Comic Review: Iron Man #16 (2020-)

Marvel Comics

Writer: Christopher Cantwell

Artists: Julius Ohta & Frank D’Armata

Letterer: VC’s Joe Caramagna

I’m not typically an Iron Man fan. I’m fond of the movie portrayal as much as anyone else, but I have had trouble connecting with the comic book character. Despite that, Iron Man by Christopher Cantwell and a cast of artists (this issue is drawn by Julius Ohta) has been going strong for sixteen issues, and I’m still having a blast. The team has managed to not only mold Tony into a compelling character over the course of the series, but they’ve also done a magnificent job at building his relationships with the world around him; all the while delivering on outrageous spectacle.

Iron Man #16 returns our focus to earth, as well as Tony and friends’ return following a space-god battle with Korvac. Right away, I found the decision to open on a simple lunch amongst Tony’s friends to be a smart one. It immediately grounds the issue and indicates to the reader that this issue is going to be a bit smaller in scale, especially in comparison to the previous arc which was quite grand. This is quickly juxtaposed by Giant Tony coming back a few short pages later wielding the power cosmic. Tony looks monstrous, looming over the city and his friends, an image with awesome scale that is beautifully rendered by Julius Ohta.

Now, there was never any doubt in my mind that this plot development would quickly turn poorly for our hero and everyone around him, but I really appreciated that Cantwell also knew this and didn’t pretend for even one second that it would work out. Right away, his friends are nervous, because even though they love the guy it’s quite obvious that one person shouldn’t wield that much power. What I love about this is that is it allows Cantwell and Ohta to get straight to the point and get down to some shenanigans.

Allow me to talk a bit about the art, as I believe this is Julius Ohta’s first issue on the book. He’s tasked not only with telling the story laid out in this issue, but also with meshing with the visual language of the book first laid out by Cafu in issue one. A few artists have taken over since then, but each of them makes the attempt to keep the book’s visuals somewhat consistent, despite the inevitable shifts in style. Ohta handles that baton pass pretty well, however, it is worth noting that this is probably the biggest stylistic leap we’ve seen so far. His style leans slightly more into cartoon territory as opposed to the somewhat realistic tendencies of Cafu. This is not a criticism, only something to be aware of and adjust to accordingly, especially considering that Ohta’s style does lend itself to some very fluid moments in storytelling.

Also, a big part in why this book still maintains this distinct visual style it set up in the beginning is due to Frank D’armata’s coloring. He’s been on the book since day one, and his dim, shadowy coloring is perhaps the true ‘glue’ that connects these different artists. I don’t know if it’s a conscious effort or not, but his professional craft and consistency makes the book stand out.

With Iron Man #16, despite it’s supposed return to the grounded world, Christopher Cantwell and Julius Ohta make it clear to readers that they have no intention of settling down. This book is quietly great every month, and that cliffhanger just proves to me that this will continue to be the case for longer yet. Also, Big Wheel did nothing wrong.

Read Iron Man #16 on Kindle / Comixology