Simply put, IRON MAN #17 is an excellent bookend to Gillen's first year on the title, setting up what looks to be an exciting and groundbreaking future for Tony Stark as he embarks on an all-new journey that no one expected. And if there was any doubt in anyone's mind that Gillen had BIG plans for Stark, this should prove them wrong. Well done. Read Full Review

The Secret Origin of Tony Stark comes to a very satisfying conclusion with this issue. And though I'm sure there's some cynics whole will claim this whole twist will be forgotten about in a few months, I know the series is in good hands with Gillen. Read Full Review

This issue leaves Tony in a solid state for future arcs. Gillen returns Tony a bit more to how he was portrayed during Matt Fraction's run - humbled by the weight of his experiences but eager to embrace the future and the potential it brings. Read Full Review

Although the Secret Origin of Tony Stark hasn't been one of the better Iron Man stories, this conclusion was amazing, being very emotional, showing just how good a writer Kieron Gillen can be. It also flowed smoothly, and although there wasn't a single bit of action, the depth and intensity of the story made it very exciting and entertaining. Due to all this I'd highly recommend this issue, as although it is probably more enjoyable to people who have read the rest of the story, it is still enjoyable on it's own, being much better than the rest of the story. Read Full Review

'The Secret Origin of Tony Stark' comes to a very satisfying end and it does so without throwing a single punch or firing one repulsor blast. Gillen unveils a major twist which not not only shocks, but also adds a far more humanizing approach to the book -- one which has great potential. I know a lot of you out there love spoilers, but this is a reveal you'll appreciate far more after reading the entire adventure. Doing otherwise just won't deliver the same impact. Read Full Review

This issue is catered towards giving this arc a definitive ending. While this doesn't leave much room for the action or comedy some fans expect from an issue of Iron Man it does deliver a satisfying conclusion to this arc and, as advertised, reveals the shocking and unexpected secret origin of Tony Stark. Read Full Review

Iron Man #17 is all talk, and artist Carlo Pagulayan portrays it completley straightforward, and it's just fine. We still have a lot to digest with this altered perception of the Stark family… and who knows? Maybe Arno will turn out to be evil Iron Man 2020, and this will all be a lot of hooey and malarkey being used to manipulate Tony. I'm sure we'll know the truth in seven years' time. Read Full Review

It took 10 issues to get to the big twist, and this issue isn't much more than that single beat. Still, there's a lot of potential here - here's hoping Gillen can mine it moving forward. Read Full Review

What impact Iron Man #17's big revelation will have in the long term is hard to tell. There are obvious implications of the twin secrets uncovered in this issue at the character level, but the story possibilities feel frighteningly limited compared to the weight of the secrets being revealed. Kieron Gillen's track record with Iron Man has, so far, been hit or miss, but Gillen is well-versed in wringing the humanity from the larger-than-life characters he writes. Perhaps with the catalyst presented here, he can finally start focusing more on the "man" than the "iron." Read Full Review

Kieron Gillen writes an afterword in this issue where he says "I hope you feel the need to re-read the run at this point. There's been a lot building to this point that may now be clearer." I think that says a lot. Reading this the first time, it just felt kind of forced and abrupt. By going back and reading it again, it may all tie together a bit better. I'm just not sure if I have a desire to. It will have interesting ramifications going forward and there's some great stories that can be told by this change, but as a single issue and conclusion to a multi-part story, it didn't quite work for me. Read Full Review

I'm not happy. I don't know how you are going to redeem the story line after this one. These were changes to the character that I can't say were at all needed for character development. Also with everything else going on in the Marvel Universe I can't see this being helpful for true plot development. All of the build up on this story arc for this? I guess we'll wait and see but if something huge doesn't happen in the series that gets me drawn back into it on the Iron Man side of things I don't know how much longer I'll be able to follow this one. Read Full Review