Invincible Iron Man #1
Written by: Brian Michael Bendis
Art by: David Marquez
Release Date: October 7, 2015
All New All Different Marvel is finally kicking off with a couple of titles this week, including Iron Man. Despite Secret Wars not yet being finished, I’ve been pretty excited to see what that story leaves us with and what the new Marvel comic universe looks like. I plan on doing my best to keep up with most of the new titles that come out, but one that I have been cautiously excited for is the Invincible Iron Man series that Marvel all-star Brian Michael Bendis is controlling. Marvel has really been setting Iron Man up to be more like Robert Downey Jr. and the MCU’s version of the character who is also the feature member of the Avengers. Personally, I think that Tony Stark is a character who has the chance to really benefit from a reboot because everything they chose to do with the character in the recent past has felt quite repetitive, so I have high hopes for this new Iron Man run.
The premiere issue does a solid job of introducing us to this new Tony Stark who definitely feels like Downey Jr. with a playfully arrogant personality; yet, this new Tony has an aged feel to him as well. We first meet the character reflecting on some of the problems he has to deal with and how that has distracted him from being a tech genius who used to change the world. I really like the opening introduction to Tony and the idea that his workshop is his temple and creation is his meditation. The scenes have him really getting back to the basics which is something the character needs. While I was reading this, I realized how refreshing the All New All Different reboot could be for so many characters.
As for the new Iron Man suit, I like it a lot. When the initial design of the All New All Different suit I was on board with the minimal design and different patterns on the face plate. The fact that it can access the perks of Tony’s entire suit collection is a cool idea and definitely a new technology that would put him back on the forefront of technology. I think that they could have maybe drawn this idea out a little longer because with how they establish Tony as a character it would feel more rewarding to experience him earn his accomplishments. I’m buying into this Tony that they are creating and feel like the moments in his lab are honest, which has me on the character’s side.
The issue’s B-plot focuses on establishing the first villain of the series: Madame Masque. I’m pretty excited to see Madame Masque return as a villain, and her new mask looks phenomenal. It will be good to see her facing off against Tony some more and I think she will be a fun villain to start this series off with considering the two character’s shared past. Madame Masque is also set to appear on Agent Carter season 2 as the season’s main antagonist, so I’m sure this will help as a fresh reference to the character.
While I was more than happy the story being established in this first issue, I have to admit that the art stole the show. Marquez really puts so much detail and effort into each panel and it pays off. The artist adds an extreme amount of detail that can be seen in the elegance of Madame Masque’s mask as well as the depth of each cityscape. I really love the way Marquez makes the cities glow during the night time and think that everything looks so soft yet so detailed.
Overall, I was extremely pleased with the opening issue of Invincible Iron Man. I think that Bendis can be really hit or miss as a writer, so I’m being cautious about him handling a character like Tony Stark. This first issue seems like Bendis can write the character similar to the MCU version no problem, and I’m perfectly fine with that. Tony was charming and human in this issue and I finally feel like I can relate to him more in ways. Through the first issue, Invincible Iron Man feels like it has a clear path for the character and Bendis knows where he wants to take Tony. We’ll see how things play out, but I really like what has been set up so far.
Highly Recommended
Other Thoughts:
- The Thor scene was really funny and got me to laugh.
- News came out in the past couple of weeks that Mary Jane (yes, Spider-Man’s Mary Jane) will eventually be introduced into this series. I’m really hoping Bendis handles that well and am interested to see how quickly she joins the comic.
- Bendis seems to have a good grasp on how to write Tony with Robert Downey Jr. in mind. I really liked the comedic side of the character and everything just felt very fitting.