Tony Stark – Iron Man, billionaire industrialist, and director of S.H.I.E.L.D. – faces the most overwhelming challenge of his life. Ezekiel Stane, the son of Tony’s late business rival and archenemy Obadiah, has set his sights, his genius, and his considerable fortune on the task of destroying Tony Stark and Iron Man. What’s worse, he’s got Iron Man tech, and he’s every bit Iron Man’s equal and opposite, except younger, faster, smarter – and immeasurably evil! Rising star writer Matt Fraction (Immortal Iron Fist) and superstar artist Salvador Larroca (Uncanny X-Men) join forces to repulsor-ray your comic books to a cinder! Collects Invincible Iron Man #1-6.

4 Responses to “Invincible Iron Man, Vol. 1: The Five Nightmares”

1. Tyler S. says:

   February 13, 2010 at 12:00 am

   Invincible Iron Man has received a lot of praise, and in some ways I can see why. Its well scripted and layed out, and its art is beautiful. What lacks is an engaging plot, I agree with the fellow reviewers. All the pieces are set up, but it fails to make use of its potential. I ended up enjoying the ending, but it barely began to start strong.

   Maybe it’s the soft artwork that puts me in a slow trance, or maybe its Tony’s narrative that doesn’t quite strike interesting. Or maybe it’s the villain, who still feels unexplained and half-done. After reading this whole trade, I see the potential, but they’re just off to a rough start.
2. danny boy says:

   January 25, 2010 at 12:00 am

   Aside from the first two issues when Stane makes clear his intention to kill Tony Stark, the rest of this comic becomes quite confusing, heightened by the too dazzling artwork of Larocca. The overly drawn pictures really churn up the mess here. Somehow, Iron man manages to best Stane in a bare knuckles fist fight, depite all that array of technology on both sides. Thus it seems pointless to keep on harping about Stark technology here.

   There is a half-hearted attempt to humanise this plot by making Pepper, victim of a bomb blast, not wanting to have any of Stark technology implanted into her because of the “weight” (of responsibility?). Then you have Tony giving some mumbo-jumbo “feel the weight” speech to make it all go away.
3. Bobo says:

   January 9, 2010 at 12:00 am

   The amazing thing about this Trade Paperback is that both long time fans and new readers can enjoy it. It’s the perfect jumping on point for fans of the film that have never read an Iron Man comic in their lives. It’s also an instant classic story that long time readers will savor. They captured the flavor, depth and character of Tony Stark perfectly. The artwork is remarkable and the story is guaranteed not to disappoint. Highly recommended!
4. Justin Gaines says:

   September 6, 2009 at 12:00 am

   I’m starting to lose track of how many times the Iron Man series has been rebooted in recent years. The storyline collected in The Five Nightmares covers issues #1-7 of the 2008 Invincible Iron Man series, and is written by Matt Fraction with illustration by Salvador Larroca.

   In The Five Nightmares, we’re introduced to Ezekiel Stane, son of the deceased Obadiah Stane (a.k.a. Iron Monger). The younger Stane is the very definition of a twisted genius, and has embarked on a full-fledged “bleeding edge” technological campaign of terror aimed at, you guessed it, Tony Stark. For the first time since the classic Iron Man: Armor Wars saga, Iron Man has to deal with rogue Stark technology being used to harm and kill innocents.

   This is the first story I’ve read by Matt Fraction (Uncanny X-Men, Punisher War Journal), but it won’t be the last. He successfully weaves a story that acknowledges past Iron Man continuity as well as incorporating some of the elements that made the Iron Man movie so effective. The action is intense, and the pacing barely gives you a moment to catch your breath. Fraction’s dialogue is sharp as well, borrowing a page from Warren Ellis.

   The artwork is every bit as impressive as the writing, if not more so. I’ve been an admirer of Salvador Larroca’s work for more than a decade, and he really outdid himself here, delivering the best-illustrated Iron Man arc since Adi Granov’s painted pages. The digital coloring has a lot to do with that, I’m sure, but this might be Larroca’s best work to date.

   Between the fast-paced action, sharp dialogue and gorgeous artwork, The Five Nightmares is easily the best Iron Man collection since Iron Man Vol. 1: Extremis. It’s a must-read for long time Iron Man fans, and is actually a pretty decent “jumping on” point for new readers as well.