Essential Iron Man

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Summary: inaugural appearance of Iron Man; collectible; in cheap B&W
Review: "Essential Iron man vol. 1" TP are written & drawn by Stan Lee & Don Heck respectively. This B&W newsprint, 528 page tome comprises of primordial comic issues originally culled from Tales of Suspense # 39-72. This earliest issues mostly compose of 13-page story, sometimes l8 pages. During that era, Stan Lee had a whirlwind of a hectic workload, he had no other alternative but had to relegate the scripting chores to his auxiliary, Robert Berstein. Mr.Berstein scripted virtually all issues from #39-46, issue #39 was scripted by Larry Lieber, Stan Lee's brother. Stan Lee however, continued his plotting in those issues. He presided, writing & plotting both, starting with issue # 47 onward to forth.

In 1962, Stan Lee, the eminent creator & writer of virtually all Marvel superheroes, conceived Iron man as a new breed of hero. There was a discernible void for rich, businessman & socialite type of a character donning the ensemble of a superhero. In lieu of his theory, Stan Lee single-mindedly molded his stories heavily political in flavor. Political as in akin to the lead ways of life, the people encircling him, & his set of cohorts & adversaries analogous to Iron man proper yarns. Therefore,Iron Man was born into this world, as well as his alter-ego Tony Stark.

As stated, the hub of these stories are sheer political in nature. Akin to political, as stories here are rife with spys, counter spys, spy rings, communist & communism, socialist, reds & chineses, POWs, sabotage, contractual supplying of modern armaments to federal government, government factions & VIPs. Secondarily but just as important, these stories were in conjunction to business/commerce setting, & they were pertinent to Tony's work-- his factory, his contractual weaponry business , with himself as being a consequential personage to federal government officials & other VIPs, & with himself being an inventor & innovator of advanced armaments & paraphernalias. These compilations are generally above average in qualities, although a minimal few are weaker than it sould be. The ensuings are my viewpoints.

Tales of suspense #39. A historical milestone. It featured the maiden appearance & as well chronicling the authoritative origin story of both Tony Stark & Iron man. Also notable, was the introduction of his forerunner Iron man armour & Professor Yinsen, a significant character in Iron man annals.

Tales of suspense #45. First appearances of both Pepper Potts & Happy Hogan, two of the most invaluable supporting characters to Iron man saga.

Issue # 46 & 52. The introduction of Crimson Dynamo. The Reds sent Crimson Dynamo by sabotaging & derailing Tony's factory operation. They deduced Tony was the main culprit why they lagging behind in arm race to America.Both their earliest confrontations were memorable & classical. Crimson Dynamo, through the years, duly became acknowledge as the antithesis to Iron Man technology & his harness.

Issue #48. Unfurled Iron man's "Silver Age", famous V-shaped facial plate mask for the first time. This prototypic armor was very popular with readers during those era, as well as for today's generations. To specify his armour made-over throughout,issue #39, the inaugural of Iron man & his silver-colored & massive armor. In issue #40, he re-colored from silver to gold-colored to be less daunting & be more receptive to people, as was he said.Then in issue #54, he further modified his V-shaped face mask to be more contemporary-looking, more like the present.

To run-down other memorable stories. Issue # 50, featuring the inauguration of Iron man's perennial nemesis, the Mandarin.This issue also marked a new Pepper Potts metamorphosing to a more gorgeous-looking appearance. Issue #52, momentously launched the first appearance of the Black Widow. Issue #57 bowed to the public for the first time as well--Hawkeye. Issue #58 featured a one-on-one match between Iron man & Capt. America. Beginning issue #69-71, this 3-part arc introduced us to the Titanium man. This impressive storyarc was the book best story & the highest point. The communist Titanium man challenged Iron man to a mano-o-mano, in front of the people. The story, in no time,jumpstarted to a cumulations of exciting moments, rapid-fire actions, high suspense & tension & drama.

Anthony "Tony" Stark, alias Iron Man is a rich, handsome, glamorous playboy & a sophisticate. What wooed Tony Stark to the readers,us, despite his upscale status, is his character. Tony is an extremely down-to-earth person. He easily relate well with all kinds of people without hindrances. This statement can be substantiated, without a doubt, moreso truer, pertaining to his close friendship with both Pepper Potts & Happy Hogan, two of the integral supporting characters complementing by interposing with Tony Stark, the honcho of this title.

Readers also easily symphatize with Tony because of his apparent frailties & foibles. Tony by neccesity, entailed him to endlessly don a harness like an interior clothe in his lifetime, as a device to keep his heart beating normally & to allay his shrapnel-pierced heart. Because of his plight, he frequently, more than a few fleeting turns, saw & escaped demise both in & out of his armour. Just for once,to negligently amiss to re-charge his synthetic life-saving suit with electricity can cause him to lose his dear life. None are moreso truer, when Tony as Iron Man in action suddenly feel the need to re-charge but failed to realize, because he still in the thick of incendiary. This is another reason why Tony refrains committing amorous relationship with girls, because he is widely-concious he is living his life in a borrowed time.

Overall, these precursory of stories are all memorable, cherished, invaluable & historically significant. Stan Lee & Don Heck should be accorded with proper commendation & plaudit for their endeavor with this title, that shall transcend beyond the space of time for generation to generation to come. Long-time readers like me, can still joyfully evoke memories once again, with these legendary stories presented in this title, as well a good recommendation book for forthcoming readers alike, who will for the first time try to unravel who-is-the-iron man mythic.

An astounding book to buy & add to your collections.

Highly recommendation !

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Summary: DON HECK'S IRON MAN ISN'T AS GOOD AS GENE COLAN'S , BUT...
Review: Don Heck's Iron Man isn't as good as Gene Colan's, but this is still a terrific book! Don Heck was a solid comic book artist, and he was a consistently good Iron Man artist who developed the character from when Jack Kirby--yes, Jack Kirby!--created him on the cover of the first issue. The writing is terrific! Don Heck drew IRON MAN till the mid 1960s, and then Gene Colan took over. Don Heck was good, but Gene Colan and writer Roy Thomas made IRON MAN INTO THE INVINCIBLE IRON MAN!!!

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Summary: Get this book to see Don Heck's amazing art.
Review: Don Heck, the artist of Iron Man gave the series a lot of class. While unfairly given bad reviews by the fan press Don was a drama and romance comics artist first. He wasn't a super hero artist in the Kirby method. He gave Tony a distinctive character and till this day I think of his version as the true version of Iron Man. Until Marvel makes the CD ROM version of the first issues of Iron Man available in color; this is an affordable collection of the first and best issues. I always did like his original costume best!

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Summary: A piece of Marvel history
Review: I love the whole "Essential" series, but this particular book was a godsend to me. Iron Man has always been one of my favorite Marvel heroes, but I had never read his earliest stories, which had never been published in Brazil. Now I have a chance to learn more about his origin, when and why he changed his armor, and the first appearance of Pepper Potts and Happy Hogan (whose "funny" looks would change very quickly). I must admit I'm a bit uncomfortable with the notion that the Russians are all evil, but that was the prevalent mentality at the time. It is also great to read the first story to feature Hawkeye, although I already knew this one from the "Marvel Superheroes" cartoon. I sure hope there will be a volume II - I'm looking forward to rereading the stories I used to read in my childhood!

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Summary: Marvel's Greatest Cold Warrior
Review: Iron Man has always been one of the more political superheroes at Marvel. Only slightly less of a flag waver than Captain America, the alter ego of millionaire weapons maker Tony Stark, you know whose side he took in the battle between capitalism and communism. He is the frequent target of Communist villains and often finds himself in Russia and China (one adventure finds him in Cuba) battling the champions of communism. And it's all in good fun. Since a Marvel hero had to have a weakness, Tony Stark is always one electric socket away from death since he was hit by shrapnel in Vietnam. The original Iron Man suit was built, in part, to keep the shrapnel from reaching his heart. We meet master villains the Crimson Dynamo and the vastly un-PC Mandarin(possibly one of the last of the 'Yellow Peril" villains), along with villains who turned hero (Hawkeye and Black Widow) and some of Marvel's really pitiful villainous creations-Mister Doll, the Phantom, & Gargantus, among others. These lesser villains ( and 2 hero vs hero clashes, trite crossovers) are the only weak points in the collection. Iron Man has always been a pillar of the Marvel Universe although often overlooked by fans. Whether you are a comics fan looking for some of the classics or a pop culture fan looking for some 60s Cold War paranoia, this is the collection for you. Shortly after the period contained in this collection, Tony Stark found his main adversaries in the persons of other corporate leaders. I look forward to The Essential Iron Man 2 covering his battles against these corporate giants.

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Summary: Books like this make children stupid
Review: Iron Man keeps talking about his 'transistor-powered' armor. Transistors are not a power source!

The whole thing is silly. Tony Stark makes a living designing missiles for the United States government. Then he goes off as Iron Man and encounters villains who use things like time-travel and sorcery. Wouldn't it occur to him that with these sorts of villains running around, missiles are somewhat obsolete?


Rating:
Summary: Books like this make children stupid
Review: Iron Man keeps talking about his 'transistor-powered' armor. Transistors are not a power source!

The whole thing is silly. Tony Stark makes a living designing missiles for the United States government. Then he goes off as Iron Man and encounters villains who use things like time-travel and sorcery. Wouldn't it occur to him that with these sorts of villains running around, missiles are somewhat obsolete?

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Summary: Iron Man, Iron Man, Does it All in an Iron Can!
Review: Marvel Comics in the 60s managed to distinguish itself from the rest of the comics pack with topical stories drenched in pathos. No Superman in the Marvel Bullpen---the Marvel superheroes always had a touch of human frailty to them.

Iron Man is a good example of this. Tony Stark was a weapons inventor who was mortally wounded in Vietnam. When forced to use his last dying days preparing a weapon for his Vietcong captors, Stark turns the tables on his foes by creating a powerful suit of armor, equal parts life support system for his wounded heart and weapon against evil.

The ensuing tales capture that ol' time Marvel magic and introduce unforgettable characters which still resonate today: the Crimson Dynamo, Titanium Man, the Mandarin. Marvel in this early period had a number of WWII and Korea vets among its writing staff unafraid to take sides in the Cold War---if you have a Che Guevara poster in your bedroom, you're unlikely to enjoy these stories. Those of us on the victorious side of this conflict, however, will relish them.

Secure your copy of this terrific collection today.

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Summary: All That's Missing Is The Color!
Review: My first comic book was bought by my mother when I was five and it was Ironman. I thought the cover was cool. While I am only now getting very interested in comic books, I will never forget Ironman being the first comic book I ever had.

That being said, when I went retro and decided to learn more about various wonderful Marvel Comic heroes, I decided to make my first "Essential" purchase Ironman. I was not disappointed.

This collection goes all the way back to the origin of Ironman centering on Anthony Stark and his becoming "The most tragic figure on earth!" The drama here pours out when both the reader and Anthony Stark realize that the only way he can survive is to remain in his iron suit for the rest of his life. The drama doesn't get much better than this.

As for the collection itself, it does lose some in its black and white pages, but if you convince yourself that you are going old school and that in older movies, black and white is better, then you will enjoy it. Also, focus on the drama of the story, not the look and you will have a great time.

If Marvel had continued to produce their Masterworks paperbacks, I would say go there. But they don't, so if you're looking to keep the price down and get a good story, this collection is for you. I'll keep buying.

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Summary: An essential collection of Iron Man's earliest adventures
Review: Starting off with his initial appearance in Tales of Suspense #39 (and going on until issue 72 of the same comic), The Essential Iron Man tells the early, Cold War-tinged tales of one of Marvel's most famously tormented heroes, Tony Stark.

While reprinted in black and white, the Marvel Essentials collections are wonderful for those of us who weren't even alive when the Silver Age started. Seeing such Marvel mainstays as Dr. Strange and Hawkeye-as villains!-is also worth the rather thin price of admission. Perhaps the only other item of note is shortness of some stories (especially once the not-included tales of Captain America appear as part of the action), but that's a sign of the times (as is seemingly patchwork origin of some reprints). Like the other volumes in the Marvel Essentials collection, however, you have to have this book!