Invincible Iron Man #500.1 – Review

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

The Story: Tony attends a meeting of Alcoholics Anonymous, where he retells his history and his struggles.

What’s Good: This is one incredibly well-written comic.  Given that there are a lot of words on the page, as it’s basically one giant monologue from Tony, there’s a lot of room for Matt Fraction flex his muscle as a writer and the product is an impressive display of his talents.  It’s abundantly clear this month just how intimately Fraction “gets” Tony Stark as character, superhero, and, above all else, human being.  From his self-deprecating candor, to his vulnerability, it’s a compelling read in that it makes clear that Iron Man, one the most iconic superheroes around, is really just a man.

With the whole thing revolving around an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting, Fraction makes the comic feel real, concrete, and fully believable, regardless of the crazy cosmic events he has Tony describe.  Suffice it to say, by issue’s end, it’s impossible not to both like and empathize with Tony.  Part of the reason for this is that Tony is so aware of his own failings and vulnerabilities.  His self-analysis is comprehensive and astute and so it’s easy to both respect him and feel affection for him.  What we’re left with is, under Fraction’s hand, perhaps the most engaging and compelling leading man in superhero comics today, a fully three dimensional character that is infectiously readable.

Salvador Larroca’s artwork was also a big surprise for me this month.  He’s been working so steadily on Invincible Iron Man that I’ve come to associate that look with him so much that it’s hard to believe that he’s’ capable of anything else.  This month though, Larroca essentially becomes two different artists.  The present day portions are illustrated in his typical style, but when tasked with drawing flashbacks, he adopts a more old-school look.  It’s still detailed, but a little less super-realistic, less glossy, and a bit more scratchy.  I actually had to double-check to make sure there wasn’t a guest artist on board this month.