The Invincible Iron Man #522 – Review

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

The Story:  Mandarin sends out the goons to collect Tony’s parts; Tony performs surgery on Stane; Iron Man vs. Detroit Steel Corps vs. Iron Man rogues in a triple threat mech battle.

The Review:  In dealing with this new status quo he’s set up for his cast, Matt Fraction puts a lot on our plates here and, hence, a lot to love.

A fair chunk of the issue is spent in a wild mech battle between Rhodey, Hammer, and Mandarin’s goons.  Larroca’s mechs look great, as always, and the action is solid.  What makes the scene really shine, however, is the continuing dynamic between Pepper and the disguised Rhodey.  It’s a lot of fun and the dialogue is a nice little wink-and-nudge game with the reader.  The battle itself was also interesting in that, unbeknownst to them, Rhodey and Pepper are in many ways working against Tony in preventing the goons from getting the materials he needs to complete the titanomech.  It’s nice, subtle layer to Tony’s working for the bad guys.

Fraction also puts his own twist on Mandarin’s origins this month, delving a bit into the nature of the rings.  It ends up being a pretty cool idea; it’s definitely too early to judge, but thus far, I like the suddenly cosmic, weird twist to a series that has largely been based on comics science.  It adds an entirely different element to a series that has been about repulsors and machinery and the result is a power, and a character, that feels even more ominous and alien.  Great ideas meet big, lingering questions.

Overall, however, I’ll admit that this issue does fall prey to “second issue” syndrome.  It’s clearly a transitional issue and, honestly, there isn’t a huge amount of plot progression.  By itself, as a standalone, it’s not the densest or most meaningful issue.  While it’s always fun hanging out with Fraction’s cast, and while it is a page-turner, the fact is that in itself, this issue doesn’t seem the most eventful.

The Invincible Iron Man #521 – Review

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

The Story:  Tony Stark is imprisoned as slave labour for the Mandarin; Rhodey continues his adventures as the mysterious new Iron Man; Resilient delivers a wicked Power Point presentation.

The Review:  First thing to get off my chest:  how does Salvador Larroca do it?  Seriously, the man has drawn every single issue of Fraction’s run on the book.  Now, with Marvel’s, in my opinion lamentable, double-shipping policy that has seen Invincible Iron Man basically become a bi-weekly title, Larroca somehow STILL manages to draw every single issue without any form of assistance or relief.  Not only that, but his work remains ridiculously consistent regardless.  I’m starting to wonder if “Salvador Larroca” is actually a pseudonym for an entire art studio.  For one man to pump out art of this quality and consistency with such speed is utter insanity.  Larroca must have decided, with the advent of double-shipping, to give up sleep in favour of 16 hour work days.

The Invincible Iron Man #518 – Review

by Matt Fraction (writer), Salvador Larroca (artist), Frank D’Armata (colorist), and Joe Caramagna (letterer)

The Story: Rhodey takes the new suit out on a villain-bashing test-drive; Cabe defends Stark Resilient from the homicidal Spymaster.

The Review:  This is basically a continuation of a lot of the more thrilling elements of last month’s issue.  Case in point is Spymaster’s rampage in the Stark Resilient offices.  It was fun last issue and it’s just as fun this issue.  Fraction and Larroca make this plot an edge of your seat read, action-packed but with a tinge of horror, as Cabe and an injured Wyche are prey to Spymaster’s predator.  There’s something chilling watching Spymaster’s acrobatics and seeing him stalk the offices implacably, undeterred by security measures or lockdown.  The red hazard lights also make for a really intense, nail-biting environment.  Fraction also imbues Cabe with a lot of charisma, as usual, making her an easy character to root for.  The ending of this plot, and the ultimate fate of Spymaster, was also pure perfection; a definitive conclusion, but also great surprise that’ll get a laugh and have you cheer for these innately likable characters.

There are some shorter scenes that standout as well.  The manner in which Fraction and Larroca depict the fight between Detroit Steel and Sasha Hammer was brilliant, alternating panels between the fight itself (at night) and the aftermath (the broken apartment in the daylight).  It created almost a police procedural, detective feel that also served to make the whole thing a bit haunting and unsettling, which is great given how creepy “Detroit Steel” already is.  The other short scene that stands out is the end, which sees Mandarin facing down a possible insurrection.  There’s not much to it yet, but it leads to yet another GREAT cliffhanger for Invincible Iron Man.  It also suggests yet another turn in Ezekial Stane’s gradual shift from dastardly villain to almost anti-hero.

The one downside to this issue is that a lot of time is spent with Rhody and his new suit.  Don’t get me wrong, Larroca draws great tech and machinery and action scenes involving new suits and new technology are a hallmark of this series.  There’s nothing terribly wrong with any of these scenes, it’s just that it’s far less interesting than all of the other stuff that this issue offers.  When the book cuts to Rhodey, it’s almost irritating; I found myself looking forward to getting through the latest action scene just so I could get back to Bethany Cabe and Stark Resilient.  In other words, it’s not that this extended action scene with Rhodey is BAD, it’s just not as good as the rest of the issue.  I think part of the problem is that we’re not at all invested in the villain and, with his new suit, we know he doesn’t stand a chance against Rhodes.

The Invincible Iron Man #517 – Review

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

The Story: Stane goes poking around his own body, Spymaster wreaks office havoc, Tony removes the Extremis Armour, and “Detroit Steel” gets creepy.

The Review:  Matt Fraction gets a lot of slack for the decompression present in a lot of his comics.  In other words, arcs go on forever and not much happens in each individual issue.  Between his work on the Defenders and the last few issues of Invincible Iron Man, it seems like he’s making a conscious effort to fight against that bad habit.  Nowhere is this clearer than this issue of Invincible Iron Man.

Put simply, a LOT happens in this issue, which makes it feel well-worth the $3.99.  Every major character gets a significant moment and there are lots of scenes that either come close to resolving a plot thread or leave you hungering for more.  For instance, Spymaster fights Bethany Cabe, we find out who the new Iron Man is, a very insane “Detroit Steel” goes all creeper on Sasha Hammer, Stane performs cringe-worthy surgery on himself, and somehow Fraction even finds time for a couple of flashbacks to Tony and Stane’s respective childhoods to juxtapose the two and their fathers.  Many of these threads end on cliffhangers, guaranteeing that you’ll want the next issue.  It’s really crazy though how many story beats and how much entertainment Fraction crams into this standard-sized issue.  Yet, despite this, nothing feels rushed or glossed over, with each element being satisfying in its own right.

However, not only does Fraction cover a lot of ground plot and character-wise, but he also subtly plays around with genre influences as well.  The Spymaster sequence is pure action, the Detroit Steel/Hammer scene has a distinct, “slasher-flick” horror vibe to it, while Tony’s acceding to Babbage carries a hint of intrigue.

Perhaps most impressive is that Fraction, somehow, never spreads himself to thinly.  The issue doesn’t feel at all scattered despite how wide-ranging it is.

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.

Invincible Iron Man #507 – Review

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

The Story: Tony discovers unexpected problems while Pepper finds herself faced by both Sasha Hammer’s Hammer Corps and the Worthy-fied Grey Gargoyle.

What’s Good:  Pepper Potts to the rescue!  Really, were it not for her, this would’ve been a pretty drab issue.  But instead, we get lots of Pepper Potts in her Rescue suit playing the superhero, which is always fun.

While seeing her rumble with the Grey Gargoyle and the Hammer Corps would be fun either way, Sasha Hammer’s presence makes it all the juicier.  Matt Fraction does well in drawing upon the history these two have from way back in the very first arc of Invincible Iron Man, reminding us of the fact that Sasha is a big reason why Pepper has a repulsor in her chest to begin with.  Naturally, the two have bad blood with one another and seeing them clash like this is a lot of fun.  Better still is that Fraction looks like he’s going to force the two to team up out of necessity.  It’s an awesome dynamic and it’s always great to see writers make good use of previous material.

On Tony’s end, the strongest element is the lingering spectre of his alcoholism, as he quietly falls deeper down the well.  The last page is haunting stuff that promises dark things to come, as the booze begins to take effect on Tony’s intellect.  Suffice it to say, it appears that we’re moving past the humorous part of drunken Tony.

But really, Pepper is the star of the show here, and if you’re a fan of her (as I imagine everyone reading Fraction’s Invincible Iron Man is), you get some really good stuff here.  Her fight scenes are great and I love how Fraction is turning Sasha into her own personal nemesis.

Oh, and hey, Rescue fighting the Hammer Corps also means that Salvador Larroca gets to do a lot of what he’s best at: drawing robots/machines blowing shit up and beating the piss out of each other.

Invincible Iron Man #33 – Review

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

The Story: Tony takes the Resilient on a test drive as he tries to escape Detroit Steel and his horde of drones.

What’s Good: I realize that a lot of people have complained regarding the pace of this arc.  While I can’t say that they’ll be entirely relieved by this issue, this was an exciting installment and one that had a big, big development in the story that was a real shocker.  It’s a major development that adds a whole new depth to this arc as a whole.  Not only is a big jump in terms of story progression, but it also may give unsatisfied readers the scope that they want.  Basically, we see the interesting return of one old Iron Man villain and the absolutely shocking return of another.  It’s good stuff that has me excited.

Oh, and there’s a big, Iron Man-powered car chase that’s a heck of a lot of fun.  There’s not much more to it than that.  Watching Tony drive his car with Detroit Steel and co. in tow is a blast to read and full of cinematic flair.  All of this is buoyed by Matt Fraction’s confidence; his comfort and consequent ease with Tony makes the book flow all the better and make everything feel natural.

Beyond that, the issue, and the back-up story in particular, once again highlight Fraction’s obsession with near-future/present-day technology.  From the Detroit Steel cell-phone app to the smartphone based back-up, the issue feels incredibly modern, sleek, and relevant.  It’s a comic that could only come in 2010.

On art, this is an action-based comic featuring tons of machines, robots, cars, etc blowing the crap out of Seattle.  In other words, it’s Salvador Larroca in his element and doing what he does best.  The end result is a very pretty looking issue.