• Written by: Gerry Duggan
• Art by: Juan Frigeri
• Colors by: Bryan Valenza
• Letters by: VC’s Joe Caramagna
• Cover art by: Kael Ngu (cover A)
• Cover price: $3.99
• Release date: December 6, 2023

Invincible Iron Man #13 sends Emma, Tony, and Starfox(?) into space to retrieve the largest store of Mysterium.

---

Is Invincible Iron Man #13 Good?

Ehh. Well. Invincible Iron Man #13 is fine. Buoyed by Juan Frigeri’s spectacular art, Gerry Duggan’s latest chapter serves as a transition issue that moves characters into position to get what they need for the coming war against Orchis. Light on action, heavy on banter, and crippled by a few out-of-the-blue moments, this issue is serviceable at best.

When last we left Tony Stark and Emma Frost, Riri Williams tried to bulldoze (figuratively) her way into the Hellfire Club, resulting in a psychic battle with Emma Frost that called down a Stark Sentinel and almost exposed everyone. When the Stark Sentinel was defeated, aided by a semi-convincing cover story by Wilson Fisk to ward off Orchis and the police, Tony gave everyone their assignments to prepare to build a Mysterium army.

Now, Riri Williams heads into space to a rendezvous point where army construction will start. Meanwhile, Tony and Emma enlist Starfox to help retrieve the X-Men’s mega-supply of Mysterium from Game World. Their retrieval mission crosses paths with a pirate robbery in progress, which Tony and Emma quickly squash. In the end, Tony and Emma send Starfox off to meet Riri with the Mysterium, and Riri’s route to the deep space rendezvous point is sidetracked when she encounters Forge, who happens to be passing by, and a giant space dragon who wants the Ten Rings Riri wears.

“Wait! What!?” you might puzzle. Yes, the ending is a confluence of randomness that sticks out like a sore thumb, and it’s the biggest downpoint of the issue.

What’s great about Invincible Iron Man #13? Since they “got together,” Tony and Emma’s banter and chemistry is the consistent highlight of the series. Once this Orchis business is done, there’s an opportunity to continue their partnership in the future.

What’s not so great about Invincible Iron Man #13? Riri’s random encounters in space are the big miss of this issue, and the lesser downpoint is the low-impact plot. Tony, Emma, and Starfox go to get the Mysterium, they encounter trivial trouble, and they leave with the Mysterium. The tension and drama are lacking because the issue is seemingly designed to move players in position, so if you skip it, you don’t miss much.

How’s the art? Frigeri’s art is fantastic. The brief battle is energetic, Frigeri’s character acting is strong, and Valenza’s colors look great.

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

Invincible Iron Man #13 is a serviceable but forgettable story that only serves to move players in position with as little trouble (read: excitement) as possible. Emma and Tony are still a charismatic pair, and the issue does what it’s designed to do, but the plot lacks any wow moments, and Riri’s random encounters feel out of place.

6/10