Saturday, September 5, 2009

The Invincible Iron Man #17

Back when I was in Junior High School we read a "controversial" book for English class.

It was Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes, and what really amazed me about it was the fact that they were letting us read a science fiction story (though it took place in a real world setting). Of course, those of us in the class also liked the "naughty" pages and would eagerly report on which pages to check out.

It told the story of a man whose limited intelligence is boosted by a revolutionary experiment - but (mild spoiler warning here) the tragedy is, the effect isn't permanent, and we see his mind start to slip away from him.

That's the tragic story unfolding right now in Invincible Iron Man, as Tony Stark continues the drastic step of purging his brain to keep Norman Osborn from getting his hands on key information about the heroes of the world.

As a result, Tony is losing his intelligence - and since that is his true superpower, it leaves him in a bad way while he continues to run across the globe, trying to elude Osborn's agents.

It's a interesting story by Matt Fraction, if difficult to watch - especially with this issue, as the effects become more pronounced. It has been fun to watch Tony moving backwards through his Iron Man armor, working from today's most advanced version through earlier, more simple models. (He keeps having to change suits because they keep getting smashed up by assorted enemies.)

The art, I should add, continues to be outstanding, as Salvador Larroca does some great work here with the big events and the small personal moments.

While I wasn't looking this comic earned an Eisner Award for Best New Series, and I can't argue with that - this run has captured the essence of what made the movie so good and puts it on the printed page. Recommended!

Grade: A-

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