Invincible Iron Man #6 Review and *SPOILERS* - Marvel Monday

Ch-Ch-Changes

Written By: Brian Michael Bendis
Art By: Stefano Caselli, Marte Gracia
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: April 19, 2017
Publisher: Marvel

*Non Spoilers and Score At The Bottom*

The first story arc with Riri Williams has come to a close and while it was far from perfect, it ended on a high note and I’m willing to keep going with this new character. In addition, we were left with quite the cliffhanger from the previous issue. Tony Stark’s AI seems to have turned hostile in a way. However, as excited as I am to see that storyline continue, I’m more excited to get to know Riri Williams more and more. We got a little bit of her in the first story arc but we still honestly don’t know a whole lot about her. We’ve slowly begun to know more and more about who she is and I have no doubt that this will continue as we go further into this series. Let’s just jump right into this new issue and see where this new story takes us.

We begin with Riri Williams in Tony’s old workshop. She observes each of the old Iron Man suits one by one until she begins geeking out about them individually. Turns out she was invited here by Tony’s mother, Pepper Potts, and Mary Jane Watson. They interrupt Riri’s train of thought to address why they brought her here. They all get acquainted and even discuss Riri’s latest encounter with Tomoe. In addition, it would seem that the new Iron Man has been talked about endlessly since her appearance  and the women offer Riri the chance to use Tony’s laboratory since she has taken the mantle. Understandably, Riri freaks out at the offer.

We cut to Paris where a woman is meeting with someone named Mr. Lucky. The two discuss buying land and she seems surprised to learn that Mr. Lucky wants to buy up land in Latveria. He wants to purchase everything in Latveria, despite the country becoming a warzone. The woman suggests that all Mr. Lucky has to do is begin rebuilding the area and the people will give him their land. Turns out that he holds Latveria in a special place in his heart. We cut back to Riri Williams who has returned home and begun to tinker with her armor some more, in addition to researching Tomoe more. She wants to tap into the energy fields the Tomoe uses to make her armor more secure. However, this is when a representative from MIT stops by.

Tony’s AI and Riri worry that they are going to claim proprietary ownership over her armor since she made the suit on school property with school resources. However, after sitting with her, we learn that she simply wants to extend an offer for Riri to return to the school. We cut to a military baase and we see a new leader arrive. The hooded figure is Lucia Von Bardas and it would appear that it is her plan to take over Latveria once again. We cut back to Riri who is now on patrol as Ironheart. She finds a supervillain named Armadillo and easily takes him down. However, after she has taken him out, she turns around to see the Champions have arrived on the scene. Riri had just been talking with Tony about how too many things have changed recently and she is feeling a lot of pressure. This is only added when she is given the offer to join the Champions. This is where the issue leaves us.

Not a whole lot happens in this issue but at least we finally got more of what I really wanted. We finally get to really get to know how this character acts in normal situations. She feels confident when it comes to technology and being Ironheart but when it comes to normal situations and big changes, she seems to retreat into herself a bit. However, aside from that aspect of this issue, we only really got three different conversations that set up what is to come. We don’t even know if they will affect things at all. Riri could always decide to remain in her garage, not go to MIT, and not join the Champions. This could all land on its ass and turn out to be a complete waste of time. Then again, it could also become something that greatly affects the future of this character. The question is… which will it be?

Bits and Pieces

Invincible Iron Man once again gives us great art and smart dialogue. Unfortunately, that’s all we get from this issue. We get a lot of set up that may or may not change this book completely. The fact that we don’t know is pretty scary. This issue will be remembered as the beginning of a huge chapter in Riri’s book, or it will go down as the most inconsequential issue of a comic in the modern era. At the very least, we got to know Riri a little better in this issue.

5.8/10