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| 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.
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| The regular cover art of "INVINCIBLE IRON MAN" No. 1 by David Marquez & Justin Ponsor |
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