Editor's Note: Invincible Iron Man #9 arrives in stores tomorrow, January 7.

"World’s Most Wanted, Part 2: Godspeed"

The second issue of "World's Most Wanted" wastes no time in moving the plot forwards, with a snappy first page that outlines exactly how Tony Stark plans to cope with his current problem. Namely that, thanks to the powers granted to him by Extremis, Stark's head contains countless computer files of sensitive information that Norman Osborn would love to get his hands on. Tony's response to this is decisive, selfless, and undeniably heroic, and I can't wait to see how this new development plays out over the next few issues.

The excitement of the opening pages soon spills over into the entire issue, as one of Stark's trio (which also includes Pepper Potts and Maria Hill) decides to break from the group and return to their normal life, only to be pursued ruthlessly and relentlessly by Norman Osborn. The scenes showing Osborn's callousness and petty desire to crush his enemies demonstrate just how chilling it is that he's in a position of power, and in a far more economical and subtle manner than the dedicated Dark Reign comics have managed.

It's testament to Matt Fraction's abilities as a writer that he can still make these sequences constantly gripping despite the issue actually containing comparatively little in the way of action sequences and spectacle. That said, Salvador Larroca's art also plays a big part in that, adding rich detail to the sci-fi contraption that Tony hooks himself up to in the opening pages, and making the injuries inflicted by Norman's troops look genuinely shocking and brutal. Colourist Frank D'Armata plays his role, too, making Larroca's characters feel very human with his varied skin tones and shine effects, and adding cheeky comicbook touches such as the purple-and-green outfits of the H.A.M.M.E.R. troops. I'm still not a big fan of this art team's take on Norman Osborn, but it's a minor weakness that isn't too distracting.

In addition to the strength of the general plot, it's the many satisfying little touches that make this book so enjoyable to read. I love the complicated dynamic between Tony and Maria Hill (the way that he tricks her into helping him here is priceless); I like the way that Stark demonstrates the high level of trust and respect that he has for Pepper; and I love the idea that Osborn is going to go after Tony by playing the PR game, as well as sending soldiers after him.

One of my only complaints (and it's only a minor one) is with Fraction's handling of Tony's "Extremis" abilities. Whilst Fraction clearly wants to take most of Tony's superhero abilities off the table in order to build him back up from nothing, he still needs to make use of Stark's enhanced biology in order for some of his plot points to work, so there's a sense of the writer trying to have his cake and eat it too. However, the writer at least provides a half-decent explanation as to why Stark's physiology can still be used in unexpected ways (such as his hard-drive brain) even when he hasn't got access to his Extremis powers any more, so I can forgive this slight fudging for the sake of the overall story.

Aside from that minor niggle, this is a highly compelling Iron Man story that goes a long way to redeem the character after the last few years, and is also firmly rooted in the new "Dark Reign" status quo. I can only hope Fraction stays on this book for a long time, because he hasn't made a wrong move yet.

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