DC comics book review: Invincible

Showing posts with label Invincible. Show all posts

Sunday, July 3, 2011

Invincible Iron Man #505 Review

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Paris has been turned to rubble. However, it’s not the structure of the city that’s been crushed into rock, it’s the people. With everything going down, Tony Stark is faced with a horrible realization… Not only do miracles exist, but some of them can actually be horrific events beyond science’s explanation.

Invincible Iron Man #505

The Grey Gargoyle has been turned into Mokk: Breaker of Faith, and one of the Serpent’s chosen avatars. Mokk’s rampage through Paris was met by Iron Man, but little of what Tony can do seems to have any effect on the monster. Thousands have died. Just as Tony tries to take the battle to the air, Detroit Steel comes to his aid and appears to have the sheer power to beat back the beast. This is short-lived as Mokk tears open Johnston’s Detroit Steel armor and freezes him in stone. Using a cutter that uses much of his own repulsor’s battery, Tony does learn that slicing Mokk actually hurts him. In retaliation the monster hits Tony hard enough that his repulsor cracks, forcing him to retreat to get repairs. Solemnly, Tony returns to one of his bases and grabs a repair kit. He flies away holding this “kit” close leaving us to wonder what thoughts are rolling around behind his defeated expression.

Matt Fraction delivers another strong issue. He forces Tony to look the possibility of events beyond scientific explanation unfolding before his very eyes. The situation in Paris is so bad, Tony has no clue how to fight it. His whole game is based in technology and science trumping any terror he’s ever faced. Now, he’s seeing something play out on a biblical scale. While he’s not exactly succombing to the fear as much as, say, Spider-Man has, this idea of what Grey Gargoyle has become and what he’s done to Paris terrifies Tony. We’re seeing something from Tony we’ve never seen before and there’s such a tone to the story itself that we can’t really know exactly how this is going to play out. If you ask me, that’s exactly what I like to see in my comics and it’s something Fraction does on a regular basis.

Again, what more can I say about Salvador Larroca on this series? His visuals are so gorgeous and so powerful that I honestly believe he could carry this book without a writer of Fraction’s skill. For this entire series, I find myself spending more and more time reading each issue because the visuals are so strong and so appealing. There’s such a cinematic composition to Larroca’s art that makes him one of my favorite artists of all time. As an older comic fan, I have a hard time with artists who are highly stylized or overly realistic, but Larroca is different. He’s been doing this for a long time now and has come to a point that if any writer wants their book to look like a movie or a TV show, they should hope Larroca’s available because no one does it better than he does.

Take one superstar writer who can carry every book he’s on even if the art isn’t so good, add a superstar artist who can carry a book without a strong writer, throw in a truly intriguging story about a hero faced with horror and a viewpoint-altering realization, and you’ve got yourself a truly great comic. Just think… These guys have done this consistently for over three years now.

A COMIC BOOK BLOG RATINGProsConsGripping story and fantastic art. This plays out like a movie and has me legitimately nervous for every character.None. I looked forward to reading this so much that I read it as soon as I got home from the shop and it did not disappoint. Rating100%

All Fear Itself reviews:

Fear Itself: #1 | #2 | #3 |

Fear Itself: The Home Front: #1 | #2 | #3

Fear Itself: Spider-Man: #1 | #2 |

Fear Itself: Youth in Revolt: #1 | #2 |

Journey Into Mystery: #622 | #623 | #624 |

Invincible Iron Man: #503 | #504 | #505 |

Avengers: #13 | #14 |

Secret Avengers: #13 | #14 |

Avengers Academy: #15 |

For more visit our Fear Itself tag @ acomicbookblog.com/tag/fear-itself

Tags: Fear Itself Invincible Iron Man Iron Man Matt Fraction Salvador Larroca

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Friday, May 27, 2011

Invincible Iron Man #504 Review

Tagged with: Fear Itself Invincible Iron Man Iron Man Matt Fraction Salvador Larroca

Invincible Iron Man #504

Hammers are falling out of the sky all over the world. Iron Man, not exactly surprisingly, goes to Paris to check that one out as Fear Itself is in full swing across the globe.

It just so happens that Grey Gargoyle, a long time thorn in many heroes’ sides, is in Paris the night the hammer touched down. Iron Man arrives in Paris to find everything turned to stone. The faces of the scared civilians are hauntingly frozen on their faces. Iron Man finds someone who has somehow survived the stoning, but they are discovered by a monster wielding a hammer. The monster freezes the survivor and smashes him into pieces. Iron Man engages the beast, but nothing he does has any effect. As Iron Man flies through the petrified people, Tony has to remind himself that these aren’t just statues… They are bodies of people. When he smashes one, he’s killing the victim trapped in stone. Tony slowly realizes this beast was once the Grey Gargoyle. As Tony fights the amped up Gargoyle, Pepper gets in touch with Bethany Cabe to take over the security of Stark Resilient despite Pepper’s protests. Back in France, Tony’s knocked out and awakens in a massive pile of statues reminding him of the horror that these are bodies stacked on top of each other.

Matt Fraction tears the lid off this issue. This is a hardcore and horrific story tying into the Fear Itself story. We have a lot of Iron Man in this issue and a lot of fighting with the new Grey Gargoyle. There’s a real sense of fear in this book as nothing Tony does puts the slightest scratch on Grey Gargoyle. Fraction’s script takes this superhero story and guides it more into the horror genre. Grey Gargoyle’s powers already brings to mind Medusa. Now, give him the power to turn everything around him into stone, and he becomes a monster much like the classic Gorgon. This is a terribly effective issue and gave me tingles as I read it.

The dread and fear is intensified by Salvador Larroca. I’ve always loved Larroca’s art. He has such a tangible quality that makes me believe I could touch the page and feel whatever it is that he’s drawn. If it’s someone’s face, I expect the frame to feel like smooth skin. If it’s Iron Man I’m looking at, I expect to feel a warm metal of some kind. In this issue, I expected to touch one of those petrified people and feel the cold grittiness of stone. Nothing, though, matches the downright freaky expressions of the victims when they were frozen. There’s so much uneasiness as I read and looked at this comic that I have to say this is one of the most effective comics I’ve read from one of the major publishers in years.

This comic should please just about any Iron Man or Matt Fraction fan. Salvador Larroca’s fans are already aware that he can do this in every issue, but his visuals add to the shear horror of this story.

A COMIC BOOK BLOG RATINGProsConsSpectacular visuals and mood from the brilliant creative team. This is what we should get out of tie-ins all the time. It's just a damn effective comic.None Rating100%

All Fear Itself reviews:

Fear Itself: #1 | #2 |

Fear Itself: The Home Front: #1 | #2 |

Fear Itself: Spider-Man: #1 |

Journey Into Mystery: #622 | #623 |

Invincible Iron Man: #503 | #504

Avengers: #13 |

For more visit our Fear Itself tag @ acomicbookblog.com/tag/fear-itself

Thursday, April 28, 2011

Invincible Iron Man #503 Review

Tagged with: Fear Itself Invincible Iron Man Iron Man Matt Fraction Salvador Larroca

Invincible Iron Man #503

Invincible Iron Man #503 is one of the very few times that a final chapter in an arc crosses over into a tie-in for another thing going on elsewhere. I’m not sure I can readily remember another comic ever being especially a part of two different stories at the same time like this one is. The real question, though… Does it work?

Otto Octavius has Tony Stark by the balls. He’s set off the timer for a small nuclear device that threatens to blow up a chunk of the city. His petty jealousy and hatred for Stark is driven him to the point that he doesn’t care about how many innocents get in the way as long as Tony pays for being a smug bastard when they first met at some symposium for technology. Octavius, in his own eyes, just wants to see Stark humbled. Tony caves into Octavius’ demands and is told the device that Tony believes is a bomb really isn’t. He just wanted to screw with Tony. In the end, Tony is left with some doubt about a few things Octavius said about having a spy or saboteur in the fold, but he pushes forward to get the deal made with Thor to have Stark Resilient rebuild Asgard. Shortly after, both Stark’s best engineers and Octavius witness a strange site in the skies.

I’m really torn on this issue. I’m not sure if the conclusion to this arc was just anti-climatic or actually brilliant. I really like Matt Fraction, but I really dislike Octavius. I’m not sure if the book feels oddly constructed to get to what we see at the beginning of Fear Itself or if the pacing and the structure was natural.

As much as I liked the idea that Octavius was just trying to worm his way into Stark’s brain and make him sweat a little bit and maybe, just maybe, feel a little paranoia about those around them, it seemed a bit of a drag that there was never any real threat. Maybe I wanted to look at this as I would have as a kid because I wanted the bomb to be real. I wanted the hero to have to legitimately save people from disaster. As a mature reader, I appreciate the (excuse my French) mindfuck of the whole thing. Octavius is just a sick, old man with a serious brain for designing things that can kill and maim so many and an even worse grudge against the privileged Tony Stark. The kid in me was let down, but the more critical thinking adult smiled at the idea that all this was done to get Tony to say “you were always smarter” to Octavius.

I can see this issue creating a problem for a small set of people. As a reader of the series, this issue is yet another issue I’ll read in connection with what came before it. For those who want to read all the books with Fear Itself across the top of the cover, they will likely be disappointed. This issue really only has about four pages of tie-in. The rest of it will probably leave others scratching their heads wondering what’s wrong with Doctor Octopus, why he has Iron Man dealing with a bomb, and why Stark is arguing with a madman when he could very easily just blast the crap out of him. One thing they shouldn’t be complaining about is the gorgeous Salvador Larroca art. That aside, having a final part to one arc to be tied into something that started as well as Fear Itself and getting people interesting in other books with the title on it is a little confusing for the lay reader. I’m not saying it’s a total fail or completely disastrous, it’s just a strange play.

Overall, it’s not a bad issue if you don’t take the first impression of the book. Read it and think about it for a little bit and you’ll realize there really is some cool stuff going on. If you can’t get past that first impression, then you’re likely disappointed in this book. At least now, Fraction and Larroca can jump into the Fear Itself tie-in arc in earnest.

A COMIC BOOK BLOG RATINGProsConsFraction creates a story that the more you think about it, the more you'll like what he did. Octavius is a turd for sure, but he's also completely insane and a complete wild card when he's out there walking the streets.First impression will not exactly help this issue. New readers coming in with the tie-in will have no idea what's going on and will be a bit disappointed with the minimal tie to Fear Itself. Rating70%

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