The plot sees Pepper Potts regain her chest repulsor and Rescue armor before she and Tony attend a Stark Industries gala alongside the Hammer women. There's a great moment when Fraction reveals a clever, almost ironic twist to Pepper and Tony's relationship, one I won't spoil except to say the development makes the on-again, off-again romance a hell of a lot more complicated. It's likewise amusing to see Tony nervous before setting off to shmooze potential investors, something the old Stark wouldn't have ever broken a sweat over. But again, the art is clumsy enough, and the plot slow and uneventful enough, that the issue never really springs to life. It also ends on a rather flat note, ultimately leaving me with the impression the issue didn't accomplish as much as it actually did. Read Full Review

Overall, I am enjoying the series, and I'm enjoying the arc, despite its sluggish nature. It's not as solid a book as it once was, especially compared to its first arc, which was fantastic, but hopefully we'll get going soon, as the arc (hopefully) picks up some really necessary speed. Read Full Review

This is very much a middle chapter of a fairly talky story that hasnt been as action-packed or thought-provoking as the books previous arcs. Nevertheless, its still rendered enjoyable by all the little touches of detail that the writer and artist graft onto the bare bones of the plot, and theres still a sense that the books characters are in good hands with Fraction and Larroca at the helm. I just hope that the final destination of this arc justifies some extended conversational sequences and uninteresting plotting that are hardly typical of the books usually high standards. Read Full Review

Despite the lack of Iron Man and a few dull story threads, the presence of Pepper and her new armor really spiced this issue up and restores my hope for this title. Things are looking up. Read Full Review

The creators of this series started strong with a package that was unique and interesting. But now they are falling on old tricks that worked the first two years of this series, but no longer can be relied upon right now. As a reader, Ive seen their best work and this issue is not their best. It was poor and not innovative both story-wise and visually. They have become complacent and hiding their mistakes under layers of nothing can only work so long. Read Full Review

Again, I won’t take anything away from Matt Fraction’s ability as a storyteller and if you like your books about costumed heroes fighting evil to feature dudes in wrinkled suits talking about the latest imaginary tech, this is your book and he handles it well. But if you like your books about costumed heroes fighting evil to feature costumed heroes fighting evil, you’ll find that Iron Man sucks. Read Full Review