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The Invincible Iron Man (2008) (Collected Editions) #1-3
The Invincible Iron Man Omnibus, Volume 1
Iron Man 2.0 is here - and Tony Stark isn't the one who made him! Ezekiel Stane is on the scene and fixated on avenging the death of his father, Obadiah. Every bit as ruthless and ten times as smart, the younger Stane is all five of Stark's nightmares rolled into one - and his perversion of Stark's technology into a weapon capable of slaying hundreds of innocents at a time starts the clock ticking on a chess game Iron Man must win! Then, Tony goes on the run from Norman Osborn! Osborn now has all the power he ever wanted minus the most important ingredient, the registration database, which is stored in the only place Stark could guarantee its safe keeping - inside his Extremis-enhanced brain.
Collecting: Invincible Iron Man 1-19
Collecting: Invincible Iron Man 1-19
344 pages, Hardcover
First published March 17, 2010
38 people are currently reading
604 people want to read
About the author
Matt Fraction
1,221 books1,864 followers"How he got started in comics: In 1983, when Fraction was 7 years old and growing up in Kansas City, Mo., he became fascinated by the U.S. invasion of Grenada and created his own newspaper to explain the event. "I've always been story-driven, telling stories with pictures and words," he said.
Education and first job: Fraction never graduated from college. He stopped half a semester short of an art degree at Kansas City Art Institute in Missouri in 1998 to take a job as a Web designer and managing editor of a magazine about Internet culture.
"My mother was not happy about that," he said.
But that gig led Fraction and his co-workers to split off and launch MK12, a boutique graphic design and production firm in Kansas City that created the opening credits for the James Bond film "Quantum of Solace."
Big break: While writing and directing live-action shoots at MK12, Fraction spent his spare time writing comics and pitching his books each year to publishers at Comic-Con. Two books sold: "The Last of the Independents," published in 2003 by AiT/Planet Lar, and "Casanova," published in 2006 by Image Comics.
Fraction traveled extensively on commercial shoots. Then his wife got pregnant. So Fraction did what any rational man in his position would do -- he quit his job at MK12 to pursue his dream of becoming a full-time comic book writer.
Say what? "It was terrifying," said Fraction, who now lives in Portland, Ore. "I was married. We had a house. We had a baby coming. And I just quit my job."
Marvel hired Fraction in June 2006, thanks largely to the success of his other two comics. "I got very lucky," he half-joked. "If it hadn't worked out, I would have had to move back in with my parents.
- 2009. Alex Pham. Los Angeles Times.
Education and first job: Fraction never graduated from college. He stopped half a semester short of an art degree at Kansas City Art Institute in Missouri in 1998 to take a job as a Web designer and managing editor of a magazine about Internet culture.
"My mother was not happy about that," he said.
But that gig led Fraction and his co-workers to split off and launch MK12, a boutique graphic design and production firm in Kansas City that created the opening credits for the James Bond film "Quantum of Solace."
Big break: While writing and directing live-action shoots at MK12, Fraction spent his spare time writing comics and pitching his books each year to publishers at Comic-Con. Two books sold: "The Last of the Independents," published in 2003 by AiT/Planet Lar, and "Casanova," published in 2006 by Image Comics.
Fraction traveled extensively on commercial shoots. Then his wife got pregnant. So Fraction did what any rational man in his position would do -- he quit his job at MK12 to pursue his dream of becoming a full-time comic book writer.
Say what? "It was terrifying," said Fraction, who now lives in Portland, Ore. "I was married. We had a house. We had a baby coming. And I just quit my job."
Marvel hired Fraction in June 2006, thanks largely to the success of his other two comics. "I got very lucky," he half-joked. "If it hadn't worked out, I would have had to move back in with my parents.
- 2009. Alex Pham. Los Angeles Times.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 86 reviews
April 27, 2019
This collects the first 19 issues (more or less a third) of Matt Fraction's acclaimed Invincible Iron Man run, and it really deserves the praise it gets. The first arc, Five Nightmares, felt only okay to me — Jeff Bridges's son shows up with tech that's better than Stark's and starts terrorising the whole world with it, so Tony has to take him down while reflecting on his fears. It's not bad by any means, but this arc also probably won't blow anyone's minds in the world where MCU exists (keep in mind that this run began at the same time as Iron Man 1 was released). Fraction writes Tony's character spot-on, and that's the main draw of this arc. But that's okay, because the second arc, World's Most Wanted, is superb through and through. It's about Norman Osborn trying to take down Stark and his associates Maria Hill and Pepper Potts by any means necessary, and it's such an enthralling read that I tore through all 12 issues of it in one day. I always loved Matt Fraction, but I never realised he could write such a mean spy thriller that could give Winter Soldier (the comic not the movie) a run for its money.
The only bad thing I can say about this whole book is that Salvador Larroca's art is... well, it looks like ass. I don't know what is up with that guy's style, but everyone's faces look shiny, misshapen and thoroughly uncanny valley. He sucks at details, too — he often just slaps an actual photo as a background or instead of drawing something hard like the sea or the sky, and it looks SO weird and wrong in a comic book. There was also a moment where his detail work just plain ruined the plot point — you see, at one point in the story there is a super-secure, individually made Stark-tech hard drive that has proprietary connectors and nobody knows what to do with it. And how did Larroca draw this hard drive? Well, he just slapped a photo of a regular hard drive in there, complete with a barcode, Western Digital logo, Serial ATA logo (a common connector for regular hard drives) and a text that says "Product of Thailand". Haha. Look, it's a minor detail that shouldn't really matter, but if you know even a little bit about those things you won't be able to unsee it, and that immediately takes you out of the story. JUST DRAW A DAMN BLANK RECTANGLE, SALVADOR. IT'S NOT HARD. The colouring doesn't do him any favours, either — for some reason, most of the time every character looks different shades of black, from Tony Stark to Pepper Potts to Chinese drone pilots. The rest of the book is shades of grey, brown and green, so it's a dreary look all around.
Both colouring and art do get more stomachable and sometimes even kinda not bad in the second arc, but it's still not a pretty book overall, and you'll have to get over that to enjoy the story. I did, so I still say that the writing alone makes Iron Man by Matt Fraction a must-read for any Marvel fan who wants to read up on their favourite characters. I've read a few Iron Man comics in the past, but this is by far the best I've ever come across.
The only bad thing I can say about this whole book is that Salvador Larroca's art is... well, it looks like ass. I don't know what is up with that guy's style, but everyone's faces look shiny, misshapen and thoroughly uncanny valley. He sucks at details, too — he often just slaps an actual photo as a background or instead of drawing something hard like the sea or the sky, and it looks SO weird and wrong in a comic book. There was also a moment where his detail work just plain ruined the plot point — you see, at one point in the story there is a super-secure, individually made Stark-tech hard drive that has proprietary connectors and nobody knows what to do with it. And how did Larroca draw this hard drive? Well, he just slapped a photo of a regular hard drive in there, complete with a barcode, Western Digital logo, Serial ATA logo (a common connector for regular hard drives) and a text that says "Product of Thailand". Haha. Look, it's a minor detail that shouldn't really matter, but if you know even a little bit about those things you won't be able to unsee it, and that immediately takes you out of the story. JUST DRAW A DAMN BLANK RECTANGLE, SALVADOR. IT'S NOT HARD. The colouring doesn't do him any favours, either — for some reason, most of the time every character looks different shades of black, from Tony Stark to Pepper Potts to Chinese drone pilots. The rest of the book is shades of grey, brown and green, so it's a dreary look all around.
Both colouring and art do get more stomachable and sometimes even kinda not bad in the second arc, but it's still not a pretty book overall, and you'll have to get over that to enjoy the story. I did, so I still say that the writing alone makes Iron Man by Matt Fraction a must-read for any Marvel fan who wants to read up on their favourite characters. I've read a few Iron Man comics in the past, but this is by far the best I've ever come across.
March 31, 2020
This is the spoiler free review for the first 19 issues of Matt Fraction's run on The Invincible Iron Man. If you would like to see the spoiler full review with lots of pictures please visit https://amanjareads.com/2020/03/30/th...
Before Matt Fraction I didn't like Hawkeye, Iron First, or Iron Man. I still think Iron Man is a jerk but at least he's an interesting one!
Fraction has a way with these characters. Hawkeye always seemed like a nobody to me, just some bro who's good with a bow and arrow. Fraction made him sympathetic and an everyday hero to his community.
Iron Fist was just a B lister among billionaire orphans, there are a bunch of them after all, but Fraction made him a leader even I would want to follow.
Iron Man is still all the things Iron Man was before. A billionaire without parental issues, a womanizer, a drunk, and a jerk. But now Fraction has taken away what is most important to him, his intelligence.
Iron Man, aka Tony Stark, does have a super power outside of the suit. He's incredibly intelligent. He's an engineer and a great business man who would be successful in any time line.
In this run Norman Osborne is after some information that Stark only keeps locked away in the folds of his own brain. Stark has to make the decision to erase it, which also means damaging his only real super power, possibly for good.
This is what Fraction does well. He finds the right angle to look at characters from. What makes them heroic, what makes them vulnerable.
Iron Man has always been heroic. He can always send a fleet of Iron Men to save the day if he chooses. But him being vulnerable is far more compelling to a reader. There are moments of true heartbreak for this jerk in this run.
Outside of Stark this book has a ton going on. It gets pretty hectic and at times it's hard to keep up.
Black Widow, Maria Hill, Madam Masque, and various other Marvel players have not insubstantial plot lines to follow all across the world and various agencies.
The biggest issue I have with the characters in this book is that I have no idea what Stark's relationship with Pepper Potts is supposed to be. It plays a huge role in these issues but I kept feeling like I was missing something from past runs that I haven't read.
It's something that comes with reading comic books. There are always going to be pieces missing from some line or crossover you skipped. There is just no possible way to read it all.
It's my least favorite of Fraction's three biggest marvel runs so far but that bar is really high. It's still my favorite of any Iron man I've read or seen.
Before Matt Fraction I didn't like Hawkeye, Iron First, or Iron Man. I still think Iron Man is a jerk but at least he's an interesting one!
Fraction has a way with these characters. Hawkeye always seemed like a nobody to me, just some bro who's good with a bow and arrow. Fraction made him sympathetic and an everyday hero to his community.
Iron Fist was just a B lister among billionaire orphans, there are a bunch of them after all, but Fraction made him a leader even I would want to follow.
Iron Man is still all the things Iron Man was before. A billionaire without parental issues, a womanizer, a drunk, and a jerk. But now Fraction has taken away what is most important to him, his intelligence.
Iron Man, aka Tony Stark, does have a super power outside of the suit. He's incredibly intelligent. He's an engineer and a great business man who would be successful in any time line.
In this run Norman Osborne is after some information that Stark only keeps locked away in the folds of his own brain. Stark has to make the decision to erase it, which also means damaging his only real super power, possibly for good.
This is what Fraction does well. He finds the right angle to look at characters from. What makes them heroic, what makes them vulnerable.
Iron Man has always been heroic. He can always send a fleet of Iron Men to save the day if he chooses. But him being vulnerable is far more compelling to a reader. There are moments of true heartbreak for this jerk in this run.
Outside of Stark this book has a ton going on. It gets pretty hectic and at times it's hard to keep up.
Black Widow, Maria Hill, Madam Masque, and various other Marvel players have not insubstantial plot lines to follow all across the world and various agencies.
The biggest issue I have with the characters in this book is that I have no idea what Stark's relationship with Pepper Potts is supposed to be. It plays a huge role in these issues but I kept feeling like I was missing something from past runs that I haven't read.
It's something that comes with reading comic books. There are always going to be pieces missing from some line or crossover you skipped. There is just no possible way to read it all.
It's my least favorite of Fraction's three biggest marvel runs so far but that bar is really high. It's still my favorite of any Iron man I've read or seen.
April 9, 2021
Although I have loved the Marvel Cinematic Universe since its 2008 debut with the release of the first Iron Man, the character of Tony Stark never meant a great deal to me. This is probably due to his animated shows during the early 90s that were second fiddle compared to the likes of the Spider-Man and X-Men cartoons. Considering how much Robert Downey Jr’s performance of Stark has grown throughout the eleven years of the MCU, it’s about time I get to read his solo adventures in the comics.
Following the previous run that began with the Extremis story, which updated Iron Man's origin story (also becoming a major influence on the Iron Man movies), The Invincible Iron Man by Matt Fraction and Salvador Larroca places Stark in an interesting position as he balances his dual role as both the CEO of Stark Industries and the director of S.H.I.E.L.D. Things get even more complicated with the arrival of Ezekiel Stane – son of Obadiah Stane – who sought to avenge the death of his father by destroying Stark Industries by using suicide bombers with technology based upon the Iron Man.
Without having to retell the origin story, this is a good place to start with Iron Man as this first arc has a lot of what you love about the movies from the sharp and witty charisma of Tony Stark to his mechanical super-heroics, which leans towards terrorism and the fear over the misuse of technology, especially when his tech is being used for evil purposes. As well as being the son of one of Iron Man’s most known villains, Ezekiel with his roguish charm is a devilish opposite to Stark’s persona and although Stark has faced his own demons (most notably in a bottle), Ezekiel seems to inherit his father’s nature without realising the effects that lead to his downfall.
Of course, the Marvel universe is often littered with crossover events that shape up future storylines in the solo superhero titles and in fact, you can get more character drama out of those individual stories than any world-threatening event where everyone has to assemble. Taking cue from the events of Civil War and Secret Invasion, Stark uploads a virus to destroy all records of the Registration Act, thus preventing Norman Osborn – director of H.A.M.M.E.R. (formerly S.H.I.E.L.D.) – from learning the identities of his fellow heroes. With the only copy remaining is in Stark's brain, Osborn hunts him down, whilst Stark travels worldwide on a quest to wipe out his mental database.
Like I said, following two events, there’s a lot to grapple in this twelve-issue arc where there are multiple characters going off on their globe-trotting adventure. It overstays its welcome with too many villains as well as a subplot involving a H.A.M.M.E.R. officer that is having second thoughts about Stark being a fugitive, which pretty much goes nowhere. What works best here is the intimate character beats, showing our heroes at their most vulnerable point, from Stark slowly losing his mind, to Maria Hill, who always butted heads with her former boss and reveals something tragic behind her tough act. However, the two standouts have to be Pepper Potts, who finally gets her own Iron suit despite already being a bad-ass from her previous role as secretary, to Norman Osborn proving to be as menacing outside of his Goblin suit as he is in it.
Primarily known for his work on various X-Men titles, Salvador Larroca shows he is one of the best artists to draw the many armours of Iron Man. Influenced by Adi Granov who drew the Extremis storyline, Larroca puts a lot of detail into the mechanics of the armours, no matter how futuristic it looks. As for the characters themselves, there is an ultra-realistic look to them that applies well to the espionage nature of the storytelling, whilst maintaining Osborn’s weird haircut and also shaving Stark’s iconic facial hair.
It may be baggy with too many characters, especially during the second arc that overstays its welcome, but this is a fun, action-packed series that takes what we like about Tony Stark and takes him into interesting directions that isn’t always about the suit.
Following the previous run that began with the Extremis story, which updated Iron Man's origin story (also becoming a major influence on the Iron Man movies), The Invincible Iron Man by Matt Fraction and Salvador Larroca places Stark in an interesting position as he balances his dual role as both the CEO of Stark Industries and the director of S.H.I.E.L.D. Things get even more complicated with the arrival of Ezekiel Stane – son of Obadiah Stane – who sought to avenge the death of his father by destroying Stark Industries by using suicide bombers with technology based upon the Iron Man.
Without having to retell the origin story, this is a good place to start with Iron Man as this first arc has a lot of what you love about the movies from the sharp and witty charisma of Tony Stark to his mechanical super-heroics, which leans towards terrorism and the fear over the misuse of technology, especially when his tech is being used for evil purposes. As well as being the son of one of Iron Man’s most known villains, Ezekiel with his roguish charm is a devilish opposite to Stark’s persona and although Stark has faced his own demons (most notably in a bottle), Ezekiel seems to inherit his father’s nature without realising the effects that lead to his downfall.
Of course, the Marvel universe is often littered with crossover events that shape up future storylines in the solo superhero titles and in fact, you can get more character drama out of those individual stories than any world-threatening event where everyone has to assemble. Taking cue from the events of Civil War and Secret Invasion, Stark uploads a virus to destroy all records of the Registration Act, thus preventing Norman Osborn – director of H.A.M.M.E.R. (formerly S.H.I.E.L.D.) – from learning the identities of his fellow heroes. With the only copy remaining is in Stark's brain, Osborn hunts him down, whilst Stark travels worldwide on a quest to wipe out his mental database.
Like I said, following two events, there’s a lot to grapple in this twelve-issue arc where there are multiple characters going off on their globe-trotting adventure. It overstays its welcome with too many villains as well as a subplot involving a H.A.M.M.E.R. officer that is having second thoughts about Stark being a fugitive, which pretty much goes nowhere. What works best here is the intimate character beats, showing our heroes at their most vulnerable point, from Stark slowly losing his mind, to Maria Hill, who always butted heads with her former boss and reveals something tragic behind her tough act. However, the two standouts have to be Pepper Potts, who finally gets her own Iron suit despite already being a bad-ass from her previous role as secretary, to Norman Osborn proving to be as menacing outside of his Goblin suit as he is in it.
Primarily known for his work on various X-Men titles, Salvador Larroca shows he is one of the best artists to draw the many armours of Iron Man. Influenced by Adi Granov who drew the Extremis storyline, Larroca puts a lot of detail into the mechanics of the armours, no matter how futuristic it looks. As for the characters themselves, there is an ultra-realistic look to them that applies well to the espionage nature of the storytelling, whilst maintaining Osborn’s weird haircut and also shaving Stark’s iconic facial hair.
It may be baggy with too many characters, especially during the second arc that overstays its welcome, but this is a fun, action-packed series that takes what we like about Tony Stark and takes him into interesting directions that isn’t always about the suit.
November 3, 2015
3.5 stars.
I've hardly read any iron man before, but this was surprisingly good.
This story portrays Tony stark at his very worst and he makes the ultimate sacrifice.
Tony downloads all his secrets and all of the worlds secrets into his brain, but now that Osborne is in power, he's teamed up with Maria hill and pepper pots to delete his brain one bit at a time!
Who will save him now that he is brain dead? The answer is in the next chapter that I will look forward to reading.
A thrilling ride!
I've hardly read any iron man before, but this was surprisingly good.
This story portrays Tony stark at his very worst and he makes the ultimate sacrifice.
Tony downloads all his secrets and all of the worlds secrets into his brain, but now that Osborne is in power, he's teamed up with Maria hill and pepper pots to delete his brain one bit at a time!
Who will save him now that he is brain dead? The answer is in the next chapter that I will look forward to reading.
A thrilling ride!
March 14, 2021
4.25 stars. What a book. The book opens up with the disgruntled son of one of Starks past villains. He has taken old Stark tech and repurposed it and is going to use it to take down Stark Industries and kill Tony. A really good cat and mouse game as Tony learns of this threat and devises a plan to stop it.
The rest of the book deals with Dark Reign. Osborne’s now running Hammer as Shield is out. He wants the info in Tony’s head. Tony is now on the run trying to get the info deleted out of his head and get some vital info to Captain America, all while Norman Osborne is hot on his trail. Awesome artwork and some nice action as Tony trots around the globe to his different facilities accessing some of his suits and tech to get the job done. There are some great moments with Pepper and her Rescue armor as well as some great stuff with Maria Hill. Great book. Looking forward to vol 2!!
The rest of the book deals with Dark Reign. Osborne’s now running Hammer as Shield is out. He wants the info in Tony’s head. Tony is now on the run trying to get the info deleted out of his head and get some vital info to Captain America, all while Norman Osborne is hot on his trail. Awesome artwork and some nice action as Tony trots around the globe to his different facilities accessing some of his suits and tech to get the job done. There are some great moments with Pepper and her Rescue armor as well as some great stuff with Maria Hill. Great book. Looking forward to vol 2!!
May 1, 2019
This is such a well executed plot. The conflict was heartbreaking and I loved seeing how all of the characters reacted to what was going on. It was great to see some aspects of this, because some scenes were word for word of MCU scenes. Bits and pieces of this are still showing up, even in Endgame, so it's awesome to see the source materials. The only reason this didn't get 5 stars is because of the sexist artwork. There were so many gratuitous shots of boobs and asses. I know that's more a reflection of the time period this was made, but it doesn't excuse it when it can't stand the test of time.
February 8, 2013
This collection gets four stars overall, even though the second storyline isn't as good as the first. There's a lot that's done very well.
A passing knowledge of the Civil War and Secret Invasion storylines, at least, would be really helpful here, and it's set at the beginning of Dark Reign. Unfortunately, I dislike all of these storylines intensely. But I don't blame Fraction for that. None of this may have been his idea, after all. And one can read Dark Reign as Marvel's acknowledgement that maybe the whole Civil War thing wasn't that great of an idea after all.
But back to the actual book at hand. Fraction does a good job of writing an action-packed story. He does a great job of putting Tony through the wringer, too. The first storyline features a plot to put Iron Man tech in the hands of terrorists. The mastermind is actually a credible threat, despite being a weak charactter. The second storyline is about Tony's efforts to keep the implausibly powerful Osborn from getting access to the registration list. By destroying his own brain. Watching Tony lose his one real superpower is really sad, and it goes a long way to rehabilitating his character. Remember, everything that Osborn has and does is Tony's fault.
But Osborn is so plainly a mustache-twirling villain that I just can't buy him as actually having the supreme levels of power that he does here. He just isn't a credible threat to Tony, or really anyone, because his very position isn't credible. I don't believe the basic premise of the storyline, which will obviously drag it down a bit. Again, not Fraction's fault, but it's there.
And then there's Pepper, who gets a random upgrade in the form of her own Iron Man-style suit. Sure, it's nice to see her taking an active role in the story, but did it have to be that active role? I'm unconvinced it was a great idea.
A passing knowledge of the Civil War and Secret Invasion storylines, at least, would be really helpful here, and it's set at the beginning of Dark Reign. Unfortunately, I dislike all of these storylines intensely. But I don't blame Fraction for that. None of this may have been his idea, after all. And one can read Dark Reign as Marvel's acknowledgement that maybe the whole Civil War thing wasn't that great of an idea after all.
But back to the actual book at hand. Fraction does a good job of writing an action-packed story. He does a great job of putting Tony through the wringer, too. The first storyline features a plot to put Iron Man tech in the hands of terrorists. The mastermind is actually a credible threat, despite being a weak charactter. The second storyline is about Tony's efforts to keep the implausibly powerful Osborn from getting access to the registration list. By destroying his own brain. Watching Tony lose his one real superpower is really sad, and it goes a long way to rehabilitating his character. Remember, everything that Osborn has and does is Tony's fault.
But Osborn is so plainly a mustache-twirling villain that I just can't buy him as actually having the supreme levels of power that he does here. He just isn't a credible threat to Tony, or really anyone, because his very position isn't credible. I don't believe the basic premise of the storyline, which will obviously drag it down a bit. Again, not Fraction's fault, but it's there.
And then there's Pepper, who gets a random upgrade in the form of her own Iron Man-style suit. Sure, it's nice to see her taking an active role in the story, but did it have to be that active role? I'm unconvinced it was a great idea.
February 22, 2012
I meant to stretch this one over time, but I couldn't help myself. Amongst recent Marvel stuff, I just might have to put this one above Captain America By Ed Brubaker Omnibus Vol. 1. Like the Brubaker book, Fraction has given us a story that's not your usual superhero fare. It's as much about espionage, business, and relationships as it is about blowing **** up, though you will get plenty of moments of fistpump awesome.
This book follows Ezekiel Stane and then Norman Osborne's efforts to crush Tony Stark down to nothing. One of the best bits is seeing past armors being pulled out of storage -- for a reason I don't want to give away for fear of spoilage. And I was pleased to see development of Maria Hill, a character who has always been pretty one-note. Kudos to Fraction for that effort! (and I wish she'd always wear her hair messy -- too bad it doesn't fit her character, because it's really a good look)
The artwork by Larocca is stunning, especially on the oversized pages. This is one of the best mainstream superhero books I have read in a long time.
This book follows Ezekiel Stane and then Norman Osborne's efforts to crush Tony Stark down to nothing. One of the best bits is seeing past armors being pulled out of storage -- for a reason I don't want to give away for fear of spoilage. And I was pleased to see development of Maria Hill, a character who has always been pretty one-note. Kudos to Fraction for that effort! (and I wish she'd always wear her hair messy -- too bad it doesn't fit her character, because it's really a good look)
The artwork by Larocca is stunning, especially on the oversized pages. This is one of the best mainstream superhero books I have read in a long time.
December 5, 2015
Sigh.
Its almost an okay story with a villain who sounds more like a cheap mafia boss and Tony Stark walks in like an action hero with jazzy one-liners and fantastic suits. Pepper hovers in the background at the start but gains traction with her own suit and making some serious dent.
If you are interested in reading Iron Man after watching movies, this is a good place to start. I do feel that Iron Man is better handled in small doses. It can be too much if read in one sitting.
Its almost an okay story with a villain who sounds more like a cheap mafia boss and Tony Stark walks in like an action hero with jazzy one-liners and fantastic suits. Pepper hovers in the background at the start but gains traction with her own suit and making some serious dent.
If you are interested in reading Iron Man after watching movies, this is a good place to start. I do feel that Iron Man is better handled in small doses. It can be too much if read in one sitting.
April 5, 2014
I honestly feel like screaming because I don't have volume two already on hand and this big ol' book ends on such a great cliffhanger, it is killing me. God, I can see why so many people have this arc as their favorite for the series. Fraction writes Tony Stark perfectly. Volume two, I'm coming for you!
August 31, 2021
The first arc "The Five Nightmares" is a perfect Iron Man story: tight, narrated by Tony himself, with a great villain that represents both Tony's anxieties about his place in the world and reader anxieties about the technology running rampant.
The second arc "World's Most Wanted" is hit and miss, though. The story tries to re-purpose Grant Morrison's Batman run and methodically strips Iron Man of his powers to get to the core of the character. And this approach works (maybe not as good as for Batman, though). Where the story falters is everything else: narration is now done by the faceless narrator, Maria Hill is badass, but unbelievably stupid, and both Norman Osborne and Madame Masque are too comic-booky villains for such a dramatic story arc. So Fraction's deus ex machina (pun intended) in this arc feels like an elephant in a pottery shop.
The second arc "World's Most Wanted" is hit and miss, though. The story tries to re-purpose Grant Morrison's Batman run and methodically strips Iron Man of his powers to get to the core of the character. And this approach works (maybe not as good as for Batman, though). Where the story falters is everything else: narration is now done by the faceless narrator, Maria Hill is badass, but unbelievably stupid, and both Norman Osborne and Madame Masque are too comic-booky villains for such a dramatic story arc. So Fraction's deus ex machina (pun intended) in this arc feels like an elephant in a pottery shop.
July 27, 2025
Wow, estoy sorpresa. Nunca me imaginé engancharme tanto con esto, me lo leí entero en un día, incluso a pesar del espantoso dibujo de Larroca en el primer arco (Tony Stark es claramente swipeado de Sawyer de Lost). Por suerte después mejora un montón, pero una estrella le saca a esto. Entiendo que era la época, pero que cosa horrenda, tan bien que estaba Larroca en los 90...
Pero bueno, al margen de eso, esto es muy divertido de leer. Tiene un estilo muy similar al Cap de Brubaker, mucho personaje secundario bien desarrollados y subplots que van en paralelo a la historia principal. Es una boludez lo que quiere hacer Tony? Sí, pero sirve para contar una historia súper entretenida así que está bien.
Ya mismo agarro el volumen que sigue.
Pero bueno, al margen de eso, esto es muy divertido de leer. Tiene un estilo muy similar al Cap de Brubaker, mucho personaje secundario bien desarrollados y subplots que van en paralelo a la historia principal. Es una boludez lo que quiere hacer Tony? Sí, pero sirve para contar una historia súper entretenida así que está bien.
Ya mismo agarro el volumen que sigue.
April 8, 2020
I like fraction as a writer but I guess I'm struggling to find an iron man sorry i like
June 11, 2016
This is a big book for a Marvel graphic novel but it's size was necessary because it tells a big story. There are really two stories told in this book and though they are not interlinked they are all part of the same, larger, narrative. The first story involves Ezekiel Stane on a trail of terror using Starks repulsor tech to attack Stark Industries locations. Stane hasn't quite mastered the tech yet but he still causes a lot of harm and it's up to Tony Stark/Iron Man to stop him. This is an action story that has some human elements to it. Starks want find his place in a post S.H.I.E.L.D. world - he never could make friends easily - and his need to connect with his former allies is strongly felt and his relationship with Pepper Potts - who, thankfully, features strongly in both stories - is well written and affecting. A good Iron Man story always needs a good secondary story concerning Stark and this book delivers on that front. He's still Stark of course - Playboy, genius, arrogant - but with both the collapse of S.H.I.E.L.D. and Stark Industries this book is more than the punch-ups in mid-air and super-mega-high tech suits that so many other Iron Man tales have been.
After a brief, unrelated, Spider-man story we get back to the good stuff and this second part of the book is probably the best Iron Man story I've read in many a moon. It features Norman Osborn as the villain and major parts for both Pepper Potts and Maria Hill but the meat of the story belongs to Stark. When he realizes that Osborn is after his brain because it houses numerous secrets Stark does something that he's not known for; Sacrificing himself for the better good. Using a great concept Stark decides to download his brain into some super-computer causing his brain to shut down completely. As we watch Stark go into a slow decline forgetting both his friends and how to use his complicated army of Iron Man suits the reader treated to some excellent writing and the most complete characterization of Tony Stark I can remember. The action is picked up by Maria Hill and Pepper now joined by the Black Widow but the story belongs to Stark. He travels the world knowing that his time is limited and in a inspired plot twist dons numerous retro-suits that adds a nice touch to the story. He ends up in the original Iron Man suit he cobbled together in a cave in the desert where he and Osborn duke it out but the journey there is full of pathos, action and quality throughout. This is comic book writing at it's best the artwork however is not the best. The character are all too static and this shows as Stark loses his mind and in scenes where both Hill and Potts are overwhelmed and emotionally beat. Their faces don't express the turmoil they are going through and it takes something away from the experience. Also the artwork centers on the characters and doesn't reflect the atmosphere or the expansiveness of the story. The artists only seems to use locations and shading when necessary for dramatic effect or to set the scenes. This book looks like is was drawn on a computer and lacks the heart and melodrama that the story requires. I took one star away for that reason but in the end this book was rewarding and enjoyable and it should be regarded as one of Iron Mans best.
After a brief, unrelated, Spider-man story we get back to the good stuff and this second part of the book is probably the best Iron Man story I've read in many a moon. It features Norman Osborn as the villain and major parts for both Pepper Potts and Maria Hill but the meat of the story belongs to Stark. When he realizes that Osborn is after his brain because it houses numerous secrets Stark does something that he's not known for; Sacrificing himself for the better good. Using a great concept Stark decides to download his brain into some super-computer causing his brain to shut down completely. As we watch Stark go into a slow decline forgetting both his friends and how to use his complicated army of Iron Man suits the reader treated to some excellent writing and the most complete characterization of Tony Stark I can remember. The action is picked up by Maria Hill and Pepper now joined by the Black Widow but the story belongs to Stark. He travels the world knowing that his time is limited and in a inspired plot twist dons numerous retro-suits that adds a nice touch to the story. He ends up in the original Iron Man suit he cobbled together in a cave in the desert where he and Osborn duke it out but the journey there is full of pathos, action and quality throughout. This is comic book writing at it's best the artwork however is not the best. The character are all too static and this shows as Stark loses his mind and in scenes where both Hill and Potts are overwhelmed and emotionally beat. Their faces don't express the turmoil they are going through and it takes something away from the experience. Also the artwork centers on the characters and doesn't reflect the atmosphere or the expansiveness of the story. The artists only seems to use locations and shading when necessary for dramatic effect or to set the scenes. This book looks like is was drawn on a computer and lacks the heart and melodrama that the story requires. I took one star away for that reason but in the end this book was rewarding and enjoyable and it should be regarded as one of Iron Mans best.
April 27, 2013
I really, really wanted to like this, and I so I did, for the most part. But there are some problems.
The first, and really most egregious problem, is the art. I wasn't really familiar with Salvador Larroca before this, but his work, while serviceable at times, is usually . . . how to put this diplomatically . . . stiff. It may not be entirely his fault--it may well be the computer coloring that saturates every corner of every page and makes everything look like it came out of a catalogue. But it doesn't help the story.
As for the story: well, as I said, I really wanted to like this, and a large reason for that is because I became acquainted with Matt Fraction on the old, long-gone Warren Ellis Form (or WEF), back in those halcyon days of the early years of the twenty-first century, and Fraction was always the funniest and smartest poster there. And he even started his own forum for a while, which I also followed. And so forth.
Still, predisposed as I was, I wasn't prepared for Fraction's constant (and tiring) use of the phrase "the bleeding edge." As in beyond the cutting edge. Like, ouch, man.
Also, this version of Iron Man was clearly introduced to capitalize on the movie (I believe the first issue appeared right around the time of the first Robert Downey, Jr., film, in 2008), so there were maneuverings to make things from the film relevant in the comic and vice versa (although, for example, Happy marries Pepper Potts in the comics, and then dies, and also, the Iron Monger/Obadiah Stane story is rather different from the film, so Fraction had to bring in the son of Obadiah, Ezekiel, which . . . eh).
And last, but not least, the aforementioned Warren Ellis was clearly quite an influence on Mr. Fraction, and that is both clearly good and clearly bad when it comes to this particular story. It certainly starts well ("The Five Nightmares"), but then events in the Marvel Universe take a strange turn, and Fraction has to turn the story and the character along with it, and . . . let's say it isn't a lot of fun, and the Ellis influence starts to wear out its welcome rather quickly.
I did get and read the second volume in this hardcover format, and I finished that recently also, and there will presumably be a concluding volume to finish Mr. Fraction's run on the title. But it's all really just more of the same. There are flashes of originality and wit, to be sure (Fraction proves to be quite good at writing characters other than Tony Stark), but by and large this isn't nearly as inspiring a comic as, say, Robert Kirkman's Invincible, which I reviewed a few weeks back.
The first, and really most egregious problem, is the art. I wasn't really familiar with Salvador Larroca before this, but his work, while serviceable at times, is usually . . . how to put this diplomatically . . . stiff. It may not be entirely his fault--it may well be the computer coloring that saturates every corner of every page and makes everything look like it came out of a catalogue. But it doesn't help the story.
As for the story: well, as I said, I really wanted to like this, and a large reason for that is because I became acquainted with Matt Fraction on the old, long-gone Warren Ellis Form (or WEF), back in those halcyon days of the early years of the twenty-first century, and Fraction was always the funniest and smartest poster there. And he even started his own forum for a while, which I also followed. And so forth.
Still, predisposed as I was, I wasn't prepared for Fraction's constant (and tiring) use of the phrase "the bleeding edge." As in beyond the cutting edge. Like, ouch, man.
Also, this version of Iron Man was clearly introduced to capitalize on the movie (I believe the first issue appeared right around the time of the first Robert Downey, Jr., film, in 2008), so there were maneuverings to make things from the film relevant in the comic and vice versa (although, for example, Happy marries Pepper Potts in the comics, and then dies, and also, the Iron Monger/Obadiah Stane story is rather different from the film, so Fraction had to bring in the son of Obadiah, Ezekiel, which . . . eh).
And last, but not least, the aforementioned Warren Ellis was clearly quite an influence on Mr. Fraction, and that is both clearly good and clearly bad when it comes to this particular story. It certainly starts well ("The Five Nightmares"), but then events in the Marvel Universe take a strange turn, and Fraction has to turn the story and the character along with it, and . . . let's say it isn't a lot of fun, and the Ellis influence starts to wear out its welcome rather quickly.
I did get and read the second volume in this hardcover format, and I finished that recently also, and there will presumably be a concluding volume to finish Mr. Fraction's run on the title. But it's all really just more of the same. There are flashes of originality and wit, to be sure (Fraction proves to be quite good at writing characters other than Tony Stark), but by and large this isn't nearly as inspiring a comic as, say, Robert Kirkman's Invincible, which I reviewed a few weeks back.
July 25, 2017
After reading the first "The Five Nightmares" arc of INVINCIBLE IRON MAN, I knew I was hooked. Reading this compendium both sated my hunger for good Iron Man story and whet my appetite for more.
The first half of the book I'd already read: during "The Five Nightmares" arc, we have Tony at his best and brightest. Stane successfully embodies and teases out Tony's fears, and Tony comes out the other side triumphant. At the end, I was partying, celebrating, and squeeing over how awesome Tony Stark is. "The Five Nightmares" is a feel good superhero story, where, though the battle was hard, Good won.
And then there was a Skrull invasion apparently, and the next arc is all about stripping Tony down, down, dooooowwwwwnnnnn until he isn't Tony anymore. Not recognizably, anyway. Fraction built Tony Stark almost to the level of Engineering God and then tore him down to a husk of flesh. I cannot begin to describe how freaking amazing the writing is, how vulnerable and tender and tragic. The plot is well-put together and doesn't miss a beat. The only reason I ever stopped reading was because I had to cry.
Norman Osborn as the slithering villain blew my mind and reminded me what pure hate felt like. Pepper Potts came into her own, becoming a super in her own right. Maria Hill's character was torn apart like Tony's was, and I loved that Fraction acknowledged that he didn't have time to properly put her back together, but Maria could do it. As much as INVINCIBLE was Tony's story, it was also Maria and Pepper's, and I really liked it that way.
I was a little confused as to why Rhodey didn't play more of a role: he appears and drops out rather abruptly. Fraction was also a tiny bit clumsy with Black Widow, but I forgive him for doing so well with Pepper & Maria.
All and all, the sparkling character work and excellent, above-and-beyond plot earned a 5 star rating. Fraction's another Marvel writer that I'm keeping an eye out for.
The first half of the book I'd already read: during "The Five Nightmares" arc, we have Tony at his best and brightest. Stane successfully embodies and teases out Tony's fears, and Tony comes out the other side triumphant. At the end, I was partying, celebrating, and squeeing over how awesome Tony Stark is. "The Five Nightmares" is a feel good superhero story, where, though the battle was hard, Good won.
And then there was a Skrull invasion apparently, and the next arc is all about stripping Tony down, down, dooooowwwwwnnnnn until he isn't Tony anymore. Not recognizably, anyway. Fraction built Tony Stark almost to the level of Engineering God and then tore him down to a husk of flesh. I cannot begin to describe how freaking amazing the writing is, how vulnerable and tender and tragic. The plot is well-put together and doesn't miss a beat. The only reason I ever stopped reading was because I had to cry.
Norman Osborn as the slithering villain blew my mind and reminded me what pure hate felt like. Pepper Potts came into her own, becoming a super in her own right. Maria Hill's character was torn apart like Tony's was, and I loved that Fraction acknowledged that he didn't have time to properly put her back together, but Maria could do it. As much as INVINCIBLE was Tony's story, it was also Maria and Pepper's, and I really liked it that way.
I was a little confused as to why Rhodey didn't play more of a role: he appears and drops out rather abruptly. Fraction was also a tiny bit clumsy with Black Widow, but I forgive him for doing so well with Pepper & Maria.
All and all, the sparkling character work and excellent, above-and-beyond plot earned a 5 star rating. Fraction's another Marvel writer that I'm keeping an eye out for.
May 12, 2020
This novel collects issue #1-#19 of Invincible Iron Man series, which includes 3 story arcs. 2, if we are really generalizing.
The first one is, I guess a follow up to 2008's Iron Man film. Ezekiel Stane, son of Grumpy Stane, I mean Obadiah Stane has severe daddy issues, and he is out to destroy Tony Stark. Seems like a generic storyline, but Matt Fraction handles it well, balancing superhero revenge story with corporate espionage and excellent character development for even Tony Stark (heh, didn't see that one coming). I actually enjoyed Tony, which is surprising, as I'm not a particular fan of this guy (Captain America all the way!!).
The second one & third one are two parts of a single story, where after the skrull invasion Norman Osborn replaces S.H.I.E.L.D with H.A.M.M.E.R, and is after Tony for the identities of superheroes. Tony has them in his freaking mind, which is now like a hard drive, because why not. Then he decides to reset his brain to delete that information, because why not. Unfortunately, it starts to degrade other parts of his mind, and he is no longer the genius. This arc hit a home run in this premise. It was really nice to see this side of Tony. The man who is forgetting who he is, the man who is not a smartass, but someone who is just trying to survive. If I could just tolerate Iron Man before, this book made me fell in love with him. To see him broken, forgetting every piece of his knowledge, while Norman Osborn hunts him with all he can was really really painful.
Salvador Larroca was the solitary artist across all the issues, and he has done a fantastic job, I have to say. The armors, specially the fight between Ezekiel and Iron Man was spectacular to see.
Solid 4 stars.
The first one is, I guess a follow up to 2008's Iron Man film. Ezekiel Stane, son of Grumpy Stane, I mean Obadiah Stane has severe daddy issues, and he is out to destroy Tony Stark. Seems like a generic storyline, but Matt Fraction handles it well, balancing superhero revenge story with corporate espionage and excellent character development for even Tony Stark (heh, didn't see that one coming). I actually enjoyed Tony, which is surprising, as I'm not a particular fan of this guy (Captain America all the way!!).
The second one & third one are two parts of a single story, where after the skrull invasion Norman Osborn replaces S.H.I.E.L.D with H.A.M.M.E.R, and is after Tony for the identities of superheroes. Tony has them in his freaking mind, which is now like a hard drive, because why not. Then he decides to reset his brain to delete that information, because why not. Unfortunately, it starts to degrade other parts of his mind, and he is no longer the genius. This arc hit a home run in this premise. It was really nice to see this side of Tony. The man who is forgetting who he is, the man who is not a smartass, but someone who is just trying to survive. If I could just tolerate Iron Man before, this book made me fell in love with him. To see him broken, forgetting every piece of his knowledge, while Norman Osborn hunts him with all he can was really really painful.
Salvador Larroca was the solitary artist across all the issues, and he has done a fantastic job, I have to say. The armors, specially the fight between Ezekiel and Iron Man was spectacular to see.
Solid 4 stars.
September 27, 2021
I've read this many years ago, but I'm re-reading it to be able to read all of Fraction's Iron Man.
First, my complaints:
The plot is so annoyingly contrived, I get it from a thematic standpoint but from a logical standpoint it's so weird. I wish they'd leaned a lot harder into the Flowers For Algernon-ness of the situation, that would have been more interesting. More of Tony's narration falling apart. As it was it was very half-baked, not great.
Maria Hill was just stupid. They were trying to give her some PTSD thing, but one tiny brush with a mind-controller and she's a scared wimp? You expect me to believe the director of SHIELD has never dealt with anything like that before? And Natasha constantly berating her about it wasn't much better.
On the plus side, I did like Pepper Potts. It was odd how fast she turned around from "No, I won't be a weapon get this iron man tech out of me" to "Hell Yeah I'm Rescue, going on secret missions and fuckin' shit up!" But it was fine, by the end she was so much more interesting and capable than Maria or Natasha (but Maria Hill's constant refrain of "I'm being saved by Tony Stark's SECRETARY?!" was super annoying). Also, the Rescue suit was ridiculously ugly, with an overly sexualized body shape and weird bug-shaped face.
My two favorite bits were 1: Norman Osborn. Fraction writes him as the egotistical, ridiculous villain-in-charge who just needs everyone to pay attention to him. It's great, horrible, and wonderful. I just wanted him to fail so hard! 2: the moments and themes that mention Tony's alcoholism. They're very real feeling, and I feel it even stranger because I know Matt himself has gone through it. When Tony goes and talks to his AA sponsor to warn him, that is really unique.
First, my complaints:
The plot is so annoyingly contrived, I get it from a thematic standpoint but from a logical standpoint it's so weird. I wish they'd leaned a lot harder into the Flowers For Algernon-ness of the situation, that would have been more interesting. More of Tony's narration falling apart. As it was it was very half-baked, not great.
Maria Hill was just stupid. They were trying to give her some PTSD thing, but one tiny brush with a mind-controller and she's a scared wimp? You expect me to believe the director of SHIELD has never dealt with anything like that before? And Natasha constantly berating her about it wasn't much better.
On the plus side, I did like Pepper Potts. It was odd how fast she turned around from "No, I won't be a weapon get this iron man tech out of me" to "Hell Yeah I'm Rescue, going on secret missions and fuckin' shit up!" But it was fine, by the end she was so much more interesting and capable than Maria or Natasha (but Maria Hill's constant refrain of "I'm being saved by Tony Stark's SECRETARY?!" was super annoying). Also, the Rescue suit was ridiculously ugly, with an overly sexualized body shape and weird bug-shaped face.
My two favorite bits were 1: Norman Osborn. Fraction writes him as the egotistical, ridiculous villain-in-charge who just needs everyone to pay attention to him. It's great, horrible, and wonderful. I just wanted him to fail so hard! 2: the moments and themes that mention Tony's alcoholism. They're very real feeling, and I feel it even stranger because I know Matt himself has gone through it. When Tony goes and talks to his AA sponsor to warn him, that is really unique.
January 3, 2019
What this review covers:
I read Fraction’s entire Iron Man (volumes 1-11) run including the Fear Itself event he wrote in the middle of it and the Iron Man specific issues for that.
Why I read this:
I’ve was an instant fan of Matt Fraction from the moment I read Hawkeye #1. I’ve been slowly working my way through some of the bigger and better modern Marvel runs and thought this should be pretty good.
What I thought:
Overall this gets 3 out of 5 from me. One big distraction for me was the art. I’m not really an art guy but Larroca’s art grates on my eyes. Other than that there were many high points to this series and great character moments. The Stark Resilient plot-line where Tony Stark becomes an Elon Musk-like billionaire is a timely touch. The overarching villain, The Mandarin, also provides Tony with some really tough moments.
Another thing that was slightly disappointing for me is that this seems to lack some of the characteristics I’ve come to look for when reading Fraction. There is none of the sardonic humor or sharp twist on the usual superhero genre.
Unfortunately in the end I can’t say that you should run out and read this unless you’re chomping at the bit for more Iron Man. I will say that it ends strong and did remain consistent. I got to a point just over halfway through where I contemplated not finishing it for several months. Typically a long run is inconsistent or drops off at the end, this did neither.
I read Fraction’s entire Iron Man (volumes 1-11) run including the Fear Itself event he wrote in the middle of it and the Iron Man specific issues for that.
Why I read this:
I’ve was an instant fan of Matt Fraction from the moment I read Hawkeye #1. I’ve been slowly working my way through some of the bigger and better modern Marvel runs and thought this should be pretty good.
What I thought:
Overall this gets 3 out of 5 from me. One big distraction for me was the art. I’m not really an art guy but Larroca’s art grates on my eyes. Other than that there were many high points to this series and great character moments. The Stark Resilient plot-line where Tony Stark becomes an Elon Musk-like billionaire is a timely touch. The overarching villain, The Mandarin, also provides Tony with some really tough moments.
Another thing that was slightly disappointing for me is that this seems to lack some of the characteristics I’ve come to look for when reading Fraction. There is none of the sardonic humor or sharp twist on the usual superhero genre.
Unfortunately in the end I can’t say that you should run out and read this unless you’re chomping at the bit for more Iron Man. I will say that it ends strong and did remain consistent. I got to a point just over halfway through where I contemplated not finishing it for several months. Typically a long run is inconsistent or drops off at the end, this did neither.
May 7, 2025
A hero is nothing without a challenge to overcome, and Tony has his hands full in the first 19 issues of Matt Fraction's run on the character.
The first arc sees Tony deal with the son of a former foe. Coming up against someone younger and angrier than himself is a big theat to Tony, as he has to fight to protect everything he cares about. This plot also plays up thr importance of Pepper Potts, who will go on to get her own suit "Rescue" in this collection.
The second arc is much longer, and sees Tony stripped of his role as the head of Shield, forced on the run by Norman Osborn, fighting for his life, all the while his mind is experiencing conginitive decline.
Matt Fraction does a great job with his characterisation of Tony, especially in the second half of the book as he experiences loss of intelligence and memory. The plot was compelling, the antagonist threatening, but unfortunately the artwork was ugly as sin. Very off-putting at times to look at, trying to go for a "realistic" style of coloring that felt uncanny-valley. Still the plot was thrilling and worth the read.
The first arc sees Tony deal with the son of a former foe. Coming up against someone younger and angrier than himself is a big theat to Tony, as he has to fight to protect everything he cares about. This plot also plays up thr importance of Pepper Potts, who will go on to get her own suit "Rescue" in this collection.
The second arc is much longer, and sees Tony stripped of his role as the head of Shield, forced on the run by Norman Osborn, fighting for his life, all the while his mind is experiencing conginitive decline.
Matt Fraction does a great job with his characterisation of Tony, especially in the second half of the book as he experiences loss of intelligence and memory. The plot was compelling, the antagonist threatening, but unfortunately the artwork was ugly as sin. Very off-putting at times to look at, trying to go for a "realistic" style of coloring that felt uncanny-valley. Still the plot was thrilling and worth the read.
May 6, 2021
Wow, this is great.
And much darker and desperate than I expected.
This is edge of the seat reading, with fantastic art and a gripping story.
This is the story how Tony gets beaten to the ground, and slowly loses his mind due to himself deleting all information in his head to prevent the villains getting their hands on it.
It also shows Pepper in her new role as a super hero in shining armour.
In this story, Tony loses everything, and he takes his closest friends along for the ride.
It is tragic, it is heart breaking, and I am ashamed to say that I had not expected a Marvel comic to stir up my emotions so much. I usually only read these for my fill of mindless action (Wolverine) or some simple fun (Squirrel Girl), or because I really enjoy the art (Hawkeye, Daredevil).
Until recently, I only knew Tony from the Marvel movies.
I am glad I finally checked out these comics. Comic Tony definitely has a new fan now.
Very well done and can see now why this series got so much praise.
Cannot wait to dive into the rest of the series and see how the story continues.
And much darker and desperate than I expected.
This is edge of the seat reading, with fantastic art and a gripping story.
This is the story how Tony gets beaten to the ground, and slowly loses his mind due to himself deleting all information in his head to prevent the villains getting their hands on it.
It also shows Pepper in her new role as a super hero in shining armour.
In this story, Tony loses everything, and he takes his closest friends along for the ride.
It is tragic, it is heart breaking, and I am ashamed to say that I had not expected a Marvel comic to stir up my emotions so much. I usually only read these for my fill of mindless action (Wolverine) or some simple fun (Squirrel Girl), or because I really enjoy the art (Hawkeye, Daredevil).
Until recently, I only knew Tony from the Marvel movies.
I am glad I finally checked out these comics. Comic Tony definitely has a new fan now.
Very well done and can see now why this series got so much praise.
Cannot wait to dive into the rest of the series and see how the story continues.
January 25, 2023
Este volumen recopila los dos primeros arcos de Fraction y Larroca. En el primero, las cinco pesadilllas Iron Man debe enfrentarse a aquello que siempre más ha temido, que él y su creación queden desfasados. Un arco brillante que nos presenta a un nuevo villano y que lleva al límite a Tony. El segundo arco sucede tras los acontecimientos de InvasiónSecreta y nos encontramos a Tony huyendo de Norman Osborn y su reinado oscuro. Este segundo arco me ha gustado bastante pero creo que pierde fuerza con respecto al anterior aunque nos sirve para que de alguna forma Ironman se redima como superhéroe.
Sinceramente lo que menos me ha gustado es el dibujo de Larroca y no porque sea malo, creo que es un dibujante perfecto para Ironman, para sus cachivaches y para dar esa visión futurista que necesita este personaje pero es que cuando le toca dibujar caras y personas normales se ve demasiado artificial y cuesta entrar en esas viñetas y seguir la historia. Una lástima
Sinceramente lo que menos me ha gustado es el dibujo de Larroca y no porque sea malo, creo que es un dibujante perfecto para Ironman, para sus cachivaches y para dar esa visión futurista que necesita este personaje pero es que cuando le toca dibujar caras y personas normales se ve demasiado artificial y cuesta entrar en esas viñetas y seguir la historia. Una lástima
May 13, 2024
Fraction is a reliable writer and, reliably, he draws a strong story out of the Civil War / Skrull Invasion / Dark Reign aftermath, and manages to make it sufficiently self-contained that even I (with my half-reading of 2/3 of the aforementioned arcs) could follow along. He also makes a really interesting move with IM at the tail end of this run that I hope will have a powerful conclusion in the second omnibus.
I kind of hate the art, minus a few nice backgrounds here and there. There are only three real central characters in this story and it is still almost impossible to distinguish between them because all the faces are the same awful AI combination of ten thousand babies in nightmarish lighting. It’s a real jackpot when anyone looks remotely human, and those instances are often diminished by the fact that the human they look like is inevitably the same exact model every time. Weird stuff.
Nice to be back in comics, though! Sick of all those pretentious “classics” fr.
I kind of hate the art, minus a few nice backgrounds here and there. There are only three real central characters in this story and it is still almost impossible to distinguish between them because all the faces are the same awful AI combination of ten thousand babies in nightmarish lighting. It’s a real jackpot when anyone looks remotely human, and those instances are often diminished by the fact that the human they look like is inevitably the same exact model every time. Weird stuff.
Nice to be back in comics, though! Sick of all those pretentious “classics” fr.
September 13, 2022
Being mostly indifferent about both Iron Man and Matt Fraction, I enjoyed this a lot more than I thought I would. Having recently read some of Cantwell's run and finding it somewhat inaccessible without knowledge of prior events, I was happy to have the opposite experience here. Sure I'm curious how Tony Stark became head of SHIELD but this is written in a way where that didn't become a distraction or really matter for the story at had. There's a great balance of plot and character development. The artwork is decent except I'm not a fan of how Larroca draws faces here. There's something kind of creepy about everyone. I guess that kind of goes with the overall tone of this volume. Things are pretty bleak throughout and continue to go from bad to worse. I'm eager to continue with the next volume.
April 11, 2025
Dated, questionable art… but still fun.
There’s some real teething problems at the start of the run with the art. But ultimately things get better, but it captures a moment time when tech was allowing artists to try new things.
The story itself is fun and engaging and moves at a pace. Just as I remembered it doing reading the original run.
A product of its time but an important part of the Tony Stark story after secret invasion. Even with some dated concepts, language and visual depictions of woman I’d still very much recommend.
There’s some real teething problems at the start of the run with the art. But ultimately things get better, but it captures a moment time when tech was allowing artists to try new things.
The story itself is fun and engaging and moves at a pace. Just as I remembered it doing reading the original run.
A product of its time but an important part of the Tony Stark story after secret invasion. Even with some dated concepts, language and visual depictions of woman I’d still very much recommend.
May 19, 2025
I'm not sure I've ever read a comic book story quite like it.
I don't even know if it's really five stars... but... damn. It's like a really interesting blockbuster. like Winter Soldier good. To me this is what Brubaker's Captain America should have been, but never delivered and just kinda hung between the tropes and serious vibes instead. this has actually simple, yet ridiculous story (at the beginning) that works as it's unfolding. I bought it and the finale was really great. believable. I really liked how focused the world's most wanted issues were. pure enjoyment.
completely unexpectedly great 👍🏻
I don't even know if it's really five stars... but... damn. It's like a really interesting blockbuster. like Winter Soldier good. To me this is what Brubaker's Captain America should have been, but never delivered and just kinda hung between the tropes and serious vibes instead. this has actually simple, yet ridiculous story (at the beginning) that works as it's unfolding. I bought it and the finale was really great. believable. I really liked how focused the world's most wanted issues were. pure enjoyment.
completely unexpectedly great 👍🏻
October 10, 2020
Simply one of the strongest Iron Man narratives collected in hardcover. The shared vision of writer Matt Fraction and artist Salvador Larroca is a joy to read. The opening ark - 5 Nightmares is incredibly well executed and leads into a lengthy storyline where Tony Stark is on the run from Norman Osborn while his mind slowly "deletes." Looking forward to reading the next beautiful hardcover volume. Strongly recommend fo Iron Man fans looking to find an accessible starting point.
January 11, 2018
I have been dying to read this storyline and I finally own it now. I may have blinders on but I loved it. The art was well done and the plot moved quick enough for me that I put this book down maybe twice once I started reading it. Can't wait to start hunting for Volume 2!
April 4, 2022
Probably the greatest run on Iron Man ever. Fraction took what was set up with Extremis, Civil War, and Director of S.H.I.E.L.D., and took it to another level. Can’t wait to read the rest of this amazing run.
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