Invincible Iron Man #524 – Review

By: Matt Fraction (writer), Salvador Larroca (art), Frank D’Armata (colors), and Joe Caramagna (letters)

The Story:  Tony rallies his very scant troops against the Mandarin, JARVIS goes nuts, and just where exactly is Justine Hammer?

The Review:  Fraction and Larroca’s Invincible Iron Man continues to rocket to it’s conclusion and I continue to enjoy the ride quite a bit.

Without a doubt, the Stark/Stane relationship has really begun to live up to its potential.  I love the dynamic of camaraderie between these two former bitter enemies and rivals.  It’s absolutely brilliant stuff by Fraction, as Stane essentially takes Tony back to working as he did in his youth, under the gun and in less than ideal circumstances.  There’s a fantastic scene in which Stane helps Stark get in touch with the rawer side of his art, the side that recalls his days working in caves to survive.  It’s also a sort of “welcome to my world” moment by Stane, showing Stark what it is to work outside the lab in the gritty, DIY fashion that he may have lost touch with.  It’s a great moment and a highlight of the issue.

The Invincible Iron Man #523 – Review

By: Matt Fraction (writer), Salvador Larroca (art), Frank D’Armata (colors), and Joe Caramagna (letters)

The Story:  Tony forges uneasy alliances, Pepper gets a clue regarding the identity of the new Iron Man, and Jarvis gets scary.

The Review:  I’ve been singing the praises of Invincible Iron Man quite a bit these days and let’s get this out of the way first: this is still a pretty good issue.  Unfortunately, it’s also on the slow side.  It feels weird, given that things certainly do happen this month.  Yet somehow, it still really felt like a “middle of the arc” issue and one that was mostly transitional.