Posted in: Comics, Marvel Comics, Review | Tagged: alex maleev, avengers, blade, brian michael bendis, Champions, dr. doom, HRL, Invincible Iron Man, ironheart, marte gracia, Marvel Comics, riri williams, sci-fi, stefano caselli, superheroes, victor von doom

The Invincible Iron Man #598 Review: The Sweet Peanut-Buttery Taste of Bendis

The Avengers are scouring the world for Tony Stark while Riri Williams deals with a bizarre visitor in the form of Blade, the Vampire Hunter. He tells Riri of an organization at MIT that could use her help, and the group may be able to locate Tony Stark.

Elsewhere, Victor von Doom, the Infamous Iron Man, has been immobilized and pinned down by the Hood and his cadre of villains.

'The Search for Tony Stark' rolls onwards as new players enter the game and even some breakthroughs are made. This story has had its slow points without a doubt, but this installment manages to stay consistently engaging throughout the reading.

Riri's part of the story takes the most unexpected turns, with Ironheart finding some allies of Tony Stark with shared goals. Blade's role in this drama remains to be seen, but I would genuinely be unsurprised if Brian Michael Bendis just really wanted to write in Blade. Riri's part ends with the most plot advancement and involves she and her allies taking down a villain whom had been popping up in Bendis's Spider-Man of late.

Iron Doom's part moves far more slowly, but it still has its charms. Bendis is a master of writing the work-a-day villain, and having the Hood, the Wrecker, and others continue in their attempts to get one on Dr. Doom is entertaining.

Stefano Caselli and Alex Maleev once more split the art for the book, with the former taking the Riri segments and the latter portraying Doom's story. They don't meld well from an aesthetic standpoint despite each writer doing good work on their own, but they do work as POV's for the respective characters. Caselli is more energetic and cartoonish for Ironheart, and Maleev is more bleak and otherworldly for Dr. Doom. Marte Gracia's color work on the Riri segments also works, as those scenes are brighter while Maleev's color work is more faded and dark.

Invincible Iron Man #598 is a solidly fun and engaging issue as Bendis's tenure on the title nears its finale. Ironheart is a likable lead despite, and "The Search for Tony Stark" takes some interesting turns here. Caselli, Maleev, and Gracia all put in some good work, and the book earns a recommendation. Check it out.

Enjoyed this? Please share on social media!

Stay up-to-date and support the site by following Bleeding Cool on Google News today!