Invincible Iron Man #19

YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 oh where has this book been all my life?

this arc has been nothing short of outstanding

I've been mostly underwhelmed by this arc up until last issue, so I'm interested in seeing which was this goes.  I started on issue 14 I think, so I didn't get the full story, and I don't give a crap about Dark Reign or any of the non-Stark stuff, but for some reason I can't bring myself to drop this title.

I agree I've been underwhelmed.  The first 6 issues were the best.

Iron Man meets "Flowers For Algernon"..

Just kidding.. this is my most anticipated book this week.  Also, even though the arc's concluding you have to wonder how Tony's going to regain his mental capacity in the future.

This is easily the best Iron Man story I've ever read.  I'm really hoping that Fraction delivers with his ending.  Can't wait!

Hopefully a great ending to a great arc.  Already looking forward to 20.

By far my favorite book coming out of Marvel. One of the best Iron Man stories ever. Fraction's writing is top notch, Larocca's art has undergone a nice evolution during it. Fantastic stuff.

@Slockheart This is probably the only book that makes Dark Reign work. Probably because it feels more personal and more set apart than in any of the others. Osborne feels like a threat to Stark here and not a simpering buffoon like in so many others. 

Can't do this book, I look at it, and it's clearly a well constructed book, but there are no stakes. Stark doesn't really have a place in the marvel U right now. From what I've read we don't know any of the agents the man's trying to protect. There are no stakes. Also I kind of still hate Stark from civil war.

I used to really hate tony stark as a character, even before civil war and WWH and SI but I gave this book a chance based on the buzz and it is easily in my top 3 books from Marvel.

Matt Fraction, you may suck at the X-Men but you sure know how to write your leading men, first iron fist and now iron man. top notch!

I know this is the end of a arc but do you think I could jump in at this point or should I just wait a month for the next story arc? 

@tomfitz199-Honestly, wait a month.  Or buy the most recent trade and track down the last 5 issues before Wednesday comes around.  Trust me, it's worth it.

With the $3.99 price tag..is this going to be a giant sized issue or is marvel milking the extra buck because its the conculsion

@drdeeeznuts: Marvel has been putting that price tag on most of their top sellers, like this and the Avengers books.

I'm really glad I jumped onto this title, as Im having more fun in an Iron Man book than I did in the Knauf's Madarin story, which was previously my favorite recent Iron Man arc. Really looking forward to this!

How in the HECK is Tony gonna get himself out of THIS one?!?!?!??!?!

@comicbookchris Heh. The Knauf story, which was decent, but overlong and essentially boiled down to "Watch Tony fail issue after issue!"

@InfectiousFunk How exactly are there no stakes? I admit it's a legit qualm, but from what you posted I don't get it. He's protecting EVERY registered hero from having their identity in the hands of Osborne as well as the identities of some unregistered heros.

No stakes . . . Just read a great 12 part story.

I hope Fraction nails this ending.

I've been an Iron man fan pretty much my entire life. I got my first iron man comics when i was 4 years old. I'm 30 now and have been following Stark and company pretty much that entire time. This is easily one of the best runs EVER on the title. While the Michilinie/Layton runs were the seminal take on the character for me, this is probably my second favorite creative team ever on iron man. And the best part is, with one issue to go, i have NO IDEA how this is going to end. I just know I can't wait to find out!

Obviously, from the teaser promotion for the "Seige", one of the images was Tony dead with Thor standing by.

@yamamoto-You're assuming too much from that picture

Can't wait for this, have loved this arc.

@yamamoto do you think will become the new Iron Man? And if he does, will his helmet look really, really silly? There is NO WAY Tony Stark is dying with Iron man 2 coming out. 

@drake I think I liked the Extremis arc just a little bit better.  This has been one of my favorites thus far though.

So cool!

@PraxJarvin: Its been awhile since I read that arc, so I dont even remember: was it even wrapped up? Or did it have an open ending?

@vadamowens-I didn't much care for Warren Ellis' take.  This is a far more interesting character study and fleshes Tony out in ways that I have not read in a long while.  Overall, the title made me care about Iron Man again after Civil War.  Not to mention I now love Maria Hill.

I got into Iron Man after the movie.  I went back and bought all the back issues for the series that turned into War Machine.  I've also collected all the Invincible Iron Man books as well.  Before that, I really didn't think much of Iron Man.  Now, he's one of my favorite Marvel characters.

I have a bad feeling that this issue will be a let down.....hope I'm wrong.

@vadamowens I too got into Iron Man after the movie and have only picked up this series from #1.  Great series.. it's only gotten better.  It took a while for the art to grow on me but no biggie.  Thinking about picking up Extremis at some point just to see how that all went down.  Anyone have any other Iron Man stories in trade that's worth recommending (only other thing I've heard of is the arc when Tony's dealing with alchoholism)?

@cubman: What? Are you psychic or something?

P.S: check out the thread on the previous issue for my predictions.

@jumpingjupiter: Not a psychic, but I am a die hard Cubs fan, so I've come to expect let downs in things I enjoy.

Anyone know if this is the issue stark "dies" in?

@jms all of the iron man vol. 4 trades are worth checking out.  especially 'extremis', 'execute program', and 'civil war'.  All excellent.

@Fvckstick-This is the end of the arc, but no one knows if he really "dies".  Are you planning on buying 25 copies and selling them on ebay? ;-)

This arc started out great, and went downhill fast... it should have only lasted half this long. I look forward to the next arc, but wish we could at least get a new artist.

@drakedangerz - no but I would like to read his death.

@goat77 Funny you mention the length of this.. I think it's one of those things that's been good in issue, where you have to wait every month.  I do not think this arc would be as impactful if you read it as a collected edition.

@vadamowens Thanks!

I'll withhold any spoilers until others comment.. but this was a solid 4 star book for me as usual.  Few titles are as consistent month to month as this one.  It's always entertaining and one of the staples of my pull list.

This was certainly not a dissapointment for me, great issue.

Tony f-ed up but dang I don't know if the punishment fits the crime. But still, this making me like Stark a little more each issue and hopefully his probable redemption will bring him back to awesome status again.

"Who the hell is Dr. Donald Blake?" moment of the week

AWESOOOOOOOOOME! 

Meh.

No YEAH!!!

WOW......pick of the week, Hands down!!!!!

Look, I understand how annoying it is to REALLY enjoy something and then have someone dislike it, but I'm so disappointed by this series. It is so predictable that I don't know why I even pay for it. I'm not some snooty indie guy, nor am I some kind of Michael Bay-watching unsophisticated comics reader; my favorite book right now is Dark Avengers... I just think that Fraction's writing is extremely predictable here and the art is startlingly unexpressive.

I don't care what anyone thinks this was the best book of the week.

Awesome

Fantastic. Met my expectations and exceeded them. Even "Dumb" Tony is smarter than Osborne. 5/5 and POTW for me. Not more needs to be said. This had some of the best moments of the week in it, as well as just pleasing me on every page. I, too, think this is a story that reads better monthly and that will end up feeling long in trade form. Still. I thought Larroca's art was great here. Awesome stuff.  

I agree with everyone except for goat77, amazing ending to this arc.  I loved every page.  POTW.  It ended the only way it really could, and I loved that last scene with Donald Blake. 

@goat: Sorry, I can't hear you over the sound of how awesome this comic book is!!!! 

I totally didn't see the Donald Blake thing coming.

So many things are good about this! The supporting cast is having great moments. Maria regains "control" of herself by taking command of the HAMMER operatives. Pepper is coming into her own as a leader and asserting herself. The whole, dismantling Stark thing was not a cop out. Fraction really dismantled him. Tony didn't even get a big "end fight" on his way down. He was brutally beaten while running away. Norman was written believably and annoyingly and humorously all at the same time.

Sal's art has gotten better with each issue. The fight looked superb and slick. The action is clear and riveting and the tech looks precise and just plain cool! Any fan of the movie who got into comics via this book (ie. my wife and I) have been generously rewarded for sticking around.

Now the covers for issue 20 and on will blow other books right off the shelf through the power of awesome design and we got a wicked cool setup to the next arc. I'm so stoked for the next arc!

Shame on you for missing this!

Now for my predictions: 

#1: Black Widow will double cross the Iron Man family. She is responsible for putting the hard drive at risk.

#2: I predicted a couple issues ago that Pepper would inherit the Iron Mantle for a few issues, looks like that is the case. 

#3: The Hard Drive is Tony or at least the key to restart his systems.

#4: Captain America Steve Rogers reconcile with Tony to help him get up and going again.

I am really, really proud to have the entirety of this arc sitting on my shelf, and I'm looking forward to possibly even re-reading it in Trade once it's all collected. This ROCKED!!!

POTW for me!  The ending has me geared up for "Siege".  I know JMS wasn't happy about writing for an "event" but I can't wait to see Thor appear in other books and interact with the rest of the Marvel U.

wow, almost 50% chose this as their potw and no user reviews?

I posted my review in this thread.

Worth picking up if I haven't read the rest of the series since the first issue?

@Ruo21  Apparently Josh hadn't kept up with the series either and he made it the POTW so i'd say yeah

Salvador Larroca has done the art for the entire run so far? If so, that's quite the accomplishment especially with all the detail in the art. Love him.

@cromulent I think he did 18 of the 19 issues. I think #7, the Spider-Man team up issue was the only one he wasn't on.

This was a great book. A total page turning. I was on the edge of my seat for the entire issue. And the ending was GREAT. Can't wait to see what happens next!

@Parx: He did all the issues.

I vote this series most likely to be Ominbusized next.

jeff. 

Fantastic.

I had a hard time distinguishing between Pepper and Widow and I didn't like that many of the backgrounds were fairly evidently photographs of the sky and ocean (though they blended in a lot better than the guy on the Cable book, for example), but other than that, I enjoyed this despite not reading the majority of this arc.

@jefffromWV

The Omnibus of the first 19 issues is already up for pre-order on Amazon.  

oh my! I loved this issue. Such a good story. Not that enamoured with the colouring though. People moan about the pencils but I think the colouring is what lets it all down. It seems weirdly washed out and indistinct.

The coloring I only a little on the weak side because Sal does not render his drawings. He leaves all up to the colorist. Notice how Larroca barely ever uses shading. Big task for the colorist to shape everything out.

Thor bitches!

Thought this was a solid 4-star book until those last couple pages.