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Iron Man (2012) (Collected Editions)
Iron Man, Vol. 2: The Secret Origin of Tony Stark, Book 1
Tony Stark. In space. In a bar. With ladies. What could go wrong? Tune in NOW! as the Armored Avenger reaps the surprising consequences of his role in AVX! Plus: The story that will shake Iron Man to his very core starts here! Many years ago, Howard and Maria Stark had a baby - but there's something you don't know.
Collects Iron Man (2012) #6-11.
Collects Iron Man (2012) #6-11.
130 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 7, 2013
14 people are currently reading
416 people want to read
About the author
Kieron Gillen
1,474 books1,911 followersKieron Gillen is a comic book writer and former media journalist.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 107 reviews
February 26, 2015
Iron Man in Space! Except it's like Star Wars/Trek...that sounds awesome right? Not so much.
Tony's supposed to be so smart, yet he gets caught in traps that are just ridiculous.
Greg Land is still on the art...NOT good.
Tony's about to get busy with an alien princess, (a la Kirk) but she sees his 'stache and freaks out. This might have been the funniest part of the book.
He then faces charges for the death of the Phoenix Force (these aliens worshipped her/siphoned power off of her?) and has a very helpful robot suggest he demand the right to trial by combat. While waiting in his cell, he's even wearing a robe that he borrowed from Obi-Wan's closet. Like seriously Land, couldn't you use SOME imagination?
This throws us into some fight scenes, which are BORING. Tony even says something about being screwed if they ever figure out what a headbutt is...
Then enter a 30-foot tall Robot Bounty Hunter (Death's Head - a la Boba Fett, even though Death's Head has existed for a while in Marvel U)...Tony has to fight...but luckily his friend the helpful alien (451 is his name) frees the Iron Man armour, which charges in like the cavalry and Tony escapes.
451 turns out to be less than a benevolent robot, and in fact, is quite a bad fellow. However, Gillen's triumph in this volume is that he writes 451 in such a way that I didn't even think him to be such a bad guy at all. He's also got some info about Tony's background, his birth, and the fact that 451 might have helped Tony out before he was even born.
This is where I started to call bullshit. If this was TV, it was jumping the shark.
I won't reveal it, other than to say, 451 knew Howard Stark pretty well.
I feel like this could be used as a device to do anything with Tony, and then when Marvel editorial doesn't like it, it's a very easy escape clause. It's called "The Secret Origin of Tony Stark" so take that as you will, but I have a sneaking suspicion, that this won't remain cannon for long.
I read this stuff with 451 and by the end I just felt
I'm kind of disappointed with this whole idea. It seems like lazy story-writing in Gillen's hands. I like 451 the character, because he's multi-dimensional....for a robot. But still, unless they do some very cool shit, I think this might have been a mis-step.
Get this review and more at:
Tony's supposed to be so smart, yet he gets caught in traps that are just ridiculous.
Greg Land is still on the art...NOT good.
Tony's about to get busy with an alien princess, (a la Kirk) but she sees his 'stache and freaks out. This might have been the funniest part of the book.
He then faces charges for the death of the Phoenix Force (these aliens worshipped her/siphoned power off of her?) and has a very helpful robot suggest he demand the right to trial by combat. While waiting in his cell, he's even wearing a robe that he borrowed from Obi-Wan's closet. Like seriously Land, couldn't you use SOME imagination?
This throws us into some fight scenes, which are BORING. Tony even says something about being screwed if they ever figure out what a headbutt is...
Then enter a 30-foot tall Robot Bounty Hunter (Death's Head - a la Boba Fett, even though Death's Head has existed for a while in Marvel U)...Tony has to fight...but luckily his friend the helpful alien (451 is his name) frees the Iron Man armour, which charges in like the cavalry and Tony escapes.
451 turns out to be less than a benevolent robot, and in fact, is quite a bad fellow. However, Gillen's triumph in this volume is that he writes 451 in such a way that I didn't even think him to be such a bad guy at all. He's also got some info about Tony's background, his birth, and the fact that 451 might have helped Tony out before he was even born.
This is where I started to call bullshit. If this was TV, it was jumping the shark.
I won't reveal it, other than to say, 451 knew Howard Stark pretty well.
I feel like this could be used as a device to do anything with Tony, and then when Marvel editorial doesn't like it, it's a very easy escape clause. It's called "The Secret Origin of Tony Stark" so take that as you will, but I have a sneaking suspicion, that this won't remain cannon for long.
I read this stuff with 451 and by the end I just felt
I'm kind of disappointed with this whole idea. It seems like lazy story-writing in Gillen's hands. I like 451 the character, because he's multi-dimensional....for a robot. But still, unless they do some very cool shit, I think this might have been a mis-step.
Get this review and more at:
March 3, 2022
This was a fun one and well Tony is in space and he meets this Voldi people who then punish him for killing the phoenix and its the aftermath of AvX and he meets a Rigellian Recorder 451 there who helps him to escape and he sort of does but then the twist comes when we see what they are actually doing and the fate of the Voldi people then and what it leads to! Deaths Head appearance and the secret of Tony's birth also revealed here and the deal Howard Stark made and what led to the Recorder fleeing and this volume changes everything we know about Tony.
I love the way it happens and its so natural and the battles in space are fun, trial by combat and all and throwing this new enemy at Tony is great and it does well to tie in with his secret history. Its becoming cosmic and I love that about it! The art is okay for the most part but its Land tracing most of the time so its annoying but other than that its fun.
I love the way it happens and its so natural and the battles in space are fun, trial by combat and all and throwing this new enemy at Tony is great and it does well to tie in with his secret history. Its becoming cosmic and I love that about it! The art is okay for the most part but its Land tracing most of the time so its annoying but other than that its fun.
January 26, 2018
Having a lot of fun with this series so far.
August 20, 2016
With a new Iron Man armour, a new AI - PEPPER - and a new sense of dissatisfaction following the realisation of mankind’s potential and how far they are from achieving it, Tony Stark has left Earth behind and headed out into the cosmos. In this book, Tony faces an alien court of justice following the death of the Phoenix Force, and then learns some shocking truths about his parentage.
Kieron Gillen’s first Iron Man book was very tedious as each issue showed Tony trying out a new armour. This episodic structure led to a very disjointed reading experience. And then there was Greg Land’s artwork… Land might be the worst artist working at Marvel today. He made Tony look Mongolian for goodness sake! He’s still here though.
The second book is less choppy but unfortunately no better. The first story arc - Godkiller (in no way related to the Jason Aaron Thor/ God Butcher storyline, but what is it about killing gods at Marvel?!) - has a distinctly Star Wars flavour to it. Tony’s first in an alien bar hitting on an alien princess, then gets arrested for killing the Phoenix (see Avengers Vs X-Men - or don’t, it was terrible! And it wasn’t even Tony who did the deed, it was Scarlet Witch and Hope!). He has to fight a series of alien gladiators in an extended Luke Skywalker/Rancor sequence that isn’t in any way as exciting as the Return of the Jedi scene. And then there’s Greg Land’s art, which hasn’t improved either.
The second story arc is more promising, if only for Dale Eaglesham taking over the art. Tony is hot on the trail of evil genocidal robot 451 who reveals to him a deal he made years ago with his dad, Howard Stark. 451 is actually a pretty good villain who doesn’t follow the usual bad guy features of menacing appearance and constant evil rhetoric. He kills literally hundreds of thousands yet seems somewhat sympathetic - an amazing feat from Gillen.
The story itself, the first part of The Secret Origin of Tony Stark? Not so good. It’s basically Ocean’s 11 but way more rushed and barely interesting. Back in the 60s, Howard Stark assembles a team to rip off a Vegas casino run by Greys (the quintessential alien template). Another movie reference stuck out in the character of the alien Rollo, who betrays his fellow Greys and looks/acts/talks just like Fredo in The Godfather!
So that’s the second volume of Gillen’s Iron Man: derivative and uninspired. He riffed on a number of popular movie plots and characters that didn’t work well here and fashioned an altogether forgettable and boring book. Check out Gillen’s sublime Young Avengers to see why this dude keeps getting work.
Kieron Gillen’s first Iron Man book was very tedious as each issue showed Tony trying out a new armour. This episodic structure led to a very disjointed reading experience. And then there was Greg Land’s artwork… Land might be the worst artist working at Marvel today. He made Tony look Mongolian for goodness sake! He’s still here though.
The second book is less choppy but unfortunately no better. The first story arc - Godkiller (in no way related to the Jason Aaron Thor/ God Butcher storyline, but what is it about killing gods at Marvel?!) - has a distinctly Star Wars flavour to it. Tony’s first in an alien bar hitting on an alien princess, then gets arrested for killing the Phoenix (see Avengers Vs X-Men - or don’t, it was terrible! And it wasn’t even Tony who did the deed, it was Scarlet Witch and Hope!). He has to fight a series of alien gladiators in an extended Luke Skywalker/Rancor sequence that isn’t in any way as exciting as the Return of the Jedi scene. And then there’s Greg Land’s art, which hasn’t improved either.
The second story arc is more promising, if only for Dale Eaglesham taking over the art. Tony is hot on the trail of evil genocidal robot 451 who reveals to him a deal he made years ago with his dad, Howard Stark. 451 is actually a pretty good villain who doesn’t follow the usual bad guy features of menacing appearance and constant evil rhetoric. He kills literally hundreds of thousands yet seems somewhat sympathetic - an amazing feat from Gillen.
The story itself, the first part of The Secret Origin of Tony Stark? Not so good. It’s basically Ocean’s 11 but way more rushed and barely interesting. Back in the 60s, Howard Stark assembles a team to rip off a Vegas casino run by Greys (the quintessential alien template). Another movie reference stuck out in the character of the alien Rollo, who betrays his fellow Greys and looks/acts/talks just like Fredo in The Godfather!
So that’s the second volume of Gillen’s Iron Man: derivative and uninspired. He riffed on a number of popular movie plots and characters that didn’t work well here and fashioned an altogether forgettable and boring book. Check out Gillen’s sublime Young Avengers to see why this dude keeps getting work.
February 15, 2021
Marvel NOW! Iron Man Volume 2: part 1 of the Secret Origin of Tony Stark. A continuation of my Iron Man reread.
What started as a relaunch for the character in Believe, continues here. Picking up on the plot line of Stark venturing into space. It is worth reading Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 1: Cosmic Avengers by Brian Michael Bendis as it helps fill in some gaps.
Unfortunately the series doesn’t improve after the lukewarm start from the previous volume. The secret origin story for Tony Stark that starts here is a way to completely change the characters origin. And in my opinion not for the better. Not story content, but the cover for edition I read is in my opinion one of the ugliest I have seen on a graphic novel. Baby Stark in the Mark 1 helmet. It really doesn’t work for me.
Before we get to that there is another story in this volume that is better: the Godkiller storyline which is dealing with Tony’s role in the Avengers vs X-Men crossover event. This feels more like Marvel does Star Trek type of storyline, with Stark taking on a Captain Kirk like role.
This volume also introduces us to the amazing space armour, and the character of 451. Can this new character be trusted and what does he know about Tony? I like that we get a new character introduced rather than reworking an older character. What didn’t work for me the storyline involving Tony’s parents and aliens in Vegas. I know it’s Marvel, it’s sci fi and a comic. But it just felt off.
If you are new to the character of Iron Man and know no better this won’t be such a painful experience. But those familiar with the character even from just the movies will be disappointed. It’s not all bad, but I find it hard to recommend this to anyone.
On a side note, the artwork was better and more consistent than the first volume.
What started as a relaunch for the character in Believe, continues here. Picking up on the plot line of Stark venturing into space. It is worth reading Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 1: Cosmic Avengers by Brian Michael Bendis as it helps fill in some gaps.
Unfortunately the series doesn’t improve after the lukewarm start from the previous volume. The secret origin story for Tony Stark that starts here is a way to completely change the characters origin. And in my opinion not for the better. Not story content, but the cover for edition I read is in my opinion one of the ugliest I have seen on a graphic novel. Baby Stark in the Mark 1 helmet. It really doesn’t work for me.
Before we get to that there is another story in this volume that is better: the Godkiller storyline which is dealing with Tony’s role in the Avengers vs X-Men crossover event. This feels more like Marvel does Star Trek type of storyline, with Stark taking on a Captain Kirk like role.
This volume also introduces us to the amazing space armour, and the character of 451. Can this new character be trusted and what does he know about Tony? I like that we get a new character introduced rather than reworking an older character. What didn’t work for me the storyline involving Tony’s parents and aliens in Vegas. I know it’s Marvel, it’s sci fi and a comic. But it just felt off.
If you are new to the character of Iron Man and know no better this won’t be such a painful experience. But those familiar with the character even from just the movies will be disappointed. It’s not all bad, but I find it hard to recommend this to anyone.
On a side note, the artwork was better and more consistent than the first volume.
October 8, 2013
A lot less episodic than the previous volume of Iron Man. There's still a lot going on, though. Iron Man is in space, which could be fun. The first storyarc that hits us sounds interesting: Tony has been put on trial for the destruction of Phoenix. It starts off great, until Tony resorts to trial by combat. Then it becomes a multi-fight sequence that I suspect even the writer wasn't terribly interested in, it's over so quickly. All that is over in the blink of an eye, and suddenly we have Celestials, a 30-foot robot bounty hunter, a cunningly manipulative villain, a blink-and-you'll-miss-it guest appearance by Star-Lord, and a revamped origin for Tony himself, presented as a lengthy flashback. And while we're visiting Tony's father, Howard Stark, we also get grey aliens and a Vegas heist reminiscent of Oceans 11. Like I said, a lot going on. And I can't help but feel that the story would be stronger if it weren't so darn rushed. The heist could have used twice as many panels, and relies on the reader knowing basically how these work to fill in the blanks. I really don't think I'm feeling this series.
July 7, 2014
Thanks to Dale Eaglesham being on art for a few issues, this volume is better, but there are still 3 issues of Greg Land to get through first. Tony has to deal with an alien race who worshipped the Phoenix force as a God and hold him responsible for killing it. Unlucky, Tony. Your trip into space might not have been the best idea after all. He gets a new armour and a new interactive A.I to play with. The P.E.P.P.E.R in the suite is a nice touch, but it's short lived when the over arching villain of the piece, a robot called 451, takes over the armour and makes it obey his will. There's some fun dialogue between PEPPER and Tony, since Tony programmed it to think like his assistant Pepper Potts, so it works really well in telling Tony all the wrong decisions he's making.
And then we start Gillen's big arc: The Secret Origin of Tony Stark. Or This Title Needs to Sell Better Because Iron Man is Our Biggest Film Franchise, So Here is a Story Revisiting His Origin.
Without being overly cynical and dickish, the flashbacks to his father getting a team together for an Oceans 11 style Vegas Heist are pretty cool, and the story isn't really retconning THAT much, it's just doing what Marvel does and building on its history.
Let's see how the next volume turns out.
And then we start Gillen's big arc: The Secret Origin of Tony Stark. Or This Title Needs to Sell Better Because Iron Man is Our Biggest Film Franchise, So Here is a Story Revisiting His Origin.
Without being overly cynical and dickish, the flashbacks to his father getting a team together for an Oceans 11 style Vegas Heist are pretty cool, and the story isn't really retconning THAT much, it's just doing what Marvel does and building on its history.
Let's see how the next volume turns out.
October 15, 2019
Fun space opera with Iron Man: and art by Greg Land and Dale Eaglesham appeals in different strengths. These are also the only stories with character Death's Head (from Marvel U.K., innit?) that I recall reading. Now, I have to find Book 2...
Mildly recommended, but ends on a cliffhanger.
Mildly recommended, but ends on a cliffhanger.
February 9, 2020
Marvel has got me hooked. After years of eschewing superheroes, I'm now reading everything the library gets. I've no judgement at all, I'm loving these, and lying on the sofa trading them off with the daughter. We're planning to visit the state comic con this fall.
Library copy.
Library copy.
May 17, 2020
Kieron Gillen's Iron Man run picks up the pace with Tony adventuring in space, and finding out more about his past. The art situation here is helped with Dale Eaglesham's fantastic pencils coming on board.
May 28, 2018
Minu arvamuse leiab blogist https://triinuraamatud.wordpress.com/...
June 24, 2025
Feels over the top even for a comic. I’m a huge Tony Stark fan but this story doesn’t feel canon at all. We’ll see if it gets better I suppose.
May 25, 2016
I've heard of pigs in space, but this is ridiculous;
"So, Tony. You killed their 'God'. Nice one.
But don't worry. I'm sure the Voldi will just freeze you in carbonite and eventually your friends will turn up and pull you out of this mess.
Then you'll get to make out with the princess."
The fact I finished the comic book containing this quote shortly after two AM on May 4th was completely coincidental.
Happy accidents, right?
Another happy accident is that this is my 200th book rated on Goodreads. Glad I picked such a good one.
We pick up right where we left off in Iron Man, Vol. 1: Believe.
After fighting several people who desperately wanted their hands on Tony Stark's revolutionary A.I armor system, EXTREMIS, he has a long hard look at humanity, and himself, and runs off into the empty (or not) void of space for his mid-life crisis.
Because... Iron Man. The answer is always Iron Man.
There, our hero is captured by an alien race known as the Voldi. And as it would appear, Tony exterminated their God, a celestial being known as the Pheonix, when it attacked the Earth.
Tony Stark: intergalactic fugitive. Wanted on counts of deicide/conspiracy to commit.
Tony exerts his right to a Voldi style of fighting known as Shay Tah Run, and while he goes mano y mano with aliens who, though big and scary and ugly, can't really hurt him, even without his suit and P.E.P.P.E.R to guide him.
At the same time, an android Tony 'meets' in the Voldi prison searches for his suit to activate the auto-pilot and get it back to him. But does this android (who calls himself 451) know more about Tony than he's leading on? And...
Why does he have film of Howard Stark addressed to Tony? And why is he in it..?
Solid sequel. The Godkiller arc was great, and the beginning of the 'Secret Origin of Tony Stark' got me in the gut. I've never known much about Howard Stark, and I'm eager to know more.
As for the art? As I stated in my review for Believe, Greg Land's art is generic. It really could be anyone's. But Land has worked with Gillen in the past, and art and story go just fine together.
I will say that Land has a real talent for depicting robots and mechs. They always look good.
Actually, like something out of Star Wars.
I own Iron Man, Vol. 3: The Secret Origin of Tony Stark, Book 2 and Iron Man, Vol. 4: Iron Metropolitan, so those will be reviewed very soon.
"So, Tony. You killed their 'God'. Nice one.
But don't worry. I'm sure the Voldi will just freeze you in carbonite and eventually your friends will turn up and pull you out of this mess.
Then you'll get to make out with the princess."
The fact I finished the comic book containing this quote shortly after two AM on May 4th was completely coincidental.
Happy accidents, right?
Another happy accident is that this is my 200th book rated on Goodreads. Glad I picked such a good one.
We pick up right where we left off in Iron Man, Vol. 1: Believe.
After fighting several people who desperately wanted their hands on Tony Stark's revolutionary A.I armor system, EXTREMIS, he has a long hard look at humanity, and himself, and runs off into the empty (or not) void of space for his mid-life crisis.
Because... Iron Man. The answer is always Iron Man.
There, our hero is captured by an alien race known as the Voldi. And as it would appear, Tony exterminated their God, a celestial being known as the Pheonix, when it attacked the Earth.
Tony Stark: intergalactic fugitive. Wanted on counts of deicide/conspiracy to commit.
Tony exerts his right to a Voldi style of fighting known as Shay Tah Run, and while he goes mano y mano with aliens who, though big and scary and ugly, can't really hurt him, even without his suit and P.E.P.P.E.R to guide him.
At the same time, an android Tony 'meets' in the Voldi prison searches for his suit to activate the auto-pilot and get it back to him. But does this android (who calls himself 451) know more about Tony than he's leading on? And...
Why does he have film of Howard Stark addressed to Tony? And why is he in it..?
Solid sequel. The Godkiller arc was great, and the beginning of the 'Secret Origin of Tony Stark' got me in the gut. I've never known much about Howard Stark, and I'm eager to know more.
As for the art? As I stated in my review for Believe, Greg Land's art is generic. It really could be anyone's. But Land has worked with Gillen in the past, and art and story go just fine together.
I will say that Land has a real talent for depicting robots and mechs. They always look good.
Actually, like something out of Star Wars.
I own Iron Man, Vol. 3: The Secret Origin of Tony Stark, Book 2 and Iron Man, Vol. 4: Iron Metropolitan, so those will be reviewed very soon.
June 6, 2013
After Gillen’s first Iron Man arc, I told myself I wasn’t going any farther with the series. Tony’s madcap search for Extremis was disjointed, highly episodic, and the whole P.E.P.P.E.R. thing was just downright creepy. To me, it felt like one huge pre-Iron Man 3 push from Marvel to get Extremis in the spotlight and not necessarily tell a good story in the process.
Then Tony decided to go hang out in deep space for a while and it occurred to me that this was why I had never been a fan of superhero comics in the first place, because something completely “out there” always happened, and Iron Man had already given my full dose of crazy for one series. I prefer my series to be a lot more “grounded,” and have only started dabbling in Marvel since The Avengers came to film.
Then I decided, maybe, to try one more issue. And, sure enough, there’s Tony in outer space, getting drunk and hitting on hot alien babes with an aversion of facial hair because, dammit, he can. And just as I was realizing I had made the right choice by stopping my Iron man subscription, the storyline went and got interesting. Really interesting. Tony is accused of killing the god of a race of people interesting.
And though there very much are some fan-service moments (hordes of sexy alien babes and a full-page spread of Tony stripping down to next-to-nothing for a fight to the death, anyone?), Iron Man suddenly had my full attention. And, in the depths of space, Tony finds—and is eventually betrayed by—a robotic being who knows far more about the family Stark than initially suspected.
Oh, and we learn there are aliens running a casino in Vegas, which is when the series turns into a heist gig starring Howard Stark which has major repercussions for everything Tony knows about himself.
Ok, so, obviously there’s still plenty of crazy to go around in Iron Man. But it’s a fun arc with some very real consequences and revelations, and it’s is a lot more polished than its predecessor.
Artistically, Dale Eaglesham is a better fit for the series than Greg Land. The artist change brings a depth of personality to the series that Land was lacking.
I’m glad I continued on with this series, and am looking forward to see where Tony and 451 go from here.
Then Tony decided to go hang out in deep space for a while and it occurred to me that this was why I had never been a fan of superhero comics in the first place, because something completely “out there” always happened, and Iron Man had already given my full dose of crazy for one series. I prefer my series to be a lot more “grounded,” and have only started dabbling in Marvel since The Avengers came to film.
Then I decided, maybe, to try one more issue. And, sure enough, there’s Tony in outer space, getting drunk and hitting on hot alien babes with an aversion of facial hair because, dammit, he can. And just as I was realizing I had made the right choice by stopping my Iron man subscription, the storyline went and got interesting. Really interesting. Tony is accused of killing the god of a race of people interesting.
And though there very much are some fan-service moments (hordes of sexy alien babes and a full-page spread of Tony stripping down to next-to-nothing for a fight to the death, anyone?), Iron Man suddenly had my full attention. And, in the depths of space, Tony finds—and is eventually betrayed by—a robotic being who knows far more about the family Stark than initially suspected.
Oh, and we learn there are aliens running a casino in Vegas, which is when the series turns into a heist gig starring Howard Stark which has major repercussions for everything Tony knows about himself.
Ok, so, obviously there’s still plenty of crazy to go around in Iron Man. But it’s a fun arc with some very real consequences and revelations, and it’s is a lot more polished than its predecessor.
Artistically, Dale Eaglesham is a better fit for the series than Greg Land. The artist change brings a depth of personality to the series that Land was lacking.
I’m glad I continued on with this series, and am looking forward to see where Tony and 451 go from here.
September 15, 2014
Here's the deal: If you're going to put out a comic book about Tony Stark being somehow connected to an alien race and little grey martians owning most of Vegas, better have Kieron Gillen write it. This is NOT my kind of comic book except that it features Iron Man. These days I prefer a heavy dose of reality in my comics with an acknowledgment of the mythical role these stories play. It's not my kind of thing, BUT it's just done so well. Are there problems with it? Sure. There are some plot holes with how an alien controls Stark's suit, and some of the dialogue feels clunky - especially with his suit's computer which he has now programmed to react to him like Pepper. But Gillen is having to much fun to be a humbug about it. The art is nothing very special, though the covers have imaginative layouts. If you're a real Iron Man, you may enjoy this different take here.
February 12, 2017
WAAY better than Vol. 1! The story got more interesting and exciting, the artwork even changed later on and THEY CREATED A CRAZY TWIST TO TONY STARK'S ORIGIN STORY AND I DON'T KNOW HOW I FEEL ABOUT THIS! (spoiler: Kinda bummed, but in a mixed feeling kind of way. Hope they don't do this in the MCU) Also, there's minor spoilers for Avengers Vs. X-Men, so watch out in case you didn't read or didn't read about it.
September 7, 2016
A major jump up in quality occurs in this second volume in Gillen's run. For one thing the story is actually interesting, cohesive and fun. A couple of interesting new characters are introduced, and the flashbacks to Tony's birth provide a cool twist to Iron Man's origin. Also, Greg Land takes a backseat to Dale Eaglesham on art, and the consistency is welcome. I enjoyed this one a lot.
April 22, 2014
This gets one shrug of the shoulders from me. To retorigin Tony to justify space adventures seems overboard, and this reeks of trying to bolster the movie franchise.
June 4, 2014
I DID IT AGAIN WITH THE VOLUME NUMBERS.
Oh well. It was pretty good though backstory would have been nice. I'll have to find 1-5 somewhere and then the next issues... cliffhanger.
Oh well. It was pretty good though backstory would have been nice. I'll have to find 1-5 somewhere and then the next issues... cliffhanger.
September 9, 2019
Co tu się zadziało? Tego nie wie nikt...
Tony Stark w ramach "wakacji" postanowił zrobić sobie mały wypad poza obrzeża naszego Układu Słonecznego. W nowej zbroi zastajemy go jak zarywa (no przecież, co innego mógłby robić?) do niebieskoskórej przedstawicielki obcej rasy. "Przypadkiem" tak się składa, że to akurat dzień jego urodzin, to i taki numerek byłby ukoronowaniem pewnej epoki...
Niestety cały romantyzm szlag bierze, gdy napalona kobieta zauważa... Brodę Starka. Naprawdę. Nici z zabawy, co więcej, potem Tony zostaje postawiony w stan oskarżenia, bo obcy u których się zatrzymał za Boga uznawali siłę zwaną Feniksem... Tego Feniksem, do którego pokonania przyczynił się przy okazji ostatniego eventu.
Potem zapoznajemy się z niejakim 451, czyli robotem-obserwatorem, który zbiera informacje na różne tematy i je kataloguje, a który wydaje się być jedyną postacią przychylną Iron Menowi. Sprawa się gmatwa, gdy jedyną formą udowodnienia niewinności bohatera są... walki na arenie. (a tu ludzi tu nazywa się barbarzyńcami...)
Do tego momentu komiks czytało mi się w miarę dobrze. Najbardziej ubawił mnie tutaj program SI P.E.P.P.E.R, który Tony stworzył na podobieństwo swojej asystentki. Jej celne uwagi są czasami bezcenne. Postać Death Head'a jaka tu wkracza na plan, też jest całkiem niezła (choć za bardzo przypomina Boba Fetta). Robot najpierw walczy z Tonym, potem mu pomaga(za wynagrodzeniem oczywiście), aby... To trzeba zobaczyć. To jedna z ciekawszych komplikacji w całym zbiorze. I tu pozytywy się kończą... Zaczyna się sekwencja z tytułowym sekretnym początkiem Tony'ego Starka...
Spoiler alert... (czytasz na własną odpowiedzialność)
Ten tzw. 451, jak się okazuje bardzo dobrze znał rodziców Tony'ego. Ba, współpracował nawet z Howardem przy kilku sprawach, zostawiając wspólne nagranie mające wytłumaczyć Tony'emu, że gdy był jeszcze w łonie matki to wynikły pewne komplikacje. Chłopiec mógł zginąć podczas narodzin, albo nawet do nich nie doczekać. Aby osiągnąć cel Howard kontaktuje się z pewnym kosmitą i musi wykonać zlecone mu przezeń zadanie. Potem mamy sekwencję rodem z Ocean's 11...
Reasumując, potrzebna była zatem interwencja w organizm matki Starka i pewne modyfikacje... Co jest taką głupotą fabularną, że aż mnie zęby zabolały od zaciskania. Stark został przedstawiony jako "ulepszony" człowiek, po to aby stać się najmądrzejszym przedstawicielem ludzkości i niejako spełnił rolę jej "zbawcy" w obliczu nadchodzących zagrożeń dla Ziemi... Serio?
Koniec spoilera.
Serio. Nie wiem w jakim kierunku pójdzie fabuła w trzecim tomie, ale ta zaprezentowana nam tutaj nie jest dobra. Jest w miarę logicznie przedstawiona, ale... No właśnie. To udziwnianie, szukanie na siłę sensacji w życiorysie Starka, ja się pytam, po co? 451 to na pewno niestandardowy przeciwnik, z racjonalnym motywem, ale...
Graficznie komiks prezentuje się nieźle, zresztą jak większość pozycji w katalogu Marvel Now! Nie mniej nie jestem w stanie do końca polecić drugiego tomu przygód Iron Mena. Zobaczymy co czeka nas dalej.
Tony Stark w ramach "wakacji" postanowił zrobić sobie mały wypad poza obrzeża naszego Układu Słonecznego. W nowej zbroi zastajemy go jak zarywa (no przecież, co innego mógłby robić?) do niebieskoskórej przedstawicielki obcej rasy. "Przypadkiem" tak się składa, że to akurat dzień jego urodzin, to i taki numerek byłby ukoronowaniem pewnej epoki...
Niestety cały romantyzm szlag bierze, gdy napalona kobieta zauważa... Brodę Starka. Naprawdę. Nici z zabawy, co więcej, potem Tony zostaje postawiony w stan oskarżenia, bo obcy u których się zatrzymał za Boga uznawali siłę zwaną Feniksem... Tego Feniksem, do którego pokonania przyczynił się przy okazji ostatniego eventu.
Potem zapoznajemy się z niejakim 451, czyli robotem-obserwatorem, który zbiera informacje na różne tematy i je kataloguje, a który wydaje się być jedyną postacią przychylną Iron Menowi. Sprawa się gmatwa, gdy jedyną formą udowodnienia niewinności bohatera są... walki na arenie. (a tu ludzi tu nazywa się barbarzyńcami...)
Do tego momentu komiks czytało mi się w miarę dobrze. Najbardziej ubawił mnie tutaj program SI P.E.P.P.E.R, który Tony stworzył na podobieństwo swojej asystentki. Jej celne uwagi są czasami bezcenne. Postać Death Head'a jaka tu wkracza na plan, też jest całkiem niezła (choć za bardzo przypomina Boba Fetta). Robot najpierw walczy z Tonym, potem mu pomaga(za wynagrodzeniem oczywiście), aby... To trzeba zobaczyć. To jedna z ciekawszych komplikacji w całym zbiorze. I tu pozytywy się kończą... Zaczyna się sekwencja z tytułowym sekretnym początkiem Tony'ego Starka...
Spoiler alert... (czytasz na własną odpowiedzialność)
Ten tzw. 451, jak się okazuje bardzo dobrze znał rodziców Tony'ego. Ba, współpracował nawet z Howardem przy kilku sprawach, zostawiając wspólne nagranie mające wytłumaczyć Tony'emu, że gdy był jeszcze w łonie matki to wynikły pewne komplikacje. Chłopiec mógł zginąć podczas narodzin, albo nawet do nich nie doczekać. Aby osiągnąć cel Howard kontaktuje się z pewnym kosmitą i musi wykonać zlecone mu przezeń zadanie. Potem mamy sekwencję rodem z Ocean's 11...
Reasumując, potrzebna była zatem interwencja w organizm matki Starka i pewne modyfikacje... Co jest taką głupotą fabularną, że aż mnie zęby zabolały od zaciskania. Stark został przedstawiony jako "ulepszony" człowiek, po to aby stać się najmądrzejszym przedstawicielem ludzkości i niejako spełnił rolę jej "zbawcy" w obliczu nadchodzących zagrożeń dla Ziemi... Serio?
Koniec spoilera.
Serio. Nie wiem w jakim kierunku pójdzie fabuła w trzecim tomie, ale ta zaprezentowana nam tutaj nie jest dobra. Jest w miarę logicznie przedstawiona, ale... No właśnie. To udziwnianie, szukanie na siłę sensacji w życiorysie Starka, ja się pytam, po co? 451 to na pewno niestandardowy przeciwnik, z racjonalnym motywem, ale...
Graficznie komiks prezentuje się nieźle, zresztą jak większość pozycji w katalogu Marvel Now! Nie mniej nie jestem w stanie do końca polecić drugiego tomu przygód Iron Mena. Zobaczymy co czeka nas dalej.
July 18, 2018
This book has two distinct parts to it.
First, the story line "Godkiller", which is a wrap up or epilogue to the AVX story that Iron man was a part of. Long story short, Iron man is now in space, and he meets up with these race of people who worship the Phoenix entity as a God. While he is there doing his Tony Stark thing, they find out he helped "kill" the Phoenix, and is promptly accused of Deicide. Of course, this being an Iron Man book, not all is as it seems.
I did appreciate the fact that the writer took time to address the event and deal with the repercussions to Tony's choices in said event. Eventually he is "saved" by a seemingly friendly robot who has some devious plans and interesting information for Tony.
The story is ok (minus points for gladiator fight...ugh) as it seems Gillen is getting a better handle on the character in general. The art is still Land so ... get ready for that let down.
That story leads into the second half of this book which is the "secret origin of Tony Stark". To be honest I'm still processing this information and trying to decide if I like it or not. Of course I will wait to form my final opinion until I finish the next book to see how Gillen follows through.
My initial feeling is conflicted. While I praise the writer for taking the character into uncharted territory, I am a bit concerned about this kind of "retcon" done to a legacy character. In essence, the revelation of this book may undercut some of the achievements and more importantly, some of the humanizing factors that come into play in Tony's past adventures. Iron Man is frequently lauded as the ultimate human and many of his achievements and victories are a result of his humanity. Im afraid that this revelation takes away from that aspect of the characterization of Tony Stark.
Again, these are my initial thoughts and hope that the writer can pull this off in the end.
On the plus side, the artist did change in the second arc. Art is now done by Dale Eaglesham which is much better than Land. Not only is it more detailed, it kind of has a "old school" look to it, which I found gives the book a nostalgic feel appropriate to the books "origins" subject matter.
Interesting read if nothing else. Check it out if you are a fan of Iron Man.
First, the story line "Godkiller", which is a wrap up or epilogue to the AVX story that Iron man was a part of. Long story short, Iron man is now in space, and he meets up with these race of people who worship the Phoenix entity as a God. While he is there doing his Tony Stark thing, they find out he helped "kill" the Phoenix, and is promptly accused of Deicide. Of course, this being an Iron Man book, not all is as it seems.
I did appreciate the fact that the writer took time to address the event and deal with the repercussions to Tony's choices in said event. Eventually he is "saved" by a seemingly friendly robot who has some devious plans and interesting information for Tony.
The story is ok (minus points for gladiator fight...ugh) as it seems Gillen is getting a better handle on the character in general. The art is still Land so ... get ready for that let down.
That story leads into the second half of this book which is the "secret origin of Tony Stark". To be honest I'm still processing this information and trying to decide if I like it or not. Of course I will wait to form my final opinion until I finish the next book to see how Gillen follows through.
My initial feeling is conflicted. While I praise the writer for taking the character into uncharted territory, I am a bit concerned about this kind of "retcon" done to a legacy character. In essence, the revelation of this book may undercut some of the achievements and more importantly, some of the humanizing factors that come into play in Tony's past adventures. Iron Man is frequently lauded as the ultimate human and many of his achievements and victories are a result of his humanity. Im afraid that this revelation takes away from that aspect of the characterization of Tony Stark.
Again, these are my initial thoughts and hope that the writer can pull this off in the end.
On the plus side, the artist did change in the second arc. Art is now done by Dale Eaglesham which is much better than Land. Not only is it more detailed, it kind of has a "old school" look to it, which I found gives the book a nostalgic feel appropriate to the books "origins" subject matter.
Interesting read if nothing else. Check it out if you are a fan of Iron Man.
November 23, 2017
Tony is in space, when he is accused of Geicide. He is helped out of a battle to the death by a robot called 451. That robot was from a group of robots programmed to travel the universe. He had a virus that caused him to remember everything that he had every seen and he became unable to go through a memory wipe. As he helps Tony get his Iron Man suit back, he steals the heart from the group of people accusing Tony of geicide. This leads to them being destroyed by the gods that they worshiped. Deaths totaling more than 600,000. Tony goes after him to make him pay and he is captured by 451. 451 then shows Tony a video of Tony's father revealing that he had known Howard Stark before Tony was born.
We find out that Howard and his wife were having trouble having kids. Howard went all over to find a way to save the baby that his wife was pregnant with. He ran into 451 and made a deal with him. At the end of the book 451 is about to tell Tony about all the struggles that his parents went through to make sure Stark was born and that Earth would be safe so Tony could have a long and happy life.
We find out that Howard and his wife were having trouble having kids. Howard went all over to find a way to save the baby that his wife was pregnant with. He ran into 451 and made a deal with him. At the end of the book 451 is about to tell Tony about all the struggles that his parents went through to make sure Stark was born and that Earth would be safe so Tony could have a long and happy life.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 22, 2019
Rereading this in the hopes it might tie into the upcoming Iron Man 2020 (something I've been interested in since I was like 12).
Matt Fraction's run ended with something we wanted for a long time...Iron Man in space. He'd done enough tinkering (and bungling) of Earth, so this was hopefully a more aspirational run.
This story-line is a retcon similar to Swamp Thing's Anatomy Lesson, Spider-Man's The Other, Al Ewing's Hulk in Hell, and the Avengers One Million BC.
It changes (or enhances in my opinion) the mythology of a character. To make them a little grander, rather than just an accident.
I feel this storyline never got a lot of resolution due to Gillen leaving the book early, yet it introduced the Godkiller Armor, which may come back in Iron Man 2020.
Matt Fraction's run ended with something we wanted for a long time...Iron Man in space. He'd done enough tinkering (and bungling) of Earth, so this was hopefully a more aspirational run.
This story-line is a retcon similar to Swamp Thing's Anatomy Lesson, Spider-Man's The Other, Al Ewing's Hulk in Hell, and the Avengers One Million BC.
It changes (or enhances in my opinion) the mythology of a character. To make them a little grander, rather than just an accident.
I feel this storyline never got a lot of resolution due to Gillen leaving the book early, yet it introduced the Godkiller Armor, which may come back in Iron Man 2020.
March 30, 2023
The main arc this book introduces - the so-called secret origin of Tony Stark, is a very bold twist on events. To be fair, it's not like we've known a lot about Tony Stark's younger years apart from his troubled relationship with his father and his early playboy nature. Gillen crafts a rather sweeping cosmic story as a backdrop for a very personal one.
I'm not sure if I appreciate the notion of Tony being the product of some master plan by a Rigellian Recorder of all things, but the story is still pretty well-crafted and it's enough for you to suspend belief and just run with things. Plus I appreciate bringing in the likes of Death's Head because why not, right?
Cliffhanger! Still more to unpack.
I'm not sure if I appreciate the notion of Tony being the product of some master plan by a Rigellian Recorder of all things, but the story is still pretty well-crafted and it's enough for you to suspend belief and just run with things. Plus I appreciate bringing in the likes of Death's Head because why not, right?
Cliffhanger! Still more to unpack.
November 14, 2019
So much going on and its all over the place. The Godkiller arc was decent or at least the setup of the arc. The conclusion on Tony's plight was odd. This set into motion an even bigger arc and I'm not sure where its going. Editorially, this collection is terrible with half an arc collected but its hard to judge it only half way through. I'm not in love with the direction its going but I did love Dale Eaglesham's art especially after enduring Greg Land's plastic panels. Overall, the book has some highs and lows but its very incomplete.
May 21, 2017
I really like the weird crazy space shit in the Marvel universe, and I really like Iron Man when he's done well. This is Iron Man landing square in the middle of some weird crazy space shit. So in.
A note: the specific "secret origin" referenced in the title is something I haaaaated when I first encountered it. This gets fully redeemed by the end of Book 2 of Secret Origin though. So if you read this and have the same reaction to that as me, keep going.
A note: the specific "secret origin" referenced in the title is something I haaaaated when I first encountered it. This gets fully redeemed by the end of Book 2 of Secret Origin though. So if you read this and have the same reaction to that as me, keep going.
June 21, 2019
The "here's something you didn't know all along" approach to revisiting a character's origin is a trick that doesn't always work. But the revelation here is so exciting and not at all out of step with what Iron Man has always been about. The framework for said revelation is solid storytelling with beautiful artwork throughout. And seeing the title hero with Death's Head is a team-up I didn't know I wanted until now.
December 2, 2017
Silly but fun. I could absolutely see Howard Stark getting involved in some alien-lawyer's Xanatos Gambit.
also, if the modulations made to fetal!Tony explain how his body has held up in the face of comic book fight scene shenanigans (or, hell, his suit-building and testing, such as it is), I'm all for it.
also, if the modulations made to fetal!Tony explain how his body has held up in the face of comic book fight scene shenanigans (or, hell, his suit-building and testing, such as it is), I'm all for it.
July 20, 2018
Iron Man in space should be more interesting than this.
Tony hitting on alien chicks that are all drawn with the idealized human bodies (VOMIT).
I hate the art. I always hate the art.
This was extremely short. Why would you pay money for something this short?
Read it if you want - get it from the library.
Tony hitting on alien chicks that are all drawn with the idealized human bodies (VOMIT).
I hate the art. I always hate the art.
This was extremely short. Why would you pay money for something this short?
Read it if you want - get it from the library.
September 6, 2018
After flipping and skipping through the first mini-arc, I have decided Gillen's Iron Man just is not for me. Sure, it is not as political as Fraction's run or as manic and off-the-wall as Bendis, but that doesn't make it stand on its' own in any appealing way. Pretty disappointing, as I normally enjoy this writer.
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