Iron Man is in Latveria and face-to-face with Victor Von Doom, who is no longer behind the metal mask. His face is healed and he seems like he's trying to help Tony find Madame Masque.
Setting aside everything Doom did during SECRET WARS and not knowing what Doom knows and doesn't know can be a bit tough. Wiping the "what we know about Doom" slate clean, this is a very different interpretation of him. He doesn't seem power-hungry and hell-bent on Iron Man's destruction. He needs help and every instinct in Tony is telling him not to trust Doom, but all-in-all, he has to. Although the scene does drag a tad, this revelation for the character is pretty interesting and I can't wait to see where it goes and I'm pleased with what Brian Michael Bendis is doing with him.
That's the story here in INVINCIBLE IRON MAN. There's the mixture of mysticism and technology. This is an area that Tony Stark has some experience in, considering he's gone up against the Mandarin quite a few times. While this has been done before, it's an area that can be a place for great stories. Mysticism vs Technology. While there isn't a fight between the two happening here, it's more about Iron Man trying to find Madame Masque who is stealing mystic artifacts, I really like seeing these two things put into this comic.
On the down side of things, Friday is becoming a bit of an annoyance within this issue. It's frustrating to see Tony giving orders and Friday doing the opposite. It's almost like she's broken. There's a bit too much witty dialogue between Friday and Tony at one point when Tony is at the Bronx Zoo. There's also no real reason why Madame Masque is searching for all these mystical items or even a hint as to why. Obviously, we're only two issues in and don't need a definitive answer, but a hint or clue as to what is going on would be nice.
Artist David Marquez and colorist Justin Ponsor are a phenomenal team for this book.The art is so clear and crisp and Marquez tries out some new things with page layouts that really pay off, creating quick moments in time. Ponsor is easily one of my favorite colorists at Marvel right now and this issue is some of his best work yet, especially with lighting.
The series is off to a promising start and while it's a bit slower-paced and it feels like the book is holding too much information back from the reader, overall, it's a really fun read and a series I'm fully invested in already. Marquez and Ponsor do some phenomenal work on the book as well. This is a solid, fun issue and I highly recommend it.