Time to embrace the future all over again.
Note: this is a spoiler-free advance review of Invincible Iron Man #1, which will be released on Wednesday, October 7.
If you want proof that mainstream popularity doesn’t automatically translate to comic book success, look no further than Iron Man. The comic book version of Tony Stark is hardly the draw his cinematic counterpart has become, and the various solo Iron Man comics have always lagged well behind the core Avengers comics in terms of sales. Marvel is looking to change that with this latest Iron Man relaunch. Invincible Iron Man features an A-List creative team tackling a series that promises to be at the forefront of the post-Secret Wars Marvel Universe. It’s great to see Marvel putting so much renewed muscle behind Iron Man, but this first issue doesn’t do nearly enough to distinguish the series.
There’s simply too much that feels familiar as Brian Bendis and David Marquez reacquaint readers with Tony Stark eight months after the events of Secret Wars. Tony is once again stuck in a rut where he finds himself failing to live up to his reputation as a futurist. If you’ve read Warren Ellis and Adi Granov’s Iron Man: Extremis or Matt Fraction and Salvador Larroca’s Invincible Iron Man, you know what to expect. Tony’s monologue reaffirms his commitment to embracing the future, and he builds himself a sleek, sexy new suit of armor to embody that commitment. Tony’s opening monologue is a little too on the nose when it comes to laying all of this out for the reader. It’s almost like he’s reciting the original story pitch.
This first issue is a little frustrating because it doesn’t feel as fresh and exciting as it should. There’s little new or different about Bendis’ take on Tony. And maybe that’s too much to expect given that Bendis has been writing the character for the majority of his Marvel career in one series or another. To be fair, Bendis does at least take a more lighthearted approach to Tony than we’ve generally seen in the modern Marvel era. Comic book Tony is historically a much more morose character than Hollywood Tony. Bendis emphasizes playful banter between Tony his A.I. assistant, FRIDAY, and even introduces a new potential love interest into the mix. There’s an amusing, extended date sequence as Tony does his best not to live up to his old reputation for once.
But therein lies the other problem with this first issue. With so much emphasis on establishing Tony’s current state of mind and exploring his love life, there’s little room left for plot or world-building. There’s a light framework of a conflict established here as Bendis draws in a familiar enemy from Tony’s past. But thanks to the sluggish pacing, that framework doesn’t build to much yet. For all that the twist ending to this issue has been teased and hyped, there’s little sense of what it actually means for the book or for Tony.
With Marquez and colorist Justin Ponsor bringing Bendis’ script to life, Iron Man already looks better than he has in years. Marquez’s style is all about sleek, expressive characters and emphasizing emotion as much as action and spectacle. It’s a testament to Marquez’s facial work and body language that the quiet date sequence still retains a spark of energy. Ponsor’s colors are great about enhancing the mood as well. And while Tony barely gets a chance to take his new armor out for a test drive, there are a couple quick, stylish action sequences as the story begins exploring its first villain. Here again Ponsor struts his stuff, especially with one panel that features a nifty reflective metal effect.
The new suit design takes some getting used to with its lithe, angular, almost feminine qualities. But it certainly fits the bill as far giving Tony a more streamlined and post-modern appearance than his recent slate of armors. Hopefully future issues will showcase its unique abilities a little better, though. None of the features demonstrated so far make it seem like a tangible improvement over the Extremis or Bleeding Edge suits. If anything, the shift away from organic components to mechanical ones has the opposite effect.
There’s every reason to hope that Invincible Iron Man will grow into something special given Bendis and Marquez’s work on Ultimate Spider-Man. There’s certainly plenty of potential to work with here. But while this first issue was decent enough, it lacked the spark or sense of originality that Iron Man needs as this new era of Marvel begins. There’s a lot of work to be done yet in giving Tony Stark the overhaul he needs.
