Friday 25 December 2015

Invincible Iron Man #1 - Marvel Comics

INVINCIBLE IRON MAN No. 1, December 2015
Containing some intriguingly good action sequences depicting Madame Masque ‘liberating’ a number of technological devices for her nefarious ends, as well as presenting a somewhat softer, less disagreeably arrogant side to Anthony Stark, it is clear why Issue One of Brian Michael Bendis’ “Invincible Ironman” proved so popular upon its publication in October 2015. Yet just how the twenty-three page periodical became the month’s best-selling comic book by shifting an astonishing 279,514 copies is rather more difficult to fathom. Especially as there’s nothing within the ‘rebooted’ magazine’s narrative which is particularly innovative or new.

Admittedly the Cleveland-born writer’s attempt to inject his script with an underlying theme of industrialist espionage as Whitney Frost effortlessly breaks “into Castle Doomstadt in broad daylight” and Stark Tower in Osaka, Japan potentially harks back to Shellhead’s glory days during the Eighties “Armour Wars” multi-part story-arc. Whilst the edition’s climatic conclusion depicting a remarkably handsome, non-armoured Victor von Doom asking the billionaire playboy for help doubtless came as something of a surprise ending to the title’s enthusiastic audience. But even this miraculous healing of the Latverian monarch’s facial scars has been seen before in the 2010-2012 miniseries “Avengers: The Children’s Crusade” by Allan Heinberg and Jim Cheung.

A staggering third of this ‘Stark Innovation’ is even arguably squandered depicting nothing more than Tony having a supposedly romantic evening meal with Doctor Amara Perera and failing quite miserably when it becomes clear to his dinner date just how much of a “horndog” he is. Indeed it is only towards the end of the comic that the superhero don’s his famous red and gold metallic suit and sonic boom’s his way into a confrontation with “twenty-seven armed and harried gentlemen”.

Quite possibly this book’s biggest marketable asset therefore must be the superbly clean, yet highly detailed drawings of David Marquez. The primarily digital artist’s intricate and meticulous ‘pencilling’ of Frost’s golden mask is absolutely stunning, as is the sheer number of broken pieces of glass he depicts within a single panel when the daughter of the master criminal Count Luchino Nefaria smashes through it whilst escaping a group of ninjas.
The regular cover art of "INVINCIBLE IRON MAN" No. 1 by David Marquez & Justin Ponsor

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