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Ultimate Iron Man (Collected Editions)
Ultimate Iron Man, Vol. 2
The untold origin of Iron Man continues! When last we saw him, young Tony Stark was nearly blown to bits. How much of him survived his initial Iron Man trial run - and where does the young genius go from here?
Collecting: Ultimate Iron Man II 1-5
Collecting: Ultimate Iron Man II 1-5
128 pages, Paperback
First published October 15, 2008
12 people are currently reading
383 people want to read
About the author
Orson Scott Card
886 books20.8k followersOrson Scott Card is an American writer known best for his science fiction works. He is (as of 2023) the only person to have won a Hugo Award and a Nebula Award in consecutive years, winning both awards for his novel Ender's Game (1985) and its sequel Speaker for the Dead (1986). A feature film adaptation of Ender's Game, which Card co-produced, was released in 2013. Card also wrote the Locus Fantasy Award-winning series The Tales of Alvin Maker (1987–2003).
Card's fiction often features characters with exceptional gifts who make difficult choices with high stakes. Card has also written political, religious, and social commentary in his columns and other writing; his opposition to homosexuality has provoked public criticism.
Card, who is a great-great-grandson of Brigham Young, was born in Richland, Washington, and grew up in Utah and California. While he was a student at Brigham Young University (BYU), his plays were performed on stage. He served in Brazil as a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) and headed a community theater for two summers. Card had 27 short stories published between 1978 and 1979, and he won the John W. Campbell Award for best new writer in 1978. He earned a master's degree in English from the University of Utah in 1981 and wrote novels in science fiction, fantasy, non-fiction, and historical fiction genres starting in 1979. Card continued to write prolifically, and he has published over 50 novels and 45 short stories.
Card teaches English at Southern Virginia University; he has written two books on creative writing and serves as a judge in the Writers of the Future contest. He has taught many successful writers at his "literary boot camps". He remains a practicing member of the LDS Church and Mormon fiction writers Stephenie Meyer, Brandon Sanderson, and Dave Wolverton have cited his works as a major influence.
Card's fiction often features characters with exceptional gifts who make difficult choices with high stakes. Card has also written political, religious, and social commentary in his columns and other writing; his opposition to homosexuality has provoked public criticism.
Card, who is a great-great-grandson of Brigham Young, was born in Richland, Washington, and grew up in Utah and California. While he was a student at Brigham Young University (BYU), his plays were performed on stage. He served in Brazil as a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) and headed a community theater for two summers. Card had 27 short stories published between 1978 and 1979, and he won the John W. Campbell Award for best new writer in 1978. He earned a master's degree in English from the University of Utah in 1981 and wrote novels in science fiction, fantasy, non-fiction, and historical fiction genres starting in 1979. Card continued to write prolifically, and he has published over 50 novels and 45 short stories.
Card teaches English at Southern Virginia University; he has written two books on creative writing and serves as a judge in the Writers of the Future contest. He has taught many successful writers at his "literary boot camps". He remains a practicing member of the LDS Church and Mormon fiction writers Stephenie Meyer, Brandon Sanderson, and Dave Wolverton have cited his works as a major influence.
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 65 reviews
March 4, 2018
So, somehow, this was worse than the first volume.
This was incredibly boring and when it wasn't boring, it was anger inducing. I don't understand the ideas behind the characterizations of any of these characters. Should I begin with the unnecessary gay jokes? Because there were a lot of them. The unimportance of the 2 female characters? Obadiah was just terrible and not in a "evil" way but in a "this is a serious downgrade" kind of way. I don't recognize anything about the Tony I know and love and that's odd because I actually liked Ults!Tony in Ultimates.
The only moderately good thing in this volume was the relationship between Tony and Rhodey. Everything else was just awful.
So, no, this is not a recommend at all.
This was incredibly boring and when it wasn't boring, it was anger inducing. I don't understand the ideas behind the characterizations of any of these characters. Should I begin with the unnecessary gay jokes? Because there were a lot of them. The unimportance of the 2 female characters? Obadiah was just terrible and not in a "evil" way but in a "this is a serious downgrade" kind of way. I don't recognize anything about the Tony I know and love and that's odd because I actually liked Ults!Tony in Ultimates.
The only moderately good thing in this volume was the relationship between Tony and Rhodey. Everything else was just awful.
So, no, this is not a recommend at all.
May 14, 2019
Not as good as volume 1. Too many plot contrivances and weird vibes -- I'll settle for Ultimate Spider-Man for reading in the Marvel Ultimate Universe, or Robert Downey Jr. for Best Iron Man.
Also, shadowy semi-governmental organization recruits Stark Enterprises "robots" Iron Man and War Machine to destroy terrorists in the Middle East (); third arms dealer, more shady, tries getting his hands on said "robots" for two issues; final showdown with mystery () shadow-villain.
Also, shadowy semi-governmental organization recruits Stark Enterprises "robots" Iron Man and War Machine to destroy terrorists in the Middle East (); third arms dealer, more shady, tries getting his hands on said "robots" for two issues; final showdown with mystery () shadow-villain.
November 8, 2017
Horribly boring and predictable story. Almost everything cool Orson Scott Card did in the first story arc is completely jettisoned here. Even the artwork isn't as good as the initial volume.
January 11, 2009
Volume 1 was pretty cool, but this one should be called Ultimately Boring Iron Man II. And I'm not saying this because I recently discovered the author is a homophobic bigot jerk face. Honestly, the book stands on its own as a sucky work of mediocrity.
July 19, 2017
I probably should have read the first volume to fully understand this Iron-man. Screw it. He's never been one of my favorite superheroes and I read enough Ultimates to get this is a very different Tony Stark. Except, this Tony is really different. He's very young, his limbs grow back (Why? I dunno), and he doesn't seem all that smart. It's very hard to get used to it at first and when him and Rhodes go on a mission together to stop mysterious "war weapons" it gets overlong and boring.
What I liked: I actually dig the character designs. I like how Iron-man is bulkier, just looks cooler to me. Also thought Tony had some funny lines...some.
What I didn't like: The overcomplicated plot. Especially coming from Scott Card who's done Ender's game which I LOVED. Also waaaaay too much banter from EVERY character and not all of them work. Also the creepy dude who likes to be touched and perverted was waaaaay to try hard. Oh and fuck the ending.
Yeah this is kind of a mess. The art is pretty awesome but the rest I could have left at home. This Tony doesn't even act like the one from Ultimates. A 2/5.
What I liked: I actually dig the character designs. I like how Iron-man is bulkier, just looks cooler to me. Also thought Tony had some funny lines...some.
What I didn't like: The overcomplicated plot. Especially coming from Scott Card who's done Ender's game which I LOVED. Also waaaaay too much banter from EVERY character and not all of them work. Also the creepy dude who likes to be touched and perverted was waaaaay to try hard. Oh and fuck the ending.
Yeah this is kind of a mess. The art is pretty awesome but the rest I could have left at home. This Tony doesn't even act like the one from Ultimates. A 2/5.
September 3, 2022
My Ultimate Year #2: Strange Origins & Ultimate X-Men!
Read for a teens acting like they’re in their 20’s tale - think gossip girl, but mech fights and nukes instead of dating and alcohol. Also for OSC’s anti-windmill agenda. The story has potential, but the villains are too flat for my liking. It’s pretty skip-able, especially if you didn’t do ultimate iron man 1.
CW - OSC made it all the way to the last issue before inserting racist banter (thankfully it isn’t supposed to be charming this time), and it also suffers from islamophobia and misogyny.
Read for a teens acting like they’re in their 20’s tale - think gossip girl, but mech fights and nukes instead of dating and alcohol. Also for OSC’s anti-windmill agenda. The story has potential, but the villains are too flat for my liking. It’s pretty skip-able, especially if you didn’t do ultimate iron man 1.
CW - OSC made it all the way to the last issue before inserting racist banter (thankfully it isn’t supposed to be charming this time), and it also suffers from islamophobia and misogyny.
July 7, 2009
Quit dissapointing - the first volume was decent, not great but good enough that I was still interested to read the second part, however volume 2 really lets the story down.
Overall the whole 10 issue mini series is a frustrating read because parts of it are good enough to make you feel annoyed with the parts that fall flat. It was just too inconsistent, emotionally detached, brief and in parts, cliched. I actually had to make myself finish the second volume.
The problem is that Tony Stark is just too weird in this series. Readers of the Ultimate universe do want the characters to vary, often dramatically from their mainstream marvel counterparts - but not to the extent Orson does here. The greatest thing about Iron Man is the fact he has no special power and instead has to rely on his considerable intellect and resourcefulness. The Tony Stark of this story is the product of a artifically created virus which has turned his entire body into super sensitive brain tissue with basically unlimited regenerative ability. He wears special skin-coloured body armour and repeatedly looses limbs over the course of the series which promptly grow back in a few days.
Overall the whole 10 issue mini series is a frustrating read because parts of it are good enough to make you feel annoyed with the parts that fall flat. It was just too inconsistent, emotionally detached, brief and in parts, cliched. I actually had to make myself finish the second volume.
The problem is that Tony Stark is just too weird in this series. Readers of the Ultimate universe do want the characters to vary, often dramatically from their mainstream marvel counterparts - but not to the extent Orson does here. The greatest thing about Iron Man is the fact he has no special power and instead has to rely on his considerable intellect and resourcefulness. The Tony Stark of this story is the product of a artifically created virus which has turned his entire body into super sensitive brain tissue with basically unlimited regenerative ability. He wears special skin-coloured body armour and repeatedly looses limbs over the course of the series which promptly grow back in a few days.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 23, 2009
Why would Orson Scott Card want his name so huge on an uninspiring book? Maybe because he created his very own version of Iron Man that isn't really connected to the other Ultimate characterizations of the character. He also doesn't have a handle on writing for comics. Pasqual Ferry's energetic art in books like Adam Strange is completely static here thanks to unimaginative grids and layouts. And the story isn't really all that interesting.
November 11, 2008
2.5 stars. this is actually the first O.S. Card i have ever read (i have Ender's Game waiting in the wings). i enjoyed it, inasmuch as there were some very interesting sci-fi concepts & some very well-developed character stuff & some AMAZING art (emphasis on "some," but more on that later)...but the plot was pretty weak sauce. and the main villain was paper thin, so the last act was kind of a letdown. i say, "kind of a letdown," but i actually mean, "an enormous letdown," because not only did the end of the story suffer, the artist apparently had deadline problems, and the final issue was drawn by someone else. someone with a style *completely* dissimilar to Pasqual Ferry. it's a five issue miniseries that doesn't even take place in the present day Ultimate Universe. why did Marvel feel the need to rush it into production/publication? the shift in artist was so jarring that i came away with a much harsher judgment of the overall work because of it.
May 6, 2015
Wow... Card really can't write comics, can he? This is absolute trash. I mean, the story itself isn't too bad. Like an average 90's action-flick plot with teens as the main characters. But I just cannot find anyone compelling or interesting. Tony basically is invincible (giving me the same problem I always have in Superman comics- which is a lack of feeling the intensity of a situation). Everyone else around him just seems to work for him, or think he's so amazing, making them as interesting as the Iron Man suit. And Obadiah is probably the most annoying person ever. He is Willie from "Temple of Doom", trying incredibly hard to be more like a Joffrey from "Game of Thrones", but he just isn't an interesting villain or character. He makes dumb sarcastic comments and poop jokes all the time. And it really gets to me, as a reader, because he keeps making me groan with every piece-of-shit line he says. Do not read this book. Ever.
October 26, 2017
I didn't like the storyline, because it didn't really make sense. How did everything lead back to Howard Stark's ex-wife. Why does she suddenly want to kill her son. I mean he's psychotic, but she seemed to love him in the first volume. Also, where did she get her army? ANY WHY DOES SHE LOOK COMPLETELY DIFFERENT EVERY TIME WE SEE HER?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 16, 2018
Great storytelling. The only problen i have with it is the last 12 pages have unfinneshed artwork.
December 27, 2013
After being disappointed in Ultimate Iron Man, Vol. 1, I was not sure what to expect from this volume and was prepared for the worst. I was pleasantly surprised instead.
The events of the first book have Howard Stark in prison for the murder of former business rival Zedekiah Stane and Tony who has the ability to regrow vital organs and has survived a deadly explosion as Iron Man. What develops in this book is actually a pretty thrilling story. There's plenty of action, and the series has the feel of a good mystery as our heroes try to unravel he death of Zedekiah Stane and follow clues to a surprising conclusion. The character of young Obadiah Stane is definitely a scene-stealer and a pivotal character.
That's not to say the book isn't without problems. The rendering of the Iron Man armor is weak. Card continue to reference alcoholism without fully developing it. Perhaps most significantly while the end is well-written, it also mirrors the worst of modern superhero comic writing which seems to revel in perversity. It really is a creepy ending. Heroism was AWOL from this story.
So, overall, the effort was good, not great, but an improvement on the disaster that was the disjointed volume 1.
The events of the first book have Howard Stark in prison for the murder of former business rival Zedekiah Stane and Tony who has the ability to regrow vital organs and has survived a deadly explosion as Iron Man. What develops in this book is actually a pretty thrilling story. There's plenty of action, and the series has the feel of a good mystery as our heroes try to unravel he death of Zedekiah Stane and follow clues to a surprising conclusion. The character of young Obadiah Stane is definitely a scene-stealer and a pivotal character.
That's not to say the book isn't without problems. The rendering of the Iron Man armor is weak. Card continue to reference alcoholism without fully developing it. Perhaps most significantly while the end is well-written, it also mirrors the worst of modern superhero comic writing which seems to revel in perversity. It really is a creepy ending. Heroism was AWOL from this story.
So, overall, the effort was good, not great, but an improvement on the disaster that was the disjointed volume 1.
October 26, 2010
I only really picked this up for completeness to see how the story which was started a long time ago finished. It's a bit of a disappointment even with the low expectations set in part one.
The story plays out like a thriller, often confusing at times due to poor plotting and OSC's lack of understanding how comics work. The characters are still sparse, Obadiah is bloody annoying and his character shifts continuously throughout becoming less a developed person, rather a stand in villain/comic relief/exposition type device.
The resolution is poorly executed and a let down with no sense of completion (bad for a stand alone series). The other big issue is the art which is much worse than the first part. Overall, not really worth it and a further reminder that these days the only Ultimate title worth reading is Spider-Man.
The story plays out like a thriller, often confusing at times due to poor plotting and OSC's lack of understanding how comics work. The characters are still sparse, Obadiah is bloody annoying and his character shifts continuously throughout becoming less a developed person, rather a stand in villain/comic relief/exposition type device.
The resolution is poorly executed and a let down with no sense of completion (bad for a stand alone series). The other big issue is the art which is much worse than the first part. Overall, not really worth it and a further reminder that these days the only Ultimate title worth reading is Spider-Man.
June 17, 2024
I got this for free, in mint condition and sealed in its original factory shrinkwrap. Marvel must have way overprinted this book, because there were stacks of it on the counter at Warp 9 Comics in Clawson, MI, free with purchase over whatever dollar amount (can't remember). I am not a fan of the Ultimate line of comics, as I have a hard enough time keeping the real Marvel Universe's continuity straight without this line's continuity mucking things up.
This was pretty terrible. I guess that Card is a New York Times best selling author, according to the dustjacket blurb and inner flap information, but he is not a good comic book writer. At no point in this book were any of the characters believable or likable. I didn't care who won, who lived, or who died. I just kept thanking my lucky stars that this book was free. I feel sorry for anyone who paid money for this dreck. I would've bailed on finishing it if it weren't a fast read, or if there wasn't a chance that the ending might not totally suck. Oh well, I wasted an hour or so of my life on this book. No big deal in the grand scheme of things, I guess.
Typical Marvel Premiere Edition hardcover fare. Glued binding, coated cover, nice paper stock. These are a decent package overall.
This was pretty terrible. I guess that Card is a New York Times best selling author, according to the dustjacket blurb and inner flap information, but he is not a good comic book writer. At no point in this book were any of the characters believable or likable. I didn't care who won, who lived, or who died. I just kept thanking my lucky stars that this book was free. I feel sorry for anyone who paid money for this dreck. I would've bailed on finishing it if it weren't a fast read, or if there wasn't a chance that the ending might not totally suck. Oh well, I wasted an hour or so of my life on this book. No big deal in the grand scheme of things, I guess.
Typical Marvel Premiere Edition hardcover fare. Glued binding, coated cover, nice paper stock. These are a decent package overall.
January 21, 2024
Absolute trash. The only good thing out of this was the art. Those guys did an amazing job. I just feel bad for what they had to work wirh. The plots were a mangled mess and the characters had no substance. Obadiah made no sense.. whatsoever. I think the writer wanted to throw you off here and there about him, but totally missed his mark because it came off like he didn’t know how he wanted to portray him. It’s like he didn’t define the character’s personality traits before using him in the comics. I was given whiplash figuring out what the heck this writer was even going on most of the time. (See what I did there? 🥁)
The whole thing was corny. I’m not even talking about one specific person. All of the dialogue was terrible, though the attempted humor for Obadiah was, honestly, the worst. The “badass” verbiage was super ‘try hard.’
2 stars was for the art! Definitely not subpar on their end!!
The whole thing was corny. I’m not even talking about one specific person. All of the dialogue was terrible, though the attempted humor for Obadiah was, honestly, the worst. The “badass” verbiage was super ‘try hard.’
2 stars was for the art! Definitely not subpar on their end!!
January 12, 2024
This volume is 120 pages and contains Ultimate Iron Man Vol. 2 #1-5.
Marginally better than the first volume, but that’s not saying much. The art is also worse so it balances out to a bland 2 star rating. Reading through these other reviews I’ve noticed that this writer is mired in controversy. I have no clue about the writer’s personal views or anything else about his personal life so I can’t comment on that, but I can say he sucks at writing comics.
Definitely can’t recommend this to anyone other than someone like me who is making it a point to read every single issue ever written about the Ultimate Marvel Universe. They can’t all be winners.
Marginally better than the first volume, but that’s not saying much. The art is also worse so it balances out to a bland 2 star rating. Reading through these other reviews I’ve noticed that this writer is mired in controversy. I have no clue about the writer’s personal views or anything else about his personal life so I can’t comment on that, but I can say he sucks at writing comics.
Definitely can’t recommend this to anyone other than someone like me who is making it a point to read every single issue ever written about the Ultimate Marvel Universe. They can’t all be winners.
July 9, 2017
(Actually a digital edition I read, but that isn't listed here on Goodreads)
1.5/5
I was pretty generous to the first volume of this series, but ULTIMATE IRON MAN II is a pretty awful comic, aside from the art in the first four issues. While the first volume had a clear arc in detailing the early life of Ultimate Tony Stark, volume two is a pure cluster fuck of bad writing and Orson Scott Card's unsettling obsessions and fears. Rife with homophobic subtext and misogyny, the book is deeply unpleasent reading.
1.5/5
I was pretty generous to the first volume of this series, but ULTIMATE IRON MAN II is a pretty awful comic, aside from the art in the first four issues. While the first volume had a clear arc in detailing the early life of Ultimate Tony Stark, volume two is a pure cluster fuck of bad writing and Orson Scott Card's unsettling obsessions and fears. Rife with homophobic subtext and misogyny, the book is deeply unpleasent reading.
October 25, 2019
When I say that I want to give this less than one star, I don't mean "It's The Worst Thing Ever Written." It's not. I just mean that it's worse than Volume 1 of Ultimate Iron Man, which was barely a One Star book.
The plot is nonsensical. The characters aren't even one-dimensional. The art is inferior to the first volume. And having been racist as hell in the first volume, Card decided to remind readers that he's also an infamous homophobe.
If you buy this book, put on protective goggles before you read it, and burn every page when you're done.
The plot is nonsensical. The characters aren't even one-dimensional. The art is inferior to the first volume. And having been racist as hell in the first volume, Card decided to remind readers that he's also an infamous homophobe.
If you buy this book, put on protective goggles before you read it, and burn every page when you're done.
October 10, 2023
This volume tried to tie up the loose ends from Ultimate Iron Man, but it really just had the same problems. It was interesting to further explore Tony and Rhodey's dynamic, and the terrorist detective work was really the most Iron Man-y thing about it. Just as weird as the first. Kind of boring at times. Wouldn't recommend to anyone not reading through each Ultimate title - and even then, just know it'll be retconned. 1st time read. 2/5.
December 28, 2021
From off-kilter to a full train wreck. Not sure how this second volume got picked up, but I'm glad to see there's no Vol. 3. Uninteresting, often confusing, sometimes just mean, and thoroughly unenjoyable. I'd say forgettable, but I'm sadly going to remember this unpleasant reading experience for some time.
July 18, 2018
Not as good as the first volume in my opinion. I don’t like the drawing style in here. It looks too computer generated. This is a very different design of Iron Man with quite different versions of the main characters from other Iron Man comics. Be warned.
September 24, 2018
So boring! This and the first volume were very disappointing.
April 20, 2019
The story from last volume continues and they have to find out who is pulling all thr strings.
July 7, 2019
This and other Orson Scott Card books reviewed here: https://fsfh-book-review2.webnode.com...
June 12, 2021
Very lackluster compared to the decent start.
September 7, 2023
The first Ultimate Iron Man was crap. This manages to be even more crap. This was boring crap.
November 12, 2023
It’s got a crappy ending.
February 9, 2025
They'd be talking about "good guys vs bad guys" as American war profiteers shooting brown people in the Middle East
Displaying 1 - 29 of 65 reviews