Review Detail

IRON MAN: SOMETHING STRANGE! is an engaging graphic novel. Iron Man is investigating the loss of communications when he discovers Gargantos, a large creature who is messing up their communications - and a lot of other things as well, while looking for its missing children. Iron Man tries to stop it but finds himself out of his depth. Luckily, Doctor Strange is able to help with a bit of magic.

What I loved: This was an engaging story that pulls the reader in right off the bat with plenty of action. There's a case to be solved and a creature to defeat. Superhero-lovers will eat this story up. Iron Man's personality really comes across as the story is told with a slant towards his perspective. The teamwork elements of the story are great, though they don't always work perfectly together.

The illustrations are really fantastic with lots of panels, color, and expressive characters throughout. The images really tell a lot of the story, which works well in graphic novel format. That being said, there is also plenty of text to guide the story and add dialogue/thoughts along the way.

What left me wanting more: As a small thing, this may be better for slightly older readers (more of a young middle grade audience). There is some mild violence throughout. Additionally, the text can be a bit tough for younger independent readers with asides and translations (of an alien language). There are also no clear breaks in the story in terms of chapters, which also works better for more confident and older readers.

Final verdict: IRON MAN: SOMETHING STRANGE! is an entertaining and engaging graphic novel that has Iron Man working with Doctor Strange to save the day. This will work best for older elementary school aged readers and superhero fans!