Invincible Iron Man #10: The Road to Civil War II Review

Invincible Iron Man #10: The Road to Civil War II is a reminder of how it is Tony Stark, not Iron Man that brings us back to the table, time and time again.

The Invincible Iron Man #10
Writer – Brian Michael Bendis
Artist – Mike Deodato
Color Artist – Frank Martin
Editor – Tom Brevoort
Publisher – Marvel Comics

Invincible Iron Man #10, the latest chapter of “The Road to Civil War II” is primarily a verbal game of cards between a disguised Tony Stark and the criminal mastermind behind a terrifyingly quickly rising criminal empire Tamoe.

By placing himself squarely in her hands (under his assumed identity), and allowing almost the entire world to believe he’s dead, Tony is essentially going in on a gamble to uncover who is behind his recent woes, where they are and what they’re planning.

Undercover as Franco, Tony has to rely on his skills, wit and charm to live the background he’s built for himself, and survive his own abduction in attempt to “ingratiate” himself into the Japanese Underground.

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The larger plot points are just settings for the real focus of the book which is the details. In this book the star is each tiny joke, like the choice of blindfold when Tony is first abducted, every quip that lands after being shot out of his rapid fire mouth. That, combined with the back and forth between Tony and Tamoe, which on the surface is the criminal equivalent of an interview for “former SHEILD agent Franco.”

It allows us to see Tony as an amazing secret agent showing the skills he’s learned throughout the years, being a hero outside of his costume. It isn’t Tony’s survival here that comes as a surprise, but what the woman he was hunting down was truly interested in.

Meanwhile, with Tony presumed dead, Stark Industries is under siege by the board of directors who are looking to essentially unplug the AI running things and take over. While this would make sense in the real world, in this world that AI, Friday, had become a character we trust and enjoy. She reaches out to Mary Jane Watson, who was previously offered Friday’s current position which would easily allow her to quiet the board.  It was a position Mary Jane refused to take.

There is also a page or two thrown to Sharon, a young girl who has just built her very own armor suit.

Related Story: Civil War II #1 Review

The Bottom Line: Iron Man began with more focus and it made this a better book. It is fun to see Tony surviving off his wits and Mary Jane seems like a much better addition than I originally believed she would be.

Grade: This is a good comic, not a great one. A fun entry in the series, but far from reaching its high point.