Friday, January 9, 2009

The Invincible Iron Man #9

The guy who seems to get the worst of the mega-events at Marvel is Tony Stark, also known as The Invincible Iron Man.

In Civil War, by becoming the enforcer for the Superhero Registration Act, creating a super-prison for all those who wouldn't sign on, and creating the murderous Clone of Thor, Tony became the worst villain in Marvel's Universe.

In World War Hulk, he got the living crap beat out of him by a certain angry green-skinned giant.

When Thor returned to life, he trashed Iron Man, too.

Now, in the wake of Secret Invasion, Tony is not only despised by the world at large, he's also a wanted criminal, targeted by Norman Osborn, the new leader of H.A.M.M.E.R. (I still don't know what it stands for. Maybe it's "Hey, All Marvel Men Exercise Regularly.")

Writer Matt Fraction continues turning in strong work on this comic, easily the best Iron Man comic in years, if not a decade. The art by Salvador Larroca and colorist Frank D'Armata is outstanding, giving the comic a painted look.

Although the world is against him, Tony uses his wits to stay one step ahead of the bad guys. It takes great, intelligent writing to manage that, and thankfully Fraction does not disappoint.

Aside from a few action scenes, this is a "quiet" issue, as it lays the groundwork for the conflict to come. It should be a good one.

Grade: B+

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