Iron Man #39

Issue #39 of The Invincible Iron Man arrives in 2001 as the third chapter of "Remote Control," and the cover by Alitha Martinez captures the tension beautifully — a tumbling, off-balance Iron Man dominates the foreground, arms outstretched and faceplate tilted downward, while a ring of watchful faces surrounds him: Captain America, a masked woman, an armed man in a suit, and several others whose expressions range from steely to alarmed. The dynamic upside-down composition gives the whole image a sense of a hero caught in freefall — literally or figuratively — with forces closing in from every angle. Frank Tieri, Alitha Martinez, and the rest of the creative team have clearly set the stage for a story where Tony Stark's world is anything but under control.