Writer: Brian Michael Bendis
Artists: Stefano Caselli & Alex Maleev
Colorists: Marte Gracia & Alex Maleev
Letters: VC’s Clayton Cowles
Marvel’s legacy initiative is in full swing as the renumbering of their classic titles continues and the company does their best to have the best of both worlds. Marvel seems to want to keep the new iterations of heroes they have developed over the last few years as well as returning their beloved classic characters back to their original identities. This push is apparent in the Invincible Iron Man #593. Not only does the issue return to its Legacy numbering but also begins the Search for Tony Stark storyline that not only continues the tales of Riri Williams as Ironheart and Victor Von Doom as the Infamous Iron Man but also sets the stage for the eventual and unavoidable return of Tony Stark.
The beauty of the Invincible Iron Man #593 is that it perfectly folds the excellent but unfortunately ended Infamous Iron Man title into its sister title, the Invincible Iron Man, and continues the tales of both Iron Man stand ins. The diversity of the Iron Men are clearly on display as Riri Williams’ Ironheart is flying bright at the Stark Expo (Yes, lifted directly from the MCU’s Iron Man 2) as the yearly ‘tradition’ continues even in Tony’s absence. Unfortunately for the bright and positive attitude of young Riri the grown ups in the room are not playing nice as Mary Jane Watson begins preparations to save Stark International from its uneasy board of directors who want to seize Tony’s technology and his legacy for their own financial gain. Juxtaposed with the brightness of the Stark Expo is Marvel’s Ryker’s Island prison that has suffered a jailbreak of all its super powered occupants, all captured and detained by the Infamous Iron Man. With S.H.I.E.L.D disbanded there is a void in who can deal with the situation. Enter the Infamous Iron Man, Victor Von Doom, who is still on the path of redemption even when the powers that be want to stand in his way. Throw in the mysterious disappearance of Tony Stark’s comatose body and you have an excellent issue that will hopefully continue for the entirety of this storyline.
At this point in time Brian Michael Bendis is the principal architect of the Marvel Comic Universe and his talents are on full display with this issue and his Iron Man run as a whole. He has a great grasp on what this new Marvel Legacy is to be and if Invincible Iron Man is any indication then Marvel may be on their way of redeeming their entire line of comics. The art in this issue is incredible, Stefano Caselli has grown so much since his days on the Secret Warriors and Alex Maleev’s style is unique but absolutely pitch perfect for the Infamous Iron Man and I am so happy he is continuing with the character now that the two Iron Man titles have been streamlined into one. I’m looking forward to the continuation of the Search for Tony Stark and see where the future takes this title.
Verdict: the Invincible Iron Man #593 continues the excellence of Bendis’ run on Iron Man and seamlessly melds the two Iron Man titles into one but continues the wonderful tales of Ironheart and the Infamous Iron Man. This new direction is an excellent read and a must BUY for any Iron Man fan.
