Invincible Iron Man #12 Review

Written by: Gerry Duggan
Art by: Ig Guara
Colors by: Bryan Valenza
Letters by: VC’s Joe Caramagna
Cover art by: Kale Ngu (cover A)
Cover price: $3.99
Release date: November 22, 2023

Invincible Iron Man #12 finds the Hellfire Club receiving a semi-unexpected visit from Riri Williams. When Emma Frost gets the whammy from Riri’s Ten Rings, the psychic duel almost leads to a catastrophe.

Is Invincible Iron Man #12 Good?

Okay, who called the buzz killer? In Invincible Iron Man #12, Gerry Duggan calls on Marvel’s least-liked, unearned super-genius to make a mess of things before settling down to help Tony with his special project. If you’re a Riri Williams fan, this issue may change your mind. If you’re not a Riri fan, this issue validates your tastes in a big way.

When last we left Tony Stark and Emma Frost (in disguise), Tony semi-stealthily infiltrated Emma’s abandoned quarters on Krakoa to recover a supply of mysterium for testing. After beating up a troupe of super-intelligent Orchis apes, Tony escaped with the mysterious metal and formed it into a cane, which he presented to an assortment of Marvel heroes for stress testing. The “can do anything” metal passed every test, so Tony proceeded with his plan to build a mysterium-infused Mark 72.

Now, Tony summons Riri Williams to the Hellfire Club, without telling anyone else she’s coming. When Emma refuses the (as far as she knew) guest into the Club, Riri tries to push Emma with a psychic blast from her Ten Rings. Miffed by the assault, Emma drops her power-suppression ring, and the two engage in a fight on the astral plane. Without her power-suppression ring, Stark Sentinels suddenly pick up on Emma’s signature, forcing Tony and Kingpin to devise a plan to defeat the Stark Sentinels and throw Orchis off the trail, just in time for everyone to enjoy a Thanksgiving Dinner in the Morlock Tunnels.

Thankfully, Rhodey gets some relief when Riri delivers Pym particles to Tony, who uses shrinking tech to get Rhodey a “break glass in case of emergency” gift.

Technically, Duggan does what he sets out to do. Rhodey gets help, Tony gives Riri a critical assignment for the forthcoming fight against Orchis, and everyone enjoys a good meal in a moment of calm before the storm. Where this issue stumbles is in its pointlessness for most of the plot surrounding Riri Williams.

What’s great about Invincible Iron Man #12? Rhodey receives a glimmer of hope for his wrongful imprisonment. The method by which the group defeats the Stark Sentinels is inventive. And Tony is in his element by architecting a clever plan to take the fight back to Orchis.

What’s not so great about Invincible Iron Man #12? Riri Williams’s (mis)behavior almost scuttles the entire setup Duggan has been building since the 2023 Hellfire Gala. Why wouldn’t Riri just tell Emma that Tony invited her to the Club? Why not call/text Tony instead of unethically attacking Emma with her psychic ring? Once Emma tells Riri she’s working with Tony, why does Riri keep fighting her? When there is a plethora of non-mutant builder geniuses in Marvel (hint: Reed Richards), why call on Riri who has a habit of being ethically dubious and temperamentally volatile and has less access to advanced resources? I suspect Duggan was “asked” to shoehorn Riri in as the timing would have matched with her forthcoming Iron Heart show on Disney Plus (now delayed or possibly shelved), but the least Duggan could have done is make her less obnoxious.

How’s the art? It’s fine, but not great. On close-up panels and during the action scenes, Guara’s art style looks great. In wide panels, background characters look loose and sketchy. Thankfully, Valenza’s coloring elevates Guara’s inks to a radical degree, so the book looks great as long as you don’t look too close.

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

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Bits and Pieces

Invincible Iron Man #12 almost scuttles Iron Man’s plans by shoehorning in an unnecessary appearance by Riri Williams. The mess Riri creates works out in the end, but her inclusion and subsequent battle would have been avoided if Tony had made a better choice, which is a terrible observation to make about a character who should be one of the smartest heroes in Marvel.