Comic Info
Comic Name: Iron Man (Volume 1)
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Writer: David Michelinie/Bob Layton
Artist: Mark Bright/Bob Layton
# of Issues: 10
Release Date: 2010
Iron Man (1) #219
Reprints Iron Man (1) #215-224 (February 1987-November 1987). Tony Stark is trying to relaunch his company but his plans to open Stark Enterprises could be waylaid by his enemies. With A.I.M. targeting his new space station, Justin Hammer resurfacing as a threat to his business, and Roxxon hiring a new techno-saboteur named the Ghost to stop him, Tony could be pushed to the edge…and the worse could be yet to come!
Written by David Michelinie and Bob Layton, Iron Man: Armor Wars Prologue is a Marvel Comics collection. The series features art by Mark Bright and Bob Layton and was also collected as part of the Iron Man Epic Collection Volume 13: Stark Wars.
I admit that I’m not the biggest Iron Man fan. I always found most “technology” based heroes the least compelling, and Iron Man is Marvel’s biggest hero in that sense. The snarky playboy attitude of Tony Stark combined with the tech aspect is kind of off-putting to me, but that doesn’t mean that I don’t have fun reading his title on occasion. The Iron Man movie really helped me like the character a bit more so it is interesting to go back and read some his classic adventures with Robert Downey Jr.’s portrayal in mind.
Iron Man (1) #224
The collection is largely a series of attacks on Stark Enterprises. You have A.I.M., the Ghost (and Spymaster), Justin Hammer, and an agent of Hammer named Force needing help. It shows Stark growing a bit more paranoid and pushed to his limits. It is times like these I kind of wish that aspects of the character would resurface like his fight with alcoholism since it is a lifelong battle and he’s under so much pressure…but alas this volume is largely just Stark “superheroing”.
I do like the Ghost but I also feel that Marvel misused the character. With a nice design and powers that mimic both Kitty Pryde and Sue Storm, the character is pretty powerful and does a lot of damage in the few issues he appears…but it feels a bit squandered. The issues involving the Ghost have jumped over the years especially following a new Ghost in Ant-Man and the Wasp.
The primary reasons I read this collection is for ’80s nostalgia and to set-up Armor Wars which I never actually read. The issues are like many issues of the period and rather more episodic than modern comics which isn’t necessarily a bad thing (I rather enjoy it). If you are a fan of Iron Man, it is a good run and if you are a fair-weather fan like myself, it still is interesting. Iron Man: Armor Wars Prologue is followed by Iron Man: Armor Wars.
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