Rating: 
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 !
Rating: 
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!
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?
Rating:
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.
Rating:
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.
Rating: 
Summary: Essential Iron Man volumes 1and 2
Review: The Iron Man volumes of the essential series while interesting only get better in Volume 2 as Stan Lee moves onto other titles and the stories are better than some of the artwork.I have found this with other volumes with Stan's stories he just gets into better improved stories and before you know it he leaves the title. But having said that they are informative and as it says on the tin essential reading for Iron Man fans.
Rating:
Summary: A must for every Iron Fan.
Review: The original "Tales of Suspense" issues that feature Iron Man (#39 on up) are out of sight, cost-wise, especially if they're in good shape. So what do you do? Buy this Essential book! Sure it's all in black and white, but who cares? It's only fifteen bucks for Iron Man's very first adventures! The dialogue is cheesy, the villains are cheesy, and the art is cheesy, but in this case cheese is good! See: the first appearances of classic IM villains such as Mandarin, Crimson Dynamo, and the Titanium Man! See: enough Cold War propaganda to recruit 1000 Marines! Perfect for story buffs, not collectors.
Rating:
Summary: inaugural appearance of Iron Man; collectible; in cheap B&W
Review: This book is well,pardon my pun but,essential for anyone new to Iron Man comics!They cover the early adventures of Iron Man,and of course reviel his,and his emimies origons!It contains over 20 issues! After reding about these characters you will want to pick up the current issues for sure,just to see what things are like now.
Rating:
Summary: Fun in a Can
Review: This delightful volume collects the Gene Colan-drawn Iron Man stories from the mid- to late-sixties, as well as several well-drawn follow-up stories by EC artist Johnny Craig and golden-age artist George Tuska. In my opinion, Colan drew the most "invincible" looking Iron Man of the character's 40-year history. Just look at the cover of this book: Feet splayed 2 yards apart, armor a foot thick, IM looks like he was drop-forged and cold-rolled into a steel juggernaut who could stop a nuke without blinking. The stories by Stan Lee and Archie Goodwin aren't deep -- lots of stories contrasting IM's super-hard exterior with the fragility of the man inside -- but are entertaining nonetheless. Tony Stark, a more heroic and smarter version of Howard Hughes and the living embodyment of the military-industrial complex, battles his opposite numbers: Communists and men who have augmented their abilities with armor or other weapons. Throughout, Colan delivers ever more dynamic art that mixed cartoony exaggeration with realistic shading and chaotic choreography. If you enjoy action, wit, melodrama, and the sheer terror of running low on battery power, this book will give you hours of fun at the economy rate.
Rating:
Summary: Billionaire Tony Stark first becomes the Invincible Iron Man
Review: When the Marvel universe exploded and there were suddenly multiple Spider-Man titles and countless comic books devoted to mutants of one sort or the other, I gave up reading dozens of Marvel comic books each month and just kept up with two titles: "Daredevil" and "Iron Man." The latter selection was pretty ironic because I had ignored Iron Man for years. Outside of the story of his origin, I never read very many of these early stories from "Tales of Suspense," issues #39-72, collected in "The Essential Iron Man, Volume 1." In fact, if I picked up an issue of "Tales of Suspense" in the Sixties, it was to see what Captain America, the other half of the title before each was given its own title, was up to.
My problem was never with the character. I thought the idea of inventor Tony Stark coming up with and continually upgrading and specializing his Iron Man armor was a pretty good premise. The whole rich playboy bit was nothing special (the tradition goes back to Bruce Wayne/Batman and Britt Reid/The Green Hornet), and it was not until Stark became an alcoholic that his normal side became really interesting. I also though the weak heart bit was rather unnecessary, except that it provided an unnecessary rationale for why Stark did not let some healthier and heavily insured younger guy do the death defying heroics.
My problem was that I never really liked Don Heck as an artist. He was competent enough, but when the competition is Jack Kirby, Gene Colan, John Romita, Neal Adams, and Jim Steranko, it is hard to hold up to artistic comparisons month after month. Heck does most of the pencils in these "Tales of Suspense" stories, although Kirby does several issues as does Steve Ditko (with Heck usually doing the inking in those instances). For that matter, Stan Lee often does just the plot for these comics, leaving the actually scripting to others (including younger brother Larry Leiber).
A lot of these early stories put Iron Man in a Cold War context, which made him rather unique as a Marvel superhero. Iron Man first appears after Tony Stark is captured in Vietnam and his early villains include the Red Barbarian, a top Red general, the Crimson Dynamo, his Soviet counterpart, and the Mandarin, who is apolitical but lives in Red China. But you will also find American villains, such as the Melter (an obvious threat to a guy in armor) and even an early villain called Dr. Strange, who is not to be confused with the Master of the Mystic Arts. Meanwhile, Tony Stark, his best friend and loyal associate Happy Hogan, and the beautiful Virginia "Pepper" Potts, are getting more and more entangled in their own little unrequited love triangle.
Another thing I did not like about these early comics has to do with the 10-page stories we had to put up with for Iron Man, Captain America, the Hulk, the Sub-Mariner, Ant-Man, Dr. Strange, and Nick Fury Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D., during the Sixties. Actually, until issue #58, we were getting 13-page stories or longer for Iron Man until Captain America showed up for good (the two actually fight each other in that issue before sharing the magazine officially in the next issue). It is not surprising that the early, longer stories are better. But it was not until Happy and Pepper married and got out of the picture, the major subplots had to do with the business problems of Stark International, and Iron Man got his own comic book, that this title reached its heyday. Hopefully we will get beyond a Volume 2 with "Iron Man" so you can see this is indeed the case.
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