Giant-Size Amazing Spider-Man #1 Review

 

Writer: Kevin Smith, Al Ewing, Chip Zdarsky & Mitsuyasu Sakai

Artist: Giuseppe Camuncoli, Daniele Orlandini, Mark Buckingham, Cafu & Gerardo Sandoval

Colorist: Erick Arciniega, Rachelle Rosenberg, David Curiel & Israel Silva

Letterer: Joe Caramagna & Joe Sabino

Cover Artists: Greg Capullo & Alex Sinclair; Lee Bermejo; Mark Bagley & Edgar Delgado; Scott Hepburn & Rachelle Rosenberg

Designer: Gabriel Mata

Editors: Kaitlyn Lindtvedt, Nick Lowe & CB Cebulski

Publisher: Marvel

Price: $7.99

Release Date: June 11, 2025

 

Peter Parker has a long and distinguished career as the Amazing Spider-Man. But who does he turn to when he pulls a Janet Jackson? How does Spider-Man nurture new heroes as they arise? And with new spider-heroes constantly occurring in the multiverse, what makes our friendly neighborhood Spider-Man unique? To learn these answers (and more), let’s thwip into Giant-Size Amazing Spider-Man #1 and find out!

 

Unstable: Story

Kevin Smith begins with Spider-Man taking on the Sinister Six. When he thwips away Mysterio's gauntlet, Spider-Man discovers the special effects wizard is alone. But as the cops drag Mysterio away, the illusionist gets the last laugh. So, Spider-Man seeks help to hide his "Peter Tingle."

 

"Unstable" boasts playful dialogue and suggests Spider-Man enjoys his celebrity status. The story also illustrates a temptation that police, military, self-appointed vigilantes, and anyone entrusted with a position of power should resist.

 

Unstable: Art

Erick Arciniega adorns Giuseppe Camuncoli and Daniele Orlandini’s detailed art with a loaded palette of colors. Inventive layouts enhance the story’s rockstar quality. After combating the Sinister Six, Spider-Man beholds a page packed with foes in Giant-Size Amazing Spider-Man #1. The characters and setting of these introductory pages evoke recent Spider-Man movies. The crowd's reactions and Mr Fantastic’s factory remind us that perceptions often matter as much as our abilities. 

 

 

 

616 Day: Story

After Kevin Smith’s lighthearted story, Al Ewing peers into the heart of the Marvel Universe. As Spider-Man learns what makes his world tick, he also realizes how it relates to other realities in the multiverse. Wyn introduces Spider-Man to the numerology and concepts underlying the 616 Universe. Characters who have supported Marvel's popularity in comics, TV, and movies join Spider-Man on his journey into the past to save the future. Thankfully, no one sucks the joy out of everything or forces anyone to beat up grass. 616 Day celebrates the marvelous possibilities that await us as we take an active role in shaping our realities.

 

616 Day: Art

Rachelle Rosenberg paints Mark Buckingham's art with a loaded palette. The coloring grows more constrained as Wyn takes Spider-Man to the epicenter of the Marvel Universe. Buckingham’s Old School art and Rosenberg’s four-coloring mastery energize Spider-Man’s fight to save the 616 universe. A preponderance of globes, worlds, and colored circles surrounding a battle form an intriguing link with Mysterio's villainy in Giant-Size Amazing Spider-Man #1.

 

Rapid Advancements: Story

Chip Zdarsky introduces a new character who could race into readers' hearts. Roger doesn't view himself as a hero. Like Valerie Bertinelli, he takes life one day at a time. Roger works hard and cares for his family while struggling to meet his financial obligations. The chink in Roger’s armor is his father. His name is Earl.

 

Earl's focus on work evokes the lyrics to “Cat’s In The Cradle.” Roger's no "I hate everything about you" Ugly Kid Joe. Still, he can't count on his dad to be there for him, so he pushes Earl away. But when Roger discovers his father in peril, he drops everything to protect him.

 

Chip Zdarsky's story reveals the past while bringing readers up to speed with Roger and his father. After Spider-Man communicates with Roger, he conceives a plan to assist him. Roger may not regard himself as a hero. But his attempts to save his father evoke Spider-Man's race to help Mary Jane escape an alternate dimension, while Roger’s reactive nature mirrors Spider-Man’s approach to life.

 

Rapid Advancements: Art

Roger’s hair and attire evoke Tom Cruise in “All The Right Moves,” while a scene in his kitchen echoes his admonition to his father. An erupting time bubble continues the theme of worlds or globes from the previous stories. The police watch Spider-Man thwip away to investigate. His most poignant action highlights one of Spider-Man’s defining traits while echoing a similar incident in Joe Kelly's ASM #1.

 

Pink plays a significant role in Rapid Advancements, defining both Roger's costume and his father's research. A villain in green forges another link with the first story in Giant-Size Amazing Spider-Man #1. As David Curiel lavishes a loaded palette on Cafu's sophisticated art, Roger's blue pants and red truck enhance this spectacular origin story. 

 

 

 

Prelude To The New Dimension: Story

Mitsuyasu Sakai provides a teaser for the upcoming Kid Venom Team-Up series. Kid Venom has traveled to the 21^st Century. Kid Venom worries about the threats facing his friends and his country, but Spider-Society doesn't know how to send him home. While grounding this prelude story with staples like Peter Parker and Miles Morales, Sakai includes popular characters from Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse.

 

Prelude To The New Dimension: Art

Israel Silva's dark tones imbue Gerardo Sandoval's art with a haunting aspect. Kid Venom's spiky hair and blue and white coloring make him stand out from the spider-heroes. One panel reveals the threat dominating his homeland, while the characters Kid Venom meets in the final scene echo another story in Giant-Size Amazing Spider-Man #1.

 

Lettering

Joe Caramagna and Joe Sabino thwip uppercase black and colored letters into white and yellow balloons. They employ a variety of fonts, balloon shapes, and arrow designs. White words fill narrative boxes that would make Spider-Gwen jealous. Black balloons threaten a deluge. Musical notes adorn red banners. Enlarged colorful dialogue and sound effects heighten the action, humor, and explosive storytelling in Giant-Size Amazing Spider-Man #1. Thanks to Marvel for providing a review copy.

 

 

 

Final Thoughts

Humor becomes a weapon. Heroes succumb to “righteous” anger. New heroes arise to defend the multiverse in Giant-Size Amazing Spider-Man #1. And when they're most needed, Spidey and his iconic friends remind us why Earth-616 remains the brightest star in Marvel's sky.

 

Rating 9.5/10

 

To look inside see my review at Comic Book Dispatch. 

Amazing Spider-Man #1 Review

 

Writer: Joe Kelly

Artists: Pepe Larraz & John Romita Jr

Inker: Scott Hanna

Colorist: Marte Gracia & Marcio Menyz

Letterer: Joe Caramagna

Cover Artists: Pepe Larraz & Marte Gracia; Cafu; Gil Kane, Josef Rubinstein & Morry Hollowell; Greg Land & Rachelle Rosenberg; Lee Bermejo; Mark Chiarello; Ryan Stegman & Frank Martin; David Marquez & Jesus Aburtov; Nimit Malavia; Simone Di Meo

Designer: Jay Bowen

Editors: Kaitlyn Lindtvedt, Tom Groneman, Nick Lowe & C B Cebulski

Publisher: Marvel

Price: $5.99

Release Date: April 9, 2025

 

Cyra’s endurance test stripped Peter Parker of the will to live. Her brother's attack ripped away his ability to live. A dose of a demigod’s revivifying vitality helped him knock the soul rot from the X-Men and yank the Blight from our world. Peter resolved to never falter in his commitment to others again. As Juggernaut told him, “Don’t think. Just do.”

 

Peter may not miss practicing magic, but he yearns for the security of a regular paycheck. So, Peter hurtles into a Fastball Special interviewing spree while singing “Don’t Stop Me Now” with Freddie Mercury. Doctor Doom made him Earth’s Champion. Cyttorak’s scion Cyra made him the unstoppable Spidernaut. But can Peter Parker land a job? And how are Norman Osborn’s efforts to shut down Oscorp going? Let's update our résumés, leap into Amazing Spider-Man #1, and see!

 

 

 

Story

Forced to choose between Spider-Man and himself, Peter Parker resolved to prioritize his relationship with Shay Marken. Then came his battles with a crime lord and the angry children of a silent god. Peter wants to revive his promises to Shay and make Aunt May proud. But Peter’s past rides before him when he sends out his résumés. His spotty attendance record and association with a supervillain CEO make him as alluring as Sam Witwicky’s medal from Barack Obama.

 

All this begs one question in Joe Kelly’s story. Why does Peter Parker need a job? Peter already has a full-time crime-fighting career. He could claim a check for a hundred grand from First National if he became a Hero For Hire. And that’s just the beginning of his moneymaking options. But he cares more about his friends and loved ones than his happiness. As Peter shields them from recriminations through anonymity, he must take the abuse dispensed by small-minded people holding great corporate power in Amazing Spider-Man #1.

 

As Spider-Man spends his life beating up supervillains, he also looks after their interests. While the Green Goblin rises immediately to mind, the Rhino’s plight comes into focus in Amazing Spider-Man #1. Aleksei may never get over Oksana’s loss, but others, like his rival Screwball, want to help "Vic"  move forward. When Spider-Man tries to understand Rhino’s dilemma, he risks falling under another person's arresting influence.

 

 

 

Art

While Peter dresses for success, he also models what prospective employers want to see. As he shines brightly during interviews, images of his past, his other career, and his everyday failures thwip through his mind. Aunt May looks rejuvenated from the Reeds of Raggadorr. Her nephew's prospects excite her as he hangs a photo. Pepe Larraz shows how Peter’s buoyant attitude during his whirlwind job hunt restores Aunt May’s faith in him. Yet when someone throws her nephew a bone, a childhood memory makes Peter wonder at his abrupt turn of fortune.

 

Marte Gracia reveals the featureless world Peter fights to fit into, with gray, purple, or green interviewers questioning the young aspirant wearing a gray suit. As Peter enters a world of commerce, plate glass windows fill the lobby with light. The highrise windows are so clean that Kenneth McCarry could have cleaned them. Yet their green tinge suggests avarice and corruption and reminds us that Peter’s thoughts are never far from one business leader in Amazing Spider-Man #1.

 

Joe Caramagna thwips uppercase black and blue lettering into dialogue balloons and narrative boxes. The dialogue grows bold for inflection, swells and changes color for volume, and shrinks for lowered voices. A frosty balloon greets an unwelcome reminder. White letters in edgy black balloons signal a villain's return, while one of Peter's remarks fills the air with yellow laughter. Sound effects enhance a persistent phone, someone ringing Spider-Man's bell, and the booming and crashing that busy executives tune out in their pursuit of corporate profits. 

 

 

 

Death To The Tyrant: Story

When Norman Osborn brought him a pizza, Peter took a study break to hear his friend’s plans.

Joe Kelly addresses class conflict in this five-page follow-up. Norman Osborn has much to atone for in Amazing Spider-Man #1. He recognizes he has inflicted great harm upon New York City. Yet Norman jokes about the pain he inflicted on others. The Soul Rot may not have infected Norman Osborn. Yet his resultant anger when another person expresses how Norman injured him suggests that power and wealth have inoculated Norman from empathizing with others.

 

Death To The Tyrant: Art

Marcio Menyz makes the Oscorp sign glow. Overhead lights illuminate the beige press room. Security guards in blue flank Norman as he stands before the brown wooden podium. John Romita Jr and Scott Hanna show a crowd of colorfully dressed seated reporters and standing photographers. More guards stand along the back wall. No one smiles or radiates warmth for Norman. Frantic action pursues painful drama as Marcio Menyz’s vibrant, uniform color explodes.  

 

 

 

Teaser: Story

In the Arizona badlands, scientists argue in Amazing Spider-Man #1. This final four-page story addresses the ongoing battle in science between long-established theories and reinterpretations based on new evidence. One man's controversial idea stands to be validated more rapidly than Alfred Wegener's hypothesis of continental drift.

 

Teaser: Art

Clad in brown, yellow, and green, the surveyors leave their dome tents. They gather before a hoodoo, pointing and photographing the sandstone sculpture. The clouds in the yellow and orange sky reflect the smaller dust clouds floating along the ground amid this painted desert. A man carrying a handheld movie camera and notebook contrasts with another scientist filming with his phone. Their argument serves as the opening notes in a symphony accompanied by bass drums amid colors that conjure the beauty and mysteries of the American Southwest. Thanks to Marvel for providing a copy for review.

 

 

 

Final Thoughts

As Peter Parker searches for a new place to spend his days, a strange development brings a mighty villain low. When Spider-Man leaps to meet this new challenge, titans arise to shake New York’s webbed wonders in Amazing Spider-Man #1.

 

Rating 9.3/10

 

To look inside see my review at Comic Book Dispatch.

Amazing Spider-Man #70 Review

 

Writer: Joe Kelly

Penciler: Ed McGuinness

Inkers: Mark Farmer & Cliff Rathburn

Artist: Cafu

Colorists: Alex Sinclair, Marcio Menyz & Frank D’Armata

Letterer: Joe Caramagna

Cover Artists: Ed McGuinness, Cliff Rathburn & Marcio Menyz; Skottie Young; Peach Momoko; Frank Miller & Alex Sinclair; Iban Coello & Jesus Aburtov; Björn Barends; Brent Schoonover & Rachelle Rosenberg; Netease (Marvel Rivals)

Editors: Kaitlyn Lindtvedt, Tom Groneman, Nick Lowe & C B Cebulski

Publisher: Marvel

Price: $5.99

Release Date: March 26, 2025

 

Callix slew his siblings and Spider-Man. After threatening to murder his surviving sister unless she joined him, Callix left Cyra with the corpses to attack their father. Cyra never craved power like Callix. Instead, Cyttorak’s games made her feel like nothing mattered. Spider-Man's reverence for life taught Cyra to care about others.

 

So Cyra makes a pact with the Avatar Of Death. The scion offers Phil Coulson her immortality and magical power to revive Peter. Will Cyra’s sacrifice be worth it? And how will Peter Parker’s life change when he becomes the Unstoppable Spidernaut? Let's slip on our hazmat suits, leap into Amazing Spider-Man #70, and find out!

 

 

 

Story

The Blight is a force of nature. While Cyttorak sensed its hunger to devour life, he also felt the vitality of the universe. Cyttorak’s sensitivity to life and how the Blight yearned to destroy it tore at his heart. The god walled away this unendurable pain and fear by distancing himself from life, playing games with his family, and telling himself he didn’t care about anything or anyone.

 

When Dr Strange wanted the power of the Crimson Casket, he discovered the danger of the Blight. He made an offer Cyttorak could not refuse. Why not make a game of protecting life? All this worked fine until Dr Doom became Sorcerer Supreme. The Ruler of Latervia (and perhaps the world) didn't want to protect Earth's Borders and pretend the cosmic danger didn't exist. Strange's approach managed the menace and saved lives. But it also kicked the can down the road for future generations to take care of. In Joe Kelly's story, Doom appoints someone who reveres life and would never make a game out of protecting it. So what if a few million people die because Spider-Man won't play by Dr Strange's rules? Doom is building a better future.

 

In Amazing Spider-Man #70, the Blight festers in anyone who wonders if life is worth fighting for. It feeds off negative energy, empowering people to kill those who hurt them. And who can hurt you more than the people you love? Peter has tried Cyra and Cyttorak’s way of dealing with the Blight. Now, as the Spidernaut, Peter discovers a more direct way of combatting it. When his approach works against the symptoms of infection, Peter channels all his power to tackle the source of the disease.

 

 

 

Art

Spidernaut travels through realms of reality to strike stratospheric Callix. Peter’s punch hurtles Callix back to Earth as a crimson streak. The displaced air and explosion shocks Dr Doom more than the former Sorcerer Supreme. Humming with power, Peter Parker returns to Earth. His first act is to clasp Juggernaut’s shoulder. Callix, beaten but defiant, rises from the impact crater to radiate the Blight like a star in Amazing Spider-Man #70.

 

While the Blight’s infection spreads across him as red eyes and black appendages, Callix thwips barbed webs reminiscent of how Spider-Girl emulates Spider-Boy's powers. As the Blight distorts Callix’s appearance, its massive brown body hangs over New York like a MUTO, turning the sky yellow, orange, and brown. Infused by Cyra’s crimson magic, Spidernaut no longer wears Doom’s arcane armor. Instead, Peter wears a Juggy-shaped version of his familiar red-and-blue. 

 

 

 

When Spidernaut conjures a circle of blue and leaves a blue streak behind, Dr Strange questions his colleague in Amazing Spider-Man #70. Rather than answer, Doom turns away from the blue Dr Strange. Doom’s gray mask lightens, along with the yellow and brown sky.

 

While Alex Sinclair and Marcio Menyz lavish a loaded palette on Ed McGuinness, Mark Farmer, and Cliff Rathburn’s art, Joe Caramagna thwips uppercase black and blue lettering into dialogue balloons and narrative boxes. The dialogue grows bold for inflection, swells and changes color for volume, and shrinks for lowered voices. A giant shout emphasizes the power coursing through Spider-Man, while letters in pink balloons convey agony. Stylized lowercase letters in yellow boxes infuse a historical perspective on these apocalyptic events. Thanks to Marvel for providing a copy for review.

 

 

 

Cash Grab: Story

As Spider-Man pursues thieves, one opens a bag and hurls money from the hoverdisk. When the windfall causes pedestrians' attention to wander, Spider-Man abandons his pursuit to protect them. Joe Kelly's optimistic five-page story in Amazing Spider-Man #70 ponders how institutions weather tragedies that crush individuals.

 

Cash Grab: Art

Laser beams streak past Spidey as he thwips through a flock of greenbacks. Soldiers in black wearing Mandalorian helmets stand atop a hovering metal disk. Spider-Man asks a police officer to grab fluttering currency as he makes an impression on the patrol car roof. Cafu's art and Frank D’Armata’s coloring lend a dreamlike quality to Peter's struggle to live a double life as a superhero with a secret identity and foster friendships, a family, and a successful upfront career. 

 

 

Final Thoughts

Adopting a different suit helps Peter Parker identify with one of his greatest enemies in Amazing Spider-Man #70. Drawing on Dr Strange’s tutelage, Cyra’s endurance test, and Cyttorak’s crimson magic, Peter's courage and selflessness inspire others.

 

Rating 9.6/10

 

To look inside see my review at Comic Book Dispatch.

Amazing Spider-Man #65 Review

 

Writer: Joe Kelly

Artist: Cafu

Colorist: Frank D’Armata

Letterer: Joe Caramagna

Cover Artists: Mark Bagley & Richard Isanove; NetEase (Marvel Rivals); Elizabeth Torque; Luciano Vecchio; Skottie Young

Editors: Kaitlyn Lindtvedt, Tom Groneman, Nick Lowe & C B Cebulski

Publisher: Marvel

Price: $4.99

Release Date: January 8, 2025

 

Peter Parker may like Phil Coulson. Still, Peter doesn’t want to die to see him. So, Peter goads Callix into attacking him before the scion is ready and wins his bout. Will Spider-Man's contest with Cyra go as smoothly? Let's strap on our arcane armor, thwip into Amazing Spider-Man #65, and find out!

 

Story

Aunt May is pressing Peter to have a life. The woman who raised him wants her nephew to settle on a career, get married, and have children. Aunt May wants to feel like her sacrifices made a difference in Peter’s life. Unfortunately, Aunt May isn't the only one who has expectations of Peter. Randy Robertson is organizing a photography show to boost Peter’s career. Shay Marken wants to make a life with Peter. Black Cat wants her friend’s emotional support. Spider-Boy wants to thwip and quip with him. Yet, Peter fails them because he can’t meet everyone’s expectations.

 

Unlike Cyttorak’s other scions, Cyra shares Peter's resentment over being compelled to fight in these contests. But unlike Black Cat, Cyra finds no joy in what she does. Doctor Strange insists that dying is part of winning battles with the gods. Yet Peter survived his fight with her twin brother. So when Cyra forces Peter to face the Inevitability of Death in Amazing Spider-Man #65, Peter assumes he will not need the Reeds Of Raggadoor again. Nor does it seem as though Cyra will lash out and kill Peter if he wins.

 

Compared with the previous contests, Cyra’s challenge is not physically or intellectually demanding. He cannot rebuff her with strengths like his understanding of physics, his ability to master new skills, or his quipping and thwipping expertise. Instead, Cyra’s "Emo Fanfic" tests Peter's emotions. As Reverend Mother Gaius Mohiam tested Paul Atreides, Cyra judges Peter Parker’s humanity. Just as Paul believed his hand was burning, Peter agonizes over the death of his loved ones.

 

Ironies ripple through Joe Kelly’s story. Cyra asserts that nothing anyone does has any significance. Yet her brother desperately wishes to impress their father. Cyra hates Earth because Humans are an “unserious” species. Still, she finds value in one of Spider-Man's quips. Cyra infers that Humans should work toward a great plan that moves the species forward. But she doesn’t seem interested in accomplishing anything. Perhaps the biggest irony in Spider-Man #65 is that Cyra and Peter wield extraordinary power. Yet Peter sacrifices to help others while Cyra wants a drink and a bath.

 

 

 

Art

Unlike the other scions, Cyra is not haughty. She forges a connection with Spider-Man and shares the pain she inflicts. Cyra may be a god. Still, one of her head-tails lacks an end, and a scar mars her divine countenance. Perhaps an earlier attack on her invincibility shocked Cyra. Like Phil Coulson, she recognizes that her appearances only bring others pain. Overwhelmed by the truth she wields, Cyra urges Spider-Man not to struggle and accept the inevitable.

 

Frank D’Armata lavishes a loaded palette on Cafu’s art in Amazing Spider-Man #65. Amid layouts across pages, cosmic battles are red, silver, yellow, and purplish black. Purple and yellow remind us of the isolating power of disease, while green and yellow often accompany magic. Blue, yellow, red, and black color Peter's most traumatizing vision. Yet Spider-Man's red and silver arms passing through a figure clothed in black and green are heartbreaking.

 

Joe Caramagna thwips uppercase black lettering into dialogue balloons and red-edged narrative boxes. Cyra’s Emo Fanfic inhabits beige boxes. The dialogue grows bold for inflection, enlarges for volume, and rarely shrinks. Sound effects highlight one man's desperation for significance. Yet the blue uppercase dialogue in white dialogue balloons reminds us what makes Peter Parker unique and why Earth needs him to be Spider-Man. Thanks to Marvel for providing a copy for review.

 

 

 

Final Thoughts

Everyone loses in Amazing Spider-Man #65. Yet nearly everyone wins in this fifth battle for the late great planet Earth. Like life itself, Joe Kelly’s story is a matter of perspective. And even a god with everything to live for can embrace despair.

 

Rating 9.5/10

 

To preview interior art see my review at Comic Book Dispatch.

Invincible Iron Man #10 Review

 

Writer: Gerry Duggan

Artist: Juan Frigeri

Colorist: Bryan Valenza

Letterer: Joe Caramagna

Cover Artists: Lucas Werneck; Chris Allen & David Curiel; Cafu; Meghan Hetrick; Bob Layton & Paul Mounts; George Pérez & Edgar Delgado

Publisher: Marvel

Price: $4.99

Release Date: September 27, 2023

 

Industrialist Kelvin Heng, a.k.a. Feilong, bought Stark Unlimited via a hostile takeover. He used Tony Stark's proprietary technology to aid Orchis' attacks on mutants by building thirty-foot-tall Stark Sentinels. Tony's bid to destroy the Sentinels ended with Rhodey, a.k.a. War Machine, in prison.

 

Forced to comply with a court order, Tony deleted his B.O.S.S. operating system and gave Feilong his Mark 70 armor. Can Tony Stark free Rhodey, turn the tables on Feilong, and save mutants everywhere from the evil Orchis organization? Let's blast into Invincible Iron Man #10 and find out!

 

 

Story

Feilong is all about the show. He gets a guard to hand Rhodey a cell phone, then uses a masked servant at the Hellfire Club to bring Tony Stark one. Feilong arrives in time to watch Tony listen while inmates beat Rhodey to death. Thankfully, Tony's made a deal with Wilson Fisk, a.k.a. Kingpin, the new White King of the Hellfire Club. The big man's got friends in places high and low. That includes the Polunsky Unit in Livingston, Texas, one of the harshest prisons in the United States.

 

Feilong doesn't realize that Tony could kill him at any time. Disguised as his assistant Hazel Kendal, Emma Frost would like nothing better than to use her psychic powers to fry his brain. But that wouldn't stop Orchis from hurting mutants or inciting hatred across the globe. Feilong holds all the cards, and Tony's only got one viable play. As readers of X-Men #26 know, opportunity strikes when you least expect it.

 

 

 

Feilong doesn't miss an opportunity to disadvantage Tony Stark in Invincible Iron Man #10. When he sees Tony hustle Hazel into a side room, he intrudes on Tony's privacy. Feilong misinterprets the inhibitor ring Tony wants Emma to wear for a wedding band. To see the former billionaire bachelor settling down with his secretary must smell like victory. How else can you explain Feilong following Tony and Emma to Las Vegas? Now that he's broken Tony, Feilong can help Tony rebuild his life. So long as Tony knows who's the boss.

 

Feilong doesn't realize Las Vegas is all a show for him. Or perhaps not all. Tony Stark's got practical reasons for slipping into Sin City apart from a shotgun wedding. Still, after Wilson Fisk lost his wife at the Hellfire Gala, Tony Stark gets a wife in Invincible Iron Man #10. Wilson Fisk wants Typhoid Mary back. Emma wants out of the relationship ASAP. As for what Tony wants, time will tell.

 

 

Art

Juan Frigeri portrays Tony Stark's reversal of fortune with imagery that celebrates Iron Man's rich history in Invincible Iron Man #10. Scenes inside the Hellfire Club marry well with those in X-Men #26. Colorist Bryan Valenza helps prison scenes hum with drama and surprise with explosive action. Some favorite moments include seeing images of Howard Stark, Tony clad in his first Iron Man suit, and the rented red Ferrari parked outside the aptly-named Gamble Of Love wedding chapel.

 

 

 

Joe Caramagna's dialogue occasionally shrinks in Invincible Iron Man #10, but most are easier to read than in X-Men #26. I especially like the typewritten narrative in light-blue boxes. Ostensibly extracts from Tony's memoir, they don't impress Emma Frost. Still, Tony Stark's autobiography could prove a best seller and fund his next financial empire.

 

 

 

Final Thoughts

Desperate situations call for unlikely partnerships and desecrating sacred institutions in Invincible Iron Man #10.

 

Rating 9.8/10

 

To preview interior art see my review at Comic Book Dispatch.