Fury have always stood head-n-shoulders above the rank and file, and were wildly disproportionate to its success. The idea of one man being wildly more valuable than most should be nothing new to him.

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