Invincible Iron Man #13

Iron Man just keeps getting better and better since Matt Fraction took over. As World's Most Wanted hits its halfway point, Tony gets intelligently dumber, Maria gets cooler, and Pepper gets bolder. Add in some clever uses of the Cabal and you've got one darn good story.

One thing Fraction excels at is juggling multiple plot threads. Throughout this arc he has been telling three different stories. Not once have I been confused as to what was happening nor have I ever completely forgotten about either story.

Tony is written brilliantly in one thread. In it he seeks out his old hideouts to delete important Stark Tech and Initiative files so Osborn can't find and misuse them. While doing this, he has to deal with his diminishing mental capacity due to a combination of the Skrull virus that handicapped him in Secret Invasion and the gradual deletion of his Extremis technology. Usually, I don't like my heroes becoming weaker, but Fraction handles this in a very natural and rational way so I can accept it as good storytelling.

Fraction also throws some action to the ladies. After publicly using her new armor, Pepper is now in trouble with Osborn. I like how Fraction has Tony one-upping Osborn by making Pepper's armor in a completely legitimate and legal manner so he has nothing against Pepper. In doing this, she doesn't have to hide anything and thus has no fear of getting into any real trouble. That might change soon, though, because the issue ends with Pepper seeking out Captain America to help Tony. Good stuff.

Maria Hill gets the best treatment in this issue. In every other comic book she's been in, she's come off as an arrogant, inadequate, cookie-cutter soldier. Fraction makes her sympathetic and awesome. In a few flashbacks, we get to see some motivations to her character. They are great and naturally lead to her overcoming the Controller. Fraction accomplishes the impossible by making Maria Hill a cool character.

Larroca's art is predictably hit or miss. He draws armor and technology well and struggles to draw faces. Some of his faces are just weird looking, actually. However, his art in Maria's flashbacks look great and I must say; He draws a damn fine Madame Masque.

World's Most Wanted is a great story for one of Marvel's most important heroes. Over the past few years he's been vilified a little, and Fraction brings him back down to Earth in order for the world to care about him again.