The Invincible Iron Man #516 – Review

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

The Story:  Hammer makes being Iron Man impossible; Stane finds himself trapped with his back against the wall; the mole within Stark Resilient is revealed.

The Review:  The sudden resurgence of Matt Fraction’s Invincible Iron Man after Fear Itself has been one of the best things to happen at Marvel.  With the book quietly having returned to its position among the very best books Marvel is currently putting out, I’m glad to see that Fraction’s run will be (likely) ending just as strong as it started.

Once again, when in trouble, we see Tony continue to isolate himself, pushing others away.  In other words, Fraction again manages to make Tony act like a dick while simultaneously having us support him and sympathize.  Much like last month, Fraction again makes Stark look truly helpless when Hammer cuts the cord on the Iron Man; his superheroics are cut short with the glory stolen from him (and he himself powerless to do anything about it), while Cap makes him look like a chump.  Fraction manages to give us a Tony Stark that is vulnerable, losing control of his ability to be a superhero.

Freedom Fighters #8 – Review

By: Justin Gray & Jimmy Palmiotti (writers), Travis Moore (penciller), Trevor Scott (inker), Allen Passalaqua (colorist)

The Story: What does the spirit of America do when it’s angry?  It punches you in the face.

The Review: By all accounts, this is the third series (the first two being minis) featuring the Freedom Fighters and written by the Gray-Palmiotti team.  The minis both had the problem of starting strong, then having the story fall part toward the end.  You’d think with that kind of experience, Gray-Palmiotti would have a firm handle on executing their plotting by now.

As it turns out though, this first story arc winds down just as anticlimactically.

Uncle Sam’s reappearance should have heralded the team getting its act together and taking down the Jester in all-American style.  Instead, his teammates spend the issue KO’ed while Uncle Sam has to finish the job himself.  And despite being a metaphysical concept come to supernatural life, Sam doesn’t have much in the way of skills and powers except a terrific right hook.  It makes for a fairly repetitive fight sequence, that’s for sure.

It doesn’t help Uncle Sam and Jester punctuate their punches with babble about American ideology and politics.  Let’s face it—very few people in general have a firm grasp on political science or the implications of their political beliefs.  If I may be so bold to say it, comic-book writers and readers probably have even less.  Can comics be a medium for political discourse?  Sure.  Superhero comics, not so much—check out Law and the Multiverse for just some of the wacky ways superheroes fly in the face our already jittery laws.