What do you think?
Rate this book
Declassified: Notes, Interviews, and Files from the Avengers' Archives
Iron Man: Tony Stark Declassified: Notes, Interviews, and Files from the Avengers' Archives
Millions of comic book fans know Tony Stark as Iron Man. But few, if any, truly know the man inside the armor.
He’s a genius entrepreneur, an inventor, a business mogul, and a super hero—not to mention an Avenger reassembled in his physical form and reunited with his humanity. And now Tony Stark is ready to talk about it all.
Revisit the story of one of Marvel Comics’ most heroic, heralded, and complex characters in his own words, as well as through notes, interviews, and files assembled from the Avengers’ archives.
An unprecedented, comprehensive firsthand chronicle, Iron Man: Tony Stark Declassified draws on more than a half century of classic tales to present an insightful, personal take about—and by—one of the most talked-about heroes of all time.
Featuring Tony’s perspective on his most important friends, allies, and enemies including Captain America, Pepper Potts, Happy Hogan, James Rhodes, Ironheart, Bruce Banner, and Arno Stark, and his thoughts on the Marvel Universe’s most memorable moments, this first-of-its-kind archival collection is a must for fans of all eras.
He’s a genius entrepreneur, an inventor, a business mogul, and a super hero—not to mention an Avenger reassembled in his physical form and reunited with his humanity. And now Tony Stark is ready to talk about it all.
Revisit the story of one of Marvel Comics’ most heroic, heralded, and complex characters in his own words, as well as through notes, interviews, and files assembled from the Avengers’ archives.
An unprecedented, comprehensive firsthand chronicle, Iron Man: Tony Stark Declassified draws on more than a half century of classic tales to present an insightful, personal take about—and by—one of the most talked-about heroes of all time.
Featuring Tony’s perspective on his most important friends, allies, and enemies including Captain America, Pepper Potts, Happy Hogan, James Rhodes, Ironheart, Bruce Banner, and Arno Stark, and his thoughts on the Marvel Universe’s most memorable moments, this first-of-its-kind archival collection is a must for fans of all eras.
336 pages, Paperback
Published November 14, 2023
3 people are currently reading
4212 people want to read
About the author
Dayton Ward
112 books318 followersDayton is a software developer, having become a slave to Corporate America after spending eleven years in the U.S. Marine Corps. When asked, he’ll tell you that he left home and joined the military soon after high school because he’d grown tired of people telling him what to do all the time.
Ask him sometime how well that worked out.
In addition to the numerous credits he shares with friend and co-writer Kevin Dilmore, he is the author of the Star Trek novels In the Name of Honor and Open Secrets, the science fiction novels The Last World War and The Genesis Protocol, and short stories which have appeared in the first three Star Trek: Strange New Worlds anthologies, the Yard Dog Press anthology Houston, We’ve Got Bubbas, Kansas City Voices Magazine and the Star Trek: New Frontier anthology No Limits. Though he currently lives in Kansas City with wife Michi and daughters Addison and Erin, Dayton is a Florida native and still maintains a torrid long-distance romance with his beloved Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Ask him sometime how well that worked out.
In addition to the numerous credits he shares with friend and co-writer Kevin Dilmore, he is the author of the Star Trek novels In the Name of Honor and Open Secrets, the science fiction novels The Last World War and The Genesis Protocol, and short stories which have appeared in the first three Star Trek: Strange New Worlds anthologies, the Yard Dog Press anthology Houston, We’ve Got Bubbas, Kansas City Voices Magazine and the Star Trek: New Frontier anthology No Limits. Though he currently lives in Kansas City with wife Michi and daughters Addison and Erin, Dayton is a Florida native and still maintains a torrid long-distance romance with his beloved Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
May 18, 2024
Perfect for this Iron Man fan
November 8, 2023
Iron Man: Tony Stark Declassified by Dayton Ward and Kevin Dilmore will be published November 14, 2023. BenBella Books provided an early galley for review.
Though I never read Iron Man comics regularly, I got a healthy dose of the character through my many decades of reading The Avengers. So, I certainly find the character intriguing. The MCU films, of course, brought the Tony Stark character to the large public consciousness. So, this in-depth look at the character was something that interested me.
The format is done as a series of interviews between the author(s) and the character, as if this were any other kind of nonfiction biography. It is then supplemented with reports, newspaper clippings and other items as different characters and events are referenced. It is an interesting approach to take - treating a comic book character with many decades of experiences in the four-color pages as if they were a living, breathing human being. I did enjoy how closely it follows the comic books of the time, weaving it all into a cohesive narrative.
I would recommended it for the comic-book fans rather than the film fans. There are some spoilers if you have not read the major story lines though.
Though I never read Iron Man comics regularly, I got a healthy dose of the character through my many decades of reading The Avengers. So, I certainly find the character intriguing. The MCU films, of course, brought the Tony Stark character to the large public consciousness. So, this in-depth look at the character was something that interested me.
The format is done as a series of interviews between the author(s) and the character, as if this were any other kind of nonfiction biography. It is then supplemented with reports, newspaper clippings and other items as different characters and events are referenced. It is an interesting approach to take - treating a comic book character with many decades of experiences in the four-color pages as if they were a living, breathing human being. I did enjoy how closely it follows the comic books of the time, weaving it all into a cohesive narrative.
I would recommended it for the comic-book fans rather than the film fans. There are some spoilers if you have not read the major story lines though.
April 14, 2024
This was a fun read, I really love it when people write books about superheroes as if they are real. Also, I was hoping to gain some insight into the world of Tony Stark, cuz I'll admit that I haven't had time to read all the comics and I want to make sure I get his character right for the fanfic I am writing. I think I learned a few things but nothing that I didn't already know about his character. It did inspire me to write again, as my fanfic has sat untouched since like November, I don't wanna look. All in All this book was a fun read and I look forward to reading the other installments of this series.
Fic found here, if you are interested:
https://archiveofourown.org/works/417...
Fic found here, if you are interested:
https://archiveofourown.org/works/417...
December 11, 2023
(First of all, thank you NetGalley and BenBella Books, for sending me this ARC in exchange for an honest review)
Synopsis: Millions of comic book fans know Tony Stark as Iron Man. But few, if any, truly know the man inside the armor. He’s a genius entrepreneur, an inventor, a business mogul, and a super hero—not to mention an Avenger reassembled in his physical form and reunited with his humanity. And now Tony Stark is ready to talk about it all.
Revisit the story of one of Marvel Comics’ most heroic, heralded, and complex characters in his own words, as well as through notes, interviews, and files assembled from the Avengers’ archives. An unprecedented, comprehensive firsthand chronicle, Iron Man: Tony Stark Declassified draws on more than a half century of classic tales to present an insightful, personal take about—and by—one of the most talked-about heroes of all time. Featuring Tony’s perspective on his most important friends, allies, and enemies including Captain America, Pepper Potts, Happy Hogan, James Rhodes, Ironheart, Bruce Banner, and Arno Stark, and his thoughts on the Marvel Universe’s most memorable moments, this first-of-its-kind archival collection is a must for fans of all eras.
Opinion: First of all I'm going to write this review without crying, which is going to be hard. I requested this comic because 1: Tony Stark, 2: Iron Man, and 3: Both of them, which are the same. So, it's obvious I love Iron Man and he is one of my fav Avengers and Superheros. I thought this would be a comic but what you get with this book is amazing. This is the ultimate way to know Tony Stark through a lot of interviews which are the structure of the comic. But also there are drawings and archive files and I was so emotional reading this book. After the movies, getting to know more of him is priceless and this comic/book/interview is priceless. I truly recommend giving it a chance if you like Marvel and Iron Man :)
Synopsis: Millions of comic book fans know Tony Stark as Iron Man. But few, if any, truly know the man inside the armor. He’s a genius entrepreneur, an inventor, a business mogul, and a super hero—not to mention an Avenger reassembled in his physical form and reunited with his humanity. And now Tony Stark is ready to talk about it all.
Revisit the story of one of Marvel Comics’ most heroic, heralded, and complex characters in his own words, as well as through notes, interviews, and files assembled from the Avengers’ archives. An unprecedented, comprehensive firsthand chronicle, Iron Man: Tony Stark Declassified draws on more than a half century of classic tales to present an insightful, personal take about—and by—one of the most talked-about heroes of all time. Featuring Tony’s perspective on his most important friends, allies, and enemies including Captain America, Pepper Potts, Happy Hogan, James Rhodes, Ironheart, Bruce Banner, and Arno Stark, and his thoughts on the Marvel Universe’s most memorable moments, this first-of-its-kind archival collection is a must for fans of all eras.
Opinion: First of all I'm going to write this review without crying, which is going to be hard. I requested this comic because 1: Tony Stark, 2: Iron Man, and 3: Both of them, which are the same. So, it's obvious I love Iron Man and he is one of my fav Avengers and Superheros. I thought this would be a comic but what you get with this book is amazing. This is the ultimate way to know Tony Stark through a lot of interviews which are the structure of the comic. But also there are drawings and archive files and I was so emotional reading this book. After the movies, getting to know more of him is priceless and this comic/book/interview is priceless. I truly recommend giving it a chance if you like Marvel and Iron Man :)
May 22, 2025
Iron Man: Tony Stark Declassified is a terrific book. This book delves into the history of Tony Stark and Iron Man. The graphic novel retells Iron Man’s various adventures and gives a lot of fun details about his many gadgets and toys. I really like the pictures and details the graphic novels gives about Iron Man’s armor. The illustrations of the different Iron Man suits, his repulsion rays, and other gadgets are all awesome. Some of them look like Tony Stark was the one drawing the pictures as he planned out new armor.
Iron Man Tony Stark Declassified was also awesome because we get Tony Stark’s point of view on his heroic adventures, friends, allies, and enemies. I really enjoyed reading Tony’s point of view on Captain América and Pepper Potts. It’s fun to see how important his friends are to him. It’s great to hear Tony Stark’s point of view of his adventures too/. This book gives the readers a new perspective on Iron Man’s earliest adventures.
This graphic novel really reminded me a lot of the old 1980’s Marvel Universe handbook comics. These issues would give you a dossier on a character, a brief history on that hero, their weapons, enemies, allies, and more. Iron Man: Tony Stark Declassified does the same thing but in much greater detail.
I hope more Declassified books come out. This was a great read and I look forward to more.
Stay awesome and keep reading.
Iron Man Tony Stark Declassified was also awesome because we get Tony Stark’s point of view on his heroic adventures, friends, allies, and enemies. I really enjoyed reading Tony’s point of view on Captain América and Pepper Potts. It’s fun to see how important his friends are to him. It’s great to hear Tony Stark’s point of view of his adventures too/. This book gives the readers a new perspective on Iron Man’s earliest adventures.
This graphic novel really reminded me a lot of the old 1980’s Marvel Universe handbook comics. These issues would give you a dossier on a character, a brief history on that hero, their weapons, enemies, allies, and more. Iron Man: Tony Stark Declassified does the same thing but in much greater detail.
I hope more Declassified books come out. This was a great read and I look forward to more.
Stay awesome and keep reading.
January 8, 2024
La verdad es que AMO leer este tipo de libros.
Siento que uno realmente esta ahí leyendo estos expedientes, estas entrevistas, estos pensamientos de uno de los personajes más icónicos de la historia de los comics: Tony Stark.
Es un personaje super amado, a veces bastante cuestionado y acá se nos muestra cómo es el personaje, lo que piensa de lo que sucede, de sus compañeros... ¡me encanta!
No es mi personaje favorito y tampoco es mi superhéroe favorito pero si le tengo un respeto y amor único. No soy una lectora empedernida de los cómics (algún día quiero comenzar, lo prometo) y lo que más conozco es del Tony Stark/Iron Man que nos han querido y han podido mostrarnos en las películas (aunque he leído algunos cómics, se que me falta muchísimo!), es un personaje al cual uno le toma cariño, e incluso el actor es realmente increíble.
Poder leer a este personaje, conocerlo más a fondo, casi en la privacidad de sus pensamientos es algo que disfruté mucho.
Espero que este tipo de libros sea traducido en español porque la verdad es que a los fanáticos de Marvel y de Iron Man/Tony Stark les encantaría.
Gracias BenBella Books por el ARC que leí en NetGalley a cambio de una reseña honesta.
Siento que uno realmente esta ahí leyendo estos expedientes, estas entrevistas, estos pensamientos de uno de los personajes más icónicos de la historia de los comics: Tony Stark.
Es un personaje super amado, a veces bastante cuestionado y acá se nos muestra cómo es el personaje, lo que piensa de lo que sucede, de sus compañeros... ¡me encanta!
No es mi personaje favorito y tampoco es mi superhéroe favorito pero si le tengo un respeto y amor único. No soy una lectora empedernida de los cómics (algún día quiero comenzar, lo prometo) y lo que más conozco es del Tony Stark/Iron Man que nos han querido y han podido mostrarnos en las películas (aunque he leído algunos cómics, se que me falta muchísimo!), es un personaje al cual uno le toma cariño, e incluso el actor es realmente increíble.
Poder leer a este personaje, conocerlo más a fondo, casi en la privacidad de sus pensamientos es algo que disfruté mucho.
Espero que este tipo de libros sea traducido en español porque la verdad es que a los fanáticos de Marvel y de Iron Man/Tony Stark les encantaría.
Gracias BenBella Books por el ARC que leí en NetGalley a cambio de una reseña honesta.
November 14, 2023
Read from November 7th, 2023 to November 14th, 2023. Written on November 14th, 2023
As a very big Marvel fan, I was very please to be allowed to read this ARC, especially about such an intriguing character like Tony Stark.
This book was, at times, hard to read for its extensive chapters and quite complex storyline, but apart from that it was so good! With the documents allowing the reader to have visual cues to the story whilst reading Tony Stark being interviewed, this book is genuinely perfect for all Marvel fans, whether from the comics or the series/films.
It was amazing to have a different perspective on our beloved character Tony and his life, friends and downfalls. The author did a brilliant job with this and I cannot wait to read the next books in this series! I'm already a massive fan!
(Free ARC from NetGalley and BenBella Books and Smart Pop that I chose to review after reading)
As a very big Marvel fan, I was very please to be allowed to read this ARC, especially about such an intriguing character like Tony Stark.
This book was, at times, hard to read for its extensive chapters and quite complex storyline, but apart from that it was so good! With the documents allowing the reader to have visual cues to the story whilst reading Tony Stark being interviewed, this book is genuinely perfect for all Marvel fans, whether from the comics or the series/films.
It was amazing to have a different perspective on our beloved character Tony and his life, friends and downfalls. The author did a brilliant job with this and I cannot wait to read the next books in this series! I'm already a massive fan!
(Free ARC from NetGalley and BenBella Books and Smart Pop that I chose to review after reading)
November 15, 2023
It might come as a surprise to some who know me IRL, but in 2019 we watched every Avengers movie. Methodically. From start to finish. By the end of it I was quite sick of some aspects of the Avengers, but when I saw this book I was curious. This book promises Notes, Interviews, and Files from the Avengers' Archives, and it fits into "non-fiction November" as the structure of this book is to pretend the MCU is real, and that the author has interviewed Tony Stark. They also have "extracts" from SHIELD files and other "sources". It is a really fun conceit, and a deep dive into not just Iron Man, but the heroes, anti-heroes and villian with whom he shares the MCU. I recommend buying this as a gift for that cousin, the one you only see at Christmas, and don't quite know what to get them, and then sneakily reading it yourself. Entertaining, interesting and tongue in cheek.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the E-Arc of this book in exchange for an honest review..
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the E-Arc of this book in exchange for an honest review..
November 15, 2023
Iron Man is one of my top 3 favorites Marvel characters so anything new about him is always a joy. This, however, was fun at best. Despite the book being on the short side, it dragged for some reason and I had a hard time finishing it. Things felt confusing at times maybe because I didn't read the comics but it was still interesting to read about events that were changed in some aspects in the movies. I also enjoyed the aspect of it being told through interviews making me feel Tony Stark is really out there! I would be interested in reading the upcoming books about Black Panther and Captain America.
Thank you Netgalley for providing me with an arc !
Thank you Netgalley for providing me with an arc !
November 9, 2023
Iron Man: Tony Stark Declassified is a fun, enjoyable in-universe look at the characters, as told through interviews, reports, newspaper clippings and more. It follows the latest (at least as far I am aware as I am a casual Iron Man comic book reader) updates to the character. I've enjoyed these BenBella Marvel books, and I would recommend this book to someone who wanted to learn more about Iron Man.
Special Thanks to BenBella Books, Smart Pop and Netgalley for the digital ARC. This was given to me for an honest review.
Special Thanks to BenBella Books, Smart Pop and Netgalley for the digital ARC. This was given to me for an honest review.
November 20, 2023
A fictional biography of Tony Stark in the form of a series of interviews and documents is a really fun way to go through the character’s long history in comics. As a long time reader of Iron Man’s books, my only gripes come from which stories the authors chose to emphasize. I would have liked more focus on some of his earlier adventures or more of Tony’s thoughts on the Mandarin, his greatest foe (who only gets a brief focus in the form of a report detailing the events of a more recent storyline).
Want to read
December 13, 2023Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I’m such a sucker for interview and archival format books, so this was really right up my alley. I’m not completely up to date on all the comic arcs, so this was definitely really dense for me to get through, but the book did a great job explaining each storyline in detail. The main interview format was great but I especially loved the transcripts and newspaper clippings - made it seem more like a real collection of things that were really happening, which I thought was great!
I’m such a sucker for interview and archival format books, so this was really right up my alley. I’m not completely up to date on all the comic arcs, so this was definitely really dense for me to get through, but the book did a great job explaining each storyline in detail. The main interview format was great but I especially loved the transcripts and newspaper clippings - made it seem more like a real collection of things that were really happening, which I thought was great!
March 29, 2024
This was such a fun read! I loved the interview format with the newspaper clippings, after action reports and all the Iron Man schematics as supplemental materials. For those who have read the comics, this might shine a light on Tony's feelings and perceptions during those events. For those who have just watched the movies, or maybe hasn't read all of his comics, it shows how the character has evolved over the years. Highly recommend!
February 5, 2024
I won a copy of this book through Goodreads.
I am a big Marvel movie fan, I am not as familiar with the comics. This is a full book full of interviews and articles about Tony Stark. It’s interesting, but I couldn’t get into the format or interviews as it related more to the comic information.
I think it would be best suited for Marvel comic fans Vs movie fans.
I am a big Marvel movie fan, I am not as familiar with the comics. This is a full book full of interviews and articles about Tony Stark. It’s interesting, but I couldn’t get into the format or interviews as it related more to the comic information.
I think it would be best suited for Marvel comic fans Vs movie fans.
March 16, 2024
So i finish this book i'm a shorts times, it's kinda like a interview to Tony Stark, it tell us about all his life, his vice and good things, how was his life like, and i think it was a good thing they make it like and interview with some intervention of other carácter, i really think is a good way to knows more about the character and i good book to have i our shelves
January 11, 2024
*I received an e-arc of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review
This was a pretty fun book - I haven't read a ton of Ian Man comics, which made some parts less familiar to me, but this is a fun "in-universe" text that gives the history of Iron Man and Tony Stark. I really enjoy this genre of text, and am excited to see the other entries of this "Declassified" series.
It was a bit odd to read on an e-reader, and I think it would reader easier in a physical copy.
This was a pretty fun book - I haven't read a ton of Ian Man comics, which made some parts less familiar to me, but this is a fun "in-universe" text that gives the history of Iron Man and Tony Stark. I really enjoy this genre of text, and am excited to see the other entries of this "Declassified" series.
It was a bit odd to read on an e-reader, and I think it would reader easier in a physical copy.
February 26, 2024
This book was very unique. It had a creative layout of interviews, letters, files, and illustrations. Anyone with an interest in Tony Start or the Avengers would really enjoy this. It gives you an insight into the perspective of various characters that’s really creative.
Thank you for the eARC!
Thank you for the eARC!
November 27, 2023
Again, this deserves a higher rating than 5 of 5. Better than mind-blowing. If you’re at all interested in Marvel Comics this helps you appreciate the complexity of that universe.
December 7, 2023
What a fun, deep dive into the character of Tony Stark! Love the approach of the interviewer giving notes to explain jumps.
June 28, 2024
This book has a fantastic premise: a biography of Tony Stark based on a series of interviews with the man himself and a variety of declassified S.H.I.E.LD. documents. The interiewer asked probing questions and Tony Stark revealed all. Whereas a biographical novel is a fictional account of a real historical figure, I can't find a term for this unusual format of a biography of fictional character. This book covers Iron man from decades of comic books, not the more recent MCU movies. Consequently, since my own Marvel fandom stems mostly from tv and movies, I was a bit lost by some of the events referenced. This book will absolutely thrill comic book fans. But as a more casual fan, I still enjoyed the book and plan on reading more of this series.
November 17, 2023
Thanks for the arc netgalley. The beloved character fo iron man and the man behind the armour, Tony stark was always a fascinating subject for me..I enjoyed this book because I've been more of a fan of the lore iron man thanks to comic books and I think fans of him would enjoy this story.
January 16, 2024
Excellent read! All my knowledge of Marvel characters really comes from the Marvel Cinematic Universe films, so this book, which gives an in-depth look at Tony Stark from the comic books was so interesting. I was able to see what the MCU pulled from the source material and what they left out, and now have a greater understanding of one of my favourite characters. Yes, some of it was a bit confusing, which I'm guessing it wouldn't be for avid comic book readers, but that's fine. There is always the internet to fill in any gaps for me. Looking forward to other books in this series, especially the volume on Steve Rogers!
December 10, 2023
“Marvel: Tony Stark Declassified- Notes, Interviews and files from the Avengers Archives” by Dayton Ward, Marvel Comics and Kevin Dilmore. This book has 563 pages.
‘“Good enough is never good enough” was something of a mantra with my father, and that got ported to Stark Industries..’
A perfect book for Marvel enthusiasts.
‘“Good enough is never good enough” was something of a mantra with my father, and that got ported to Stark Industries..’
A perfect book for Marvel enthusiasts.
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews