Invincible Iron Man #8

   If Marvel wonders why its sales are falling, consider this: yesterday I reviewed The Might Thor, which featured three characters named Thor - but the "real" Thor was not called by name in the comic.

   Today we're looking at the latest issue of Invincible Iron Man, which features not a panel of actual Iron Man (or the real Tony Stark) in evidence.

   This issue isn't a complete loss, though, as it continues to examine the character Ironheart - the young Riri Williams, a young genius who has created her own version of the Iron Man armor (with Stark's blessing).

   She's learning what it means to be a hero - and what it means to be a genius. The story also allows writer Brian Michael Bendis to deal with some great concepts, including a technological terrorist threat and SHIELD.

   So we get a lot of smart dialogue and a fun action sequence between Riri and a surprise female villain.

   The art by Stefano Casselli is terrific - both dynamic and heartfelt.

   This series works because Riri is such a well-rounded character - intelligent, funny and determined to do the right thing.

   You know. A hero. (There's always room for more of that.)

   I'd still like to see Tony Stark in his own comic, but Riri is a fine replacement - for now.

Grade: A-

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