The Invincible Iron Man #7 Review

Written by: Gerry Duggan
Art by: Juan Frigeri
Colors by: Bryan Valenza
Letters by: VC’s Joe Caramagna
Cover art by: Kael Ngu
Cover price: $3.99
Release date: June 7, 2023

The Invincible Iron Man #7 finds Tony Stark and James Rhodes teaming up for a secret mission to destroy the Iron Sentinels and uncover Feilong’s master plan.

Is It Good?

The Invincible Iron Man #7 is good. Not just good, but probably the best issue in Gerry Duggan’s run so far, so if you were considering dropping the title from your pull list, you may want to hold off a bit.

When last we left Tony Stark in his current dilemma, the series took a bizarre side trip for Tony to reminisce about an earlier encounter with Emma Frost. The flashback had no obvious connection to the current run, so the working theory is that Duggan inserted the last issue to set up an upcoming encounter with Frost. Now, Tony and Rhodey hatch a plan to take out Feilong’s Iron Sentinels and sus out Feilong’s intentions with explosive distractions, a lot of stealth, and an ending that makes the situation worse for Tony and Rhodey.

Why is this issue so much better? Because things happen that follow a logical path that moves the plot forward. There’s a clear setup (a beginning), Tony and Rhodey set their plan in motion (a middle), the plan goes somewhat right before it goes terribly wrong, and the outcome creates stakes and consequences (and an ending).

I call that structure of storytelling ad improvement because several of the previous issues barely accomplished anything beyond setup and exposition.

Plus, if there was any suspicion before, this issue outright confirms the Iron Sentinels are one piece of a larger attack on Krakoa during the forthcoming Hellfire Gala. If you’re an X-reader and have been desperately wishing the Krakoa-era would end, you may get your wish.

How’s the art? It’s Grade-A. Jua Frigeri has multiple opportunities in this issue to show off fighting action, and he takes advantage of each one with great success. The action set pieces look fantastic, elevated further by Bryan Valenza’s amazing coloring.

About The Reviewer: Gabriel Hernandez is the Publisher & EIC of ComicalOpinions.com, a comics review site dedicated to indie, small, and mid-sized publishers.

Follow @ComicalOpinions on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter

Bits and Pieces

The Invincible Iron Man #7 finally gets this series off its lackadaisical butt to deliver meaningful action, stakes, important reveals, and dire consequences. Duggan’s writing is on-point, and the art looks great.