Written by Brian Michael Bendis
Art by Dave Marquez
Colors by Justin Ponsor
Letters by Clayton Cowles
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Everything is not what it appears. This is the saying that Tony Stark lives by, and it’s the most accurate way to sum up this issue in the roaring new series. We pick immediately after the last page shocker that can only be explained by the delayed Secret Wars event, and Tony can’t believe it one bit. Whereas the first issue was light on actual action, the second issue ramps things up with a short, but sweet battle. In typical Tony fashion, he blasts first and asks questions to his lovely snarky A.I. while blasting. But it proves non-effective in his regular armor. Artist Dave Marquez gives us a amazingly rendered look of the armor practically shifting into itself and back out again into the Hulkbuster Armor to test things out.
Even the Hulkbuster is no match for mystical spell defenses of Doom ,and Tony lowers his guard to see what’s up with All-New Victor. He explains Earth has survived all manner of dimensional rifts and incursions (which lends to the history of the universe before it collided with the Ultimate Marvel earth) and items land on Earth that don’t belong here in the least bit. Victor blesses Tony with an item as an act of good faith seeing as they need each other going forward to stop Madame Masque. Throughout the “Bendis Banter” of Tony and Victor with Friday chiming in when she can, it feels like a buddy cop film for the times with Tony not trusting Doom in the slightest and Doom trying his best to be honest and want the right thing. The art team out do themselves at every turn, nailing everything from Victor turning a corner with just the right amount of sunshine striking his face and the 3 visible nodes on Tony’s armor giving off a blue shine. Going forward it seems like Victor will be a factor in the series, and I hope we can see Tony and Doom work together again in their limited capacity.
Meanwhile, in Montreal we trade the bright and sunshine for a more cold and disheartening scene with a somewhat unhinged Madame Masque. She angrily kills a contact of hers and it’s here things heat up when Tony casually wants to talk things out. Tony yelling the same sound effect as Masque tries to choke him only for the armor to come out of stealth mode is a moment of great hilarity. The issue ends with of course, not being as they seem when Masque unleashes powers the likes of which we’ve never seen from her character before.
The second issue in the rip-roaring new start to Iron Man ramps up the action and lets us inside the new Marvel Universe ever so slightly to great results. Bendis understands Tony to the point it feels right at home alongside Matt Fraction’s extensive run on the character already. Only time will tell where Invincible Iron Man will go and so far Tony will only soar higher.
