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This one was emotional for me…
While the current run of Invincible Iron Man has been incredibly enjoyable so far, issue 5 took the series to a whole new level! I normally put these reviews up as soon as I finish the issue, I like to have the story fresh in my mind. However, with issue #5, I had to take my time and process a specific story beat before putting my thoughts down in a review. That being said, lets dive in!
This review contains spoilers for Invincible Iron Man #5.
Now that the villain has been revealed as the mutant hating Feilong, Tony rockets off to warn Emma Frost of a possible threat to her people. While Tony is away Feilong makes a discovery, Howard Stark left a special inheritance to Tony that went to the company’s R&D department instead of to Tony himself. As the new CEO, Feilong has access to and ownership of that inheritance.
He is led to a small hanger, inside of which are outdated aircrafts, artwork, and a stack of film reels from Howard Stark addressed to his son. These film reels are messages meant for Tony, explaining important events of his life as well as a discovery that would change the world.
Tony returns to confront Feilong, only to find himself facing off against a prototype Stark Sentinel and the promise that Feilong will complete Howard Stark’s work to shape the world as he sees fit! This is Tony’s fear, his work contorted and perverted by a mad man, The Iron Man being used as a weapon of genocide.
The writing is, as always with Gerry Duggan, top notch. As I’ve said in previous reviews, his understanding of who Tony Stark is, as well as, who he was in the past makes for a delightful read for long-time fans of the character. While his writing for Tony Stark makes you want to root for Iron Man, his depiction of Feilong makes the reader despise the villain entirely. In Duggan’s writing of Feilong, there is no question of morality or ambiguity. Feilong is the bad guy, plain and simple and sometimes we just need a character to hate!
Juan Frigeri’s art style continues to lend itself to the frantic and desperate state that Iron Man finds himself in. The Stark Sentinel looks both beautiful and terrifying all at once and the armored action scenes have a real sense of movement and a cinematic style!
Now you may be asking yourself, Derek, why was this story so emotional for you? I have always felt a kinship with Tony Stark as a man who is constantly questioning himself as to whether or not his father would be proud of the man he has become.
You see, my father died when I was 18 years old. Because of that loss, father and son stories always hit me in a more meaningful way and in recent years especially Iron Man, across all media, has delved more into that facet of Tony’s personality and life.
In Iron Man 2 when Tony receives a message from his late father in the form of a prerecorded message, I was reduced to tears. In Captain America: Civil War, as Tony relives his final moments with his parents and takes the opportunity to say a final goodbye, I was a weeping mess!
The idea of getting the chance to hear one final message from a loved one who has passed is a dream that I, and many who have lost people close to them, have had for nearly 20 years. So, when Tony was greeted by Feilong burning the films that Howard left for him before ever getting a chance to see them…
He cemented himself to me as the most ruthless and despicable villain that Iron Man has ever faced off against. This one panel made me pine for Feilong’s demise, not just his defeat. For this one act alone, I despise this character more than any other Iron Man villain I have ever read, and I have read them all. To take away the chance of a child getting one last encounter, even if only through prerecorded messages, from their deceased parent is an unforgivable offense!
I am looking forward to seeing Feilong get what is coming to him. This issue made me have a true emotional response to the story being told. That is the sign of expert storytelling! Thank you to the creative team behind this book for delivering a villain to hate and a protagonist to root for more than ever!
