Essential Iron Man: Tales of Suspense

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.

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!

While some people may knock the Essentials series for many things, including lack of color and cheap paper, I find that the compact form and cheap price far outweighs any of those points. In fact, the stories in these comics and the portable, read anywhere, form of this book are excellent for us folks who just want to read (or re-read) the tales of our beloved Marvel Heroes. The stories in this book begin simple, but evolve quickly, forming the psyche of the tormented Tony Stark and, eventually, Pepper Potts and Happy Hogan. Without a doubt a classic character, this is the perfect way (apart from tracking down the original comics) to enjoy Iron Man!

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!

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!