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 #511 – Review

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

The Story: Tony Stark comes clean to his employees before finding himself in a fight for his life against the Living Laser.

The Review:  After the underwhelming Fear Itself, it seems that Matt Fraction is fast replacing Bendis as the new whipping boy for vocal internet comics fans.  What said readers seem to gloss over is that Invincible Iron Man is still a really strong comic and that Fraction has an incredible grasp of Tony Stark’s voice and personality.

While it has been a rather slow year for the book, what we get this month is a bit of everything that makes this series great.  For starters, the character work is superb.  As always, Fraction’s knack for Tony’s gift of understatement and wit really animates what otherwise could’ve been an extended scene of talking heads.

More impressive, however, is Fraction’s writing of the tense relationship between Potts and Cabe.  It’s quite nuanced and has a good amount of emotion and subtlety.  However, what will definitely grab the attention this month is the absolute BOMBSHELL that Cabe drops on Pepper.  It’s a big reveal that makes for a gripping conversation between the two and serves as a foundation for a very interesting dynamic between the two characters.  It also serves to humble Pepper a bit, while also showing her to not be quite so squeaky-clean herself.  It’s really great stuff.

One of the main areas of criticism that Fraction has had this year with respect to this series has been the relatively slower pace as far as narrative progression.  Not so this month, as a lot of stuff happened, certainly enough to make you feel you got your money’s worth.  Along with that big reveal and the character-work, there’s also a healthy amount of Iron Man action scenes.  Frankly, I love seeing Fraction use some older villains.  This month, we get the Living Laser and Spymaster to go along with Mandarin.