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Tony Stark’s new nemesis takes center stage!
Invincible Iron Man #4 finally reveals the mystery player behind the events of the previous issues. After the deaths of two people close to him, Tony Stark is faced with the reality that his company has been bought out by a dangerous, mutant hating, murderous menace named Feilong!
In Feilong, Iron Man has a very current villain to face off against. While Tony Stark represents the Military Industrial Complex of the 1960’s, Feilong represents the modern corporate businessman who is more interested in his own ideological goals than the good of the company or the world at large. Feilong is an allegory for modern tyrants, even going so far as to say he wants to “Make Stark Unlimited great again.”
It’s not everyday that Tony Stark gets to, undoubtably, be the better man when it comes to his business dealings but here there is no grey area. Tony is clearly the good guy and Feilong is clearly the bad guy. That isn’t a bad thing in this situation. It can be very tiresome as an Iron Man fan watching your favorite character be morally grey and looked at with disdain from his fellow heroes. This story has been such a welcome breath of fresh air. I can cheer on Tony Stark without having to question my moral character to do so!
Issue #4 continues the framing device of this being Tony Stark’s Autobiography. Fan favorite call backs are, once again, delivered with ease and I find myself smiling with each mention of a past Iron Man adventure! The juxtaposition of looking back at past difficulties and tragedies to emphasize the importance and danger of the current events is well executed here.
Just because this issue deals with coporate intrigue does not mean it is light on action. On the contrary, the panels in the back half of this book were some of my favorite Iron Man action scenes in quite some time. Juan Frigeri and Bryan Valenza’s artwork elevate this story to new heights as the reader feels each punch and weapon strike. The colors, panel layout, and sense of movement on display are a treat to behold to say the least! By the end of this issue the reader is left with a new understanding of just how powerful Iron Man is, as well as, the intelegence level of Tony Stark!
As I have said in my previous review of this series, if you are an Iron Man fan, you will have a delectable feast set before you as you read this book. If you are new to the character of Tony Stark in the comics, this series will show you why he has been a mainstay in the Marvel Universe for 60 years!
