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The Invincible Iron Man (1968) #47, 142-144, 152-153, 200, 218
The Many Armors of Iron Man
Collects Iron Man #47, #142-144, #152-153, #200 and #218.
Constantly revamping and improving his suits of armor through the years to meet new adversaries and environmental conditions, Tony Stark is a modern man of science and technology, yet also an Old World man of integrity and discipline. Now, journey into the past and relive comicdom's greatest invention, Iron Man's armors: the Space Armor, the Stealth Armor, the Deep Sea Armor and more!
Constantly revamping and improving his suits of armor through the years to meet new adversaries and environmental conditions, Tony Stark is a modern man of science and technology, yet also an Old World man of integrity and discipline. Now, journey into the past and relive comicdom's greatest invention, Iron Man's armors: the Space Armor, the Stealth Armor, the Deep Sea Armor and more!
205 pages, Paperback
First published November 1, 1992
4 people are currently reading
72 people want to read
About the author
Roy Thomas
4,543 books276 followersRoy Thomas was the FIRST Editor-in-Chief at Marvel--After Stan Lee stepped down from the position. Roy is a longtime comic book writer and editor. Thomas has written comics for Archie, Charlton, DC, Heroic Publishing, Marvel, and Topps over the years. Thomas currently edits the fanzine Alter Ego for Twomorrow's Publishing. He was Editor for Marvel comics from 1972-1974. He wrote for several titles at Marvel, such as Avengers, Thor, Invaders, Fantastic Four, X-Men, and notably Conan the Barbarian. Thomas is also known for his championing of Golden Age comic-book heroes — particularly the 1940s superhero team the Justice Society of America — and for lengthy writing stints on Marvel's X-Men and Avengers, and DC Comics' All-Star Squadron, among other titles.
Also a legendary creator. Creations include Wolverine, Carol Danvers, Ghost Rider, Vision, Iron Fist, Luke Cage, Valkyrie, Morbius, Doc Samson, and Ultron. Roy has also worked for Archie, Charlton, and DC among others over the years.
Also a legendary creator. Creations include Wolverine, Carol Danvers, Ghost Rider, Vision, Iron Fist, Luke Cage, Valkyrie, Morbius, Doc Samson, and Ultron. Roy has also worked for Archie, Charlton, and DC among others over the years.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
December 28, 2016
This one is a fairly old volume and I own it.
A while back I found a pile of comic collections at one of the local stores for a few bucks a piece and I’ve been storing them on my book shelf for a 1) a snowy day, 2) a random apocalyptic event, 3) some sort of not-too-invasive surgery that would render me bed-ridden but not addled on pain killers.
Well, none of those have happened. I’ve just been incredibly busy and haven’t had time to make a library run in ages, so into the comic vault I ventured.
In this book, you have Tony Stark - Avenger, billionaire, industrialist, playboy. Not Tony Stark - drunken, whore monger, asshole, God’s self-appointed gift to humanity.
The focus, as the title states, is on Stark’s ability to create different types of armor based on the situation at hand. The introduction to this book makes clear (I motored through it in order to get to the pictures, so I’m assuming) that Iron Man’s tech and armor have always been as cutting edge as what’s going on in real life and has been only limited by the writer’s imagination – so over the years it’s been: hello, space armor, stealth armor, sentient armor, nanotech, half-metal/half symbiote…
Sure, the gadgets are fancy and cool, but the guy inside the armor has to be a tad bit interesting as well.
David Michelinie wrote most of the stories, with much of the artwork supplied by John Romita Jr. before he went off the deep end and pulled the comic book version of Van Gogh. Michelinie has written several notable Iron Man storylines: Iron Man: Armor Wars andDrunk as a Friggin’ Skunk Iron Man: Demon in a Bottle, with only the latter story getting a brief nod here.
The Iron Man origin story gets a slight re-vamping in order to include Stark’s meeting with future pal and Mr. War Machine, James “Rhodey” Rhodes.
Google Jive translator not necessary.
It’s still in Viet Nam, but anyone familiar with the first film will find many points of reference.
Commie bastards!
We advance quickly from Stark’s Someone-just-punched-me-in-the-chest-and-if-I-don’t-find-an-AC-outlet-quick-I’m-a-goner-cause-that-sharpnel-is-getting-too-close-to-my-heart armor to something a bit more sophisticated.
We get some back story on Stark’s psychic girlfriend, Bethany Cabe.
Oh, Mrs. Arboghast! Remember “hussy” is spelled with two s’s.
Is being a redhead a prerequisite for having psychic powers in the Marvel Universe?
Paging Amy Adams!
She’s loosely involved in a storyline that includes East Germans (Commie Bastards!!) a space station, a dude named Sunturion, some schmuck named the Living Laser (His body’s a laser and he’s, uh, living) and the Roxxon corporation, whose motto is: What’s a small Midwestern town full of dead people measured against progress and the bottom line? Ka-ching!!
Obidiah Stane, as played by Jeff Bridges, complete with Iron Monger armor also clocks in.
Did I mention that his thrusters aren’t firing on full throttle and he has a mad-on for Tony Stark?
The final tale involved Iron Man, the Titanic, deadly WWI poison gas, Russians (Commie Bastards!!) and underwater armor.
*yawn*
Bottom Line: For a collection that spans the ‘70’s, this isn’t bad. Subtract the cheesy dialogue and cartoon pacing and the stories were fairly engaging. Still, I’d recommend it for an Iron Man enthusiast, someone who likes the films seeking more information on the character, or a younger reader who wants some simpler stories unfettered by years of continuity and Tony Stark portrayed as Marvel’s biggest asshole not named Namor.
Glossary of term(s) for the kids who will read this volume:
Trollop: a woman perceived as sexually disreputable or promiscuous
Also: No comic book covers? It’s nice to check out the original cover art, which is absent here.
So three and one half stars rounded downwards
For the Trish:
Bonus New Yorkeresque creative content!
Hey, supply your own goofy caption with the only reward being the envy and unrestrained mirth from your fellow Goodreads pals.
I’ll get you started: “Happy warned me about that brothel and I’m still getting an itching and burning sensation. Must increase the antibiotics.”
A while back I found a pile of comic collections at one of the local stores for a few bucks a piece and I’ve been storing them on my book shelf for a 1) a snowy day, 2) a random apocalyptic event, 3) some sort of not-too-invasive surgery that would render me bed-ridden but not addled on pain killers.
Well, none of those have happened. I’ve just been incredibly busy and haven’t had time to make a library run in ages, so into the comic vault I ventured.
In this book, you have Tony Stark - Avenger, billionaire, industrialist, playboy. Not Tony Stark - drunken, whore monger, asshole, God’s self-appointed gift to humanity.
The focus, as the title states, is on Stark’s ability to create different types of armor based on the situation at hand. The introduction to this book makes clear (I motored through it in order to get to the pictures, so I’m assuming) that Iron Man’s tech and armor have always been as cutting edge as what’s going on in real life and has been only limited by the writer’s imagination – so over the years it’s been: hello, space armor, stealth armor, sentient armor, nanotech, half-metal/half symbiote…
Sure, the gadgets are fancy and cool, but the guy inside the armor has to be a tad bit interesting as well.
David Michelinie wrote most of the stories, with much of the artwork supplied by John Romita Jr. before he went off the deep end and pulled the comic book version of Van Gogh. Michelinie has written several notable Iron Man storylines: Iron Man: Armor Wars and
The Iron Man origin story gets a slight re-vamping in order to include Stark’s meeting with future pal and Mr. War Machine, James “Rhodey” Rhodes.
Google Jive translator not necessary.
It’s still in Viet Nam, but anyone familiar with the first film will find many points of reference.
Commie bastards!
We advance quickly from Stark’s Someone-just-punched-me-in-the-chest-and-if-I-don’t-find-an-AC-outlet-quick-I’m-a-goner-cause-that-sharpnel-is-getting-too-close-to-my-heart armor to something a bit more sophisticated.
We get some back story on Stark’s psychic girlfriend, Bethany Cabe.
Oh, Mrs. Arboghast! Remember “hussy” is spelled with two s’s.
Is being a redhead a prerequisite for having psychic powers in the Marvel Universe?
Paging Amy Adams!
She’s loosely involved in a storyline that includes East Germans (Commie Bastards!!) a space station, a dude named Sunturion, some schmuck named the Living Laser (His body’s a laser and he’s, uh, living) and the Roxxon corporation, whose motto is: What’s a small Midwestern town full of dead people measured against progress and the bottom line? Ka-ching!!
Obidiah Stane, as played by Jeff Bridges, complete with Iron Monger armor also clocks in.
Did I mention that his thrusters aren’t firing on full throttle and he has a mad-on for Tony Stark?
The final tale involved Iron Man, the Titanic, deadly WWI poison gas, Russians (Commie Bastards!!) and underwater armor.
*yawn*
Bottom Line: For a collection that spans the ‘70’s, this isn’t bad. Subtract the cheesy dialogue and cartoon pacing and the stories were fairly engaging. Still, I’d recommend it for an Iron Man enthusiast, someone who likes the films seeking more information on the character, or a younger reader who wants some simpler stories unfettered by years of continuity and Tony Stark portrayed as Marvel’s biggest asshole not named Namor.
Glossary of term(s) for the kids who will read this volume:
Trollop: a woman perceived as sexually disreputable or promiscuous
Also: No comic book covers? It’s nice to check out the original cover art, which is absent here.
So three and one half stars rounded downwards
For the Trish:
Bonus New Yorkeresque creative content!
Hey, supply your own goofy caption with the only reward being the envy and unrestrained mirth from your fellow Goodreads pals.
I’ll get you started: “Happy warned me about that brothel and I’m still getting an itching and burning sensation. Must increase the antibiotics.”
April 14, 2023
Some fun tales loosely connected by the theme of "different armors of Iron Man".
There are some that fit better than others - the Space Iron man tale is the stand out here. He actually uses the armor and it plays a key part in the story. I felt it was the best story was well.
The weakest was the first tale by Roy Thomas. He once again proves to me I do NOT like his writing outside of Conan. I won't go into it too much but he is not great at writing action or clever villains. His story in this collection is mostly a rehash of the origin story (I feel Iron Man's origin gets retold more than any other super hero - and we get it TWICE in this collection).
The other stories are from David Michelinie and Bob Layton (who plots and draws them). I have a fondness for their Iron Man stories. Reading the stories from them in this collection - my fondness might be seen through rose colored glasses because none of these stories are stand outs and you do wonder why this collection was put together. Sure - we get the stealth armor but it doesn't seem to work that well (Iron man gets seen) and it only plays a really small part in the story. I contrast that with when Dan Slott made new Spider-man suits. We see a NEED for them and we see Peter work on them - so there is more of a build up. Here we get on page one "using my stealth suit" or "have to use my underwater suit".
While I don't think this is a great collection I will say - I still enjoyed the David and Bob stories.
I may not understand why we needed this collection they are still fun Iron man stories with great art.
There are some that fit better than others - the Space Iron man tale is the stand out here. He actually uses the armor and it plays a key part in the story. I felt it was the best story was well.
The weakest was the first tale by Roy Thomas. He once again proves to me I do NOT like his writing outside of Conan. I won't go into it too much but he is not great at writing action or clever villains. His story in this collection is mostly a rehash of the origin story (I feel Iron Man's origin gets retold more than any other super hero - and we get it TWICE in this collection).
The other stories are from David Michelinie and Bob Layton (who plots and draws them). I have a fondness for their Iron Man stories. Reading the stories from them in this collection - my fondness might be seen through rose colored glasses because none of these stories are stand outs and you do wonder why this collection was put together. Sure - we get the stealth armor but it doesn't seem to work that well (Iron man gets seen) and it only plays a really small part in the story. I contrast that with when Dan Slott made new Spider-man suits. We see a NEED for them and we see Peter work on them - so there is more of a build up. Here we get on page one "using my stealth suit" or "have to use my underwater suit".
While I don't think this is a great collection I will say - I still enjoyed the David and Bob stories.
I may not understand why we needed this collection they are still fun Iron man stories with great art.
October 29, 2018
not enough pepper potts. and by that i mean there was no pepper potts. Where Is Pepper Potts
April 10, 2024
The first appearances of several of Iron Man’s most famous armour variations.
August 30, 2025
For me, this book perfectly captures the nostalgia of being a kid and only being afforded glances into the long histories of these characters; random glimpses, contextless and unconnected issues that inspire imagination about what could have come in between.
Granted, that’s likely because I got this book as a kid and read it countless times back then. But, even as an adult rereading it for the first time in years, I think that spark is there, unintentionally or not.
There are a lot (and I mean a lot) of dated aspects in this volume. The Jingoism on display in the Vietnam-centred issues is uncomfortable, as is the random and unnecessary reference to an Asian character as ‘Oriental.’ If you’re approaching these older stories for the first time, you’ve now been made aware, and your mileage will vary on how you feel about that.
That aside though, there are some real quality stories collected here. There was an intentionality to collecting a retelling of Iron Man’s origin, rather than the bonafide original issue, which gets to be expanded upon in the epilog of the Sunturion story. Despite the content included being essentially a hodgepodge of random Iron Man issues, there is a subtextual through-line that impresses me even now. This book ends up being a decent introduction to the comics version of the character as a whole because of this.
Michelinie and Layton’s run on Iron Man is probably the peak of the character for me, and their issues collected here are good fun. I especially like the Living Laser story and the undersea suit story. The best issue included, funnily enough, has neither Michelinie nor Layton involved: issue 200, which has a gravitas and sense of fun both infused by O’Neil’s writing and Bright’s pencils. The selection here is simply good and well-rounded.
It may be inspired mostly by nostalgia, but I think this fun little collection still holds up, and is still a solid introduction if one is looking to get into Iron Man comics.
Granted, that’s likely because I got this book as a kid and read it countless times back then. But, even as an adult rereading it for the first time in years, I think that spark is there, unintentionally or not.
There are a lot (and I mean a lot) of dated aspects in this volume. The Jingoism on display in the Vietnam-centred issues is uncomfortable, as is the random and unnecessary reference to an Asian character as ‘Oriental.’ If you’re approaching these older stories for the first time, you’ve now been made aware, and your mileage will vary on how you feel about that.
That aside though, there are some real quality stories collected here. There was an intentionality to collecting a retelling of Iron Man’s origin, rather than the bonafide original issue, which gets to be expanded upon in the epilog of the Sunturion story. Despite the content included being essentially a hodgepodge of random Iron Man issues, there is a subtextual through-line that impresses me even now. This book ends up being a decent introduction to the comics version of the character as a whole because of this.
Michelinie and Layton’s run on Iron Man is probably the peak of the character for me, and their issues collected here are good fun. I especially like the Living Laser story and the undersea suit story. The best issue included, funnily enough, has neither Michelinie nor Layton involved: issue 200, which has a gravitas and sense of fun both infused by O’Neil’s writing and Bright’s pencils. The selection here is simply good and well-rounded.
It may be inspired mostly by nostalgia, but I think this fun little collection still holds up, and is still a solid introduction if one is looking to get into Iron Man comics.
May 2, 2020
I've read it twice now. It was good. I think it was better the first time, since I was younger and had never read Iron Man's origin story before, or how Tony met Rhodes, or how he beat Obadiah Stane. Most of the stories are fun, but not particularly central to Iron Man's legacy or character. For example, anyone heard of Bethany Cabe? For a long while there, she was Tony's special love interest, but thanks to the MCU and Pepper Potts, no one's heard of this redhead paramor anymore. Equally forgettable are the Living Laser and the Sunturion, even though they were all powerful enough to kill Tony if they weren't too busy telling him their backstories.
January 24, 2011
My favourite Marvel comic hero can be best experienced in this taster collection, covering multiple styles of armor over the years. The stories & the artwork, taken from a selection of the first 300 issues, alternate between underwhelming and brillaint, which makes the overall package enjoyable, but VERY inconsistent in style and tone. Enjoy it, but be prepared for some artistic whiplash.
September 5, 2014
Never been a huge fan of Iron Man solo stories. This sampling of the Romita,Jr/Michenlinie run has convinced me of its greatness. Got to get my hands on a copy of the Iron Man by Michelinie, Layton & Romita Jr. Omnibus.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1...
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1...
August 21, 2012
Old school Iron Man courtesy of my local library. Never really cared for Iron Man until I started reading Bendis's New Avengers. This collection is glorious -- from the writing to the art. I've already added the available TPBs from the Michelinie/Layton Iron Man 1980s run to my amazon wish list.
September 27, 2021
Iron Man just doesn't do it for me. These stories showcasing the various specialized armors is an interesting concept but the stories themselves are dated and not very enjoyable.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews