Sunday, February 7, 2010

The Invincible Iron Man #23

Marvel's continuity continues to walk a thin line between (more or less) good timing (Thor and Iron Man) and complete mess (Captain America).

But they're cutting it mighty close in The Invincible Iron Man. This is the fourth chapter in a five-part story designed to restore Tony Stark to his old self, so it looks like - assuming he survives - he'll be back on his feet just in time to jump into the Siege.

This issue takes place in two settings - inside Tony's mind and back in the real world, where his body faces a terrible threat.

In his mind, Tony is getting some assistance from Marvel's other mustache master, Dr. Strange (whose abilities seem to change depending on which comic he's appearing in). Tony seems to be fighting the recovery process, but we (and he) don't know why.

In the real world he's being menaced by the Ghost, who seems to be setting the record for taking the longest to find someone in a tiny town. A better explanation for why it's taken so long would be that he was waiting for the superheroes (Cap, Thor, the Black Widow) to leave town.

Matt Fraction's writing is as strong as ever (though I have to admit this particular story is not his best), and Salvador Larroca's art is as powerful as ever, though somewhat subdued by the settings involved.

Next issue's the payoff, and I'm looking forward to seeing how this all wraps up.

Grade: B

No comments: