Invincible Iron Man #13 (Dark Reign) – Review

By Matt Fraction (Writer), Salvador Larroca (Artist), and Frank D’Armata (Colorist)

Some Thoughts Before The Review: Invincible Iron Man is easily one of the best Marvel monthlies. Matt Fraction writes one hell of a Tony Stark and his handling of Stark’s inner circle (which includes Mariah Hill and Pepper Potts) has been absolutely brilliant.

The Story: Tony Stark hits up a technology fair in order to find parts that can be used to downgrade the Iron Man into a form that he can more easily build. He also finds out that having a target on your back brings all sorts of people out of the woodwork. Mariah Hill fights to resist The Controller and finds a way out of Futurepharm. Meanwhile, Norman Osborn interrogates Pepper Potts about the whereabouts of Tony Stark.

What’s Good: The noose around Stark and his friends tightens as Matt Fraction continues to make great use of the Dark Reign scenario that is dominating the Marvel universe. In other words, it’s business as usual in Invincible Iron Man. The writing is absolutely fantastic and I really couldn’t be much more pleased with how “America’s Most Wanted” is progressing. Don’t let the fact that the entire issue is dedicated to setting up bigger and better things for the next month stop you from checking it out.

What’s Not So Good: Salvador Larroca continues to be an extremely bad fit for this arc because of the trouble he has in doing the artwork for human beings. While his artwork for technology looks absolutely fantastic, the people in Iron Man look either something close to awful or, at best, terribly inconsistent. I wouldn’t mind Larroca’s work as much if there was more Iron Man stuff going on, but Fraction’s story is more about the person within it and the people surrounding it as opposed to the suit itself.

Conclusion: Great writing and disappointing artwork is pretty much par for the course when talking about Invincible Iron Man. In that respect, I.I.M. #13 hits par. But it’s not like that’s a bad thing when talking about a series that’s so damn strong.

Grade: B

-Kyle Posluszny

The Invincible Iron Man #8 (Dark Reign) – Review

By Matt Fraction (Writer), Salvador Larocca (Art), and Frank D’Armata (Colors)

Some Thoughts Before The Review: In all honesty, I am a bit disappointed that The Invincible Iron Man is now one of the feature titles of the Dark Reign period. I think I would rather read a truly original Matt Fraction helmed Tony Stark story rather than something shaped almost entirely by the current state of the Marvel Universe. That said, I’m fairly certain Fraction will be able to make the absolute most of the situation without sacrificing what made his first Invincible Iron Man arc such a great read.

The Story: With Norman Osborn and H.A.M.M.E.R. positioned to take the positions once held by Tony Stark and S.H.I.E.L.D., some major players in the Marvel universe find themselves either out of a job or just starting one. The latest Invincible Iron Man takes that idea and runs with it by focusing almost entirely on the last days of Mariah Hill and Tony Stark on government payroll. Turns out, Mr. Stark has a few tricks up his sleeve for “Commander” Osborn.

What’s Good: Despite the massive universe shakeup that took place between the seventh and eighth issues, the series (thankfully) doesn’t miss a beat. While fairly slow, the introspective narration in Invincible Iron Man #8 does a great job of positioning both the series and the characters for the near future. And thanks to Matt Fraction’s clever script and his handling of Tony Stark’s relationships with Mariah Hill and Pepper Potts, it is now clear that the series will continue to focus more on the characters as opposed to the hoopla surrounding Dark Reign.

What’s Not So Good: Salvador Larocca’s art style works best when the series calls for scenes featuring technology or the Iron Man suit. Unfortunately, the first part of the Dark Reign arc is more about the people than the heroics. While I wouldn’t say anything in the issue looks particularly bad, it never really rises above average. Everything looks solid and competent, but it never really does justice to the book.

Conclusion: The Invincible Iron Man continues to be a must read series thanks to Matt Fraction’s masterful handling of Tony Stark and his supporting cast. If you haven’t jumped on board yet, now is the perfect time to add the series to your pull list.

Grade: B+

-Kyle Posluszny