Invincible Iron Man #16

Earlier this year, Marvel's Jim McCann answered the iFanbase's questions.  During the interview, he mentioned that the work Matt Fraction is doing on Iron Man will be a seminal defining story for the character.  The man wasn't fibbing.  This is by far the best Iron Man storyline I have ever read, and it isn't even finished yet!

Quick synopisis: Tony Stark is losing his intelligence.  But before it's completely gone, Tony plans on making sure Norman Osborn can't get his slimy hands on sensitive data; which is stored in Stark's noggin.  Norman is doing whatever he can to catch Tony, including dispatching the deeply disturbing Madame Masque.  Along with that, Pepper Potts (AKA Rescue) finds Tony and proceeds to shag him.  That's right...I said shag.  To top it all off, Maria Hill is working with Black Widow to try to get sensitive information to Captain America.

In this issue, we are exposed to the truely psychotic nature of Madame Masque.  Now, I admit that I have not read much of the character.  In fact, the last I read with her in it was some issue of New Avengers, pre-Secret Invasion.  Boy, is this woman nuts.  The deranged fascination she has with Tony is scary, but you would be hard pressed to find someone that has never gone through the same ordeal, all be it to a lesser extent.  How easily did you get over your first love?  For how long did you secretly want to get back together with them, no matter how impossilbe that sounds or who you were with at the time?  Fraction captures this desire perfectly, and amplifies it to a disturbing level that most people seldom encounter.  Needless to say, it works.

Yet the real high points of this issue are the small moments between Pepper and Tony.  It is during these moments that we stare right into the characters and realize, at the same time they do, that they were always meant to be together.  It all builds up to the point where Masque asks Tony to make a choice; a choice I was expecting to take up the bulk of the issue and leave us on a cliffhanger.  But no, Fraction uses this moment to show us just how much Tony loves Pepper.  There is no hesitation, no regret, and no time for celebration.  Amazing.

And quickly, we also have the Maria Hill/Black Widow storyline.  It moves along nicely and keeps me intrigued.  Fraction uses Maria as a great example to show us all what exactly would happen to someone when they are put into the sort of situations that superheroes always seem to find themselves in.  Demonic possession, mind control, whatever, losing control of your body and thoughts can, and should, be frightening.  The fact that Maria is having extreme difficulty dealing with it is exactly what you would expect to happen to a person; whether they be a superhero or a used car salesman.  I have a feeling, whatever they are carrying is going to have a big payoff as the story comes to a close. 

The artwork has vastly improved since the series first started.  Larroca has finally found his groove with these characters and is fully capable of doing the heavy lifting when Fraction requires it.  It still isn't too easy on the eyes at times, but the storytelling is there.  As has been mentioned on the site before, but the Marvel coloring department is probably more to blame for this than Larroca himself.  Too many shiny faces, and I'm not just talking about Madame Masque.

Overall, an amazing installment of Fraction's grand 12 issue character deconstruction.  Those that have questioned since Civil War whether or not Iron Man is still a superhero should give this story a shot once it has been collected.  At the very least, it will prove to you that Tony Stark is human; and that is not a bad thing to be at all.