Tony Stark’s guided tour through his subconscious continues this issue; he and Dr. Strange make their way across the suspiciously barren though epic landscape of Stark’s mind. Meanwhile in the real world, Ghost, lately of the Dark Avengers, is attempting to kill Stark. He is surprisingly bad at this for a super-powered killer.

This little soul trek does come to a conclusion this issue which despite the fun of the metaphysical character development comes as something of a relief. Now if we can just get this man some armor, the title of the book will make sense again. Not to say this issue or its predecessors in this vein were unenjoyable, but there is always a risk of going too many issues without the titular character doing what he’s famous for.

This story is called “Stark: Disassembled” though its goal seems to be the exact opposite. Like so many post Civil War Marvel characters, Iron Man was left somewhat tainted by his participation in the event and now has to exonerate/excuse/or outright retcon himself back into a compelling sustainable character. Marvel’s upcoming Heroic Age seems to demand squeaky clean (possibly simplified) knights in shining armor. Not to mention if Marvel wants to reap the rewards of this summer’s return to the Iron Man movie-verse, they’re going to want a familiar Tony to greet new fans at the comic stands.

We can only hope he and Captain America don’t hug next issue.

Good pacing and solid dialogue from writer Matt Fraction and bold, occasionally majestic artwork from Salvador Larroca with notably dynamic colors by Frank D’Armata make for a solid book Iron Man fans will not want to miss.

COVER BY: Patrick Zircher
WRITER: Matt Fraction
PENCILS: Salvador Larroca
PUBLISHER: Marvel Comics
COVER PRICE: $2.99
ON SALE: Now