REVIEW: ‘Invincible Iron Man,’ Issue #2

Invincible Iron Man #2 is published by Marvel, written by Gerry Duggan, art by Juan Frigeri, colors by Bryan Valenza, and letters by Joe Caramagna. Iron Man is reeling from a poison attack on his body, helped to safety by Riri Williams. But an old enemy draws him back into the world again.

The plot of this issue is an extension of even more mysteries within this comic. There are things at play that Duggan has only just scratched the surface of. The events of the last issue have large-scale, detrimental effects on Iron Man, dragging Stark further toward rock bottom. There are also sub-plots of Cantwell’s run that are beginning to have ramifications and impacts in this series. Top of that list is the Mandarin Rings and Ironheart. They are a power source, and that always puts them high on the list of targets. Then Iron Man is dragged out again with a great team-up fight, but it raises more questions about who this mysterious figure is, trying to ruin Stark even further. There are so many storylines running concurrently but they are being told neatly and aren’t getting in each other’s way at all. Much of the story is unexpected.

Duggans’ script is fantastic, with a brilliant sequence of captions and dialogue. The narration is used to bookmark parts of the book, stepping out of the way when there are more spoken word balloons. Duggan does a superb job of indicating how tired and disoriented Tony is. He’s not entirely coherent, suffering from being spiked. Even when he goes out in his armor, there is a raw and confused attribute to his voice. In contrast to him is Riri. Despite being younger and more experienced, she has more clarity and is in a much better frame of mind. Her ownership of the Mandarin’s rings is one of the most notable aspects of the comic and can be used to propel the story in different ways. The villain of the issue is a classic Iron Man foe, often used as a pilot fish for something much bigger.

The art is very interesting and well done. The realistic style Frigeri is tested by both of the armored characters regularly being in various states of partial costume. Tony spends the opening with only his chest plate, whilst Riri loses her faceplate. Frigeri’s adjustments of how they look within these armors are fascinating and take more thought than may be initially considered. In full armor, the designs are excellent as well, looking great alongside one another. The damage on Iron Man remains issue to issue, a consequence of him only having one armor now. The fight is both a technological one and an intensely physical one, taking place on the grounds of a deeply important relic of Marvel history.

The colors are gorgeous. All of the costumed characters involved are covered in rich tones, with incredible realistic textures and reflections in the armors that ground it within a form of reality. The villain is a more unnatural color, luminescent and bright, but it still fits within the color palette of the comic. The letters are slightly too small and condensed within the word balloons but are still easy to read.

Invincible Iron Man #2 is a great issue powered by the personality of its heroes. Iron Man and Ironheart in a comic together is a great combination, the mixture of confidence, experience, and a reverse student/teacher relationship brings an uneasy tension throughout the issue. Duggan has laced the series with mysteries and avenues for adventure, with glorious art from Frigeri and Valenza. 

Invincible Iron Man #2 is available where comics are sold.