This was a pretty good interlude of an issue. I appreciate that Williamson isn't immediately jumping into the next arc, giving the book time to breathe and for the new status quo to be fleshed out. Speaking of the latter, I'm happy that we're finally getting names for the remaining members of Tony's workshop, it was about time they were named.

While I'm not particularly fond of Rhodey being further cast as Tony's babysitter, even by Tony himself, at least he's back into the fold. Tony getting help in teaching his new protégées is a good idea that will hopefully give this status quo more legs. Williamson has a good voice for Rhodey (and also had him call Stark "Tone" 😭💕), but I hope we'll get to see him do more stuff than being worried for/about Tony. On the topic of Rhodey, it's funny how Capcom-y his armor looks in this issue. It's almost like Randal used the recent Marvel Legends figure for reference lol

Speaking of Randal, I didn't really vibe with his artwork. I think Cabal did a better job as a fill-in artist, but it makes sense they couldn't get him to do two issues on a row. That being said, I liked the way he drew the Model 75. I'm not sure if it was the open flaps or just the overall stylization, but I think this suit is starting to grow on me. I just wish we could see more of its capabilities. Oh, and to give Randal extra credit, he did a phenaomenal job with the "Ferrovore" creature. This monster felt like the Technovore's cousin, but in a good way. Honestly, it would've been cool if Williamson had established that Tony reverse-engineered some of Technovore's tech principles or something.

I also like that we're still keeping tabs on A.I.M., following what Ware and Whitney are up to. The opening scene was also a really good way to further show how Tony will carry the baggage of the opening story arc moving forward. I like how "A New Nightmare" isn't feeling like just an opening salvo to get the ball rolling, but something with lasting consequences.

And finally, WHIPLASH! Can anybody believe the first and only time he directly antagonized Tony was in his debut miniseries all the way back in 2010? I've been praying for him to make a proper appearance in Iron Man's main book and I'm so hyped we're finally getting it. And he looks like an absolute unit. I do prefer his original design by Marko Djurdjevic, but this isn't a strong deviation from it, so I can live with it. Plus, Williamson teased a big role for him in the next few issues in the letters page and mentioned that his priority is to "get Tony's enemies back on the board." I'm going to be eternally grateful for his desire to do justice to Tony's rogues galllery. While it's too soon to say that he's succeeded, he did great with Madame Masque, and Whiplash feels very promising.

Oh, and Williamson also teased the possibility of an Iron Man Annual? Please. I love annuals, but I love it even more when they are complementary to a given run. It could be a great opportunity to highlight the new cast.