When we last checked in with Iron Man, the series had just been launched and everyone was questioning the need for a second Iron Man title. Fraction’s impressive first issue soon silenced detractors, and now 6 months down the line, the title is cemented as the flagship Iron Man series while his previous title gets the rolling-relaunch treatment as a War Machine series. Meanwhile, Fraction’s take on Iron Man is informing the content of the second movie.

The storyline – “Five Nightmares” – has shown a strong thematic narrative throughout regarding Tony Stark’s  place in the Marvel Universe, and the motivations that occasionally drive him to make extreme choices and questionable actions. It’s a note-perfect take on Iron Man, showing how his intent justifies his actions (at least to himself) and this strong character material is encompassed by an action-filled shell with a strong villain in the shape of Ezekiel Stane.

This issue is the climax to the arc, and is mainly composed of a giant fight scene. While these have a tendancy to read a bit quickly, Fraction keeps the pacing even with the narration, and as such it once again reads like a good single-issue chunk rather than the ending of a trade paperback. Even the coda at the end acts not as a definitive ending, but as a springboard to future stories.

Larocca’s art translates the action well, and his experience and ability as a super-hero artist can’t be denied. I’m not so keen on the colouring, but then I’ve never been a fan of D’Armata’s work. Once the characters are out of their armour, the colouring becomes actively distracting because the characters both seem to have deeply unnatural skin tones and a strangely shiny texture, but the writing of that sequence is enough to make it the best in the book.

To his credit, Fraction has managed to reverse everyone’s expectations of what “Invincible Iron Man” will offer. That’s going to make his second arc quite a trial, but a rather provocative “Next Issue” teaser featuring an image of both Iron Man and Spider-Man alongside one another makes sure Issue #7 will, if anything, be of even more interest to Marvel readers than this series was.