About the Holiday

After the initial excitement of summer vacation begins to wear off, many kids start asking, “Now what do I do?” or the ever-popular “I’m bored!” A good dose of boredom, though, can often lead to unexpected adventures, surprising creativity, and exciting discoveries. Reading is a wonderful way to incorporate all three while introducing kids to new ideas, people, places, and experiences or to catch up with favorite characters like Iron Man, who finds his first task in this new Marvel graphic novel “a little boring,” but what comes next is anything but!

Thank you to Harry N. Abrams for sending a copy of this book to me for review!

Iron Man: Something Strange! (A Mighty Marvel Team Up): An Original Graphic Novel (Volume 4)

Written by Dean Hale | Illustrated by Douglas Holgate | Colors by Ian Herring

 

In the midst of taking on a humongous oaf who’s menacing a river-spanning bridge, “the invincible Iron Man” still has time to muse over how saving the day is “the second-best feeling in the world.” What’s first? Well, that, he reveals—while scanning and repairing the bridge and zipping off to Avengers Tower with the villain’s head—is using his tech skills. Of course, for Tony Stark, aka Iron Man, problems are just opportunities. “Opportunities for technological awesomeness.”

Iron Man hasn’t even gotten inside Avengers Tower before he learns the bad/good? news that another “opportunity” awaits. Disappointingly, the problem isn’t as cool as he hopes. It seems the phones aren’t working—a problem Tony states that “someone of my experience and intellect might find . . . a little boring.” But what does he find? The problem is “boring AND doesn’t follow the laws of physics.” While the other Avengers try to give Iron Man suggestions, he rejects them all, especially Thor’s idea to enlist a magic wizard.

But when Iron Man discovers a little one-eyed octopus-like creature clinging to the satellite dish and then meets its mother—its angry mother who easily defeats Iron Man’s force field—Doctor Strange appears on the scene to help. Against Iron Man’s protests, Strange talks to Gargantos and learns that its ten spawn have “tumbled into this plane of existence” and it wants them found. It gives the two superheroes one hour to find them all, or it eats Iron Man.

Thus, begins a contest between Tony Stark and Doctor Strange to find the most spawn. The prize? The winner gets to keep his mustache. With the stakes decided, the two zoom off to find those little demons. As time ticks down, the two use their individual skills to round up the kids while crashing a party, meeting up with other Marvel superheroes, catching a bank robber, and—could it be?—combining tech and magic (with a little help from a surprise source) to bring Gargantos’s family together and send them on their way. And does Doctor Strange hold up his end of their bargain? You’ll just have to see!

In this fourth installment (out of five) of the Mighty Marvel Team-Up series, Dean Hale has great fun with the good-natured rivalry between Tony Stark and Doctor Strange. Kids are sure to laugh at the one-upmanship between these two as they agree to work together as well as at the dynamics between Stark and the other Avengers as they bump up against Stark’s well-known ego while trying to provide help. Ms. Marvel also appears just in time to bestow on Stark wisdom and perspective he (and readers) can relate to. Bravado, bravery, and friendship are the hallmarks of the Avengers universe, and Dean Hale perfectly captures these forces to entertain readers and spark that superhero in each one of them.

Douglas Holgate’s skill in bringing action, humor, and larger-than-life characters to the page is on full display in this madcap adventure loaded with technological and magical wonders that will thrill kids. Every panel crackles with motion, otherworldly feats, danger, and emotive facial expressions that define each character. And Holgate didn’t forget the cuteness! The one-eyed, tentacled children of Gargantos are adorable as they run rampant through the city. Readers will also be pleased with Doctor Strange’s answer for what to do with the destruction Gargantos wrecks upon the park before recovering all ten little ones. 

Ian Herring’s vibrant colors replicate the “Wow!” factor of a blockbuster movie in this eye-catching graphic novel. Herring’s deft use of pastel and vivid shades moves the reader’s eyes naturally across the spreads while highlighting the action or most crucial part of the scene. The rich red of Iron Man’s suit accentuates his starring role in this story. Visit him at 156thmongoose.com.

An exciting, humorous, and high-impact addition to this Marvel-ous series, Iron Man: Something Strange! (A Mighty Marvel Team-Up), is a must for all action hero-loving kids as well as for all children’s library collections. 

Ages 6 – 9

Harry N. Abrams, 2025 | ISBN 978-1419770517

About the Author

Dean Hale is the New York Times bestselling coauthor of over 20 books for young readers, including Eisner Award-nominee Rapunzel’s Revenge, popular early chapter book series The Princess in Black, two graphic novels about young Wonder Woman, and two novels about the Unbeatable Squirrel Girl. It has been said that if you look in the mirror and say Hale’s name three times, he will appear and give you a piggyback ride. This is mostly untrue.

About the Illustrator

Douglas Holgate is the illustrator of the #1 New York Times bestselling series The Last Kids on Earth from Penguin Kids, now also an Emmy Award-winning Netflix animated series, and the cocreator and illustrator of the graphic novel Clem Hetherington and the Ironwood Race for Scholastic Graphix. He has worked for the last 20 years making books and comics for publishers around the world from his garage in Victoria, Australia. Visit him at douglasbotholgate.com.

If you haven’t already, check out the first three books in the series, featuring Spiderman!

Spiderman: Animals Assemble! | Spiderman: Quantum Quest! | Spiderman: Cosmic Chaos!

National Anti-Boredom Month Activity

Iron Man Coloring Pages

 

Kids won’t ever be bored when Iron Man’s around! Spark their imagination to create exciting adventures for Iron Man with these coloring pages!

Iron Man Flying | Iron Man in the Stark Industries Engineering Lab 

You can purchase Iron Man: Something Strange (A Mighty Marvel Team-Up) from these booksellers

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop

Picture Book Review