Written by: Gerry Duggan
Art by: Creees Lee, Walden Wong
Colors by: Bryan Valenza
Letters by: VC’s Joe Caramagna
Cover art by: Kael Ngu
Cover price: $3.99
Release date: March 20, 2024
Invincible Iron Man #16 joins the fateful battle between Tony Stark in his Mysterium-enhanced Sentinel Buster and Feilong in his War Machine Mech. May the best tech genius win.
Is Invincible Iron Man #16 Good?
Well, if you were itching for a big robot fight, Duggan delivers in an issue-long battle for the ages in Invincible Iron Man #16. Filled with splash page after splash page to give readers as much epic awesomeness as possible, fans will have a lot to like in the action department. That said, you may want to check your brain at the door.
When last we left Tony Stark, aka Iron Man, he goaded Feilong into an impromptu battle in the Australian desert. There, Tony unveiled his new Mark 72 armor, enhanced with the magically impervious Mysterium. But wait, there’s more. The Mark 72 is just the start. The “ships” Riri Williams assembled joined the fight and performed a Voltron assembly maneuver to form the massive Sentinel Buster, Mark 73.
Now, the Sentinel Buster swats Feilong’s Stark Sentinels like flies while Feilong pilots a Sentinel-sized War Machine mech and attacks from the sky. Ultimately, power is the deciding factor when the Sentinel Buster runs out of juice and slows down enough for Feilong to exploit a gap in the armor. The issue ends with Feilong infiltrating the Sentinel Buster to hunt down a knocked-out Tony Stark.
What’s great about Invincible Iron Man #16? If you want big, Rock ‘Em/Sock ‘Em robot fighting action, this is the one you’ve been waiting for. Give all credit to Creees Lee and Walden Wong for giving you all the action you can handle.
![](https://weirdsciencemarvelcomics.files.wordpress.com/2024/03/inv.-iron-man-16-p2.jpg?w=527)
What’s not so great about Invincible Iron Man #16? As the little hints above in the description suggest. It’s best to turn your brain off in a few spots. For example…
The Stark Sentinels are a threat, but Feilong is the real target and a more dangerous threat. Why did Tony spend all his precious energy ignoring Feilong during the fight? When he exited the Sentinel Buster and left it on autopilot, why not attack Feilong directly while the Stark Sentinels were distracted?
Later, Tony returns to the Sentinel Buster but removes his helmet, leading to him getting knocked out. Why is it necessary for Tony to take his helmet off when there are no apparent wires or HUDs needed to pilot the giant mech?
There are more, smaller examples, but the net result is a battle that looks cool for its flashiness, but Tony makes several boneheaded mistakes that ultimately serve to add drama to the fight and drag it out. It feels forced.
How’s the art? If it wasn’t already obvious, the art team is the star of this issue. Big explosive action saves this issue from Duggan’s clunkily choreographed script.
About The Reviewer: Gabriel Hernandez is the Publisher & EIC of ComicalOpinions.com, a comics review site dedicated to indie, small, and mid-sized publishers.
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Bits and Pieces
Invincible Iron Man #16 deserves big, explosive action from start to finish, highlighting the real star of the show – the Art Team. That said, Tony Stark makes obvious mistakes he’s too smart to make, leading to an issue that looks great but feels forced.
6/10